Bars Tours
Places to visit
Lakes, canyons, passes and Silk Road monuments.
Places
Issyk-Kul
Lake Issyk-Kul
Pearl of the Tian Shan: 182 km of turquoise water ringed by mountains.
Issyk-Kul
Karakol
Town of merchants and mountaineers: wooden cathedral, Dungan mosque, ashlyan-fu.
Issyk-Kul
Jeti-Oguz
The red “Seven Bulls” and “Broken Heart” cliffs.
Issyk-Kul
Skazka Canyon
Wind-sculpted red sandstone shaped like castles and dragons.
Issyk-Kul
Barskoon Gorge
The “Leopard's Tears” waterfalls and the road to a 3,800 m pass.
Issyk-Kul
Bokonbaevo eagle hunters
Eagle hunting demonstrations and lakeside yurt camps.
Issyk-Kul
Cholpon-Ata
Open-air petroglyphs and north-shore beaches.
Issyk-Kul
Ala-Kul Lake
A glacial lake at 3,530 m — goal of the country's best-known trek.
Issyk-Kul
Altyn-Arashan
Radon hot springs in an alpine valley.
Issyk-Kul
Jyrgalan
A valley for trekking, horse tours and freeride.
Central Tian Shan
Inylchek Glacier
One of the largest glaciers on Earth and the Merzbacher lake.
Central Tian Shan
Pobeda Peak
The highest point of the Tian Shan — 7,439 m.
Bishkek & Chuy Valley
Bishkek
A green capital with snowy peaks on the horizon.
Bishkek & Chuy Valley
Ala-Archa National Park
Glaciers and juniper forests 40 minutes from Bishkek.
Bishkek & Chuy Valley
Burana Tower
An 11th-century minaret and a field of balbals on the Silk Road.
Bishkek & Chuy Valley
Chon-Kemin Valley
A national park with spruce forests and rafting.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Song-Kol Lake
An alpine lake at 3,016 m with summer herders' yurts.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Kochkor
Felt capital: shyrdak-making workshops.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Kyzart Pass
The classic horse route to Song-Kol.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Naryn
A town on a wild river in the Inner Tian Shan.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Tash Rabat
A 15th-century stone caravanserai on the Silk Road.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Kel-Suu Lake
The Kyrgyz fjords near the Chinese border.
The South: Arslanbob & Osh
Arslanbob
The largest relict walnut forest and two waterfalls.
The South: Arslanbob & Osh
Sary-Chelek Lake
A UNESCO biosphere reserve and a turquoise lake among spruces.
The South: Arslanbob & Osh
Sulaiman-Too, Osh
A sacred mountain — UNESCO World Heritage site.
The South: Arslanbob & Osh
Toktogul Reservoir
A turquoise reservoir on the north–south road.
Bishkek & Chuy Valley
Too-Ashuu Pass
A 3,586 m mountain pass with a tunnel.
Alay & Pamir
Lenin Peak
A Pamir 7,000er with base camp at Achik-Tash.
Issyk-Kul
Kok-Moinok Canyon
Red canyons and narrow labyrinths near the Boom Gorge — a little-known alternative to Skazka.
Issyk-Kul
Tosor village
A quiet village on the south shore of Issyk-Kul: a homestay and sunset on the beach.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Kyzart village
The last village before Son-Kul — the horseback crossing to the lake starts here.
Issyk-Kul
Karakol Ski Base
Kyrgyzstan's best ski resort: 2,300–3,040 m and Tian Shan powder snow.
Naryn & Song-Kol
Dolon Pass
A 3,030 m pass on the road to Naryn overlooking the Kochkor valley.