Road around Issyk Kul lake

Bishkek – Cholpon Ata – Karakol – Bokonbaevo – Bishkek.

Lake Issyk-Kul is known as the “pearl of the Tian Shan”. The name is Kyrgyz and means “Hot Lake” – although this is not a description of the temperature of the water … it got the name because it never freezes over – resulting from a combination of its extreme depth, thermal activity and mild salinity, (the lake has no outlet).  The lake has a moderating effect on the climate which, combined with abundant rainfall, has made it something of an oasis down through the centuries.  It is about 180 km long, 70 km across, and is considered to be the second largest mountainous lake in the world after Titicaca on the border between Peru and Bolivia. The lake sits 1600 meters above the sea level and reaches a depth of 668 meters, and is set on a plain nested between the Kungey (Sunny) Alatau to the north and the Terskey (Dark) Alatau to the south. Both ranges rise to over 4000m.

At first the road goes east from Bishkek to Tokmak, the commercial centre of the Chuy valley. There was a fort at the place where the city is now, and in the 18^th century it played an important role in protecting the trade routes between Kashgar and Tashkent.

Just 15 km outside Tokmok there is Burana Tower (XI C.), which marks the original site of the Karakhanid town of Balasagun, founded in 960. The Karakhanid empire used to occupy much of Central Asia, covering an area large than modern India.

As you travel east from Tokmak the road gets closer to the mountains and the Chui river turns to the west, merges with the Chong Kemin river which flows from Kungey Alatau. This stretch of the river is popular for one day rafting.    

After passing the small town of Kemin, the road passes through “Cold Water”, which is a place to stop for lunch or a snack - there are a few cafes and roadside yurts that offer local cuisine and cold drinks. Then the road goes into the dry Boom Gorge, while you are driving through the gorge you will see roadside statues of snow leopard, deer, and eagles.

If you spend more time in Boom gorge you may discover canyons that are similar to the “Grand Canyon” in America.  In order to do it, you need to stop the car 10 km after Krasniy Most (“red bridge”) cross the river (there is a metal bridge) and you will get to the rafting camp where you can ask for a guide who will lead you to the canyons. The hike to the canyon requires overnight stop at the rafting camp.

Once you leave the gorge, the Issyk-Kul basin opens out before you. Issyk-Kul region makes up 20 percent of country’s territory - occupying 43,500 square kilometers.

After Boom gorge the road descends to Balykchi.  The name means ‘fisherman’ in Kyrgyz, and in Soviet Times the town was the industrial centre of Issyk-Kul region and had different kinds of factories which specialized in fish products, shipbuilding and transportation industries. But now most of the factories are not operating.

From Balikchi the road heads towards Karakol, in some places the road approaches close to the lake and at others veers away from it.  For the first stretch, at least, the road is some distance from the Kungey range.

On the way you may see, visit or pass the following places:

Sanatoria along the northern shore: In Soviet times Issyk Kul was very famous among citizens of the different republics, (especially Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan), and it was a favoured holiday destination.  As a result a number of sanatoria, spas, health resorts, children’s camps and other facilities opened here.     

After a strenuous trek, or simply traveling around the country, a few days relaxation on the lake’s shores can be an attractive prospect. Visitors have the choice of possible accommodation ranging from homestays to one of the many health spa or sanatoriums, (most of which are located on the northern shore of the lake).  It would be difficult to include information about all of them here, but we would like to say few words about one of them: 

The Aurora is perhaps the most famous of the resorts.  It was constructed in the shape of a ship that attacked Russian Tsar’s palace in 1917 during the Russian revolution. In Soviet times the hotel was meant to serve only government officials, but in our days everyone can stay there and feel the special atmosphere of the place.  It still has some of its old prestige and despite the size it feels brighter and less institutional than some of the other resorts, especially because of the park that surrounds the buildings. 

Cholpon-Ata is the largest town on the northern shore and the center of the resort zone.  A remarkable open-air art gallery of stone inscriptions is located just north of the town, said to date from 500 BC – 100 AD, they depict wolves, long-horned ibex, goats, horses, snow leopards, sacrifices and some hunting scenes.

Grigorievka:  A village to the east of Cholpon Ata, on the main road, at the foot of the Chon Ak Suu valley. This canyon is 32 kilometers long with a road the first 15 kilometers from Grigorievka. The slopes are covered with dense fir groves and littered with waterfalls. There are glacial lakes, and spectacular views of peaks and glaciers on the various trails over the mountains to Almaty, as well as a trail to Chin Kemin.

Semyenovka is located some 30 kilometres further on from Cholpon Ata as you travel from Bishkek. The area is criss-crossed by trekking routes – some of which pass over the mountains towards the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan.  The road leads to a mountain pasture at 2010 meters above sea level and the conurbation with the Kichi Ak Suu (“Little White Water”) river. The river flows some 34 kilometers from the glaciers in the mountain peaks down into Lake Issyk Kul, through three small lakes.

