Karakol is the administrative capital of the Issyk-Kul region in Kyrgyzstan. In recent years, there has been a huge push from the government to market it as a premier tourist destination. It’s not hard to see why. With the Tian Shan mountain range and Lake Issyk-Kul in close proximity as well as a couple of quaint towns, lots of hikes can be done in the region. It truly is a dream destination for nature lovers.

From Bishkek, it’s real easy to get to Karakol. Just head to the western bus station and look for a marshrutka (mini van) heading to Karakol. There is no set schedule. Each marshrutka leaves when they’re full. It’s better to leave in the morning because marshrutkas leaving in the morning get filled quicker. If you ask around, people will direct you to a marshrutka that’s almost full. Sit on the right side if you want a good view of Lake Issyk-Kul.

A single journey ticket costs 500 Kyrgyz Soms (about USD 6) and the trip takes about 6 hours with one stop. You pay the driver directly. Heading back to Bishkek, it costs the same, but you need to buy a ticket at the ticket booth at the Avtovokzal Karakol (the address is Nikolay Przhevalsky Street, 149 on Yandex Maps).

You could visit Karakol all year round, but it’s more popular during two seasons. Summer is peak travel season because all trails would be open for trekking. Lake Issyk- Kul would be bustling with activity during the summer too because most resorts would be open. If you visit during the summer, you might want to spend a night or two in one of those lake resorts before heading to Karakol. The other popular time to visit is during winter, because ski resorts would be open. Karakol is a top destination for winter sports.

The city is small but it does have several notable attractions. I’d spend half a day walking around before heading elsewhere for hikes and daytrips. Arguably the best attraction is the Holy Trinity Cathedral, an orthodox church built in 1895. It’s made entirely out of wood, and I found the architecture really impressive.

The Dungan Mosque is worth checking out too. It’s a mosque but it doesn’t look like a mosque. It was built by Chinese Muslims escaping persecution back in 1904, which is why it looks more like a Chinese Temple. You need to pay 20 Soms (a quarter dollar) to be able to enter.

There are a number of parks worth checking out, but I’d recommend Park Pobety. It’s bustling with activity during late afternoons and early evenings.

Along Zhamansariev Street you’d still see several homes with Russian inspired architecture.

If you haven’t had your fill of bazaars yet, the Ak Tilek or “Big Bazaar” on the corner of Torgoev and Aldashev streets is a massive one.

There’s an animal bazaar on the outskirts of Karakol but it’s only open on Sundays. Some travelers actually buy horses here and then sell them again (usually at a loss) before leaving the country. I don’t think this is practical, having to take care of a huge animal while traveling, but do whatever floats your boat. There’s also a car market nearby where some travelers buy cars and sell them again elsewhere.

Now a trip to Karakol wouldn’t be complete without doing at least one hike. Even if you don’t have much time, you can do at least one day hike. You just need one full day— or half a day if you hike fast. Before going on a hike, install the the Maps.me app on your phone and download offline maps. I found Maps.me fairly accurate when it comes to hiking trails in the country. Most of the hiking trails do not have cellular service, download offline maps to stay of the safe side because in some areas, trails aren’t clearly marked.

If you ask around, many locals would recommend the Ak-Suu Arboretum hike if you don’t have much time and you just want to do a quick hike. This is an easy hike that only takes 4-5 hours on the average, it’s perfect for beginners. First, you need to take Marshrutka #350. This marshrutka goes to the Ak-Suu Resort from the Ak Tilek Bazaar (the Big Bazaar). It passes by Park Pobedy which was really close to my hostel so it was real convenient. Tell the driver that you need to get off at the Altyn Arashan stop. A one way trip costs 30 Soms (about 35 US cents). Alternatively, you could take a Yandex, but it’s gonna set you back around 600 Soms (about USD 7). Tell the driver the same thing, you need to get off the at Altyn Arashan stop. You’re gonna see a fork in the road with a sign that says Altyn Arashan Valley. To head to Ak-Suu Arboretum, take the road on the right.

The trail is clearly marked for the most part, but on some parts it isn’t, so better have the trail saved on the Maps.me app. You can walk all the way back to Karakol. Bring water and snacks, you won’t find any places to buy food and drinks on the trail. They say it takes 4-5 hours on the average to finish this hike, but idk, maybe I walk fast because I was able to finish it in less than 3… partly because I found the entire hike underwhelming.

