Our Team Meet with Stas

The Juku gorge (Zhuuku, Zauka, Jukku) gorge is the longest gorge on the Terskey Ala-Too ridge, famous for its diverse nature, beautiful views and wide expanse.

It is located on the southern coast of Lake Issyk-Kul, 70 kilometers from the city of Karakol.  In ancient times, this place was part of the routes of numerous merchants and travelers from various countries.

Despite the difficult relief of the gorge, Juuku was the only way from the Issyk-Kul valley to China for a long time.

The views in the gorge are very picturesque: there are red rocks, a dense Tien Shan spruce forest, several high-mountain lakes and a stormy river.

In the upper part, the gorge turns into a kind of high-mountainous desert, connecting with the famous Arabel plateau, full of lakes.

The fauna in the Juuku gorge is presented more widely and more numerous than in other gorges.  Here you can see whole herds of ibexes, argali, stone martens, roe deer, snowcocks, kekliks and bearded partridges.

Some of the ancient monuments located here are also of interest: rock paintings of the 6th-1st centuries BC, burial places of the ancient Turks, stone statues.

National Park Karakol is created 15th April at 1997 in Yssyk Kul region , district Ak-Suu as a reserve. It occupies 38256 h, and unique natural complexes of the gorge Karakol are stored in him.

The fauna is represented by a roe, a capricorn, a wolf, a fox, a marten, an ermine, from birds - an ular, a stone partridge. From the Red List: a leopard, a golden eagle,a kumai,a saker, a lamb live here.

The main forest forming breeds are coniferous: pine, fir-tree of Tien Shan, larch. There are no hard-wooded broadleaved breeds. Flora is presented by more than 700 species of plants, from them 80 types - wood and shrubby breeds.

The Issyk-Kul lake has a length of 182 km, a maximum width of 60 km and covers an area of ​​6,236 km². This makes it the second largest mountain lake in the world behind Lake Titicaca. Located at an altitude of 1,606 m, it reaches 668 m deep. 

About 118 rivers and streams flow into the lake. The largest are the Djyrgalan (Jergalan) and Tyup. It is fed by springs, including many hot springs and snowmelt, and it has no outlet. Its south side is dominated by the Tian Shan mountain range of wild beauty. The lake water is slightly saline and level down about 5 cm per year.

The Issyk-Kul lake is an important step on the Silk Road, a dirt road for travelers from the Far East to Europe. Many historians believe that the lake was the point of origin of the plague that hit Europe and Asia in the early and mid 14th. The status of the lake as a place of passage for travelers allowed the plague spread across the continents through the medieval merchants who unknowingly took away the vermin infested with them. Armenian monastery from the 14th century was found on the northeast coast of Lake retracing the steps of a medieval map used by Venetian merchants on the Silk Road.

Kel-Suu (means water's lake) makes for a great day hike or overnight backpacking trip. 
It's an amazing place for photos on summer or on winter. You will have colorfull views of mountains, beautiful granite's cliffs, meadows, icy peaks and canyons.

The mountain's lake located at the altitude of 3510 m., in the valley of Kurumduk (means "the preserved valley" between high cliffs and East of the Sary Beles mount (4726 m.). Certainly formed after a landslide after the 80's. There are different dirty roads to access to the lake which the length is up to 10 km (100-800 meters wide), then three pass link with the nearby China (officially closed).

Along the way you may present a special permit which can be organized 1 month before your arrival. If you need this permit, just contact us.

Jyrgalan (Jergalan, Djyrgalan) is a small village situated in the Ak-Suu district, eastern part of the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. Translated from the Kyrgyz language, Jyrgal - "joy, pleasure", en - "valley". The village is located on the East bank of the Jirgalan River and has about a hundred local residents. In the last decade, the village of Jyrgalan began to be rebuilt as a place for ecotourism, which provides hiking and horseback riding in the summer months and backcountry skiing in the winter. Initially, the village was founded as a coal mining city during the Soviet period. Currently, the mines also remain active and support the country's economy. Jyrgalan is charming with its stunning views, fresh mountain air and remoteness from civilization. At an altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level, the village is surrounded by mountain ranges, the highest point of which reaches 3,700 meters. Characteristic for this area are coniferous plants, such as pine, larch, spruce, etc. The road leading to Jyrgalan ends in a dead end for normal transport, whereas for hikers, horse or cycling tourists, it is easy to find narrow paths that lead to the Tiup Gorge or to Karkara.

