Distance between Bishkek and Issyk Kul. Tourist guide: How to get from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul. Selecting a travel date and holiday destination

The most important condition for making your vacation bright and full of exclusively positive emotions is a properly planned route and accommodation. To make it easier for you to imagine how you can organize a visit to the lake Issyk-kul with its numerous boarding houses, excursions and boat trips, we offer a selection of highlights that will be very useful to you.

You can relax in Issyk-Kul at any time of the year. You just need to be prepared for the seasonal features of this region. The most favorable periods for a relaxing holiday are considered to be before July 15, when the season is not officially considered open, and after August 25, when the velvety passing of summer reigns on all coasts. But since most tourists want to relax in the midst of summer, they need to be prepared for increased demand and excitement, which, of course, affects the increase in prices, both for transport services and the cost of travel packages.

If you are traveling to Issyk-Kul from Bishkek or Manas airport, then the most comfortable option is that it will pick you up both from the airport and from any point in Bishkek, and after your rest will take you back from Issyk-Kul.

If you are traveling to Issyk-Kul from Almaty, then you can buy a ticket at the Sayran bus station, where regular buses leave for Issyk-Kul every five minutes for an hour from 22.00 to 23.00. The flight is predominantly at night, since the journey takes a long time and for the convenience of passengers, it is better to while away the travel time half asleep, while in a comfortable bus. In the morning you will wake up on the coast. You can also order a taxi or transfer from Almaty, but this service will be more expensive than the first option.

If you are traveling to Issyk-Kul from Russia, then most often Russians prefer to travel by train to Otar station, to Chu or to Bishkek, and then travel either by taxi or by regular or shuttle bus. You can also get to Bishkek by plane, landing at Manas airport, and then, which will take you directly from the airport to the desired location on the coast. Or get to the Western bus station, from which buses and minibuses depart to Issyk-Kul. We advise you to plan in advance the route according to which you will travel or fly to the lake, as well as prepare all the necessary telephone numbers of the bus station, airport, taxi services and direct contacts of the place where you plan to spend your vacation. You can also contact tour operators who will expertly help you coordinate your transfer from any city in Russia and Kazakhstan, and will find you the most suitable accommodation options, but the cost of this service will cost an appropriate amount.

You can also contact the owners of the boarding house or guest house where you will stay upon arrival, and at a certain part of your journey, they can prepare vehicles to meet you and take you to your destination. When choosing a vacation destination, pay attention in advance to such issues as how close the boarding house is to the cities of Cholpon-Ata, Balykchy, Karakol; does the boarding house have its own beach and how far is it located from the cottages, is food included in the price of the tour, what infrastructure exists on the territory of the boarding house and beyond, is there a medical aid station in the boarding house, can they help you organize excursions to natural parks and historical places of the Issyk-Kul region.

It is very hot in summer, but due to the low humidity it is easily tolerated. But in the evenings and in the mountain gorges it can be cool, so we advise you to take not only light clothes, but also warmer jackets and sweaters.

We recommend that you purchase round-trip tickets at once, and during your trip plan not only the route to Issyk-Kul, but also back. And if it is quite easy to get from Issyk-Kul to Bishkek by ordering a taxi or using regular buses, then with train or plane tickets there may be difficulties due to the holiday season. Therefore, it would not be amiss to stock up on the telephone numbers of several hotels in Bishkek, so that in the event of force majeure circumstances, you can calmly wait out this time there, and at the same time take several excursions around Bishkek and real oriental bazaars. We hope that your vacation will be pleasant, and tour operators, vehicle drivers and boarding house employees will do everything to make you experience what real hospitality means and want to return to Kyrgyzstan again.

One of the most important attractions of Kyrgyzstan, as well as a place of pilgrimage for most foreign tourists, is Lake Issyk-Kul, nicknamed the “Pearl of Central Asia”. We can say that Issyk-Kul is the main calling card of Kyrgyzstan, which attracts like a magnet not only in the summer heat, but also in other seasons.

Kyrgyz pearl

The reason for this is that Lake Issyk-Kul gives its guests not only a great mood, a wonderful vacation, an unforgettable experience, but also strengthens their health with the help of clean air, healing mineralized water, various hot springs and unique sunlight.

Issyk-Kul gulls

Where is Lake Issyk-Kul located?

