Kyrgyzstan

Destinations (8)

Bishkek and the Northwest

Bishkek and the Northwest occupy the northern and northwest parts of Kyrgyzstan, north of the Ferghana Valley and south of Kazakhstan.

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Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan is a region in the east of Kyrgyzstan.

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Talas

– A modern far off town with the popular Manar Ordo pilgrimage complex nearby, just north of Besh-Tash National Park.

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Osh

city in Kyrgyzstan

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Naryn

a provincial capital in Kyrgyzstan

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Karakol

city in Kyrgyzstan

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Balykchy

– The gateway to Issyk Kul lake. A small, dying industrial center on the western shore, and a former fishing town, with a train service from Bishkek through a beautiful passant Chui Valley.

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Bishkek

capital of Kyrgyzstan

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Sights (10)

Issyk Kul

Lake in Kyrgyzstan

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Cholpon-Ata

town in Kyrgyzstan

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Song Kul

Issyk Kul's little cousin, far more remote, and many would say more beautiful as well.

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Sulayman Mountain

A mountain looming over the city full of ancient sites of worship, some still in use, dating back several millennia. It is considered the most complete example of a Central Asian sacred mountain, and accordingly has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's also just a good place to have a hike and take in the views. A cave in the mountain is the site of a museum containing a collection of archaeological, geological and historical finds and information about local flora and fauna.

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Toktogul

town

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Ala-Too Square

The main city square is a vast expanse of concrete that ceased to be called Lenin square in 1991, and is the site of frequent political demonstrations and regular festivals. A statue of Lenin was the focal point until 2003, before he was banished to a much less conspicuous location behind the museum and replaced by a statue of Erkidik (freedom). At night many vendors set up photograph and karaoke booths, and there's a synchronised sound and light show in time with the fountains, however travellers should avoid visiting the square after dark. There is also a military monument with an hourly changing of guards.The elegant marching of the soldier can be admired every hour. The ceremony starts about 10 min to the full hour.

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Jyrgalan

place in Issyk-Kul Region, Kyrgyzstan

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Dordoy Bazaar

This is an attraction because it is the biggest market in northeast asia. Here you can buy everything you can imagine since it is the main market for trading Chinese and Russian goods. The market is divided into multiple sections based on the types and origins of goods.

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Osh Bazaar

If you're looking for a fresh sheep's head, locally made Korean picked salad, shashlik or any other type of Kyrgyz snack, this is the city's best known food bazaar. Although it's certainly not Central Asia's most colourful bazaar, there are hundreds of products to choose from, especially in the spring and summer months when produce is fresh from farms in the outskirts of town. There is a separate clothes market south of the main produce bazaar. To get there you can take trolleybus 14 on Chuy, bus 20 or 24 on Kiev or 42 from Soviet. Like any crowded space, be wary of pick-pockets; however visiting the Osh Bazaar is a most and rewarding trip. There are also smaller markets including Alamedin Bazaar and Ortosay Bazaar, which are open daily but are at their largest and most interesting at weekends. Dordoy Bazaar is Central Asia largest market of imports, mostly from China.

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Manas Ordo

This is probably the reason why you came to Talas. A historical park and museum built around the Manas's Kümböz mausoleum (built around 1334).

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we will see

Somewhere else

Someday we will visit Kyrgyzstan or begin to dream about going there! However, for now its not on our radar. Let us know in the comments if you think that should change!

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan (Кыргызстан, formally the Kyrgyz Republic (Кыргыз Республикасы) is a Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions. Landlocked and mountainous, it borders Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the southeast. Annexed by Russia in 1876, it achieved independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It has the most liberal tourist visa policy in Central Asia and one of the more progressive post-Soviet governments in the region. It is called the Switzerland of Central Asia.

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Nearby countries

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country and, as the world's ninth biggest country by area, is the largest of the former states of the former Soviet Union apart from Russia itself. It has borders with Russia, China, and the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, which it dwarfs.

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Tajikistan

Tajikistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia that borders Afghanistan to the south, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and Uzbekistan to the west and northwest. The ancient Silk Road passed through it. The nation is unique in that the majority culture is non-Turkic, unlike its neighbors to the north and west and east. Tajikistan is the poorest country out of the former Soviet states, the poorest country in Central Asia and one of the world's poorest, largely owing to a devastating civil war that broke out shortly after independence in 1991.

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Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It has the largest population among all the Central Asian countries, and a heritage of the Silk Road.

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Good to know

💰 KGS

📞 +996

🗣️ Russian Kyrgyz

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