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Issyk-Kul Lake
It is simply a must for every traveler to Kazakhstan to take a trip to this amazingly beautiful lake in the northern Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan. This salty drainless lake is one of the largest mountain lakes in the world: it is 113 miles (182 kilometers) long and 38 miles wide. The lake has relatively cold water: the temperature rarely rises above 25 C (average for July 20 - 23 C).
Visas for non-CIS residents
Non-CIS residents need a visa to enter Kyrgyzstan. A Kyrgyz visa costs around $33 and can be issued within 1 day of application. The consular department of the Kyrgyz republic in Almaty is at 68-a Amangeldy and Kabanbai batyr. Tel: 632565 and 630273.
How to get there
Instructions for drivers are very simple: drive north (down) Saina and turn left at the roundabout. Several kilometers before Bishkek you can make the turn-off to the lake. The distance is 280 km. Another option is to take a public bus. Quite comfortable buses to Lake Issyk-Kul (town of Cholpon Ata) run from Sairan bus station daily at 08:55 and every five minutes from 22:00 through 23:00. A one-way ticket costs 860 tenge. Try to buy tickets in advance. If you plan to visit the lake for a weekend, leave Friday night in order to spend the night on the bus and arrive early Saturday morning. Whichever option you choose, make sure your documents, including Kyrgyz visa, are in perfect order. All documents are checked at the customs and passport control post on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border on the way to the lake and back. Your foreign appearance may prompt Kyrgyz policemen to ask for your documents repeatedly during the trip. Be calm and confident and do not offer bribes if you have done nothing wrong, even if the police hint at it.
Where to stay
There are two accommodation options: staying in a sanatorium/rest house or renting a room in a local person’s house. Sanatoriums are scattered all along the shoreline and vary in price per room and facilities. Most travel agencies in Almaty offer a choice of sanatoriums and rest houses and can give you professional advice on each of them. You can find ads for travel agents in the Iz Ruk v Ruki newspaper and also in the free ad papers that you probably find in your mailbox every day.
It is always cheaper to stay in a local person’s house. For a tiny fee, locals provide room and board. Very often, they ask for a tiny addition to the original tiny fee to cover cooking expenses. Villages are located further from the coastline than sanatoriums so be prepared for to walk several times a day. In most cases, Kyrgyz homes do not have hot water and you must shower in an outdoor handmade shower tub using water warmed by the sun during the day. If you do not mind this and other inconveniences like having five other tenants in the same house, you may find living with a local quite interesting.
Food
All sanatoriums and rest houses have canteens and a three-meal board is usually included in the room fee. Unless you are keen on boring morning “kashas” and “macaroni” for lunch, you should opt for a room without board. Each sanatorium is surrounded by a multitude of yurtas offering the same menu of Kazakh - Kyrgyz cuisine: lagman, besbarmak, manty etc. Unfortunately, the food is cooked in unhygienic conditions and you may upset your stomach. The best advice is to find the best yurta, preferably by recommendation, and stick to it. The tastiest bread I have ever tried in my life is hot lepeshki (nan bread) made in tandyr ovens at Issyk-Kul. The bread, as well as the bountiful fruits and vegetables sold at the lake, are enough to last you through your holiday on the lake.
Northern and southern coasts
Travel agents and people familiar with the lake differentiate between the northern and southern coasts. The northern coast is more inhabited and has a more developed infrastructure than the southern coast. Most sanatoriums are located on the northern coast. However, there are very good reasons why some people, including myself, prefer the south. First, on the southern coast there are many fewer people, both locals and vacationers, than the crowded north. The south has no more than a dozen sanatoriums and resorts, and these were built in Soviet times at higher standards as they were meant not for the general public but for army officers or sportsmen. Overall prices are cheaper on the southern coast and locals seem friendlier and less commercialized. Nature in the south is truly virgin. Finally, the Kungei Alatau mountains come very close to the southern coast, so you can combine hiking and bathing in one day. At the lake, there are companies that arrange treks, one-day hikes, and horse-back riding trips for travelers.
What to bring
A camera with film. Light clothes for the sunny daytime and warmer clothes for the night, which can be quite cold. A raincoat and an umbrella. Sun lotion with high UV protection factor. If you are afraid to eat in the yurtas, take plenty of your favorite snacks with you. Definitely pack several boxes of Smekta or other drugs for diarrhea and food poisoning. Antibiotics may also be helpful. Pack aspirin or any other medicine for fever and colds, since many people get overheated after being exposed to the hot sun for a longer time than usual. Pain killers.
What to do at the Lake
Of course, bathing is fun by itself but there are other things you can do or see to make your stay more memorable.
1. Go yachting. The yacht club is located near Cholpon Ata. Ask the locals or staff at sanatoriums for directions. Last year, we paid $20 per hour. Our captain was a retired army man who comes every year from Russia with his wife to spend the summer on their yacht on Issyk Kul. He was once posted to serve in Kyrgyzstan and since then he and his wife's hearts have been set on the lake. If they are still on the lake this summer, they have our highest recommendations.
2. Go to see petroglyphs near Cholpon Ata. No, this is not a slip of the pen. Tamgaly Tas and the Ili river are not the only places in Central Asia where petroglyphs are found! Our advice is rather than to hire a villager, who can show you to the place but will hardly have any stories to share, join a guided excursion. There are hardly any English speaking guides at the petroglyphs, though. Look for excursion announcements on a sanatorium notice board or ask sanatorium administrators. Often, excursion organizers have a specially designated place inside the sanatorium canteen where you can ask questions and sign up for a particular excursion.
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3. Visit Grigorievskoye gorge. This gorge is famous for its length and wild beauty. It is one of the main gorges through which hikers from Almaty come to the lake. Along the road in the gorge, there are many yurtas with mainly national Kyrgyz and Kazakh dishes on the menu. Do not resist the temptation to ride a horse when offered. It is worth it, believe me! You can hire a taxi to get to the gorge. Is is within an hour's ride from Cholpon Ata.
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