Lake Issyk-Kul is located on the territory of the mountain basin of the same name. In its turn, Issyk-Kul Basin lies between two mountain ranges, the so-called. And Teskey Alatoo(translated from the Kyrgyz language “ala” - “motley”, “too” - mountain, “alatoo” literally means “motley mountains”, “kungey” - “sunny side”, “teskey” - “shadow, facing away from the sun, side").

Issyk-Kul map

The Alatoo Mountains are part of the Northern Tien Shan. According to scientists, as a result of tectonic shifts and faults of the earth's surface, some of their sections rose up and formed the Kungei Alatoo and Teskey Alatoo mountain ranges, while other sections sank down and filled with water over time. This is how it was formed Lake Issyk-Kul.

Teskey Alatoo

The lake occupies most of the Issyk-Kul basin. Thus, the length of the basin in the east-west direction is approximately 240 kilometers, and its width is almost 75 km (somewhere in the middle, near the village of Tosor). The dimensions of Lake Issyk-Kul itself are: approx. 182 kilometers and wide (largest part) - 58 kilometers.

Mountains Kungei Alatoo. Grigorievskoye Gorge

The Alatoo mountains bordering the Issyk-Kul basin have a beneficial effect and protect the lake, while if Kungey Alatoo does not allow cold northern winds to reach Issyk-Kul, then Teskey Alatoo protects the lake from the hot, scorching breath of the Central Asian deserts. This has led to a mild, comfortable climate: there are no severe frosts here in winter (in January from -5 to +5 degrees Celsius), and in summer there are swelteringly hot days (the warmest month is July, the temperature is approximately 17-20 degrees).

How beautiful Lake Issyk-Kul is in the summer

How to get to Lake Issyk-Kul?

The Issyk-Kul Basin is connected to the rest of Kyrgyzstan through the Boom Gorge. The distance from the capital of the republic, Bishkek, to Lake Issyk-Kul is approximately 190 kilometers, with just under 25 km passing through the above. This highway is one of the strategic ones, and therefore its condition can be assessed as very good. Currently, this road is undergoing a major reconstruction (at the same time it is being significantly expanded), which, according to the assurances of those in charge, should be completed before 2015.

The distance from Bishkek to Lake Issyk-Kul is just under 200 km

A railway line runs parallel to the Bishkek-Issyk-Kul highway, which ends in the city of Balykchy.

Highway through the Boom Gorge

There are also two airports on the coast of Lake Issyk-Kul. One of them is located near the city of Cholpon-Ata, and the other is located near the village of Tamchi. Tamchyn International Airport began operating in the summer of 2003, and during Soviet times it was used as a military facility.

View of the Chui River in the Boom Gorge

When leaving the Boom Gorge towards Lake Issyk-Kul

Lake Issyk-Kul Kyrgyzstan – some interesting facts

Lake Issyk-Kul- among the 25 largest (by area) lakes in the world, while it ranks 7th in the list of the deepest lakes on Earth. If we take into account only the high-mountain lakes of the planet (which are located above 1200 meters above sea level), then Lake Issyk-Kul will be in second place in terms of area, second only to the South American Lake Titicaca, and in terms of depth and volume of water, Issyk-Kul is not will be equal. Here are some characteristics of the “Kyrgyz pearl”:

Lake Issyk-Kul is a unique body of water - about 80 different mountain rivers flow into the lake, but not a single one flows out. This determined the natural concentration of salts and minerals in the lake (chloride-sulfate-sodium-magnesium), which has no equal in its healing properties. In addition, the water in the lake is very transparent, which, coupled with the mineralization of the water and the brightest rays of the sun, makes the waters of Issyk-Kul chameleon-like - the color constantly changes from dark blue and dark greenish shades to soft blue tones).

Coast of Lake Issyk-Kul

Lake Issyk-Kul It is also unique in that the water level here changes cyclically (every few decades it either decreases or rises). At the same time, the length of the coastline and the depth of the lake change. According to the TSB (Great Soviet Encyclopedia), the level of Lake Issyk-Kul in the 90s of the 20th century fell by approximately 4 meters compared to 1886, although some other sources indicate this figure to 9 meters.

Coast Guard of Issyk-Kul

Due to the fact that Lake Issyk-Kul is deep-water and maintains a constant temperature well (due to mineralization, as well as protection on all sides by the Alatoo mountain ranges), even in the coldest winters, the water in the lake does not freeze. By the way, Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyz name is Ysyk-Kol) translated from Kyrgyz means “Hot Lake”.