I’m not saying it’s totally not worth doing this hike… if you only have half a day to spare, then by all means do it. It’s certainly better than nothing. At least you’d be able to get out of the city and see some nature. But if you have time to spare, you could easily skip this one. You certainly won’t be missing much because there are better hiking trails in the area. If you have an entire day to spare, head to the left on that fork in the road and head to Altyn Arashan instead.

After doing the Ak- Suu Arboretum hike, I asked for other hikes I could do. I basically have the entire day free since it wasn’t even noon. I took a Yandex and I was back at that fork in the road. Altyn Arashan is actually a very popular destination. Altyn Arashan itself is incredibly beautiful. And the trail to get there? It’s just as beautiful… maybe even more so in certain parts. It’s also an easy trail, mostly on level ground with a couple of not so steep inclines on certain parts. Many travelers spend at least one night in one of those yurts and guest houses in Altyn Arashan. Depending on where you’re staying, one night would cost 350-600 Soms (USD 4-7). Freshly cooked meals would cost about 250 Soms (about 3 bucks), but you have to order in advance because they obviously have limited supplies this deep in the valley. If you’re interested in spending a night here, the staff at your hostel or hotel can help you in making a reservation. If you have the time, this does seem like a good experience. You can even explore the surrounding areas of Altyn Arashan. If you make a reservation in one of the guest houses, they’d offer transportation. Most people ride on vans, some ride horses on the trails. Sure riding a van makes the trip easier and faster, but as I’ve mentioned earlier the trail itself is remarkably beautiful. You’d be missing out on a lot if you ride a van both ways. I’d recommend riding a horse, or hike for at least one way.

Now, if like me you’re not planning on spending a night in Altyn Arashan, doing a day hike is still a great idea. It takes 6-8 hours on the average to get to Altyn Arashan and back. It took me a little over 5 hours even though I made lots of stops to take pictures— I guess I really walk fast lol. If you find it tiring, you can hitch a ride with vehicles passing through. Vans carrying guests are usually full (and most likely they may ask you to pay), but there were a couple of locals bringing supplies to Altyn Arashan when I did this hike, and most of them were driving alone. I was offered a ride several times but I had to politely decline— I wanted to do things the hard way. lol. If you get back to Ak Suu Village early, you can check out the hot springs. It’s a great way to relax after hiking for several hours.

Now if you’re gonna do this hike, make sure you start early. Why? Because it’s going to be hard to find a way back to Karakol if you finish late. I learned this the hard way. See, I started this hike at around 11:30 in the morning. I got back to the fork in the road just before 5 PM. From here, it’s still 40-60 minutes on foot to Ak-Suu Village where you can hop on a marshrutka heading back to Karakol. I tried getting a Yandex, but there’s none available. Not a problem, I’d just walk to the village and maybe I’d get a Yandex on the way, or maybe I could hitch a ride. I wasn’t able to get a Yandex, but I was able to hitch a ride halfway to the village. This dude wasn’t heading to Karakol but he would be able to drop me off where the marshrutkas are. I didn’t see any marshrutkas, so I thought maybe he dropped me off at the wrong place? I went inside a small store to buy some snacks and then asked how I can get back to Karakol. The dude said I just missed the last marshrutka which left at 6 PM.

Man. I didn’t want to spend a night in Ak-Suu Village. So I tried getting a Yandex again. No such luck. Begrudgingly, I started looking for a place to spend the night, and just my luck it started hailing. But—! I finally got a Yandex! It would take the driver 40 minutes before he could pick me up because he still had to drop off a passenger heading to Ak-Suu Village, but hey I didn’t mind waiting. I’m just glad I wouldn’t have to spend the night there. As I’ve mentioned in my previous entry, it’s real easy to get a Yandex from any of the main cities in Kyrgyzstan, and surprisingly they’d be willing to take you to remote towns. The problem is getting back, because these Yandex drivers do not wait for passengers in remote towns. They stay in the main cities. If you’re doing a day hike to Altyn Arashan, make sure you’re back in Ak-Suu Village before 5 PM so there’s ample time to catch the last marshrutka to Karakol.

