Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

File:Caption=Karakol Canyon, north of the town of the same name Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan is a region in the east of Kyrgyzstan.

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Cities

• Balykchy – the gateway to Issyk Kul, Balykchy is a small, dying industrial center on the western shore, and a former fishing town, with a train service from Bishkek through a beautiful passand Chui Valley
• Bokonbayevo – a laid-back village east of Tamga, horse treks and eagle shows
• Cholpon-Ata – an upscale summer resort city and central city for tourism surrounded by mountains, with the popular Grigorievskoe Trail nearby and most of the resorts within 50 km
• Kadji Sai – a small lakeside picturesque town, where you can (literally!) have a radioactive bath, climb the nearby Tashta Ata Mountain, or have a magnificient view from the Shatyly Panorama outlook
• Karakol – one of the gems of Issyk Kul, this was originally a Slavic settlement with a wealth of outdoor and sports available, including the Altyn Arashan thermal spas (Muslim Friendly), Karakol Canyon, and the beautiful Ala Kul lake
• Kochkor – a small village with a park containing various Soviet structures, and a local animal bazaar, as well as an entry of point for Song Kul
• Naryn – city bisected by Narin River, flowing through a beautiful gorge
• Tamchy – mainly a beach resort, overnight yurt stays and horseback riding trips can be arranged here, too
• Tamga – town with a red sand beach; named after the nearby petroglyphs

More Destinations

• Lake Chatyr Kul – a scenic alpine lake with a high level of biodiversity
• Lake Issyk Kul – surrounded by the massive snowcapped Tian Shan, this is the main attraction of the region (and the nation, for that matter) with a tourist north shore and a rugged south shore
• Lake Song Kul – a beautiful yet rather inaccessible alpine lake; trips there are only feasible during summer months

Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan Halal Travel Guide

The region's shimmering Issyk Kul lake and the towering Tian Shan mountains are two of the biggest draws for travelers in Kyrgyzstan, and they dominate the views over this portion of the nation.

Travel to Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

Due to the attractiveness and accessibility of the region, it is the one served most by marshrutkas, (shared) taxis, and people in cars (see Kyrgyzstan#Get around|autostop).

Buy a Flight ticket to and from Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

• Tamchy Airport IATA Flight Code: IKU, Issyk Kul Airport | Tamchy - Issyk-Kul International Airport = Tamchy has limited air service during the summer travel season from/to the nearby cities of Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), Kazakhstan (Almaty), Uzbekistan (Tashkent), and even Russia (Novosibirsk).

What to see in Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

• Jeti Ögüz - курорт Жети-Огуз | 42.330556, 78.239722 - The public bath has baths and massages on offer Jeti-Ögüz resort Jeti Oguz rock formation and resort An ageing Russian a balneotherapic resort aka sanatorium with thermal spas (Muslim Friendly). Just before also the beautiful Seven Bulls (which is "Жети-өгүз" in Kyrgyz) and Broken Heart mountain can be found. Like many such sanitariums in former Soviet countries, it carries the name курорт or kurort, which is German for sanitarium.

• Tash Rabat 40.823056, 75.288889 use Naryn as a hub - Tash Rabat Tash Rabat in mountains An ancient caravanserai on the Silk Road, close to Torugart Pass to China. One of the top destinations of Kyrgyzstan but a little remote.
  
  As of 2022 both local taxi drivers and CBT quote a price of 2,000 soms for a return trip, including the driver waiting. The drive to Tash Rabat takes 2 hr. It's also feasible to sleep there at a handful of yurt camps in the summer season, which is highly recommended if you plan on going hiking the following day. The 2022 price list by CBT charges the following: B&B 600 som per person per day, horse rental 800 som per horse per day, a guide 1,600 som per day, lunch or dinner 400 som per meal. It might be feasible to negotiate a lower price with local residents when not booking through CBT.

• Barskoon waterfalls & gorge - Водопад "Слёзы Барса" | 41.9987252, 77.6027414 20 kilometers from the highway to the south - Barskoon Waterfall - Barskoön Waterfall - At least three beautiful waterfalls along a 2-4 hours hike (return) from 2,350 m to 3,300 meters. Best to come here in spring when lots of water is coming from the mountain. Another interesting highlight are the two busts of Yuri Gagarin at the foot of the gorge. Food yurts, small shops and horse rental are available at the foot of the trail.

