One of the largest mountain lakes in the world, which never freezes, ringed by the snowy Tian Shan. The north shore has beach resorts; the south shore is wilder, with the red rocks of Skazka (Fairytale) Canyon.
Karakol, at the eastern end, is a base for treks to the Altyn-Arashan hot springs and Ala-Kul lake, and has a wooden Orthodox church and a Dungan mosque.
A classic 3 to 4 day trek from Karakol over a 3,900 m pass to a turquoise glacial lake, then down to the hot springs of Altyn-Arashan, where you can …
An 11th-century minaret, all that remains of the city of Balasagun, with a field of balbals, stone figures carved by early Turkic peoples, and a smal…
A high alpine lake at 3,000 m surrounded by summer pastures where nomadic herders bring their horses, sheep and yaks from June to September.
A remarkably well-preserved 15th-century stone caravanserai in a remote valley at 3,500 m, on a Silk Road route to China.
A mountain gorge just 40 km south of Bishkek, with trails to waterfalls and glaciers.
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