Ala-Köl

Osh Oblast

　　The two-day trek to stunning Ala-Köl is for many visitors a highlight of the entire Kyrgyzstan experience. Though less than 1.5 km², the range of massive peaks that backs the long curve of the the lake makes the view from the pass down to Altyn Arashan one of the finest...

Köl-Suu

Osh Oblast

　　Remote even by Kyrgyzstan standards, magnificent Köl-Suu lake stretches over 10km through a sheer mountain gorge that reaches nearly to the Chinese border. It's hard to grasp the true scale until locally run boat trips (from $200 per person) strike out for the centre of the lake, where they seemed...

Lenin Statue

Osh Oblast

　　One of the most impressive Lenin statues still standing in all of Central Asia appears to be objecting to the massive Kyrgyz flag flapping in front of him as he faces down the modern city hall. ...

Rabat Abdullakhan Mosque

Osh Oblast

　　This 16th-century mosque is believed to be one of the oldest structures in the city, and though the ornate wooden doors to the 'Old Mosque' compound are considerably newer than that they certainly add to the aesthetic appeal of the place. ...

Osh Animal Market

Osh Oblast

　　If you're in Osh on a Sunday morning, hundreds of sheep, donkeys, horses and cattle go on sale at this traditional livestock market. Some may find the conditions of the animals here distressing. To get there, hop on marshrutka 105 or bus 5 to the routes' eastern terminus. ...

Petrovsky Park

Osh Oblast

　　Centred on the 1909 St Michael's Cathedral, this large park off the central square is worth a wander to see monuments dedicated to WWII soldiers, Chernobyl victims, and the 2010 events in Osh. Visit during the Destination Osh City Walking Tour for a full background of each. ...

Fine Arts Museum

Osh Oblast

　　A surprisingly well-curated collection of art ranges from socialist realism to Central Asia modern museum staff are passionate art lovers and happy to share their knowledge with visitors who can speak Russian or Kyrgyz. 　　Don't miss the 11-12th century Karakhanid hamman on the hill just to the left of the...

Navoi Park

Osh Oblast

　　Stretching south along the river from where the bazaar ends, leafy Navoi Park is a favourite local hang-out. Highlights inside include a gaming area where ak-sakal (white-beard) elders play chess, and a Yak 40 airplane decommissioned during Soviet times to serve as an oddball theatre and now as shade for...

Suleiman Too

Osh Oblast

　　This five-peaked rocky crag seems to loom above the city wherever you go. It has been a Muslim place of pilgrimage for centuries, supposedly because the Prophet Mohammed once prayed here. Its slopes are indented with many a cave and crevice each reputed to have different curative or spiritual properties;...

Jayma Bazaar

Osh Oblast

　　Osh Bazaar is one of Central Asia’s biggest markets dealing in everything from traditional hats and knives to seasonal fruit to horseshoes forged at the smithies in the bazaar. Many stalls are crafted from old container boxes and banal warehouse architecture, but there's a fascinating bustle nonetheless, stretching for about...

Dungan Mosque

Karakol

　　A tip-tilted triple roof, carved-layered eaves and wooden exterior pillars give this colourful 1910 mosque the look of a Chinese Buddhist temple. Remarkably it survived the early Bolshevik era, which saw the town's other eight mosques destroyed, though it was closed for worship between 1933 and 1943. ...

Karakol River Park

Karakol

　　Developed under the initiative of the Destination Karakol public association, this area of nicely maintained land alongside the Karakol River has benches, barbeque grills, and a small stage where occasional concerts take place. Enter off the intersection of Shapak Batyr and Ishakov. ...

Victory Park

Karakol

　　In addition to the standard monument of Victory on a plinth, memorialising the end of WWII, Karakol's Victory Park also includes an interesting monument to the victims of Stalinist repression (to the right upon entering the park) and one of the most poignant memorials to the Great Urkun anywhere in...