Lake Issyk-Kul is the best place to relax

The sun loves Lake Issyk-Kul very much(there are more than 300 sunny days per year, or 2700-2900 hours of sunshine). For comparison, on the Black Sea this figure ranges from 1900 to 2400 hours, and in Moscow – 1500-1600 hours.

White steamer

Kyrgyz Lake Issyk-Kul: historical facts

For the first time, Chinese chroniclers wrote about Lake Issyk-Kul at the end of the 2nd century BC. Where the lake was named Zhe-Hai(translated from Chinese means “Warm Sea”).

Beauty, located between snow-white mountain peaks

There were routes around Lake Issyk-Kul Great Silk Road, in connection with which both large cities and minor trading settlements and caravanserais were formed here. The most famous of them are the cities of Chigu and Barskhan (Barskoon).

Issyk-Kul water is the purest and most transparent

The lake is also associated with many legends and myths: about Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the Great Tamerlane, about the legendary and fabulous city of Kitezh, countless riches, etc.

A view from space at Lake Issyk-Kul

A full-fledged scientific study of the lake was started in the 19th century by scientists of the Russian Empire, one of whom was N.M. Przhevalsky. In Soviet times, the center of the Issyk-Kul region of the Kirghiz SSR (now the city of Karakol) was named after him.

The only things better than mountains are mountains,
Where is the beautiful Issyk-Kul nearby?

The latest comprehensive international archaeological expeditions in the waters and coast of Lake Issyk-Kul have confirmed the previously existing guesses of scientists that a fairly developed human civilization lived in these territories approximately 2,500 years ago, which was not inferior in its development to the well-known civilizations of the Mediterranean coast.

Issyk-Kul morning

Transparent waters of Issyk-Kul

Basic moments

Issyk-Kul is one of the deepest lakes in the world, located in the northeast of Kyrgyzstan in the Tien Shan mountains at an altitude of 1600 meters. The length of the lake reaches 180 km, and its width varies from 30 to 60 km. The average depth of the lake is 300 meters, but in some places it reaches 700 meters. In terms of cleanliness and transparency of water, the lake is second only to Baikal. Thanks to the huge thickness of water, the lake does not have time to cool down and never freezes. About 80 rivers and tributaries flowing from the glaciers of the Tien Shan flow into Issyk-Kul. But there is no drainage from the lake, and it accumulates all the valuable minerals brought by rivers and rain.

The climate in the vicinity of Issyk-Kul is moderately maritime. The sun pleases with its appearance more often than on the Black Sea coast. But there is no sweltering southern heat, and there are no frosts in winter. The average summer temperature is +24 °C, the water warms up to +22...+24 degrees. In winter, the thermometer rarely drops below 6 degrees below zero.

Hundreds of thousands of birds spend the winter or rest during migration on the ice-free lake, and nature lovers will spend many fascinating hours watching them.

Why go

Issyk-Kul provides incredible opportunities for recreation and wellness - the purest mountain-sea air, thermal springs available all year round, healing mud and healing mineral water. For a good rest, a year-round tourist infrastructure has been created here - comfortable accommodation, well-maintained sandy beaches, cafes, cinemas, discos, boat and catamaran rentals. Guests of Issyk-Kul are offered exciting excursions to places untouched by civilization. Fans of active recreation will be happy to take part in mountain climbing, hiking, horseback riding, and rafting. For those who want to see the underwater world, diving into the lake to a depth of more than 20 meters is organized. A hang gliding flight over the beautiful Issyk-Kul will be one of the most exciting adventures of your life!

Fishermen will appreciate fishing on the lake - bream, carp, trout, tench, and carp are found here.

There are only a few places on Earth with such a unique microclimate - the air contains a huge amount of iodine ions, sea salts, ozone, and the water of Issyk-Kul is truly a magical storehouse - it contains all the useful chemical elements and microelements, which, coupled with a weak alkaline reaction, have has a powerful healing effect on the human body.

Resorts and Attractions

The northern coast of Issyk-Kul is more comfortable; guests have a lot of hotels to suit every taste and good entertainment infrastructure. The Cholpon-Ata resort is located here, the mineral waters of which are similar in composition to the Essentuki springs. Local silt and hydrogen sulfide muds are famous for their analgesic and antibacterial properties. Local attractions, a water park and a 70-meter Ferris wheel are worthy of attention. In the vicinity of Cholpon-Ata, take a look at the Stone Garden, where you will see the unique ruins of the city from the times of the Great Silk Road.

