Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
way historians agree that at one time Tash
Rabat (Kyrgyz for stone fortress) must have
had significant Silk Road political and trade
importance to justify the investment in the
labour required for its construction.
Its irregular shape and improbable loca-
tion have fuelled a number of local legends.
One relates how a ruling khan devised a test
for his two sons to see who was worthy of
inheriting his throne. One son, determined
to prove that he could provide for his peo-
ple, pursued the development of education,
agriculture and industry. The other son
amassed armies and built fortresses. Tash
Rabat stands as a silent reminder of a war-
mongering man who lost a khanate to his
philanthropic brother.
Though not very large and almost entirely
unadorned within, the domed building has
a pleasingly complete look to it thanks to
a (somewhat clumsy) Soviet-era restora-
tion. But what makes it especially worth
the detour from the main Torugart route is
the peaceful valley setting where the only
habitation is a series of seasonal yurt camps
(mostly for tourists) offering interesting
walking or riding options and overnight ac-
commodation.
yurts with camp beds right outside the cara-
vanserai. Good food. Omurbek offers a range
of horse treks and his daughter Elizat speaks
English.
Sabyrbek's¨Yurts¨
YURTSTAY $
(
%
077-222 1252, 077-388 9098; a.tursun23@
mail.ru; Tash Rabat Valley; B&B/dinner/banya
500/250/150som;
h
Jun-mid-Oct)
Beautifully
set in the valley junction 1.3km before the
caravanserai, Sabyrbek's yurts have sturdy
wooden-framed beds and there's a small
banya
. Family members speak good English
and some French.
8
Getting¨There¨&¨Away
There's no public transport here. A CBT
(p281) taxi (day trip or overnight return) costs
3400som including a side trip to Koshoy Korgon.
For US$100 you can continue the next day to
Torugart.
OSH&SOUTHERN
KYRGYZSTAN
In many ways, Osh and the surrounding ar-
eas of the Fergana Valley feel like a differ-
ent country from the north of Kyrgyzstan.
Hotter in terms of climate and of human
temperament, the area is the nation's bread
basket. Osh and Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan's
second- and third-biggest cities, have more
in common with the conservative, Islamic
Fergana Valley than with industrialised,
Russified Bishkek. But the people here are
unfailingly hospitable and the region has
far more of a classic Central Asian feel than
you'll find in the north.
CHATYR-KÖL ЧАТЫР-КИЛЬ
From Tash Rabat, roughly six hours on foot
or by plodding horse should get you to a
broad ridge overlooking Chatyr-Köl; if you
continue for a couple of hours you can stay
the night in a yurt at Chatyr-Köl. The yurt
owners at Tash Rabat can arrange horses
and guides. You'll need to return the same
way unless you have a border-zone permit
as these are liable to be checked at a police
post on the road route. Better still, consider
getting such a permit before heading to
the lake at all. Also remember that you are
about 3500m high here, so even a short walk
could set your head pounding.
4
¨Sleeping¨&¨Eating
There are four yurt camps in the valleys
around Tash Rabat. At the two biggest it's
usually possible to drop in without reserva-
tions and, anyway, calling is useless except
on Sundays when the owners go to At Bashy
for the market. Either can organise horse
treks to Chatyr-Köl where there are more
yurts available.
Omurbek¨Yurts¨
YURTSTAY $
(
%
077-871 3409; Tash Rabat Caravanserai; B&B/
dinner/banya 500/250/150som)
Comfortable
Bishkek to Osh
Visitors linking Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan's
second-city, Osh, must choose between a full
day's drive crossing two 3000m-plus passes,
or a 40-minute flight. Both options have
some memorable views when weather oblig-
es. Given the cut-throat competition, flying
sometimes costs little more than taking a
cramped share taxi. But the Bishkek-Osh
drive is worth considering at least in one
direction for the sequence of landscape su-
perlatives between Kara-Balta and Toktogul.
As usual, townscapes en route offer far less
appeal than the scenery, though Özgön near
Osh is worth a quick stop. Lengthy en-route
