Types of Tourism in Kyrgyzstan
BEACH
Lake Issyk-Kul – the pearl of Central Asia – attracts tourists from all over the CIS with its clear blue waters and white sandy beaches. The north coast is best suited for a beach holiday, as the water here is several degrees warmer and the infrastructure for recreation is better developed.
The recreation area “Cholpon-Ata”, located 250 km from the city of Bishkek, is best known on the northern coast. It includes the city of Cholpon-Ata, the village of Dolinka and two gorges: Chon-Koy-Suu (12 km) and Cholpon-Ata (14 km). There are a large number of sanatoriums, boarding houses and rest houses, hotels and hotels.. In addition to a beach holiday, scooters, catamarans and yachts, diving and surfing equipment will be at your service. Practically in each of them there are opportunities for holding conferences or business meetings.
In addition to Cholpon-Ata, on the northern coast there are many small resort villages, where there are 3-4 boarding houses and hotels. Among them are Bosteri, Chok-Tal, Sary Oi, Korumdy, Grigorievka and many others. Some boarding houses are located just 30 meters from the beach, others have well-equipped parks leading to the beach. Check top-medical-schools.org for travel information in Kyrgyzstan.
HEALTH
In the valleys of the mountains in Kyrgyzstan (near Lake Issyk-Kul and on the southwestern slopes of the Ferghana Range, the Baitik and Chui valleys) there is a huge amount of warm mineral springs. Among them are salty, carbonic, hydrogen sulfide, radon, iodine-bromine and others. The water temperature varies from 30 to 70 o C. In balneology, 40 types of mineral waters are used, of which 30 are used in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, there are deposits of two types of therapeutic mud in Kyrgyzstan: silt and peat-silt.
In the area of Lake Issyk-Kul , a number of balneological resorts and sanatoriums were built and equipped in Soviet times. Many sanatoriums are located directly on the coast of Issyk-Kul, in the city of Cholpon-Ata or surrounding villages. Mineral waters obtained from underground sources have a temperature of 45-52 o C and a chloride-sodium-calcium composition with a mineralization of about 20 g/l. They are similar to the well-known mineral waters – Borjomi, Essentuki, Narzan and are used in the form of baths, underwater shower-massage, gynecological and dental irrigation. For the treatment of various diseases, silt hydrogen sulfide, mineralized mud is used. The deposits of therapeutic mud are concentrated in the water area and the coastal part of Lake Issyk-Kul (the villages of Sary-Oi, Kara-Oi, Kyurmentyu, Dzhergalan, Kyzyl-Suu, Tamga, Cholpon-Ata).
In the valleys located on the slopes of the Terskey Ala-Too ridge facing the Issyk-Kul lake, numerous thermal mineral springs are known. Near them are well-known resorts in the valleys of the same name: Altyn-Arashan, Dzhety-Oguz, Dzhergalan, Ak-Suu, Chon-Kyzyl-Suu, Kereg-Tash. Exploring the valleys of the Terskey Ala-Too ridge on your own, you can find many undeveloped springs. In these places, hydrogen sulfide-radon waters of various composition are the main therapeutic agent; diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, gastrointestinal, gynecological diseases are treated here.
In the Jalal-Abad region, resort and medical tourism is mainly developed. Resort “Jalal-Abad” located 5 km from the city on the western slope of the Ayub-Tau hill. The main therapeutic agents are thermal weakly and strongly mineralized sulfate-hydrocarbonate sodium-calcium waters used for baths and drinking treatment. In addition, the resort uses peat-silt therapeutic mud.
The Chui region of Kyrgyzstan is known for its unique deposits of healing thermal and mineral springs and therapeutic mud. Among them are Ak-Suu, Alamedin, Issyk-Ata and Bishkek deposits of mineral waters. In the Issyk-Ata gorge there are numerous hot springs, known since ancient times, on the basis of which a balneological resort operates.
Among the balneological resources of the Chui region, an important place belongs to therapeutic mud. Two deposits have been explored in this area. One of them, Kamyshanovskoye, is located on the banks of the Chu River, 56 km northwest of Bishkek. The Lugovskoye mud deposit is located in the Alamedin district, the silt-peat mud extracted from it is used in medical institutions in the city of Bishkek and in the Issyk-Ata resort .
RAFTING
Large reservoirs, rivers and canals are suitable for water trips of 1-3 category of difficulty (passing without experience is possible). Chatkal and its tributary Sandalash, Chu and its tributary Chon-Kemin, Chilik and Naryn – mountain rivers of 4-6 category of difficulty, the most interesting for kayaking, catamarans or rafting (to pass these rivers, as a rule, you need experience in water trips of at least category 3).
The most favorable season for hiking is July – December. For water and mountain trips, the months from May to September are suitable, for difficult routes August – October.
EXCURSIONS
Travel agencies in Kyrgyzstan will offer you a wide variety of excursions to choose from. First of all, this is an inspection of various easily accessible gorges, passes, mountain rivers and lakes, the amazing nature of the country. Despite the harsh living conditions, people came to the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan for a very long time. Now scientists are finding numerous petroglyphs, sites of ancient people, many of which are interesting to visit. In Kyrgyzstan, as in a mountainous country, there were almost no cities in the Middle Ages, so there are few monuments of Central Asian medieval architecture, but there is something to see in the city of Osh.
In addition, the Great Silk Road passed through the territory of Kyrgyzstan. On the way of caravans from India and China, the cities of Jul, Suyab, Nevaket, Balasagun, Borskoon, Tash-Rabat, Osh and Uzgen appeared.. Now the mountain road, which runs through the most picturesque and exotic places, is difficult to overcome for cars. However, there are roadside cafes on the roadsides, and there is a yurt camp for tourists. Only the cities of Osh and Uzgen remained cities in modern Kyrgyzstan, the rest turned into ruins of interest to historians, archaeologists and tourists.
EXOTICS
The Kyrgyz have been nomads for a long time, they have developed a special way of life and traditions that have been preserved for centuries. Now in Kyrgyzstan there is an opportunity to join the ancient traditions, participate in national holidays and amusements, falconry, live in a yurt and try the national cuisine. Kyrgyzstan is known for its bazaars, where you can buy all sorts of things from Chinese slippers to Afghan carpets, and especially a lot of souvenirs made from felt, which is considered a traditional national material.
