Places to visit in Kyrgyzstan

After having this Central Asia country in my bucket list for many years, when I finally made my way there all my expectations were surpassed as there are so many places to visit in Kyrgyzstan on top of the incredible mountains that without a doubt you’ll be in for a treat!

When I was looking to travel to Kyrgyzstan I knew it was going to be a hiking trip, and that’s mostly why you’d go there, but there are lots of other different places to learn about their culture, try their food and admire.

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Let’s dive into my list of best places to visit in Kyrgyzstan

All of these were part of a two-week trip I took over there; surely there are quite a few other more to explore as this list will cover the top half of the country so keep that in mind as Kyrgyzstan is fairly big and the distances to travel can eat a chunk of your holidays if you plan to go north to south.

I’m listing them in the order that I visited them in my 2 week trip to Kyrgyzstan so you can take it as a reference to plan your own itinerary.

Bishkek

Chances are you may be landing in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek. The biggest city in the country is a cool mix of Soviet architecture, wide leafy boulevards and modern buildings. There are quite a few things to do in the capital.

I stayed at People Hostel & Coworking which was quite clean and with nice common areas to meet other travellers. Its centric location meant that I could walk to the Osh Bazar, Ala-Too Square (where the National History Museum is located), Central Mosque and the Victory Square among others.

A couple of places I definitely recommend you to go to eat are the Faiza Restaurant and Vostochka which are one in front of the other. There’s a “famous” chain called Navat which I personally didn’t enjoy so much, the food was ok but it felt more fake upmarket rather than the two traditional options above.

Ala Archa National Park

Located about an hour away by bus from Bishkek, this national park was my first introduction to the Kyrgyz mountains. If there are no clouds you can even see them when you’re walking in the capital.

To go to Ala Archa by bus you can take bus No. 1 by the Oak Park (you can search Bus n. 1 for Ala Archa on maps.me for the exact location). The first bus starts at 8:00 and they depart every 40 minutes. The one way journey costs 50 SOM. There’s also an entry fee to Ala Archa National Park that costs 200 SOM, which you can buy online in advance or when the bus drops you off.

There are places to eat by the entrance of the park, I just went with some fruit, energy bars and a large bottle of water as I wanted to hike straight away.

Although they’re constructing a resort on top of the mountain you can still hike for several hours in beautiful scenery. Beware that there’s already a bit of altitude so don’t be tempted to do too much too soon as altitude sickness is a real risk when hiking in Ala Archa.

Kadji-Sai (aka Kaji-Say or Kadzhi-Say)

From Bishkek I took a Martshruka to Kadji-Sai which costs 540 SOM. The Martshruka departs from the New Bus Station which is a bit out of town, ask in your accommodation how to get there as there are lots of public buses going in that direction.

I stayed at Guest House Dinara which is located in Kadji-Sai 2, which is a 5 minute walk to the stunning Issyk-Kul Lake. Dinara is a kind host and even with language barriers and loved staying at her home.

There were only a couple of restaurants open when I went in low season, but I highly recommend visiting this little village to admire the lake and to go to the nearby Skazka or Fairy Tale Canyon.

Issyk-Kul Lake

There are lots of villages and towns that you can go and enjoy this huge lake which is the 11th largest in the world and the 2nd largest saline lake on Earth.

I visited Issyk Kul from both Kadji-Sai and from Balykchy and both places offered incredible views. From Kadji-Sai the sunsets were more beautiful in my opinion though.

The water was really cold when I visited, but I still had a dip, not long enough to be able to call it a swim! The locals told me that in the summer it gets much warmer.

You can do lots of water sports depending on which part of the lake you visit.

Although the lake is saline, and because of that it doesn’t freezes up, it’s not as salty as the sea. I tasted the water and it’s “almost” drinkable (I’m not recommending you to do it but nothing bad will/should happen if you do)

Fairy Tale Canyon (aka Skazka)

Just a few minutes Martshruka ride away from Kadji-Sai you will find the scenic Skaza (which translates as Fairy Tale Canyon)

The rock formations in this place reminded me of when I was in visiting the Rainbow Mountains in China.

You can walk around a few trails and keep finding more and more wonderful views.

Climb up to the mountain top (not more than a 15-20 minutes hike) and admire not just the expansion of the canyon but you will see how the erosion stops at some point and it’s just a matter of a few thousand or millions more years for the canyon to keep increasing its size.

The view of Issyk Kul Lake in the background are just a cherry on top for a really cool place.

