Asia
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is yurt smoke, mountain passes, and tea poured for strangers like family.
Map
Places
- Barskoon
Issyk-Kul south shore at the Barskoon gorge mouth — Ak-Orgo yurt workshop: felt carpets, invented tools, erecting a yurt, lunch and music, …
- Bishkek
Bishkek at the foot of the Tian Shan — Soviet boulevards, politics never far from the surface, the Manas epic and national myth, and square…
- Cholok
Fertile valleys and fast water in Kyrgyzstan away from the high passes — and the Chu River canyon observation pull-off where the scale of r…
- Chong-Kemin
Out from Bishkek through the steppe and Burana Tower into the Chong-Kemin Valley — narrower roads, guesthouse calm, wildflower hills, and S…
- Jety-Ögüz
Gorge village south of Karakol — Broken Heart and Seven Bulls red sandstone, bleak legends, sanatorium mineral water, eagle-photo ethics at…
- Kaji-Say
South shore of Issyk-Kul where red-rock hills meet the lake — Aalam Ordo, Sayakbai Karalaev and 2010-revolution mural, and Panorama Shatyly…
- Karakol
Eastern Issyk-Kul’s main city since 1869 — Orthodox and Dungan heritage, Holy Trinity church, pagoda mosque, Przhevalsky memorial, Karakol …
- Kegen Border Crossing
Kyrgyzstan–Kazakhstan crossing in a Black Crane valley — cranes near the village, power cuts and passport checks, a side road toward 7,010 …
- Kochkor
A town between Tamga and Song Köl — a road stop at Globus Mall and Desert café, rain on the way out, and the region known for traditional G…
- Krasnyy Most
Tian Shan foothills and ancient rock fissures near the Red Bridge in Boom Gorge — a pass-through place where the geology does the work, plu…
- Orto Tokoy
Chüy Valley reservoir on the road south towards Song Köl — seasonal water levels, roadside cemeteries, and the day rain, hail, and a floode…
- Tamga
Tamga on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul — Soviet sanatorium, cosmonauts and athletes, mosaics of Manas and the seasons, and a small m…
- Tokmok
Chüy Valley east of Bishkek — Burana Tower and Balasagun, balbals on the steppe, a small site museum, and Dungan lunch: northwestern Chines…
- Tong
Tong on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul — yurt guesthouse at Ethno Village Almaluu, floor-seating lunch, and Tong Beach: ~18°C water, water…
- Tosor
South-shore Issyk-Kul village at the gateway to Skazka Canyon — red and ochre sandstone fairytale formations, light-shifting ridges, and a …
- Tyup
Eastern Issyk-Kul where the lake narrows toward Kazakhstan — border peaks on a clear day, worth a stop and a photograph.