Must-see attractions in Kyrgyzstan

  • Rock formation around the alpine Köl-Suu lake, Kurumduk valley, Naryn province, Kyrgyzstan; Shutterstock ID 2255076413; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Köl-Suu

    Kyrgyzstan

    Remote even by Kyrgyzstan standards, magnificent Köl-Suu lake stretches over 10km through a sheer mountain gorge that reaches nearly to the Chinese border…

  • Ala-Kul lake and snow-capped mountains in Kyrgyzstan.

    Ala-Köl

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    The two-day trek to stunning Ala-Köl is for many visitors a highlight of the entire Kyrgyzstan experience. Though less than 1.5 km², the range of massive…

  • Ak Örgö Yurt Workshop

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    This workshop became famous after one of its products won the 'most beautiful yurt' competition at the 1997 'Manas 1000' festival and had its work…

  • Ak-Köl

    Kyrgyzstan

    Winding 10km up a dirt road off the Kazarman–Chaek highway, brilliant Ak-Köl lake reflecting the surrounding peaks and the village beyond are a real…

  • Shygaev Museum of Modern Art

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    Built into the hometown studio of Kyrgyzstan's national artist, Yuristanbek Shygaev, this delightful space is one of the most engaging museums in the…

  • Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

    State Museum of Fine Arts

    Bishkek

    Collections of Kyrgyz embroidery and felt rugs, a splendid variety of paintings, and rotating exhibitions of local and international touring works all…

  • Kol-Tor Lake.

    Köl-Tör Lake

    Kyrgyzstan

    This turquoise-hued glacial lake is one of the most beautiful in Chuy oblast, and the surrounding peaks and verdant pastures certainly don't do anything…

  • Sary-Chelek Lake

    Sary-Chelek Biosphere Reserve

    Kyrgyzstan

    Though the full Unesco Biosphere Reserve includes seven mountain lakes and numerous rare flora and fauna, the star attraction for most visitors is the…

  • Jayma Bazaar

    Osh

    Osh Bazaar is one of Central Asia’s biggest markets dealing in everything from traditional hats and knives to seasonal fruit to horseshoes forged at the…

  • Jolgolot Viewpoint

    Karakol

    Hike the hour or two up from the village of Jolgolot (a suburb of Karakol) to take in stunning views of the city and Issyk-Köl to the north and the…

  • Kyrgyz people enjoying themselves on Solomon's Throne with city overview.

    Suleiman Too

    Osh

    This five-peaked rocky crag seems to loom above the city wherever you go. It has been a Muslim place of pilgrimage for centuries, supposedly because the…

  • Burana Tower

    Kyrgyzstan

    Burana is a popular side-trip when driving between Issyk-Köl and Bishkek. In the fields south of Tokmok, the Burana Tower is the 24m-high stump of a huge…

  • Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

    Ala-Too Square

    Bishkek

    Surveyed by a triumphant statue of Айкол Манас (Mighty Manas), Bishkek's nominal centre is architecturally neobrutalist in style but has a photogenic…

  • Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

    Osh Bazaar

    Bishkek

    Bishkek's most central bazaar has a certain compulsive interest and is an important city landmark. For traditional Kyrgyz clothes, including white…

  • Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

    Nissa Art Salon

    Bishkek

    Originally built as the St Nicholas Cathedral, the steeple was removed and this space converted to an art museum during the Soviet period. The building…

  • Tash Rabat Caravanserai

    Kyrgyzstan

    This small stone caravanserai is sunk into the hillside of a photogenic narrow shepherds' valley that's given definition by occasional rocky outcrops…

  • Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

    Art Group 705

    Bishkek

    Well-curated irregular exhibitions on a wide variety of themes and a grungy hipster-chic space make this a great stop for art seekers. Go through the gate…

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    Gallery M

    Bishkek

    This one-room gallery hosts rotating thematic exhibitions of works primarily by local artists. Much of it is for sale, and there is a handful of applied…

  • Karakol Animal Market

    Karakol

    Early on Sunday mornings one of Kyrgyzstan's biggest animal markets takes place around 2km north of central Karakol. Typical of such markets, you'll…

