Tag: “Kyrgyz Republic”

27 places found.

1. 

   Sweet Sixties

   Cafe Sweet Sixties is a wonderful little cafe in central Bishkek, located at the corner of Molodaya Gvardia and Kievskaya. They serve tasty Mexican, American and Italian food, have a full bar, and offer live music seven nights a week.

2. 

   Ala Archa National Park

   Ala Archa is a large national park in Kyrgyzstan, located in the mountains and valleys surrounding the Ala Archa river, roughly 30km south of Bishkek.

3. 

   Altyn Arashan

   Altyn Arashan (Golden Spa in Kyrgyz) is a hot-springs hotel located in a high mountain valley above Karakol. Don't let the term "hot-springs hotel" fool you - this isn't your typical spa.

4. 

   Karakol Animal Bazaar

   Every Sunday morning from 5:00am to 10:00am, people from all over north-eastern Kyrgyzstan flock to Karakol with their livestock to participate in the Karakol Animal Bazaar. The bazaar is filled with sheep, cows, goats, horses and hagglers, and it is quite a site to see.

5. 

   Karakoo

   Karakoo (pronounced kara-koh) is a small village of a few thousand, located a few miles from the southern shore of Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk Kul. This rural community survives mainly off of farming and herding.

6. 

   Countryside near Kara-Talaa

   Kyrgyzstan isn’t exactly a great place for finding convenient public toilets. As we drove from Balykchy towards our destination of Karakoo, we found ourselves desperately in need of a pit-stop.

7. 

   Tash Rabat

   Tash Rabat is a stone fortress/caravanserai dating from either the 13th or 15th century (depending on the source), which was once a prominent stop on the silk road. Tash Rabat is only about 60km from the city of Naryn; however, due to the quality of the roads, the trip takes about two and a half hours.

8. 

   CBT Kochkor / Altyn Kol Shop

   Located in the center of the small village of Kochkor, CBT Kochkor will arrange homestays, horse-trekking, hikes and more for those interested. Additionally, they work in cooperation with the Altyn Kol group, which provides a place for local women to sell their handmade traditional felt goods, specifically shyrdaks, traditional Kyrgyz rugs.

9. 

   Valley of the Flowers

   Located less then an hour outside of Karakol near the small village of Jeti Oguz is the Valley of the Flowers. The best time to visit is during late May and June.

10. 

    Tuz-Kul (Salt Lake)

    Tuz-Kul is a salt lake (the name literally means 'salt lake' in Kyrgyz) located less than a kilometer from the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Locals claim that floating in the salt lake will cure all of your ills, and while that is debatable, you'll certainly float.