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…
Must-see attractions in Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek
Collections of Kyrgyz embroidery and felt rugs, a splendid variety of paintings, and rotating exhibitions of local and international touring works all…
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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…
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…
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…
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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…
Bishkek
This modest museum forms a concrete shell around the thatched cottage that was allegedly the birthplace of Mikhail Vasilievich Frunze (1885–1925), for…
Bishkek
Surveyed by a triumphant statue of Айкол Манас (Mighty Manas), Bishkek's nominal centre is architecturally neobrutalist in style but has a photogenic…
Bishkek
Bishkek's most central bazaar has a certain compulsive interest and is an important city landmark. For traditional Kyrgyz clothes, including white…
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…
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Kyrgyzstan
This small stone caravanserai is sunk into the hillside of a photogenic narrow shepherds' valley that's given definition by occasional rocky outcrops…
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…
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…
Bishkek
Run by the son of the legend himself, this was once the working studio of Kyrgyz National Artist Gapar Aitiev. It will be of interest to visitors with a…
Bishkek
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the end of WWII, this monument is designed to evoke three symbolic yurt struts curving above an eternal flame. It…
Bishkek
The seat of government in Kyrgyzstan, the sidewalk out front of this Stalinist Modern construction is also the site of regular protests organised by local…
Bishkek
Dedicated to the 'Queen of the Alay', this 19th-century stateswoman and tribal leader was famous in Kyrgyzstan long before being featured in a 2014 film…
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Kyrgyzstan
The 60m Belogorka Waterfall is one of the most impressive in the Bishkek area. The surrounding valley is dominated by a sharply pointed spike of mountain…
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Kyrgyzstan
This memorial complex, the name of which means 'Grave of Our Fathers' in Kyrgyz, commemorates a mass grave in which the bodies of 137 local intelligentsia…
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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,…
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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…
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Kyrgyzstan
A string of souvenir stalls leads to this 23m waterfall. Though the falls themselves are only worth a quick look, you can escape the summer crowds by…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Kyrgyzstan
Dedicated to Kyrgyzstan's very own 'Queen of the Alay', Gulcha's ethnography and history museum is most notable for exhibits on the local female chieftain…
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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…
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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…
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Kyrgyzstan
Though the current mausoleum is a 2012 rebuild, it marks the remains of an important religious figure from the Fergana region. Historically known as Shams…
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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…
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Bishkek
All but disappeared now, this historic Кузнечная крепость (Blacksmith's fortress) site was the location of an early-1800s Kokhand fortification, built…
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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…
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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…
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Kyrgyzstan
The man, the myth, the legend – Manas. This Manas-themed complex 12km east of Talas city celebrates the life and death of the great leader. Built in 1995,…
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Kyrgyzstan
If you're not tired of people watching there's more to be had at the Turbaza, a decrepit yet still active Soviet-era holiday camp replete with punch…
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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…
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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…
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Kyrgyzstan
Three restored mausoleums here date to the 11th and early-12th century Karakhanid dynasty, when Uzgen was one of four regional capitals of the empire that…
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Kyrgyzstan
This thin 89m ribbon of waterfall is not an especially memorable site, but there's a certain fascination watching the throngs of local summer tourists …
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Kyrgyzstan
Following the rough road past the Tagai Guesthouse, an easy 30 minute walks winds past the local kok boru field and then up this hill with views out over…
