Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
detours could take you to regional beauty
spots at Arslanbob and Lake Sary-Chelek.
South of
Kara-Balta
the road heads
straight towards the wall of the craggy
Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountain range, weaving
through a crumbling canyon towards the
3586m Tör-Ashuu Pass (toll payable). Before
the top, there's a 2.6km-long tunnel through
the mountain's upper reaches. This was the
scene of a fatal 2001 carbon-monoxide poi-
soning disaster and cyclists would do better
to flag down a truck and drive through.
Beyond the tunnel's southern end is the
gravel road to Chayek via Suusamyr and
Kyzyl-Oi - a charming rural, but little-
trafficked, back-route to Song-Köl and
Kochkor. The main Osh road continues
across the yawning
Suusamyr¨ Basin
, a
classic example of Kyrgyz herding country,
with plenty of summer roadside yurts offer-
ing fresh
kymys
.
After another 1¼ hours' very attractive
rural drive, a large red
horseback¨Manas¨
Statue
marks the side road to Taraz (Kaza-
khstan) leading over the bald, bleak Otmek
Pass (3330m) and passing through
Talas
(pop 30,000) - fabled as the legendary last
resting place of Kyrgyzstan's epic hero,
Manas.
Half an hour's drive beyond the Taraz
turning, the main Osh road climbs the long,
broad
Ala-Bel¨Pass
(3184m) then descends
into a beautiful valley that's part of the
Chy-
chkan¨State¨Zoological¨Reserve
.
Vehicles take over an hour to loop around
the vast
Toktogul¨Reservoir
, named for
well-known
akyn
(Kyrgyz bard) Toktogul
Satilganov (1884-1933), who was born near
what is now forgettable
Toktogul¨ town
(population 16,000).
Kara-Köl
(not Kara-
kol), site of the reservoir's 210m-high dam
(essentially invisible to passing traffic),
marks a significant change of landscapes
as the road navigates the gorge of the lower
Naryn River, with its sheer walls and tower-
ing pillars of red sandstone.
Scenery becomes less magical on reach-
ing the depressing urban ribbon of coal-
mining town
Tashkömür
. The only reason
to stop here is if you're gambling on catch-
ing the 1.20pm bus to Kara-Jigach for lakes
Sary-Chelek
(biosphere fee foreigner/local
500/50som)
and arguably lovelier, less tour-
isted
Kyzyl-Kul
/
Kara-Suu
(no entry fee).
Both are beautiful if you have your own
transport or plan a multi-day trek between
them - contact
Almambet
(
%
374-26 04 17,
770-15 26 35)
in Kara-Suu village for home-
stays, guides and tent-hire. However, the
awkward access logistics are disincentives
for those on public transport.
In comparison, appealing
Arslanbob
is
pretty simple to reach and very well set up
for passing visitors. The turnoff is at Sovet-
skoye (km543/121), north of Bazar-Kurgan.
The scenery from here to Osh intersperses
patchworks of sunflower and maize fields
with dry grassy hills.
Jalal-Abad
, Kyr-
gyzstan's pleasantly green, unassuming
third city isn't worth a special stop unless
you're cutting across country to Kazarman
on a rough, summer-only mountain road
towards Naryn.
An hour further, passingly interesting
Özgön
has a historic minaret and a three-in-
one 12th-century brick mausoleum complex.
Arslanbob
АРСЛАНБОБ
%
3722 / ELEV 1600M
The Babash-Ata Mountains form an impres-
sive wall of snow-sprinkled crags behind
the elevated 'oasis' of Arslanbob. Ethni-
cally Uzbek and religiously conservative, the
very large village sprawls almost invisibly
along a network of tree-shaded lanes, and
is surrounded by a vast tract of blossoming
woodland that constitutes the world's larg-
est walnut grove. According to local legend,
the grove's seed-nuts were a miraculous gift
from the Prophet Mohammad to a modest
gardener who he had charged with finding
paradise on earth.
A very well-organised branch of CBT
(p288) can help organise virtually anything
you're likely to need. Their office is 200m up-
hill from the shop-ringed main square/mini-
bus stand. When the door is locked, phone.
1
¨Sights
The real attractions around Arslanbob are
hikes, horse treks, cycle rides or ski adven-
tures in the surrounding mountains and
forests. But Arslanbob's glorious, garden-
homestays are also a great place to unwind.
Waterfalls¨
WATERFALL
If you're just here to relax, it's worth sam-
pling the village's schizophrenic atmosphere
at Arslanbob's signature waterfalls. Neither
are especially memorable per se but the
excitable local tourists buying candy-floss,
yoghurt-balls and dodgey ice creams are fun
to observe. And just walking there you'll get
a better sense of the village's layout, impres-