Not far from Cholpon-Ata there is the village of Bosteri, famous for its fair and local apricots, cherries, and honey.

The village of Bulan-Sogotu is perfect for a relaxing family holiday.

In the village of Korumdu you can see an ethnographic zone with ancient petroglyphs.

The shallow water beach near the village of Sara-oy will satisfy vacationers with children.

Near the village of Ak-Suu you can plunge into unique springs - although they are located next to each other, the water in them differs in composition (hydrogen sulfide and radon) and in temperature (from +32 to +50).

Fans of esotericism consider it their duty to reach the local shrine of Tanga Tash - three gigantic stones lying at a distance of a kilometer from each other.

A 5-hour drive from Issyk-Kul lies Dead Lake with healing mud and water so salty that it is impossible to drown in this reservoir. The chemical composition of the lake's water is equivalent to the water of the Dead Sea in Israel. Local muds are very effective in treating colds and skin diseases. If you come here, be prepared for the fact that the lake is not equipped in any way; on its shores there are only yurts where you will be offered dishes of national Kyrgyz cuisine. Do not try to remove water under any circumstances - this will result in a heavy fine.

To the east of Issyk-Kul there is the legendary Sentash Pass - it was here that Tamerlane ordered the construction of his famous stone heaps.

Be sure to go on an excursion to at least one of the most beautiful local gorges - Jety-Oguz with a zoological reserve and hydrogen sulfide springs; Barskhan, along which the Great Silk Road ran; Boom with a botanical reserve; Barskaun with magnificent waterfalls and a monument to Yuri Gagarin, who loved to visit these places.

Accommodation

More than two hundred sanatoriums with excellent medical facilities, boarding houses, holiday homes, and mini-hotels are available to tourists. For those who want to get as close to nature as possible and enjoy the local exoticism, traditional Kyrgyz yurts are offered for accommodation.

Helpful information

• Do not purchase alcoholic drinks in markets and small shops - there is a danger of buying counterfeit products.
• During forest walks, do not eat unfamiliar berries and plants, do not pick mushrooms unknown to you.
• It is more profitable to buy souvenirs and things not in Issyk-Kul, but in the Bishkek Dordoi market.

How to get there

We fly by plane to Bishkek or Almaty, then by bus or train we go to Issyk-Kul. The journey from Bishkek will take 4 hours, from Almaty 8 hours. To cross the borders of Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan, a Russian passport is sufficient.

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“If you travel, then do it to the fullest! If you take pictures, then stop and take pictures!” - these were the main mottos of our trip to Lake Issyk-Kul in 2014.

The journey lasted 5 days, from September 7 to 12, 2014. Route: Almaty - Bishkek - Ortotokoy reservoir - Lake Issyk-Kul - Almaty, distance: about 1000 km.

Having spent the whole weekend at home without vacation, we finally decided, under the last rays of the September sun, to go on vacation to the blue Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. Hungry for landscape photographs, I prepared my camera and video camera.

On September 7 at five in the morning the whole family leaves Almaty towards the Kyrgyz border near Bishkek. Our cruise ship is a Toyota Matrix with a cargo box on the roof and, as always, not without CityGuide auto navigation. The video recorder played a role in capturing interesting views of the road. Our plan: to go to Bishkek, to visit my aunt, then to Issyk-Kul to the Rainbow recreation center near the village of Sary-Oy. The estimated distance, taking into account the arrival in Bishkek, is about 500 km.

Before dawn we drove onto the A-2 road "Almaty - Bishkek", leaving the city, we stopped at a Gazprom gas station, filled the tank full and drank tea. I really didn’t want to pay fines for speeding and I drove strictly according to the rules, the average speed was no more than 90 km/h. And I was not mistaken! My greed gave results, after 230 km to the Kyrgyz border, all of us who were driving according to the rules and who were overtaking arrived at the same time! Some drove and paid fines of at least 2,000 tenge two or even three times, others drove calmly and without risk. For information on the territory of Kazakhstan, the minimum fine for exceeding the speed limit by 10 km/h is officially a little more than 18,000 tenge, which is almost $100 US. It’s much cheaper to give a bribe, about 2000 tenge, that’s $10, but how lucky are you, what if they don’t take the bribe and issue a fine? The traffic cop's main tool for recording speed is a camouflaged, remote camera on a tripod a kilometer before the ambush.