Svetliy Mys: An interesting site for a short side trip might be to visit the little hamlet of Svetly Mys, tucked away near the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, just South of the village of Belovodsk – about 50km from Karakol.  This is reputedly the burial place for the Apostle, Saint Matthew. In 1875 the famous Russian explorer found a Catalan map dated 1375 on which the cartographer had marked “Issicol” and added the note: “Here is the cloister of Armenian brothers – Nestorians, body of Holy Matfey, Apostle and evangelist, is placed here”.It is thought that he arrived in Kyrgyzstan on his way to India.

Karakol: The atmosphere of Karakol town will bring you hundred years back and give you an impression of Tsarist Russia. You will see Old Russian style houses, some of them were made out of wood without nails.  For example The Holy Trinity Cathedral which is a fine example of a Russian Orthodox Church, which served as a dance hall under the Soviets, and a school during the Second World War. Built on the site of an earlier church, built in 1876, the current building was constructed between 1890-5. During the construction a yurt served as a church for local population. The building consists of wooden walls on a stone foundation, and it is highly decorative.

 Around Karakol:

Altyn Arashan: This is probably the most visited site by foreign tourists visiting Karakol and is renowned for its beauty.  The Altyn Arashan (“Golden Spa”) valley leads up from the Ak Suu valley, just South of the village of Teplokluenchka, to a Spartan “hot spring” complex. The road is not an easy one, very steep in places, and requires special heavy-duty 4WD vehicles.  It passes through pine forests, which contain many hidden springs (both hot and cold).  Bears are known to frequent the area. There is a small museum with stuffed animals, typical of the region. The area includes the Arashan State Nature Reserve, which is a special botanical research preserve.

Enilchek, Peak Pobeda and Khan Tengry: In the North-Eastern corner of Kyrgyzstan, two ridges of the Tien Shan converge and some peaks rise to over 6000m.   The Enilchek glacier snakes down from the clouds, nestling at the foot of Khan Tengri (“Prince of Spirits” or “Rider of the Sky” – 6995m) on the borders with Kazakhstan in the North and Peak Pobeda (Victory Peak, 7439m – the second highest mountain in the former Soviet Union) on the border with China in the South.  Stretching for 60 kilometers and covering an area of over 583 square kilometers with ice, some of it as much as 540 meters thick – this glacier is one of the most famous in the world. 

Sandwiched between the Northern and Southern branches of the glacier lies the mysterious Merzbacher Lake, which form every summer and then, sometime in August, burst through the ice banks and the waters flow into the Enchilek River.

The road from Karakol to Balikchi:

Taking this beautiful road along the southern shore of the lake, it is possible to observe gorgeous landscapes, canyons and lagoons. The southern shore of the lake is quieter then northern. 

On the way you may see, visit or pass the following places:

Jety Oguz: About 25 km South West of Karakol is a lush valley with some striking red sandstone rock formations (the “seven Bulls” from which the valley takes its name). There is a legend about the rock formation.  A Kyrgyz khan stole the wife of another, who sought advice from a “wise man” about how he could reap his revenge.  The wise man was reluctant to give advice but in the end relenting, telling the khan that he should kill his wife and give the body to his rival – “Let him own a dead wife, not a living one”.  The Kahn made his plans and at a funeral feast arranged to sit next to his stolen wife and as the last of the nine bulls were being slaughtered as part of the ritual, he took out his knife and stabbed her.  From her heart gushed blood and other fluids, which carried away the bulls down the valley and where they came to rest they became these cliffs.  As you approach the valley, you pass another rock formation, which resembles a “broken heart” and legend says that this is the heart of a beautiful woman who died of a broken heart after two suitors killed each other fighting over her.

Barskoon and Tamga are twin Kyrgyz and Russian villages which grew up around a military post. The broad sandy beach is one of today’s highlights; there are also several impressive waterfalls up the Barskoon valley.

Juuka gorge is a small gorge between Jeti-Oguz and Barskoon worth visitng for its unique beauty, fact that it is less travelled comparing to surrounding gorges and radon bathes. See pictures of this gorge following link Juuka gorge

Skazka valley, (“fairytale” in Russian), there sandstone cliffs have been shaped by centuries of wind and melting snow into an ensemble of columns, canyons and crag, ranging in colour from deep red to  bright orange.

Bokonbaevo is famous for eagle hunters. Hunting with golden eagles is an ancient tradition that dates back to the Mongol conquest of Central Asia around the 12th and 13th centuries, when a fine eagle and good horse cost the same price and both lent prestige to their owner.  Although the practice is gradually disappearing in this area, hunting with birds (especially with eagles) is still practiced in certain regions of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Westerners tend to think of this as falconry – and although hunting with hawks and falcons does take place, it is looked down upon by those who hunt with eagles as a pastime for children and dilettantes.

Approximate Timing (a lot will depend on stops along the way): Bishkek – Tokmok 1 hour; Tokmok – Kemin 1 hour; Kemin – Balikchi 1,5 hours; Balikchi – Cholpon Ata 2 hours; Cholpon Ata – Karakol 2 hours; Karakol – Balikchi 3 hours.