If you have time, you can easily explore other attractions in close proximity to Karakol. Perhaps the most famous one is Jeti Oguz Gorge, aka the “Seven Bulls“. It’s a rock formation that resembles seven bulls— though you might need a bit of an imagination to see a resemblance. You can easily get to Jeti Oguz Village by marshrutka for only 100 Som (just a little over 1 US Dollar). Head to the main bazaar (Ak- Tilek Bazaar) in Karakol and look for marshrutka #355 or #371. These either go to Jeti Oguz Village or Jeti Oguz Resort (aka the “Sanatorium”) depending on the time of the year.

If they go all the way to the resort, tell the driver to drop you off at “Seven Bulls” or “Broken Heart Mountain” which are on the way. During the summer though, most marshrutkas only go to Jeti Oguz Village. If there’s no other option, you can head to Jeti Oguz Village, but you’d still need to walk about 7 1/2 miles to reach the Seven Bulls. You could also hitchhike if you’re lucky enough to encounter people who are heading to the Seven Bulls or to the resort. To head back to Karakol, walk or hitchhike to Jeti Oguz Village or Jeti Oguz Resort/Sanatorium. Jeti Oguz Resort is certainly closer from the Seven Bulls, but take note of the time of the year. If there aren’t many marshrutkas heading to Jeti Oguz Resort when you left Karakol, chances are it would be hard to get a marshrutka back to Karakol from there. It would be easier to catch a marshrutka back to Karakol from Jeti Oguz Village. And in case you failed to catch the last marshrutka, it would be easier to hitchhike or hire a private driver in the village.

I didn’t check out the Sanatorium, but I’ve been told it’s quite an experience. Sanatoriums are health and wellness centers that were built during the old Soviet era. Spending a day in this old school spa is like going back in time.

If you have money to spare, it would be easier to just hire a taxi for about 1000 Som (about USD 11-12) for a roundtrip. They’d usually ask 100 Som per hour of waiting time if you plan on doing some hikes. Now you might think getting a Yandex would be cheaper… at times it is. When I checked one morning it was less than 500 Som to get to Jeti Oguz Village from Karakol. But keep in mind that Yandex drivers do not wait for you. You may try asking them to wait for you and pay them enough money to wait, but I haven’t tried this, nor have I met people who’ve tried. If you’re going to ask a driver to wait, it might be easier to hire a private driver to take you there and bring you back to Karakol.

Many hikers head to Karakol for the three day hike to Ala Kul Lake. it’s a rock dammed lake located in the mountains and it’s one of Kyrgyzstan’s most popular attractions. Sadly, I went too early in the year so the trails leading up to it were still impassable without proper gear. I’ve met a couple of experienced hikers who’ve tried, but they eventually decided to turn back. If you’re planning to do this hike, the best time to visit the country would be from July to September. Two other travelers I’ve met elsewhere informed me around the middle of June that all trails were already passable and they were able to do it. But just to be certain, plan your trip from July to September. That Altyn Arashan hike I was raving about earlier? If you’re planning on hiking to Ala Kul Lake, you can proceed to the lake from the valley.

Another place I failed to check out is Jyrgalan. It’s an up and coming travel destination, and when you see pictures of the place it’s not hard to see why. If you want to check it out while it remains unspoiled, now is the perfect time. The local government is starting to promote it, so no doubt it would be incredibly popular in a couple of years. With lots of hikes in the area, it could become the next Karakol. To get here, head to the Ak Tilek Bazaar and hop on marshrutka #331. There are 3 marshrutkas leaving daily, the first one leaves at 8:30 AM, the next at 1:30 PM, and the last one leaves at 4:30 PM during the winter and 5:30 PM during the summer. A one way trip would set you back 90 Soms (a little over 1 USD). If budget isn’t a concern, you could also take Yandex or hire a private driver. Accommodations are still limited to a few guest houses so it’s best to book in advance. Most of these guesthouses are listed on Booking.com.

Kyrgyzstan is renowned for its natural beauty, and no trip to the country would be complete without seeing its amazing natural landscapes. Karakol is in close proximity to a lot of these natural wonders, so it should be part of your itinerary if you’re thinking of visiting this country.