Off-road car tours
with a most Landscape places of
Issyk-kul

Grigoriev Gorge

Grigoriev Gorge (Chon Aksu) is one of the most famous and beautiful sights of Issyk-Kul Lake. This picturesque place is located 60 km from the town of Cholpon-Ata.

Enjoying the beauty of the mountain slopes, covered with red poppy and sound of mountain water, here you can also see beautiful Tien-Shan spruce. There are three beautiful lakes with crystal clear water in the valley. Lower Lake is located at the lower part of the gorge, Middle Lake is at pasture At-Djailoo, and the most beautiful of the three lakes – Upper Lake is located 6 km from the Middle Lake. After the walk you can taste the Kyrgyz national cuisine in one of the yurts, as well as t get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the nomadic Kyrgyz people . Horse lovers can ride on horseback, enjoying the beauty of the mountain landscape. Here you can also listen to folk music, drink kumys, in general, to feel the full flavor of the Kyrgyz atmosphere.

Green mountain slopes covered with beautiful poppies, mountain river with crystal clear water, picturesque mountain landscapes, all this certainly will leave you the most unforgettable impression.

Semenov Gorge

Semenov Gorge (also Chon-Ak-Suu) is one of the most famous gorges on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. It is located on the Küngey Ala-Too Ridge and has a length of 30 kilometers. In the depths of the gorge lies a small lake, which is called the Sacred because of its purity and transparency. The upper part of the gorge joins with the Grigoryev Gorge.

The name of the gorge is in honor of the famous traveler Semenov-Tian-Shansky, who explored these places in the middle of the XIX century. This place is very popular among tourists, because there are not many easily accessible places and beautiful gorges on the northern shore of Issyk-Kul. At the beginning of the gorge a thick spruce forest starts. In addition to fir trees, in the gorge it is possible to find thickets of barberry, sea-buckthorn, dogrose and currant.

The gorge has quite a developed tourist infrastructure. Here it is possible to spend the night in a yurt, taste Kyrgyz national dishes cooked on a stake, drink kymyz and get acquainted with the nomadic culture of the country. From the end of July until the end of September there is a yurt camp where you can try to raise a yurt or simply enjoy nomadic life in the middle of pristine nature.

Skazka Canyon

On the south shore of Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk Kul lake, you’ll find Skazka Canyon, commonly known as Fairy Tale Canyon. The word “Skazka” directly translates to “fairy tale” from Russian, and yes, take it from me – it lives up to its name. Formed as a result of thousands of years of ice, water and wind erosion, this magnificent desert-like landscape has transformed into an array of sculptures and formations, where red spires of rock rise out of the earth and into the sky. It truly is a fairy tale.

This rings even more true when you compare it to the rest of Kyrgyzstan. The country is rich with green meadows, snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes; a far cry from the dry, rocky panorama of Skazka Canyon. Skazka Canyon seems to be in a world of its own and is, without a doubt, one of the best things to see around Issyk Kul.

Barskoon Gorge

Barskoon Gorge (also Barskaun) is one of the most beautiful gorges on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, famous for high waterfalls and dense spruce forests. The gorge is famous because it was visited by the first man who flew into space – Yuri Gagarin.

The length of the Barskoon Gorge is about 30 kilometers. It stretches deep into the mountains of Terskey Ala-Too, reaching the high plateau (syrta) Arabel, which is separated from the gorge by a cascade of passes. The height of the passes in the Barskoon Gorge are very high and reach 4000 meters. Barskoon is very attractive for tourists both for its natural beauty and cultural attractions including the following: Cascade of Barskoon waterfalls: Tears of the Leopard, Bowl of Manas, Sparkling Champagne and Beard Ak-Sakal. Among the cultural attractions in the gorge it is important to note the camp of Tagay-biy, or as it is also called, Muhammed-Kyrghiz. He was one of the founders of the Kyrgyz state. Another famous monument is the Yuri Gagarin statue. Contrary to popular belief, the astronaut was only passing through these places and did not visit them regularly.

Jety-Oguz Gorge

Jety-Oguz Gorge (also Dzheti-Oguz, Dzhetyoguz etc.) is one of the most popular sights in the Issyk-Kul Region. It is located 30 kilometers from the city of Karakol and attracts many local and foreign tourists.
Jety-Oguz from Kyrgyz translated as “7 bulls”. The gorge was named due to the rock massif of red clay, which is the main feature of the gorge. The rocks have a very bright color, and this is quite a rarity for the Tien Shan Mountains.
Jety-Oguz is also famous for the resorts with radon and hydrogen sulfide springs. The resort is located at an altitude of 2200 meters. The hot water from the resort is used for treating conditions of the nervous and musculoskeletal system, as well as skin conditions.
The gorge extends for almost 40 kilometers and in this vast territory, there many interesting places to visit. A popular attraction is the Jety-Oguz Waterfalls. The most famous among them is the Devichy Kosa Waterfall, which is named for the bizarre pattern of water flowing down the cliff.
Cosmonauts’ Lodge is located in the Valley of Flowers 12 kilometers further than the resort. During the Soviet era, the participants of space flights trained and rested here. A large number of trees grow here and in May this small valley is covered with a carpet of poppies.
A large number of tourist routes pass through Jety-Ozuz. From the gorge, it is possible to get to the Karakol Gorge and the Ala-Kul Lake through the Telety Pass, the Sarichat-Ertash Reserve or Oguz-Bashi and Zhukov peaks.

Salt lake

Salty Lake is located along the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, right where the road swings away from the shoreline for a short stretch. Along this stretch there is a turnoff for a dirt road, which, after 13 km (8 miles) brings you to Kara Kol, also known as Salty Lake or Myortvoye Ozero, Russian for “dead sea”. Salty Lake lies in a hollow, cut off from Lake Issyk-Kul by small, dusty hills.

Lake Issyk-Kul is also slightly salty, since there is no outflow, so evaporation leaves mineral salts. Salty Lake is the same, just smaller, and even more salty. Like the Dead Sea in Israel, the salt raises the buoyancy of the water, making it possible for a person to easily float on the surface.

There is a small beach, which is quite popular in the summer. People come to swim in Salty Lake and cover themselves in black mud, which is said to be therapeutic. Some even claim that drinking the water is healthy, though it isn’t recommended. At the moment, there are no permanent facilities at the lake, but there are some local yurts set up that offer local foods.