• Fairy Tale Canyon - Skazka Valley / Каньон "Сказка" | 42.1564013, 77.3540723 - 60 som A beautiful and colorful mountain range, made of sandy red and yellow formations, popping out of the otherwise rather grey region. Diverse forms that look quite different with rain, shortly after or just sun. The /2DvIwI8 satellite picture best summarises its potential.

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Unfortunately and the place is kind of a touristic rip-off, charging entrance for a non-private mountain range—it is not-even a national park. If you do not want to support this training, just take the second road 1 kilometers further east along the highway, which leads to the same colorful canyon (last 1 kilometers walk), just its eastern range.

• Tamga Tash 42.1131695, 77.5217310 A rock that has the Buddhist/Tibetan inscriptions "Om Mani Padme Hum" on it, a divine formula of Buddhism. It is dating back from the 3rd to 8th centuries. The local residents interpretation is "Tamga".
• Sayakbol Karalaev Monument 42.1472, 77.3068 Monument of the famous Manas teller that lived between 1894 and 1971.

• God's View 42.1525538, 77.0881110 A picturesque viewpoint along the southern highway of Lake Issyk Kul with a cemetry and the plaines and mountains.

• Manjyly Ata Monument - Манжылы Ата | 42.1473949, 770853609 just nearby God's View, about 600 m towards the mountains A sacred place.

• Abandoned mosque and festival ground 42.172668, 77.225760 A quite picturesque scenery on front of the lake with beautiful paintings and a stage behind.

Top Muslim Travel Tips for Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

Salt lakes

At salt lake at Kyzyl Tuu, 60 kilometers to the east of Bokonbayevo - Salt lake Kyzyl Tuu

• Salt Lake - Туздуу-Көл / sometimes Кара-Куль | 42.25254, 76.74871 at Kyzyl Tuu - 100 som This is apparently the tourist one of all the salt lakes in this region. It is comparable to the Dead Sea—one can float on the surface due to the high salinity. Unfortunately and the naming is not quite consistent and sometimes it is named Кара-Куль aka Kara Kul, which however is the same name as the one below right next to the highway.

• Tuz Kul - Туз-Көл | 42.245278, 76.710278 ru:Тузкёль (Иссыккульская область) 3667827 Another salt lake just before the tourist one along the same road. The situation on which one the saltiest is, is unclear. Eiter way and they are close to each other. So, you can check out both or just skip the one that is charged for.

• Kara Kul - кара-көл | 42.17647, 77.33412 Another salt lake, but not as salty as the former two.

Hot springs

• Jyluu Suu - Jily Suu / Жылуу-Суу | 41.8660575, 77.0418559

Take a Hiking Tour in Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

There are many routes for hiking into the mountains surrounding Issyk Kul.

• Grigorievskoe Trail 42.8300, 77.4435 About 30-40 kilometers (return) in a beautiful valley north of the lake about 10 kilometers from its shore.Apparently sometime a small fee is charged at the entrance of the gorge, but this does not seem to be enforced consequently. There are several beautiful lakes along the way. The gorge leads into a rough river valley and later up to a pass from where you can reach the neighboring Semenovsky Gorge.

• Ton Ashuu Pass (4,250 m) - Тон | 41.9153651, 77.0639798
• Teshik Kul (3,505 m) - Тешик-Кёль | 41.877, 76.9934 A triangular shaped mountain lake.

• Central Tian Shan Mountains Even if you do not want to climb Khan Tengri and the glacier that runs west of it is impressive and worth the trip. The trail to the start of the glacier is not particularly difficult, because it is mostly a trek through the valley. But first you need to arrange a transport to Engilchek village from Karakol.

• Engilchek village 42.033333, 79.083333 - Engilchek, Kyrgyzstan Population dropped from 5,000 to 345 after the tin mine closed. Of interest near the village could be the "devil's grave", where supposedly a UFO crashed in 1991.

• Engilchek Glacier - Inylchek Glacier | 42.18, 79.82 50 kilometers east of Engilchek village - Engilchek Glacier South Inylchek Base Camp
• Khan Tengri (7,010 m) 42.210833, 80.175 - Khan Tengri Peak of Khan Tengri at sunset - Treks can be organised in Karakol.

Eat, drink and sleep

Please see the #Cities|relevant city eHalal Guide's for details.

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