Issyk Kul Landscapes

Program’s name: Issyk Kul Landscapes

Quantity of days: 6 days

Day 1: Bishkek – Burana – Chon Kemin
You will meet your tour guide as you arrive at the International Airport of Manas. He then will take you to the capital city of Bishkek. It takes 30 minutes to get there. Then you will have a guided tour of the city. It includes Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Duboviy Park (Oak Park), Сentral Ala-Too Square, Old Square, National Philharmonic and many other places. The city tour will take up time till lunch after which we will head to the valley of Chon-Kemin. On our way to the valley we will stop at the Burana Tower. The tower is an architectural site that dates back to the 11th century. It was built by Karakhanids in the city of Balasagun which was the capital of the state of Karakhanids. The city was important at that time for it used to stand on the route of the Great Silk Road. After an interesting  excursion in the museum next to the tower we will continue our way to the valley. The night will be in a homestay.

Day 2: Chon Kemin – Rafting – Horse riding – Chon Kemin
In the morning we will go to the river that  flows in the valley, the river with the same name of Chon-Kemin. This river flows to the river of Chuy. Both of these rivers are perfect for rafting. Our rafting professionals will give you all the instruction to follow while rafting to ensure your safety. The difficulty is moderate which will allow even for beginners to enjoy the experience. Afterwards we will head back to the village for lunch. The lunch is followed by a 3 hours long session of horse riding. You will ride a horse through a mountain forest along the trail. On the highest point of the route you will get to see a lot of beautiful scenery. The overnight stay is the homestay.

Day 3: Chon Kemin – Konorchek – Issyk Kul lake northern shore
After breakfast we will be driving to the starting point of a 3 hours long hike to one of the most beautiful canyons in the country, the canyon of Konorchek. Then we continue driving to the lake of Issyk-Kul. It is the lake that is situated at the altitude of 1600 m. The name of the lake means warm or hot lake alluding to the fact that due to its salinity the lake does not freeze over. It is the second largest alpine lake in the world, seventh deepest, tenth largest by volumes. The night will be in a hotel with easy access to the sandy beach of the lake.

Day 4: Issyk Kul – Grigorievskoye – Semenovskoye – Karakol
Leaving the town of Cholpon-Ata we will visit an open air museum. The museum is home to more than 2000 petroglyphs, stone carvings that were left by shamans more than 2500 years ago. Continuing along the northern shore of the lake we will go into the beautiful gorges of Grigorievskoye and Semenovskoye. Our final destination for the day is the city of Karakol. In Karakol we will visit the Dungan Mosque and Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity. The night is in a hotel.

Day 5: Karakol – Jeti Oguz – Issyk Kul southern shore – Bishkek
Today we will drive to the gorge of Jeti Oguz. It’s famous for its red rock formations that were named Seven Bulls – Jeti Oguz. Also you will see the Broken Heart Mountain there. If you want it is possible to go on the top of a mountain (20 minutes) to see a panorama view of the gorge. Then we continue our trip, breaking in Bokonbaevo village, where we will meet a local eagle-hunter. He hunts hares and foxes with the help of eagles. It is an ancient kind of hunting animal preserved from generation to generation. You will find out a lot of interesting facts about it. After this visit we will continue our way to Bishkek. Night is in a hotel.

Day 6: Bishkek – Airport
Transfer to the airport.