Kopuro Bazar

The village of Kopuro Bazar lies to the East of Talas, at the mouth of the Karakol Gorge on the Talas River.

It is surrounded by mountains and with 12km of birch woods (unique to the Talas valley) in which wild mushrooms grow and the river is teeming with trout. Nearby is an old gold mine. It is possible to horse trek over the Korumdu Ashu pass to the a small mountain lake, Kol-Tor, considered sacred by many Kyrgyz and which has changed little since the hordes of Chingiz Khan passed through and the feuding Kyrgyz and Kalmyk tribes fought here. There are some petroglyphs here as evidence of man’s early settlement in the region. 

There is also a zoological school, a museum and the house where Meerem Akaeva, (wife of the first president of the independent republic) was born.

In the village there are facilities for homestays and other services (horses, guides) supported by the British Department for International Development, and they have an interesting programme of treks and other activities. 

Nearby is an old deserted gold mine – providing amateur prospectors the opportunity to spend a few hours panning for riches. 

The village can be used as a base for visits to the petroglyphs of Tuyup Tor and Kiidik Tash, the lakes of Kol Tor, and the emerald green lake of Usar Tash, and the waterfall of Usar Tash, the cave of Bakai Tash, and the strange skull-shaped rock of Oral Koku, rock Chi Chat, (where one of Genghis Khan’s wives is said to be buried), the peakof Shumkar Uya.