Issyk Kul Lake Kyrgyzstan

There are some places where the moment you land you say I want to stay here for more days than I planned for if not forever. Kyrgyzstan is one such delightful destination for travellers. Kyrgyzstan which is gifted with wild mountain landscapes touches the core of the heart of every traveller. You will be drawn here to quite a few wonderful tourist spots which once you see will remember forever. Moreover you will tell others to go and see those places too.

We will see here some of those irresistible places like Issyk-Kul Lake and its nearby places which you can put on top of your must see places while you travel to Kyrgyzstan.

1. Issyk-Kul Lake

Issyk-Kul Lake the tenth largest lake in by volume and second largest saline lake in the world falls in the northern Tian Shan mountains in eastern Kyrgyzstan. Though it is surrounded by snow caps yet it never freezes which contributes to its importance as a stopover for migratory birds. It also happens to be the second largest mountain lake after Lake Titicaca in South America. The lake’s beaches are popular with Kazakh and domestic tourists in summer and the nearby valleys make for enjoyable walking. Once you've dried off, you can join the locals and Russian holidaymakers for a spot of karaoke on the town's main street.

Relaxing on the beach of Cholpon Ata after a swim in Issyk-Kul is very refreshing option. Issyk-Kul which means 'hot lake' in Kyrgyz was one of the earliest sites for underwater archaeological research in Central Asia. The shores of the Issyk-Kul lake are noted for their health resorts, and sanatoriums and holiday houses. The northern shore is the main health resort area with its center in town of Cholpon-Ata. With a clear blue water  Issyk-Kul Lake is famous for its magnificent scenery and unique scientific interest.

2. Cholpon Ata

Cholpon Ata is a resort town on the northern shore of Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. This is the centre of the resort area of the northern coast with the best beaches and the most developed tourism infrastructure. The town contains numerous large and small sanatoria, hotels and guesthouses to accommodate the many visitors who descend upon the lake in summer. In the town Cholpon-Ata, on the shore of Lake Issyk Kul, a unique cultural center in the open air was built in 2002. Its name is Ruh Ordo. Translated from Kyrgyz language Ruh Ordo means "spiritual center". It gives each visitor the opportunity for spiritual development and self-discovery and combines elements of various cultures and religions.

Here you can see sculptures of famous people of the past and present. You can visit the Buddhist, Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish chapels, standing here side by side under one sky, symbolizing the unity of all people’s faith. The complex Ruh Ordo has also a large concert hall with unique acoustics, which often hosts concerts and local cultural events. There built a pier from the shore, with four pavilions symbolizing the four directions or four seasons.

3. Karakol

Karakol is fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Issyk Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan, 380 kilometres from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk Kul province. Karakol is a major tourist destination which gives a good starting point for hiking, trekking, skiing and mountaineering in the high central Tian Shan to the south and east. Karakol is famous among skiers and snowboarders from former USSR for its ski resort. Situated just 20 minutes from the town, the Karakol Ski Base provides brilliant services. Riding at Karakol includes forest areas as well as cleared trails. A popular two or three-day trek is to head up the Karakol Valley, cross over the watershed above spectacular Ala-Kol Lake and return via Altan Arashan Valley. The main trekking season is between June and September.

Then there are some historical sites like Orthodox Church, Dungan Mosque, Prjevalski Museum, Karakol Historical Museum, Bugu-Ene Zoo, Barskoon Waterfall and The Fairy Tale Canyon which you cannot miss to see.

4. Jeti-Oguz

Jeti-Oguz is a district of Issyk Kul province in north-eastern Kyrgyzstan located at 28 kilometers to the south-west of the town of Karakol. History says that Jeti-Oguz is a village of seven bulls. The name Seven Bulls is symbolic, because there is a 35 km long wall of seven huge red-brown cliffs resembling ranked furious bulls standing together.

In front of the cliffs there are flat mountain slopes, thickly overgrown with grass and pine trees. Especially romantic look has the rock "Broken Heart" located at the entrance to the gorge. The water in springs is useful for the treatment of rheumatism, gastric and nervous diseases. Rising higher, you can reach the pan of Kok-Dzhayyk with wonderful views of the gorge, or the Valley of Flowers strewn with poppies. At the upper part of Jeti-Oguz there are also mountain lakes and roaring waterfalls.

By now you will be itching to go to these wonderful places in Kyrgyzstan. Well if yes then it is surely time to plan to go to Kyrgyzstan and specially to Issyk-Kul lake and nearby places.

Explore Kyrgyzstan Tour Packages with Dook International, check our Kyrgyzstan holiday packages as below – 

Bishkek 4 Nights and 5 Days

Bishkek 5 Nights and 6 Days

Bishkek winter 3 Nights and 4 Days

Bishkek Winter 4 Nights and 5 Days

Bishkek Winter 5 Nights and 4 Days