  • Seven Bulls

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    One of Kyrgyzstan's most photographed natural features, the Seven Bulls (Jeti-Ögüz) is an abrupt serrated ridge of ferric-red sandstone cliffs that have…

  • Koshoy Korgon Ruins

    Kyrgyzstan

    Koshoy Korgan (Koshoy's fortress) is a 250m square of muddy wall remnants from what is thought to have been a powerful 12th-century Karakhanid citadel,…

  • Chatyr-Köl

    Kyrgyzstan

    From Tash Rabat, roughly six hours on foot or by plodding horse should get you to a broad ridge overlooking massive Chatyr-Köl (Чатыр-көл) – 23km long and…

  • Kyrgyz-Ata National Park

    Kyrgyzstan

    Long a favourite of local day-trippers, Kyrgyz-Ata National Park is slowly becoming popular with international travellers as well. Though just under 12 sq…

  • Przhevalsky Memorial Museum

    Karakol

    The main attraction of the shrine-like Przhevalsky memorial garden is a small, well-presented museum dedicated to Nikolai Przhevalsky, the Russian…

  • Ak-Sai Petroglyphs

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    A small collection of Tibetan-script petroglyphs and accompanying Soviet-era graffiti make for a nice 3km walk (one-way) from the nearby highway, but the…

  • Tuyuk-Tör Petroglyphs

    Kyrgyzstan

    A collection of petroglyphs believed to be from the Bronze and Middle Ages stand just off the road up a valley about 32km east of the village of Köpurö…

  • Salkyn-Tör National Park

    Kyrgyzstan

    Naryn locals love to picnic at the foot of this national park just outside of the city, but head up the valley past the small collection of cabins and you…

  • Kolduk Lakes

    Kyrgyzstan

    Above a hilly jailoo ringed by yurts, the larger Kolduk lake is backed by a craggy mountain gorge. Families that take residence here from May to September…

  • Skazka Valley

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    The Skazka Valley is an area of bare red earth eroded into photogenic corridors, paws and spires of rosy rock. It's hardly Bryce Canyon but it makes a…

  • Saimaluu Tash

    Kyrgyzstan

    Spread over two remote valleys high in the mountains at an altitude of up to 3400m, this massive petroglyph site encompasses over 10,000 individual works…

  • Ala-Archa National Park

    Kyrgyzstan

    A visit to Ala-Archa is easily the most popular day trip for visitors to Bishkek, for equal parts ease of accessibility and spectacular mountain…

  • Shatyly Viewpoint

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    At the beginning of the attractive Boz-Salkyn Valley an easy 1¾-km walk leads to a viewpoint with extraordinary views over Issyk-Kül, especially at…

  • Suluu-Terek Canyon

    Kyrgyzstan

    A small red bridge towards the end of Boom Canyon (en route to Issyk-Köl) leads to the impressive desert landscapes and red-rock cliffs of Suluu-Terek…

  • Holy Trinity Cathedral

    Karakol

    Set peacefully amid trees, this hefty wooden structure is topped with green-roofed towers and almost-golden onion domes. The 1872 stone original was…

  • Nomad Museum

    Issyk-Köl Oblast

    This surprisingly well-curated museum displays artefacts and exhibits on traditional Kyrgyz culture, clothing, and history in an airy space that draws…

  • Toktogul Reservoir

    Kyrgyzstan

    Views out over the Toktogul reservoir are sublime in the right light, and the first glimpse of it descending from the mountains on the Bishkek highway are…

  • Tulpar Köl

    Kyrgyzstan

    The largest of a string of 42 small lakes, Tulpar Köl stretches for nearly a kilometre in between the final small foothills and the first major ridge of…

  • Dubovy Park

    Bishkek

    Where wide, green Erkindik (Freedom) Ave enters this pleasant central park, artists sell a range of locally themed paintings. There's a small open-air…

  • Navoi Park

    Osh

    Stretching south along the river from where the bazaar ends, leafy Navoi Park is a favourite local hang-out. Highlights inside include a gaming area where…

  • Fine Arts Museum

    Osh

    A surprisingly well-curated collection of art ranges from socialist realism to Central Asia modern museum staff are passionate art lovers and happy to…