Locals pack picnics and head 20km up the huge Barskoön Valley to the Barskoön Waterfall, where kymys is sold from summertime yurts near a defaced inscription by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. It’s possible to climb 1½ hours up to closer views of the upper falls, but be prepared for rocky scrambling.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.39 MILES
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…
23.8 MILES
Built into the hometown studio of Kyrgyzstan's national artist, Yuristanbek Shygaev, this delightful space is one of the most engaging museums in the…
16.77 MILES
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…
25.5 MILES
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…
28.5 MILES
Rumoured to cure everything from upset stomach to infertility, the many springs that dot the Manjyly-Ata site have been the site of pilgrimage since at…
Nearby Issyk-Köl Oblast attractions
10.39 MILES
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…
16.77 MILES
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…
3. Shygaev Museum of Modern Art
23.8 MILES
Built into the hometown studio of Kyrgyzstan's national artist, Yuristanbek Shygaev, this delightful space is one of the most engaging museums in the…
25.5 MILES
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…
28.5 MILES
Rumoured to cure everything from upset stomach to infertility, the many springs that dot the Manjyly-Ata site have been the site of pilgrimage since at…