Highway A-2 "Almaty - Bishkek" connects Almaty with Bishkek and Almaty with Shymkent via Taraz. The road is not bad in terms of road surface, in the 2000s it was completely reconstructed by the joint efforts of Kazakh and Turkish companies, the Kordai Pass was literally straightened, but there is one very big drawback, this two-lane road! Which is completely incompatible with the current driving style of the local population, “90” signs officially reduce speed instead of the permissible 110 km/h on all Kazakhstan roads. Having traveled almost 200 km from Almaty to Kurdai, I realized that I was driving like a turtle, i.e. 90 km/h. Still, they are not limited to a speed of 120-140 km/h, including buses, but trucks travel barely 70-80 km/h. Vehicles are very far from proper technical condition, the age of the cars exceeds 10-15, or even 20 years, no one passes technical inspection in the Republic of Kazakhstan, throw in 4000-5000 tenge ($20-30) once a year and off you go. Driving at night is at least dangerous, half of the cars do not have all the side lights at the rear and the headlights at the front, and some reckless drivers have even darkened front lights. Overtaking is easy and immediate; wedging in front of oncoming traffic and almost hitting a car with your bumper at a distance of half a meter is not a problem! And you think they don’t fight? They still fight, killing themselves and innocent people, which does not serve as a lesson to anyone from generation to generation.

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Fields near the Trans-Ili Alatau. Kazakhstan, Almaty region.

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Sheep at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau. Kazakhstan, Almaty region.

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Wind farm on the Kordai Pass near the A-2 highway. Kazakhstan, Zhambyl region.

At sunrise, the freshly mown wheat fields shone golden, I stopped and photographed the field against the backdrop of the Trans-Ili Alatau. Then the road began as straight as a string for 40 km. Before entering the Kordai Pass, construction is underway of a transport interchange from the A-2 highway to the new concrete road "Western China - Western Europe" and to the village of Otar. Having climbed the Kordai pass, we saw the built wind power plants of an impressive size, about 20 meters high. Then we descend from the pass and the last village of Kordai before the border with Kyrgyzstan. We stopped at a currency exchange office and exchanged money, Kazakh tenge for Kyrgyz soms. Right there at the entrance, a rare “Chaika” GAZ-13 was being sold for an amount exceeding a little more than forty thousand US dollars.

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GAZ-13 "Chaika" for sale in the village of Kordai. Kazakhstan, Zhambyl region.

There were relatively few cars at customs, with about five standing in line ahead of me. The bulk of people crossing this customs office strive to go to the Kyrgyz Dordoi market, mainly private entrepreneurs for the purpose of resale in Kazakhstan at flea markets. Most leave their cars in a spontaneous paid parking lot near the border and go on foot or by taxi to Dordoi, which is not far from the border. After it was my turn at customs, I dropped off my passengers, went through the customs of Kazakhstan, crossed the Chu River bridge and stopped at the Customs of Kyrgyzstan. I was surprised by one procedure for filling out a declaration for a car; in a separate room I was given a declaration form in the Kyrgyz language; according to logic, the text of the Kyrgyz language should have been duplicated in the customs document, at least in international English! But no, everything is in the best traditions of corruption, customs officers offered me to fill out this document for a fee. I asked for a sample and completed the Kyrgyz text myself. The border has been passed, we are in Kyrgyzstan!

