Destinations
Abramov Glacier: Fifty Years of Measuring One Piece of Ice
A Soviet station measured one Pamir-Alay glacier monthly from 1968 with 165 stakes. The record stopped in 1999, resumed in 2011, and…
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City and region guides for every corner of Kyrgyzstan — from the capital Bishkek and adventure hub Karakol to the southern silk-road city of Osh, the beaches of Issyk-Kul, and remote gems like Sary-Chelek, Kel-Suu and Arslanbob. Each guide covers how to get there, what things cost in 2026, where to stay, and what is genuinely worth your time (plus what to skip). Start with the big three — Bishkek, Karakol and Issyk-Kul — then go remote.
Destinations
The River Issyk-Kul Lost: Why the Chu Swerves Past the Lake
The Chu River misses Issyk-Kul by ten kilometres. It once drained the lake, and in the early 1800s it briefly did again,…
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Destinations
Madygen: The 230-Million-Year-Old Lake in Batken's Hills
A Triassic lake bed near Batken preserves 500+ insect species with their wing colours intact. In August 2026 Madygen was recognised as…
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Destinations
Shakhimardan, 8 July 1998: Central Asia's Deadliest Glacier Flood
On 8 July 1998 a glacial lake burst in Kyrgyzstan's Alay mountains and killed more than a hundred people downstream, across a…
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Destinations
Morels at $700 a Kilo: Mushrooms in Kyrgyzstan
Dried Kyrgyz morels fetch up to $700 a kilo on export while collectors sell fresh mushrooms for under $3. What grows here,…
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Destinations
Khaidarkan: The Last Mercury Mine on Earth
A town of 12,000 in Batken is the world's last primary mercury mine. Why a global treaty wants it shut, and why…
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Destinations
The Jumgal Valley and Kara-Keche: Kyrgyzstan's Coal Country
Around half of Kyrgyzstan's coal comes out of one valley in Naryn. What the Jumgal valley is, why the roads are bad,…
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Destinations
The Walnut Harvest at Arslanbob: When a Whole Village Moves Into the Forest
Every autumn around 10,000 people move into the world's largest walnut forest to bring the crop in. When the Arslanbob harvest happens…
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Destinations
The Karkyra Valley: A Border Post That Closes for Winter
A border post that opens in May and closes in October, in a high pasture valley shared by Kyrgyz and Kazakh herders…
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Destinations
Kyzyl-Oi: The Red Village on the Kokomeren
A village of red clay houses at 1,800m in the Kokomeren gorge, halfway between Suusamyr and Song-Kul. What's there, and whether to…
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Destinations
Tulpar-Kul: Sleeping at 3,500m Under Lenin Peak
A lake at 3,500m with yurt camps on the shore and a seven-thousander filling the view, reachable without a permit or technical…
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Destinations
Kumtor: The Gold Mine Above Issyk-Kul You Drive Past Without Knowing
The gold mine at 4,000m above Issyk-Kul funds the country and damaged two glaciers. What happened at Kumtor, and why the Barskoon…
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