Karakol History Museum

Karakol

　　Occupying an archetypal 1887 Russian house, this museum has a few Scythian bronze artefacts, local tools and musical instruments. Taxidermists' victims share a room with exhibits celebrating the Kumtor Gold Mine. Little is in English except for the remarkable section exhibiting the photography of Swiss explorer Ella Maillart, who came...

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Karakol

　　Set peacefully amid trees, this hefty wooden structure is topped with green-roofed towers and almost-golden onion domes. The 1872 stone original was destroyed by an 1890 earthquake. Built on the same foundations a new wooden version, finished in 1895, was turned into a club by the Bolsheviks who also removed...

Przhevalsky Memorial Museum

Karakol

　　The main attraction of the shrine-like Przhevalsky memorial garden is a small, well-presented museum dedicated to Nikolai Przhevalsky, the Russian explorer who died here in 1888 and for whom Karakol was previously named. Entered through a Neo-Grec portal, there's a giant map of his Tibet and Central Asia travels behind...

Karakol Animal Market

Karakol

　　Early on Sunday mornings one of Kyrgyzstan's biggest animal markets takes place around 2km north of central Karakol. Typical of such markets, you'll observe locals bargaining over thoroughbred horses or improbably bundling voluptuous fat-tailed sheep into the back seats of Lada cars. The setting amid semiderelict flour mills might seem...

Jolgolot Viewpoint

Karakol

　　Hike the hour or two up from the village of Jolgolot (a suburb of Karakol) to take in stunning views of the city and Issyk-Köl to the north and the Karakol Valley to the south. Return the same way, or loop through the lush Ak-Suu Arboretum to catch a marshrutka...

Dordoi Bazaar

Bishkek

　　This bazaar built primarily of repurposed shipping has shrunk somewhat since Kyrgyzstan joined the Eurasian Customs Union, but is still an atmospheric evocation of the modern Silk Road trade. ...

Dubovy Park

Bishkek

　　Where wide, green Erkindik (Freedom) Ave enters this pleasant central park, artists sell a range of locally themed paintings. There's a small open-air sculpture garden amid the oaks behind the statue of Kurmanjan Datka. The park has officially been renamed for local author Chingiz Aitmatov, but nobody seems to refer...

Gallery M

Bishkek

　　This one-room gallery hosts rotating thematic exhibitions of works primarily by local artists. Much of it is for sale, and there is a handful of applied-art souvenirs, as well. Enter directly from the corner of Chuy and Manas. Check the website for what's currently on, as it closes in between...

Art Group 705

Bishkek

　　Well-curated irregular exhibitions on a wide variety of themes and a grungy hipster-chic space make this a great stop for art seekers. Go through the gate at Bokonbaev 149 and then circle around back to the door marked with a large '705'. It's only open when an exhibition is on,...

Nissa Art Salon

Bishkek

　　Originally built as the St Nicholas Cathedral, the steeple was removed and this space converted to an art museum during the Soviet period. The building still hosts rotating exhibits of local artists that change every 6-8 weeks, and is well worth a stop to see what's on while wandering through...

Osh Bazaar

Bishkek

　　Bishkek's most central bazaar has a certain compulsive interest and is an important city landmark. For traditional Kyrgyz clothes, including white imitation-felt ak kalpak hats (80som) and colourful shepherds' chests, find the stalls outside the south tip of the bazaar's Khial building. Mondays are quiet, but on any other day...

Ala-Too Square

Bishkek

　　Surveyed by a triumphant statue of Айкол Манас (Mighty Manas), Bishkek's nominal centre is architecturally neobrutalist in style but has a photogenic quality – especially when slowly goose-stepping soldiers change the guard beside the soaring national flagpole. In summer, the concrete of the square's northern half is relieved by attractive...

State Museum of Fine Arts

Bishkek

　　Collections of Kyrgyz embroidery and felt rugs, a splendid variety of paintings, and rotating exhibitions of local and international touring works all make a visit here worthwhile. Last entrance 5.30pm. ...