From the border to the capital of Kyrgyzstan it is about 20 km; the asphalt, more or less not bad, ends at the entrance to the city of Bishkek. In Bishkek, only the central streets have good roads, the rest are like after the Battle of Stalingrad. Bishkek is a typical Soviet city, like all others in the Soviet Union, modern buildings are sometimes visible, but not in predominant numbers. On the streets, as well as in the country, the predominant number of Japanese-made cars with right-hand drive, Honda, a common brand in Kyrgyzstan. It’s not easy to buy a local GSM connection in the form of a SIM card in the city; we drove through the city center, quickly went shopping and couldn’t find it. We spent two hours visiting my aunt and drove with my cousin in two cars towards Issyk-Kul. From Bishkek we took the bypass road A-365 Bishkek - Naryn, Bishkek - Balykchy. The road goes from Lugovaya through Bishkek, then to the Boom Pass and to the outermost city of Balykchy of Lake Issyk-Kul, before Balykchy there is a branch to the border with China in Naryn. The road, unlike the Kazakhstan A-2, has four lanes and an excellent asphalt surface. This direction was reconstructed by builders from the PRC; a huge amount of work was done at the pass, where a two-lane road was turned into a four-lane one. Almost the entire distance to Issyk-Kul is limited to a permissible speed of 90 km/h. But not without reckless drivers, everything here is the same as on the A-2 and traffic cops with camouflaged video clips on tripods. On the way, we stopped at a local market by the road, the prices surprised me because they were almost the same as in Kazakhstan. The fact is that the average Kazakh salary is 500-800 US dollars, in Kyrgyzstan it is only 200-300. The price of gasoline stood out, in Kyrgyzstan it is more expensive, at 44.80 soms per liter of AI-92! In Kazakhstan, after raising prices, 128 tenge per liter of the same gasoline, which is generally 22% cheaper. But in Kyrgyzstan, AI-92 gasoline at Gazprom gas stations is of the best quality from Russian manufacturers, in Kazakhstan at the same Gazprom gas stations AI-92 is produced locally in Shymkent.

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Chu River. Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region. Without noticing and without slowing down, we drive up to the Boom Pass, the considerable work of builders from China is noticeably noticeable, a four-lane road runs almost along the cliff, constantly twisting and going around steep slopes. In the cliff at the bottom of the gorge is the Chu River and we are driving through the Chui region. My brother suggested that I change the route a little and drive a few extra tens of kilometers towards Naryn for the purpose of beautiful photographs, I certainly agreed. A reconstructed two-lane road goes towards Naryn, leading to a decent pass. I was driving the car at 60 km/h at 3000-3200 rpm on the tachometer. Next there was a beautiful and winding descent to the Orto-Tokoy reservoir. We stopped at an interesting picturesque place near the road from where a gorgeous panorama of the reservoir opens up. The Chu River flows into and out of the reservoir. Unfortunately there was little water, which could have been due to the dry summer. Then we moved to another point for photographing, drove a little and decided to go down by car to the water to the former bottom. Local vacationers were pleased with the cleanliness of the tourist spots; with well-maintained dirt roads, there was virtually no discarded garbage after a picnic. The mountains, rivers and lakes in Kyrgyzstan are very photogenic, the fact is that here nature is very diverse in its colors, red rock, green oasis on the river and bright blue lakes. The Orto-Tokoy reservoir was built in 1960 for land reclamation needs.

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Chu River and Orto-Tokoy Reservoir. Kyrgyzstan, Naryn region.

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Orto-Tokoy Reservoir. Kyrgyzstan, Naryn region.

Then we drove along a road with a not very good asphalt surface, sometimes the speed was reduced to 60 km/h. Before descending to the city of Balykchy from the direction of Orto-Tokoy, the bright blue strip of Issyk-Kul opened up to us in the distance, in our minds we were already imagining a beach, a sun lounger and the Kyrgyz Sea with chebaks, but there was at least 100 km ahead! We have been on the road for 10-11 hours already, we have covered about 400-450 km. Our passengers are not ordinary, we have two children with us, 3.5 and 5 years old, we are traveling normally, which means that everyone has travel in their blood, which is passed on from generation to generation.

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Highway Bishkek - Torugat - Balykchy "A-365". Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region.

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Seasonal trade of fish and honey on the coast of Lake Issyk-Kul. Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region.

Fish: farmed trout, wild trout and peled. Chonkiminsky honey (mountain). In front of the city of Balykchy, which was formerly called Rybachye, the environmental post where they collected tolls for travel to Issyk-Kul was removed. The worst and most broken road I encountered during my entire trip was in this city; sometimes it was impossible to drive over 30 km/h. Next is the A-363 highway from Balykchy and around Issyk-Kul, along the way there are villages, on the right Issyk-Kul, on the left the mountains of the Kungey Alatau ridge, and on the other side of the lake, more precisely in the south, the Terskey Alatau ridge, in a word, beauty, we are traveling! The light has passed a day on the road and we are there, about 550 km have been covered. Traditionally, we stopped at the Rainbow recreation center near the village of Sary-Oy on the northern shore of Issyk-Kul. One of the best cottage towns for a holiday in Issyk-Kul, a well-groomed beach, green territory, Issyk-Kul climate complemented by planted pine trees and a million of gorgeous roses. The cottages in the town are divided into approximately half, some are privately owned, others are rented out to vacationers, and there are also buildings with budget options.

