Silk Road Treasures: Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan

Today we will make a round trip to Karakol (formerly Przhevalsk, after the Russian explorer Przhevalsky who died there), an administrative centre and the largest resort of Issyk Kul Province in 12km away of the Lake Issyk Kul, situated in its eastern part, at the foot of the Terskey-Alatau Range, at elevations between 1,690 and 1,850 m above sea level. Karakol was founded in 1869 as a military and administrative station on a caravan road connecting the Chuy Valley and Kashgaria. Karakol (population of 65,000) features highly developed infrastructure and boasts a large number of shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels and boarding houses; not far from the city there is a ski resort, hot springs and very many other places in the surrounding mountains good for active recreation (trekking, hiking, biking, paragliding and mountaineering).

Guided sightseeing tour around Karakol:

• Przhevalsky Museum & Memorial which is named after a Great Russian geographer and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia Nikolai Przhevalsky;
• Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathederal which was originally built of wood without the use of nails. This only functioning Orthodox church in Karakol, which is distinguished by gracious wooden walls with intricate ornamentation and five golden domes on the top, contains some highly precious icons, one of which is the Tikhvin Mother of God created in Athens about 150 years ago;
• Impressive wooden Dungan mosque, built in 1910 in a Chinese pagoda style, without metal nails by the Dungan Muslims.

For lunch we shall have the famous Karakol-style ashlamfu. This is the traditional food of Uighurs and Dungans consisting of noodles with pieces of starch seasoned with original sauce.

Then we visit Djety-Oguz Gorge (“seven bulls” in Kyrgyz) with an unusual formation of red sandstone cliffs that gave the place its name - Seven Bulls. The rocks continue for 37 km, being one of the most beautiful places in Kyrgyzstan. The landscape of the gorge was formed by the Jety-Oguz River emptying into Lake Issyk Kul.

Next to the gorge’s mouth there is The Broken Heart rock, one of the most romantic places ideal for lovers. According to legend, the rock symbolises the broken heart of a girl having died because of two young men, who had killed each other in a fight for her. Loving couples like to have their pictures taken in the place.

Returning to Cholpon-Ata.

Overnight at the hotel.

Welcome to Osh!

Located in South Kyrgyzstan, Osh is often referred to as ‘the southern capital’. It is the country’s second largest city.

Osh is one of the oldest Central Asian cities and is the oldest one in Kyrgyzstan. The exact date of its foundation is unknown, but the legends about the city connect its origin with Alexander the Great and even the prophet Solomon (Suleiman). Once you arrive in Osh, you will meet kind and hospitable people and see green busy streets with a lot of cozy cafes.

Osh is the starting point of the Pamir Highway crossing the Pamirs. It will take 5-6 hours to get to Yurt Camp in a comfortable motor vehicle along Pamir Highway. Almost immediately beyond the city the terrain becomes hilly, as if informing us of what we are to expect further on the way. And the further we went, the more grandiose and magnificent everything around us was becoming. After you have moved over Taldyk Mountain Pass (3,600 m), you will see the stunning scene of Alay Valley with the majestic snow-capped Zaalay Rangeof the Pamirs towering over it. The Alay Valley is characterised by extensive green fields, marmots occasionally running across the road, grazing horses, a bottomless sky and blue mountain chains on the horizon.

According to one of the legends, once Sulayman (prophet Solomon) and his army with a pair of oxen with a plow in front came to the area. When the oxen came up to the mountains, the king said, «Hosh!» («Enough!»), which was what the name of the town built where the oxen stopped came from.

Archaeological finds prove that the city is at least 3000 years old. In the 10th c Osh was considered the third largest city in Fergana Valley. It was a cross-roads of the caravan routes from India and China to Europe - Great Silk Road.

Osh is also one of the Muslim religious centers in Central Asia; it has the largest mosque in the country.

Guided sightseeing tour around Osh:

• The National Historical and Archaeological Museum Complex Sulayman is the main attraction in Osh. The only World Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan, Sulayman Mountain, offers a splendid view of Osh and its environs. A cave in the mountain is the site of one of the largest museums in Kyrgyzstan containing a collection of more than 33,000 pieces of archaeological artifacts, geological and historical finds and information about local flora and fauna.
There are many legends about the mountain. It was named for the prophet Suleiman, who is believed to have been able to cure all the diseases. According to a belief, this is the place where prophet Suleyman appealed to God, and the stones still bear the imprints of his forehead and knees. Muhammad Zahiriddin Babur (1483-1530), Tamerlane’s great-grandson and the founder of the Mogul dynasty, built a khujra (cell) with a mihrab over this place sacred for any Muslim. The site of the cell is now occupied by the Takhti-Suleyman mosque, a unidirectional building of white rock, and ‘Babur’s house’ restored following historical data.
• Local Oriental Bazaar is a good place to buy authentic souvenirs.

Upon arrival at the Yurt Camp (3,600 m) on Edelweiss Glade you will be accommodated in comfortable tents (accommodation of 2 pax in 4-pax-capacity tents) equipped with wooden floors and electricity, bedclothes are also provided.

The "Edelweiss Glade" BC is the largest one at the Achik Tash Tract and is the final point where it’s possible to trust the wheels of your off-road Jeep.

Then we are hiking to Leek Meadow 200 meters above the camp where wild leek grows. A lot of marmots live there; the meadow is pockmarked with their burrows. They are so curious that you can photograph them at a distance of about 3-4 meters. They are big and shaggy, and when finally scared, they rush back to their burrows with screeches, showing their fluffy tails - cute and funny animals.

Pamirs summer is very short but awesome. You can see amazing variegated flowers on the glades near Yurt Camp (3600 m).

Return back to the Yurt Camp. Dinner in yurt (a yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in Central Asia). Once you are inside, you will see traditional Kyrgyz decorations on its walls, as well as lot of photographs and feedback comments of our guests from almost all over the world. In the evening almost all the campers get together in the main yurt with a fire in it. They come from many countries so it is a perfect place to meet interesting people and listen to intriguing and useful stories and facts.

At night, visible in the dark, here will be the soaring Pamiri snow-capped peaks under the starry sky, so close to you now.

Overnight in tents.

After a breakfast we will set out on a journey back to warm Osh city. The grand Lenin Peak Mountain and its siblings will probably always be part of your most pleasant memories.

On arriving in Osh, you will check in at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.