Travelogues Issyk-Kul Region

Altyn Arashan can also be reached in summer without a tour. This practical overview explains the route from Karakol, the ascent from Ak-Suu, and the 4x4 option.

Karakol is the third-largest city in Kyrgyzstan (even though it has fewer than 100,000 inhabitants) and is located in the eastern part of the country. The city itself is cozy and...

We spent two relaxing days in Каджый Сай (Kadschi Caj) on the southern shore of Issyk Kul. The Issyk Kul, which translates to "holy lake" in English, is an enormous mountain lake:...

Colorful foliage in Karakol

The Monday morning (October 21, 2019) greets us with cloudy and windy weather. Even in our last night, on the shore of Issyk Kul near Michailovka, no pike has been lured by our...

One tourist highlight that Karakol has to offer is the nearby ski resort. Although it is rather small with a total of 20 km of slopes, the surrounding mountain landscape is all...

Fishing spot

On Friday morning, October 11, 2019, I enjoy a fried egg with sausages and salad at Dos Guesthouse after taking an obligatory walk around the block with Rango. Then we pack up...

On the fourth day of our journey, we started early again, as we wanted to be at the famous animal bazaar during prime time. This takes place every weekend in Karakol. The...

Although we originally only booked one night at the hostel in Karakol, we ended up staying for three nights because there was so much to discover here. On Tuesday morning, we...

On Tuesday morning (15.10.2019), we enjoy our last breakfast at our wonderful campsite near Balyktschy. Then it's time to pack our belongings into Schrotti's trunk and continue...

Our first yurt camp in Tong at Issyk-Kul is, as mentioned before, very touristic. There are outhouses with toilet seats and lights with motion sensors, warm summer showers, and...

The campsite right on Issyk-Kul lake has impressed us very much and since the weather is simply stunning the next day, we enjoy our private beach with our two dogs after...

After breakfast in Bosteri, we headed east along Issyk-Kul. Our first stop was the hot springs in Oruktu - and they completely exceeded our expectations. The hottest pools have...

Off to Kazakhstan! At least that's what I thought in the morning. Unfortunately, I didn't leave Karakol until very late. Jalil's whole family was on their way to a school event....

The next morning the weather was better again and the last stage at Lake Issyk-Kul was due. These were still almost 120 kilometers and the navigation was switched off to save...

Contrary to the weather forecast, the weather was very good, and I decided to set off again. On the way to Karakol on Lake Issyk Kul, there were once again the usual...

The next morning we were on the road again on the 'Way of the Sheep' to get back to the road from Issyk Kul Lake. What started as a dirt road ended in the middle of a bumpy...

The next morning we started our (for now) last stage together. There were still a few meters of altitude to overcome as Lake Issyk-Kul is located at 1600 meters above sea level....

Gerrit and Markus set off for Naryn today. They plan to traverse some passes along the way and camp somewhere. Jeroen wants to explore some side valleys on the southern shore of...

Our day in Bosteri, which is located next to the famous resort Chalpon Ata, was a success. At first, it seemed like the weather wouldn't cooperate, the morning was cold and...

After breakfast, Jeroen drove to Song Kul, and I headed towards Issyk Kul. The road was good, allowing me to make good progress. I made a stop in Naryn because I needed cash,...