When I visited in low season there was no one checking for tickets but I did see a ticket “office” in case you go in the summer, so expect to pay at least 50 SOM.

Karakol

Close to the border with China the city of Karakol is a must if you’re heading to hike in Altyn Arashan, but don’t think this is just a stopover as there’s plenty to enjoy.

Karakol has a rich cultural history and it’s best exemplified in the food scene as here is where I had some of the best food in Kyrgyzstan. A couple of great (and fairly affordable) restaurants to try are Dastorkon and Alton Kumara which are next to each other.

At the Big Bazaar make sure to try the typical Ashlan-Fu cold noodles, they’re delicious! Inside the market you will find a few other cheap restaurants as well.

Outside of Karakol you can go skiing between Dec-March and during spring and summer go hiking in the nearby mountains.

Issyk Kul is still very close so you can definitely use Karakol as your hub for adventures in Kyrgyzstan!

I stayed at Guest House Alim, which is a fairly simple place to stay but it’s walking distance to the main sights, such as the Dungan Mosque and the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Altyn Arashan

From Karakol I took the Martshruka No. 350 to Arashan, make sure to ask the driver if he goes to Altyn Arashan as not all of them go. The ride costs 35 SOM and there are frequent buses going from the Big Bazaar from 8:20am.

Hiking to Altyn Arashan was definitely for me one of the best things to do in Kyrgyzstan, even that I went in early spring and there was a bit of snow and avalanches, which meant that I couldn’t hike all the way to Ala-Kul Lake.

It’s possible to go on a tour and avoid the hike up to the mountain but if you like hiking definitely take the walk!

I stayed at Elza Guesthouse and loved every minute of it. You cannot book this guesthouse in the normal booking sites so you have to contact them via WhatsApp: +996 700 494 486. They can serve three meals a day and you can enjoy the hot springs for relaxing after a hiking day. There are other gusthouses around though, just check their location on the map to ensure you’re booking in the right place.

As I went in low season there were not many people which for me was great but be prepared for crowds during the summer as this is one of the most popular places to visit in Kyrgyzstan.

Jyrgalan (aka Dzhergalan)

After Altyn Arashan I went back to Karakol and took a Martshruka to Jyrgalan which took about 1h 20min.

This picturesque village is still a little bit under the radar although I’m sure it will change soon as they’re building a ski resort nearby.

This former mining village still gives some vibes from Soviet times. There are a few guesthouses around, I had the best of times at Guest House Grizzly. Jibek is a wonderful host and she’s also a chef so you’re guaranteed to be well fed!

In Jyrgalan you can go horse riding and go hiking in a few places as there are plenty of mountains around. It’s definitely one of those places that you can feel that you’re travelling back in time.

Balykchy

After a few days hiking in the mountains I decided to explore a bit of the north shore of Issyk Kul and made it to Balykchy.

This town used to be an important industrial centre back in Soviet times and was also key for transporting goods through the lake. Nowadays there are a few huge factory buildings that are abandoned.

I stayed at Visit Balykchy Guest House where Asel was one of the loveliest hosts I found in the entire country, she also spoke the best English I found on my days travelling in Kyrgyzstan so I took the chance to ask her many things and learn about the country’s history and current situation.

The guesthouse is walking distance to the lake and you can also join some tours to go to the mountains or even take a Martshruka to go to Almaty.

Admitedly, this was perhaps one of the most random places to visit in Kyrgyzstan I went to so you could skip it if you’re pressed on time.

Tokmok

My final stop before going back to Bishkek was the city of Tokmok, about 1h away from the capital.

I went there to visit the Burana Tower, a Unesco World Heritage Site that used to be an important stop during the times of the Silk Road.

Admittedly I didn’t spend much time there as my trip was ending but I know that nearby you can go hiking yo Kegeti Waterfall and Kol-Tor Lake which both look really beautiful.

I stayed in a guesthouse called Милый дом, which was clean and modern and 10min walking distance from the Bazaar and the bus stop where you can take a Martshruka to Burana Tower (No. 212)

Are you ready to explore these places in Kyrgyzstan?

I will definitely be sharing more information about how to solo travel in Kyrgyzstan and details about the hikes I did, but feel free to drop any comments below if you’re planning to go soon!

And as I said at the beginning, there’s plenty more in this beautiful country that I couldn’t visit so I’ll surely go back someday to explore the west and south of the country. Please do share more tips below with your fellow adventurers if you have already been.

Happy adventures!