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Recreation center "Rainbow". Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region.

But in "Rainbow" there is nothing for active recreation and we go by car to the city of Cholpon-Ata to ride a boat along Issyk-Kul. We drove 10 km from the village of Sary-Oy and here it is the same resort town of Cholpon-Ata with a population of ten thousand. If you are driving a car, then the first impression is that the roads are broken. Our car navigator showed the turn to the yacht club without error and here we are. Boats and motor ships inherited from the Soviet Union now take tourists around the lake for an inexpensive fee, for example, an hour-long walk around Issyk-Kul with swimming costs a tourist 300 soms, $6, but it’s worth it! Tourist walks around the lake take place at intervals of about an hour.

While we were waiting in the wings, we visited a museum right there in the yacht club with free entry for all visitors. The museum, which is one small room, told us about fragments of ancient clay jugs found at the bottom of Issyk-Kul, about ship instruments that we did not understand, and about the giant Issyk-Kul trout. As we were told, trout of normal size were artificially raised by fishermen in special nets immersed in the lake, but some “kind” person decided to give them life and released them by cutting the net. The trout destroyed the famous Issyk-Kul chebak, which was a small fish, very well remembered by all tourists for its unique taste, especially for beer.

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Trout in the museum near the yacht club in Cholpon-Ata. Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region, the city of Cholpon-Ata. According to one version, a trout released into Lake Issyk-Kul destroyed the famous Issyk-Kul chebak.

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In the museum near the yacht club in Cholpon-Ata. Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region, the city of Cholpon-Ata. We boarded the Karakol boat and went to the open sea. The children had so many emotions that it is impossible to describe, because this trip on the ship was their first time. The calling card of Issyk-Kul is clear water, the bottom is visible at 5-7 meters, where deeper there is a blue abyss. The lake is included in the list of the deepest lakes in the World, the greatest depth of Issyk-Kul is 700 meters! The height above sea level is 1609 meters, the dimensions of the lake are 180 x 60 km. The water is brackish and cold, but you can swim. For thrill-seekers who want to swim in the blue abyss of Issyk-Kul, the boat stops far from the shore at a depth of about a hundred meters. Those who want to swim wear life jackets, and those who do not want to swim at this time can enjoy the cleanest air of Issyk-Kul and admire the beautiful view of the lake. For your money, you can arrange a ride on the lake of any scale, and at your service there are boats, a steamship, and luxury yachts.

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Boat IK-89 "Admiral", project 1427, Polarnik type.

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Motor ship "Chingiz", project 1430, type Alexander Green.

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Lake Issyk-Kul. Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region, Cholpon-Ata city.

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Boat ride on Lake Issyk-Kul.

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Lake Issyk-Kul and the Kungey Alatau mountain range.

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Boat IK-56 "Cruise", project 376, Yaroslavets type.

Next we go to the former Cholpon-Ata airport. The terminal building and airport buildings have long been abandoned, and people use the runway as a road. We also did not miss this opportunity to drive a car on the takeoff. The runway itself is interesting in that it has a decent slope towards the lake, apparently for a short take-off run of aircraft and during landing for short braking. At one time, the airport received Yak-40 type aircraft from Bishkek and Almaty. In the summer season, there are flights from Almaty on Yak-40, Yak-42 aircraft to the new Tamchy airport near Issyk-Kul, which is 20 km from Cholpon-Ata. There is also another operating paramilitary-type airfield in the city of Karakol, the former city of Przhevalsk.

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Lake Issyk-Kul and Cholpon-Ata Airport.

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The terminal building of the airport in Cholpon-Ata.

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Runway runway heading "16" at Cholpon-Ata Airport (UAFG).

The runway is 1740 m long and has a significant slope. The height of the airport is 1652 m at sea level.

Now about what you can see in Issyk-Kul for active tourists. For me, lying on the hotel beach just to sunbathe is a waste of time. If possible, it is better to use your own transport or excursions and explore the surrounding area ahead. In 2008, I traveled around Issyk-Kul with a paper map in my hands in my car and this is what I saw: Grigorievskoye Gorge on the northern shore, Rukh-Ordo Museum in Cholpon-Ata, Przhevalsky Museum, Jety-Oguz Gorge, Dead Lake, picturesque There is a highway around the entire lake and I’m sure that I missed a lot of things along the way.

