When you think of lads holidays, your mind might automatically land on boozy jaunts in Marbella, Prague or maybe even Vegas.

But when five of us decided we wanted to take an adventurous trip completely off the tourist lads holiday radar, we ended up booking a place you might struggle to point to on the map: Kyrgyzstan.

While you may not have even heard of it, millions are now heading to the landlocked nation some dub the 'Switzerland of Central Asia'.

Around 8million tourists visited Kyrgyzstan in 2024, up from 2.8million in 2014. It also featured in the latest series of BBC's Race Across the World, where contestants rode through the mountains on horseback.

Google searches for the country have increased 37 per cent in the first five months of the year – and that's despite how difficult Kyrgyzstan is to spell.

The mountains, deserts and lakes were some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen – but the trip saved me a lot of cash too.

Here's how you can have a holiday like no other at a fraction of the price of a classic destination, including a £12 a night yurt, bars where cocktails cost £2 - just, beware the horse milk...

If you visited a classic holiday destination, say Marbella in Spain this summer, you might think to rent a boat for the day with your friends.

This could cost you anywhere from £1,000 to £2,000 for the day – and comes with the downside that you are doing the same thing as everyone else on social media.

Instead, for around half the price for five people (around £80 each) you can get on horseback and ride through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.

And the mountains are why you would travel to this country - they are stunningly beautiful. They seem unnaturally green with glorious snowy caps.  

Our experience started with a three-hour drive in a mini van on dirt roads through a mountain range. We were with a group of locals, who offered us regular shots of vodka, which admittedly made the wobbly ride nausea-inducing.

After hours of rocky cliff faces and what felt like near slips off into death, we were ready to get off the van. 

What awaited us was a yurt quite literally in the middle of nowhere. We were miles away from anyone else and there wasn't a building or road in sight. 

Traditionally a portable home for nomadic tribes across central Asia, yurts are wooden tents covered in felt and were entirely comfortable for where we were - if a little chilly. 

And at £12 a night per person, it was far cheaper than a hotel in Europe or the US. We were treated to a traditional dinner of stewed lamb with rice and a seemingly endless supply of tea. We were also treated to a not-so traditional karaoke session by the campfire.

What followed the next morning was one of the most unique, beautiful days of adventure I have ever experienced.

Everyone bar one had never ridden a horse before – but we were shown the ropes, or the reins, and we all got the hang of it fairly quickly. 

Squeeze the horse's belly with your feet to go and pull the reins to stop 

Some horses had a bit of an attitude problem and some were slower than others but once we got going there weren't any major issues apart from a few cuts across some branches.

We went across rocky mountains, desert-like landscapes, luscious gorges teeming with life and past enormous lakes. I had never seen such variety before and certainly had never seen anything like that on a lads holiday - nor done anything like it. 

There was absolutely no sign of human life the entire day. The only thing you could hear was the rush of the river or bird song – and the hooves of our horses. All you could see was untouched, beautiful land while your horse gently guided you through it all.

Expect to be tired, though, riding a horse all day was a lot more straining than any of us thought. And most of our bums remained sore for the next few days.

And while it was one of the most expensive days of the holiday, one thing I couldn't buy was how hospitable the local people were – always smiling and always inviting us to eat more food.

Our day ran over longer than it should have, mainly because we were too slow on the horses, so we didn't get back until late. 

Instead of leaving us hungry, our host offered for us to have dinner at his brother-in-law's house. The food was delicious - but I won't forget the warmth in which we were welcomed.

A beach day in Greece or Spain should usually be fairly cheap, but the costs can add up. If you want a sunbed, they can cost from anywhere between £10 to £30 for the day and drinks and food can be notoriously expensive when you're by the seaside.

And while you might think a landlocked country in central Asia wouldn't give you a beach day – you'd be wrong.

Instead of by the sea, our beach was by Issyk-Kul lake – the 11th largest in the world.

It's everything you'd expect: the sun was out, you could sit on a daybed and there are parasols for those less inclined towards the sun's rays. 

This lake is 3,000 ft above sea level and the views were stunning. You could see the snow-capped mountains in the distance but still feel the grainy sand between your toes.