Trekking, hiking, horseback riding, skiing in Jyrgalan, Jergalan.

At the eastern tip of Lake Issyk-Kul, Karakol is a fertile garden town of wooden chocolate-box cottages and shady, poplar-lined avenues. Fringed to the east by the Terskey Ala-Too Mountains, which tower dramatically over its low-rise skyline, Issyk-Kul ripples 10 km to the west.

Karakol is the best base from which to explore the lakeshore and Central Asia's prime trekking and mountaineering routes. With the most spectacular parts of the Central Tien-Shan right on its doorstep and newly open to foreign visitors, the town attracts trekkers, hikers and climbers from all over the world.

Karakol and its surroundings have just as much to offer their less energetic visitors. Besides one of Kyrgyzstan's largest and most colorful bazaars, a nomadic livestock market and several good museums, its spectacular environs boast an endless array of truly unique day trips. Blood-red cliffs, hot springs, Scythian burial mounds, nomad camps and sandy beaches thousands of miles from the sea are all within easy reach.

The town was build since 1869, one year after Teplokluchenka (actually name Ak-Suu). There is a unique building in the center of Karakol - ancient wooden orthodox church. But you may visit also the zoo, the regional museum, the wooden mosque, the Panfilov park, the Park Victory, the museum and memorial Prejwalski.

Despite Karakol's status as the administrative center of the Issyk-Kul region, it has only 75,000 residents and a gentle, small-town atmosphere.

One of the most beautiful places in Kyrgyzstan is the Altyn Arashan Gorge (Kyrgyz "source of gold".) Its scenic beauty, a gem of the mountain - Ala Kul and its hot springs, known for their beneficial properties, have Long captured the hearts of people who come here.The mountainous valley of the Arashan River is located 10 kilometers east of the city of Karakol.

The hot springs are located at an attitude of 2600 meters above sea level. They are known for their healing properties: radon and hydrogen sulfide. In the first source, a high concentration of radon in water has beneficial effects on the human body: accelerating the process of healing and resorption, in the nerve fibers of muscle and bone tissue, improves heart function. And hydrogen sulfide baths cure a variety of skin diseases, cardiovascular disorders, for the restoration and normalization of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system.

The historic-cultural area, which includes the most ancient memorial Tash-Rabat (the 14th century) is situated 110 km to the South from Naryn and not far from the border with China on the height of 3120 m in the canyon Kara-Koyun. Tash-Rabat (Caravan-Sarai) was the inn for merchants and travelers on the ancient Silk Road from Central Asia to China and was the place for rest protecting sellers from bandits in those ancient times.

Tash-Rabat is a comfortable and attractive place for a stop between Bishkek and Kashgar. Today the caravanserai is a square, rather squat-looking building that is much bigger than it appears from the outside because it digs deep into the hillside behind. Inside there is a domed central chamber leading to the remains of 30 dank rooms including, opposite the entrance, the khan’s own quarters. One chamber contains two underground dungeons, one of which has been filled in and another, which is apparently 10 meters deep.

There is also a well and supposedly an old tunnel, possibly leading to a look-out point. The chambers on either side of the entrance each have a broad, raised ledge, which is said to be a communal bed used by the caravanserai’s soldiers, who were garrisoned here to protect against bandits.

Ak-Tash (which means "white stone" in Kyrgyz) lies at the foot of the great forests of Chong Kyzyl Suu Valley. 

The red rock hills form an incredible contrast between the blue Issyk Kul lake and the large meadows covered with edelweiss. In summer, the Ak-Tash yurt camp provides a stopover for overnight stays if you come on horseback or by foot from the Jukku Valley or Jeti Oguz. 

In winter, yurts become a base camp for ski touring. An ideal place to enjoy the slopes of Siuttu Bulak, Giukiuro, Burgan-Suu, and the mountains overlooking the Kichi-Kyzyl-Suu Gorge. Gradients of more than 1500 meters and descents of more than 6 km are possible in this region. 

The hot springs of Chong Kyzyl Suu are located 4km upstream, before reaching the geophysical station located 4km higher than the springs.