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Sunset over the Kungei Alatau ridge.

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Clouds over the Kungei Alatau ridge. Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul region. Well, here we are on the way home, we filled up the gas station with gasoline and slowly left Issyk-Kul through Balykchy. Well, what would we do without my favorite photographs of the railway? The railway here is especially beautiful! The line originates from the border station with Kazakhstan called Lugovaya, passes through the city of Bishkek, further along the Chui Valley and to the pass in the Boom Gorge, there are climbs, protection stones, and bridges, ending at the Rybachye station in the city of Balykchy. Old Soviet diesel locomotives lift small trains to Issyk-Kul; due to undemanded passenger traffic, there are few passenger trains. It's rare to see a train here, but I was lucky! First, we managed to photograph the train at the Kayamat-Kurkol station, and then a lonely diesel locomotive heading downhill on the stretch. The driver waved his hand at me in a friendly manner. This railway line was built a long time ago, it was marked on the maps of the famous Turksib, and that same Turksib from Siberia through Almaty to Lugovaya was built later. It was on this section of Kyrgyzstan from Lugovaya to Issyk-Kul that my grandfather worked, holding leadership positions in the field of track management. The pictures are taken, let's move on.

Driver of diesel locomotive 2TE10V-3522.

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Chu River. Kyrgyzstan, Chui region. When leaving the gorge, Boom took another picture of the Chu River from a high elevation on a rock, then the path along the Chui Valley along the Chu River to the border with Kazakhstan. Customs went through as usual, an evening drive to Almaty, an hour and a half traffic jam at the entrance to the city and we were home. Pleasant fatigue, a lot of unprocessed material in photo and video cameras, dried fish brought from Issyk-Kul, apricots, a light tan and most importantly - satisfaction from the trip.

zaleskiy
15/02/2017

Pages: 1

This lake does not freeze even in winter, so you can simply go here at any time of the year. The beauty of Issyk-Kul can be compared with Lake Baikal. I have traveled in this direction several times, so I’m sharing the details.

From Bishkek to Issyk-Kul by car

Having your own car or renting it (you can look at options or, in principle, the possibility of renting, for example), you can get to the lake from Bishkek in five hours. I'm talking about the town of Cholpon-Ata (it is located precisely on the so-called northern coast, exactly in its center). Most often I relax in this place. It's about three hundred kilometers away. As for the condition of the road, in the mountainous part it is simply ideal; it was built by the Chinese. This is a super highway with bump stops. But there are also frankly bad sections of the path here, so sometimes be prepared for real extreme sports. I advise you to travel along this route during daylight hours, because there is not lighting everywhere. Along the way there will be settlements:

• Balykchy;
• Chyrpykty;
• Tamchy.

Actually, they have gas stations and catering establishments, but there is almost no infrastructure along the route.

From Bishkek to Issyk-Kul by rail

The opportunity to travel by train on the route Bishkek - Issyk-Kul is available only in summer. The train runs from the beginning of June to the end of August. The railway station is called "Rybachye". It is located in the city of Balykchy. The train departs from Bishkek early in the morning and the journey will take five hours. There is no schedule for this year yet.

Prices

Train tickets start from 700 soms (that’s about 660 rubles).

Buying tickets

You can purchase travel documents at the railway station ticket office. Also check the schedule on the official website. As for issuing travel documents electronically, this site does not provide such an opportunity.

From Bishkek to Issyk-Kul by bus

It all depends on where exactly you need to go, Issyk-Kul is big. For example, nine buses leave for Balykchy every day. The journey will take four and a half hours.

You can also get to Jety-Oguz. Two buses run daily. You will spend ten hours on the road.

There are also flights to Karakol. There are many buses. The journey will take approximately nine and a half hours. The bus station is located on Chimkentskaya Street, 1 (all buses depart from there).

Prices

Tickets to Issyk-Kul from 200 soms (that’s about 190 rubles). Actually, the cost depends on the specific destination; there are many different settlements on the lake.

Buying tickets

Travel documents are sold at bus station ticket offices.

conclusions

You won’t be able to get to this route by plane, so I personally recommend that you travel by bus if you don’t have your own car.