The capital of Kyrgyzstan is the busy city of Bishkek. Located on the edge of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Mountains means that there are plenty of great places that can be visited as a day trip from the capital. Here are what we think are the best day trips from Bishkek as well as a few sites within the city.
Kashka Suu and Ala Archa Nature Park
Thirty-five kilometers south of Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Mountains are Kashka Suu Ski Resort and Ala Archa Nature Park. The range is a part of the Tian Shan Mountains that run through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China but most of the range is in Kyrgyzstan.
Just before the resort and the park is the small village of Kashka Suu. It is a great spot to use as a base if you want to spend a few days exploring the nearby mountains.
Ala Archa Nature Park spreads across a large area but has only two hiking trails. We had intended to hike to Ak-Sai Waterfall and then on to the glacier but as luck would have it, the Emir of Qatar was visiting the President’s retreat inside the park. As a result, the entire park was closed for at least 2 days. Instead, we walked up the hilly road outside of the park to reach Kashka Suu Ski Resort. It is a Soviet built resort with one rickety looking chair lift and another one being built. The resort is pretty sad, especially in the summer when nothing is open. A sign at the resort said to notify authorities if you see cobras or scorpions so Maggie was a little on edge.
Even though, the resort was closed there were still a lot of people who had driven up from Bishkek to have a picnic in the cool mountain air. During our time in Kyrgyzstan we discovered that Kyrgyz people really love picnics. Across the country we found tapchans set under trees and over lakes but at the resort, people were picnicking on the ground or in yurts.
From the ski base we hiked up a nearby mountain ridge, hoping to get some nice views from higher up. We climbed up a field where horses were grazing and came to a forest of juniper trees.
We didn’t plan to, but we ended up hiking on a ridge above the only road that runs though Ala Archa Nature Park. At one point we’re sure we saw the Emir’s entourage drive by on the park road below us. So much for their high security!
After climbing a little higher, we had lovely views of the Ala-Too Range. We actually think it was a nicer view than if we had hiked inside the park. Almost all of the surrounding hills were covered in juniper trees. Archa is a Kyrgyz word that means ‘multi-coloured juniper’ in English.
As we were hiking back down, we cut through a steep, narrow gorge. All of a sudden, we heard thundering hoofs and looked back to see 30 or more horses racing down the toward us. An expert rider was following and encouraging them on. Once we caught our breath from being startled, we lost it again at the beauty of these powerful animals.
At the bottom of the hill we had just started to walk back to the highway toward our guesthouse in Kashka Suu village when a family stopped to give us a ride. The family had come to buy kumis, fermented mare’s milk, from the horse farm we had walked through on our way up. It is a delicacy in Kyrgyzstan and most believe it has many health benefits. The man extolled all of these benefits to Richard on the drive. He said you should drink 200g, 4 times a day. Maybe it does have some benefits, but we we’ve also heard about its vile taste and weren’t willing to experiment. The family was very kind and like many others, had us pose for pictures with them before we said good-bye.
Getting to Kashka Suu and Ala Archa
If you have a car it is an easy drive south of Bishkek to reach Kashka Suu town, a little past the town are the gates to enter Ala Archa Nature Park. There is a 700 KGS ($8 USD) fee per car, but it is free to walk in. The problem is that there are only 2 hiking trails and their trailheads are 12 km inside the park gates. If you don’t have a car it should be possible to hitch a ride with one of the cars entering the park, but obviously we weren’t able to do this since the park was closed.
Before the park gates, a gravel road turns left toward Kashka Suu Ski Resort. You’ll pass a small collection of homes that are another part of the village of Kashka Suu. It’s 3.2 km from there to the ski resort.
If you don’t have a car, marshrutkas leave Bishkek every hour for the town of Kashka Suu. The stop is located one block away from Osh Bazaar (35 KGS/ 40 cents USD). It takes about an hour to reach Kashka Suu because it stops a lot as it makes its way out of town. We alit at the final bus stop on a lonely highway midway between the town and the park. We wondered if we’d have to walk the 3 ½ km to the park gates but it turned out to be easy to get a ride by hitchhiking.
Konorchek Canyon
Almost an hour and a half (138 km) east of Bishkek is a bright red canyon that is fun to explore. The colours of Konorchek Canyon begin soon after you get off the highway. It’s possible to drive for the first 1 ½ km, but from there the canyon must be explored on foot.
The further we walked on the canyon floor, the narrower it became. On either side of us tall, walls of crumbly red and green rock were getting closer and closer to each other. In a few places you have to scramble up using hands and feet. It’s not too difficult, but in one section there is a short rope to help pull yourself up.
After 3 km (45 min) of walking and scrambling up the dry, dusty canyon, the views open up to a wonderful cirque with a perimeter of tall, red, weather-worn walls. The unusual shapes were formed by years of water and wind erosion and make it a fantastic spot.
Getting to and from Konorchek Canyon
In Bishkek, marshrutkas leave from the Western Bus Station bound for either Balykchy or Karakol. Tell the driver you want to get off at Krasnyy Most (Red Bridge). Our driver knew exactly where it was, but you could also follow on Google Maps or Maps.Me to be sure. From there, follow the gravel road for 1 ½ km (17 min walk). If you’re driving you can drive the 1 ½ km or park on the road near the bridge.
When we returned to the highway, we had planned to flag down a marshrutka to take us to our next destination, the city of Tokmuk. There are several that go up and down the highway destined for various towns. A car that had pulled over for a rest offered to drive us for 400 KGS ($4.50 USD). He agreed to drive us right to the taxi stand in the middle of town. Hitchhiking is very common and safe in Kyrgyzstan, but the driver often expects a small payment.
