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Day trips With easily accessible mountains to the south, the second largest alpine lake in the world only two hours away to the east and a wealth of historical sites close at hand in the
Chuy Valley, exciting day trips outside Bishkek could occupy the average visitor for weeks at a time.
Three days set aside for day trips allow citybreakers to visit the mountains, dabble their toes in the waters of Lake Issyk-Kul and to explore some of
Kyrgyzstan's Silk Road and prehistoric heritage.  Ala-Archa National Park
35km to the south of Bishkek, an excursion to Ala-Archa is ideal for visitors who want to experience the Kyrgyz mountains, but have too little time to explore further afield.
Ala-Archa Canyon, the largest of the numerous rugged gorges and deep canyons in the area, makes the most popular daytrip from Bishkek. The canyon offers innumerable possibilities for day hikes and is also the starting point for many short treks in the region. From here it is possible to hike to waterfalls, trek to glaciers and head off up towards Korona Peak for a challenging ascent.
The less energetic will appreciate Ala-Archa's grand, but easily accessible scenery - best viewed on a weekday when there are less people. A relaxing stroll followed by a slap-up Kyrgyz picnic is the best way to soak up the mountain atmosphere. Don't forget your camera and binoculars.
Ala-Archa Canyon is a national park, with an 'ecological tax' levied at the entrance. Taxes start from $1 per person, depending on the number of people in a car. All entrance fees and taxes are included in Turkestan excursions.
Burana Tower
80km from Bishkek lie the remains of the former Karakhanid city of Balgasun. Balgasun was founded in the 10th century by the Sogdians and later became one of the capitals of the Eastern Khanate (the second was Kashgar). During the Mongol invasion, Balgasun was spared and renamed Gobalyk. However the city went into decline from this point onwards and by the 15th century lay lost in the
Chuy Valley steppe, ruined and abandoned. Today, all that remains of this once thriving capital is its minaret, a grassy mound covering the ancient citadel and the remains of Karakhanid mausoleums. Burana's enormous minaret
(the 'tower') was renovated in Soviet times and from the top offers spectacular views of surrounding mountains and the
Chuy Valley. One of Burana's biggest attractions is its open air museum, to the north of the tower. Here visitors will find a collection of stone figures
(balbalii), sculpted in the 6th-10th century and used as grave markers. Beside the
balbalii lies an interesting selection of petroglyphs depicting hunters and deer, some dating from the second century BC. Also on display are several 14th century stone tablets, covered with Arabic writing and a collection of stone tools found in the area. A small indoor museum, covering the history of the area, displays a good collection of Silk Route era archaeological finds.
Although Balgasun itself lies ruined, a visit to this bleak, isolated spot is enough to fire the imagination of even the most hardened traveller. As Lin Jingyuen writes.
'All in all, for the historically-minded, the Burana environs evoke images of a distant and forgotten past, in which Silk Road caravans, laden with cargo of East Asian luxury, descend from the mountains to the plains to stop briefly in Burana before continuing their journey - still so far to go - to the
west' Basic Bishkek Book, Babushka and Baike, 2000.
Boom Canyon and Lake Issyk-Kul
Lake Issyk-Kul, the second largest alpine lake in the world, has so much to offer that it is really best visited as an overnight or even two-night trip from Bishkek. However, for those with limited time to spare it is still possible to visit the lake, get a glimpse of its truly unique ecosystems and view some of Central Asia's most spectacular scenery, in a whistlestop day trip.
The lake lies 1800m above sea level is 170km long, 70km wide and surrounded by majestic mountains on all sides - reflected spectacularly in its cool blue waters. After Titicaca, Issyk-Kul is the second largest lake in the world. The region is home to a vast array of flora and fauna including Marco Polo sheep, ibex, wild geese and turkeys, Himalayan snowcocks and wild boar. Landscape
varies dramatically around the lake - to the south it is fringed with desert and bright red sandstone cliffs, sculpted into columns by the wind, to the north by steppe, forests and meadows, and to the east by glacial ecosystems. Thanks to its slighty saline property, the water never freezes, even in the depths of a Kyrgyz winter.
Issyk-Kul has a weather system all of its own - clouds over Bishkek and the Chuy
Valley lift almost immediately as you cross Boom Canyon. Similarly, in winter, there may be snow falling on the lake but dry roads in the capital.
The road from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul winds through the Chuy Valley's vast flat steppe towards the Kungey Ala-Too mountains. From here the road rises almost 1000m, crossing through the pass named 'Boom Canyon'. Even if Boom Canyon did not lead to Issyk-Kul, it would still be worth visiting. Its multicoloured sandstone walls have been fashioned into strange and wonderful shapes by the
wind and a high gorge at the centre of the pass provides spectacular views of the tiny River Chuy running far below.
A daytrip to Boom Canyon and Issyk Kul could include a visit to the town of Bokonbaeva, on Issyk-Kul's wild southern shores (home of Altyn Oimok - a traditional felt craft NGO, open to visitors), with a picnic lunch on the lakeshore.
Chumish Petroglyphs Frustratingly, these wonderful petroglyphs, only 20km from Bishkek, are situated just over the Kazakh border. Bureaucracy decrees that visitors must be in possession of an exit/re-entry
Kyrgyz visa and a single entry Kazak visa in order to visit them as a day trip. The petroglyphs make an easy detour on the journey to Almaty.
A particular attraction is that the petroglyphs are not labelled or signposted. This leaves visitors to wander amongst rocky outcrops and hunt them out, creating an feeling of discovery and adventure. This ambience is only enhanced by Chumish's location, just on the edge of the endless Kazak steppe with the Kyrgyzsky Ala-Too mountains rising south in the distance.
A note about road conditions in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan's road network is poorly maintained, making for rather bumpier day trips than you would expect in Europe or the US. Most visitors are happy to be bounced around in the spirit of adventure, but conditions are worth bearing in mind if you have serious back problems.
Why "Bishkek"? | Getting to Bishkek and Moving On | Bishkek's
History | Pictures of Bishkek | 
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