Not many people were swimming though, which we thought strange. But we considered it rude not to jump into the water and found out quickly why.

The water was absolutely freezing – something about melting glaciers. It might be better left for the end of summer if you want an extensive swim.

What kind of lads trip would it be without a night out?

These can get expensive across Europe. Ibiza nightclubs are infamous for overcharging for drinks. 

A water can set you back £12 and a spirit and mixer can be closer to £25, with entry varying from £40 to £80. 

Dinner beforehand can set you back tens if not hundreds of pounds depending on what you order.

It's much cheaper in Kyrgyzstan. Dinner out, even at a finer establishment, can be very cheap. 

The national dish besh barmak, which is horse meat on noodles (give it a try!) usually doesn't cost more than £5 and you can usually order a bottle of wine or a few beers for just a few pounds.

Bishkek, the capital city, is a city of contrasts. Cranes punctuate the skyline and workers are busy building a new metropolis while men ride horses in nearby fields. 

Wherever you go though, you can see Kyrgyzstan's famous mountains. 

Despite being a majority Muslim country, there are no restrictions on the purchase of alcohol and the city is lively at night. 

You won't find resident DJs here, but there are plenty of bars, clubs and karaoke centres for you to enjoy. 

A beer won't set you back more than £3 in most places and you should definitely try their local cognac for a kick.

We went to a snazzy bar and had around five cocktails each. For around 25 cocktails, the bill came up to around £50 in total. You won't find that anywhere in western Europe.

And while a pint in Britain could set you closer to £7 you could get yourself a pint of horse milk in Kyrgyzstan for less than a pound. 

It's alcoholic... but absolutely disgusting. It's sour, bitter and tastes a bit like liquid hay. It also made our tour guide go to the toilet about 15 times in two hours.

He told us it was the traditional process of cleaning. I was unconvinced.  

Even with the money saved, I wouldn't recommend this one. 

What better way to nurse a hangover than to sit by a lake and try and catch some lunch. 

While freshwater fishing isn't as expensive as taking a boat out in Europe - prices can still really add up. 

If you were on holiday in Barcelona it can cost you anywhere from £90 to £150 for a day of freshwater fishing to get all the equipment and permits required required to fish. 

It cost us around £6 - and the promise of lunch on the barbecue provided we caught something. 

I sipped a beer while watching the lake, set up the barbecue to cook our lunch and felt at peace, especially because I had only spent £6. 

We were aiming to catch a trout to eat for lunch. But unfortunately, we couldn't catch a cold if we tried, so we had to run to the shop to buy one. That cost around £2 each.  

The return flight cost me around £360 with a layover in Istanbul. There are no direct flights from Britain. 

It was a pretty grim flight, both around five hours long, on a cheap airline but for the price I couldn't complain. 

Travel insurance was more expensive than for Europe but didn't break the bank. 

Quotes will obviously vary wildly depending on the person but I spent around £16 - it would usually cost me less than £5 for a trip to Europe. 

We stayed in an Airbnb that cost around £113 a night for five people so came up to around £22 each - far cheaper than a hotel or Airbnb in Europe. 

The average three star hotel in Bishkek can set you back around £30 to £45 a night for two, whereas a four-star will cost you £60 to £80. 

If you spent your lads holiday in Marbella you could spend £110 to £150 per night on a three star hotel for two and £190 to £250 per night for a four star hotel.  

If you were to add up the rough estimates of a trip to a classic European destination it would cost around £1,800, assuming a £200 flight

According to travel company TUI, you should expect to spend around £900 on an 11 day holiday to Marbella, excluding flights and hotel. 

You can obviously spend more or less depending on how frugal you are with activities, but even just eating out for 11 days will add up.  

In comparison, we spent around £700 each to fly to Kyrgyzstan, travel around and eat out every night. 

That's less than half the price to travel somewhere unlike anywhere else you have ever been, probably. 

I've been on many a lads holiday, most forgotten in a boozy blur. But I won't ever forget my trip to Kyrgyzstan - even if it's just to remember to never drink horse milk again.