Entrance Fee and Hours – Entrance to the canyon is free and it is accessible 24 hours a day.
Burana Tower
There are not many historical sites in Kyrgyzstan, but 80 km east of Bishkek is one of the most famous. Burana Tower and its surrounding land has more history than we had realized. This part of Kyrgyzstan has been inhabited as early as the 7th century BCE. Petroglyphs were found in the surrounding fields and are on display at the Burana Tower site. Most of the ones we could recognize were of ibex or other deer.
Not far away from the petroglyphs is a collection of stone statues from the 6th – 10th centuries AD (CE). They are the remnants left behind by nomadic Turks who traveled through the area. Most of the statues were found locally, but some were brought from neighbouring communities. They mostly have carved figures of men dressed in typical clothes. A few are of warriors that can be distinguished from the commoners because the warriors are carrying a weapon and a vessel in their hands. Very few were women.
The largest and most recognizable feature on this site is Burana Tower. By the 10th century northern Kyrgyzstan was inhabited by Turks who converted everyone to Islam. They built towns with homes, mosques and minarets. The remains of a Turkish medieval town were found on this site but the only remaining structure is the minaret, Burana Tower. Apparently when it was built Burana Tower was 47 m tall. Centuries of wars and weather have damaged it and almost half of the minaret has toppled. Any bricks that were left were taken by the Soviets for construction of their own buildings.
Today the minaret is a mere 24 m tall. Its quite pretty though with a few decorations in its brick exterior, but its setting in front of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Mountains is what really makes a visit worthwhile.
Climb to the top of the very steep, very narrow stairs for a view of the mountains and the Turkish stone statues.
Along the edge of the site is a bit of a mishmash of different artifacts found in the area. There is a collection of grindstones and millstones from the 10th to 12th century. Beside them are gravestones with Arabic writing (14-20th centuries).
Getting to Burana Tower
Marshrutkas leave from Bishkek’s Eastern Bus Station destined for Tokmuk. From there you will need to take a taxi to the site. Our taxi agreed to drive us the 12 km from Tokmuk to Burana Tower, wait for us for an hour and then drive us back to town for 500 KGS ($5.75).
Entrance Fee – 60 KGS (70 cents USD). Hours – 9am – 7 pm
Note – We were able to easily visit Konorchek Canyon and Burana Tower in one day by using Marshrutkas and taxis.
Bishkek
The capital city doesn’t have a lot to offer visitors, but it’s a nice city with good restaurants and we found a few points of interest that kept us entertained for a couple of days.
Statues and Squares
Downtown Bishkek has many flower filled squares surrounding stately statues and government buildings. They make it a pleasant city to explore on foot. In front of the Soviet built Philharmonic building is a large statue of Kyrgyz folk hero, Manas. He is a character in an epic poem about the Kyrgyz people’s fight for independence. It was written in the 1800s but the story takes place in the 1200s. There is at least one, if not several, statues of Manas in every Kyrgyz town. Across the street is city hall and in the distance we can see the mountains of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range.
A few blocks away is Ala-Too Square. Two young guards stand at attention in front of the State History Museum and beside another Manas statue. It was over 35°C when we were there and the guards didn’t move a muscle for their one hour posting.
Every hour, there is a changing of the guard ceremony. Two replacement guards are marched in with a lead officer. Their high kick walk doesn’t faulter even when they have to climb two sets of stairs. After the change, they march out in a similar manor. There’s not a lot of pomp and circumstance for the show, but it was a fun tradition to watch. (It happens every hour beginning at 9am)
Soviet Mosaics and Buildings
Like all of the Central Asian countries, Kyrgyzstan was once under Soviet reign. They gained their independence in the early 1990s, but unlike other Central Asian countries, Kyrgyzstan seems reluctant to get rid of the old Soviet monuments.
We found an elaborate Opera House, a Lenin Statue along with a few Soviet mosaics on the sides of old Soviet buildings. Just to let us know we were still in Kyrgyzstan though, we spotted a few yurts in a nearby park.
Central Mosque & Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral
One of the most spectacular buildings in Bishkek is Central Mosque of Imam Sarakhsi. From the design you can tell that there is a Turkish connection. In fact, the building was funded by a Turkish organization. Not far away is the Russian Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral with bright blue and gold domes on its white base.
How to get to Bishkek
The capital city has easy access with an international airport as well as a large bus and share-minibus station. The most difficult part of the country to reach is Osh, on the other side of the Tian Shan mountains. Share-taxis leave from the Western Bus Station destined for Osh. They leave when full so its better if you arrive early in the morning. We were told that a Telegram Group is a better way to find a ride, but we couldn’t find any rides going to Osh on the page. From Osh, share-taxis destined for Bishkek leave from the New Bus Station.
Where to stay in Bishkek
Most of the best sites and restaurants in Bishkek are midway between Ala-Too Square and Osh Bazaar. This is a very safe and accessible part of the city.
Where to eat in Bishkek
The area described above for hotels is also the location of many restaurants. We fell in love with Georgian food while dining in Bishkek’s Papuri (formerly Pur:Pur). Their food is delicious, prices are reasonable and the service is good.
For Travel Tips in Kyrgyzstan go to our post on Fergana Valley.
To read more of our stories from Kyrgyzstan click here.
Coming Next – Best Day Trips From Karakol
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
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