Central Asian Studies

Weekend Excursions

Ala-Archa National Park Bishkek is located in a hiker's paradise, and one must-see for all lovers of beauty is Ala-Archa National Park, located in the Tian Shan mountains. In Kyrgyz Ala-Archa means "bright juniper" - named for the abundance of junipers in the area. The Alamedin River flows along the gorge, which can be wild and dangerous at the beginning of spring and in early summer. The region has many climbing routes of varying degrees of intensity, which makes it a beloved place for tourists, climbers, and citizens of Bishkek alike - to be used as a recreational area for relaxation, or a training ground for climbing.

Burana Tower

Visit a ghost town in the Chuy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan. The Burana Tower, along with grave markers, some earthworks and the remnants of a castle and three mausoleums, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagun, which was established by the Karakhanids at the end of the tenth century. The Burana Tower is a large minaret (an architectural feature of Islamic mosques) located 80 km east of Bishkek. An external staircase and steep, winding stairway inside the tower enables visitors to climb to the top. The entire site, including the mausoleums, castle foundations and grave markers, now functions as a museum and there is a small building containing historical information as well as artifacts found at the site and in the surrounding region.

Manas Ordo

Manas Ordo is a park built around Manas's Kumboz, more… a mausoleum most likely erected around 1334 and thought to be the final resting place of the Kyrgyz epic national hero Manas. The monumental epic poem Manas is considered to be the most treasured expression of the national heritage of the Kyrgyz people. The poem is twenty times longer than the Iliad and Odyssey combined. Manas is treasured in the national imagination as the most ideal of heroes, a man who courageously fought against external foes and reunited his scattered people. The site includes a horse track, a museum, a rose garden surrounded by 40 statues of Manas' soldiers, an offerings site, and a yurt where fortunes can be told. The complex was built in 1995 for the 1000 Years of Manas celebration, the first - and to date the largest – national celebration that has taken place in Kyrgyzstan since its independence. Manas Ordo is situated in Talas region, in the central part of the country to which one can get only having crossed the Tuashu Passage (3200 m high).

Barskoon Waterfall/Skazka

Located approximately 20km south of the village of Barskoon more (pronounced bars-kone) on the southern shore of Kyrgyzstan's Lake Issyk Kul is the Barskoon Waterfall. We sit by a place where two of the three falls are visible and have a picnic in this beautiful spot. You will find two monuments to Yuri Gagarin here. Legend has it that as he was hurtling into space on the first-ever manned space flight, he looked down and saw this waterfall. After his return from space, he made a point of coming to visit the waterfall, where he left an inscription on one of the rocks. From this point, a steep trail leads up the mountain to the three falls.

Kol - Tor Mountains

Kol - Tor mountains located on the south of Issik Kul region and it is 4 hours far from Bishkek (250 km) more... Kol - Tor mountains excursion - this excursion to the south of the shores of Issik-kul, the world’s second largest alpine lake, to Kyrgyz traditional grazing lands on the foothills of the snow-capped mountains of Kol-Tor. This is - visiting one of the many quaint farming villages tucked and hidden away by the mountainous land. Meet ing villagers by sitting down with them for tea and local dishes piled high. Joining LSLC's specially selected trekking guides on horseback to explore emerald-green, flower-filled jailoos, amidst semi-nomadic herders and their myriad flocks. Climbing high switchback routes upon the slopes of the mountain bottoms, through deep and steep-walled valleys to picturesque and rarely visited lakes and far off views of Lake Issik-Kul itself. Finally, resting your bones from the day's ride with hot tea alongside a woodstove-fire in the comfortable belly of a yurt, the round felt-covered Kygyz traditional dwelling.