Tourism in Kyrgyzstan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The territory of Kyrgyzstan is almost entirely mountainous, making it a perfect destination for many different kinds of trekking. Kyrgyzstan’s mountains also boast many natural hot springs, and Lake Issyk-Kul, the second largest alpine lake in the world (after Lake Titicaca) offers many beautiful beaches for relaxing and swimming during the summer.
Kyrgyzstan is made up of seven different oblasts, Chui, where the capital, Bishkek, is located, Talas, Issyk-Kul, Naryn, Jalal-Abad, Osh and Batken. Culturally, Chui and Issyk-Kul are by far the most Russified areas of the country. Naryn and Talas contain the most traditionally Kyrgyz populations, while Jalal-Abad, Osh and Batken enjoy a strong Uzbek influence on both their culture and language.
The most prominent local languages are Russian and Kyrgyz, with a smattering of Kazakh spoken in the North, while in the South it is common to hear Uzbek, or Kyrgyz-Uzbek creole. Kyrgyz-Russian creole is also extremely common in the Northern provinces especially, but in the country as a whole. Most locals, if they study a foreign language, study English. A few are familiar with German or French, but a reliable English-speaker can be found in most large towns.
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[edit] Lake Issyk-Kul
Issyk-Kul means "Hot Lake" in Kyrgyz, because it does not freeze in winter, partly due to its high salinity and partly because it is fed by underground thermal springs. During the Soviet period, the Lake served as a prime retreat for high-ranking officials and their families. The shores of the Lake and the surrounding mountains are still littered with old Soviet-built "pesionats" and "sanatoriums," most of which no longer function. However, since the late nineties, there has been a boom in tourism in this region, which tourists coming from Russia to spend some time on the beach mingling with back-packers from Western Europe, America and Australia.
Cholpon-Ata, the "Father of the Morning Star," is the prime resort destination on the North Shore of the Lake. The best beaches are to be found here, and there are accommodations available ranging from basic home stays to Bed & Breakfasts, to luxury hotels. In the winter, the town is all but deserted, except for the many athletes from Ukraine and Russia who come there to train in the thin alpine air. As soon as May rolls around, the town bursts to life, with outdoor pavilions hosting beer and shashlik (Kyrgyz shish-kabobs) put up seemingly overnight.
[edit] The “Mountains of Heaven”
The Tien-Shan mountains dominate the country. The oblast borders are decided based mainly on the location of spurs of the range and mountain passes. For those interested in trekking and camping, every oblast offers different attractions and challenges. Some of the most popular locations from camping are southern Osh, the area between Naryn City and the Torugart pass, and the mountains and glaciers surrounding Karakol in Issyk-Kul. Local guides and porters can be hired from many different tour companies in Bishkek and in the oblast capitals.
Skiing is still in its infancy as a tourism industry, but there is one fairly cheap and well-equipped base about a half-hour from Bishkek. In the Karakol Valley National Park, outside Karakol, there is also a ski base with three T-bars and rental equipment available of good quality.
[edit] Cultural Attractions
Kyrgyz culture is based on nomadic traditions that harkens back to the days of the Mongol hordes. Although modern Kyrgyz people live mainly in houses or apartment buildings, in the summer time it is still possible to observe the native people living in a yurt with their herds of sheep, goats, horses, and occasionally even yaks. There are a number of yurt camps that cater to tourists in every oblast; some of the most notable (and remote) are in Tash Rabat, the "House of Stones" in Naryn oblast past Naryn City, and in Jeti-Ögüz ("Seven Bulls") Valley near the city of Karakol on Lake Issyk-Kul.
Kyrgyz women produce a variety of handicrafts created out of felt, including slippers, bags, decorative panels, traditional hats known as "Kalpaks" and colorful carpets called "shyrdaks." These carpets are made in a variety of sizes, from foot-by-foot sized to several yards in length. Shyrdaks come in a wide variety of traditional patterns; the Kyrgyz favor brightly colored ones, often combining bright red and green. More subtly-hued shyrdaks, made for foreign customers, can be found in Bishkek, often for a slightly higher price than the more "traditional" carpets. Naryn oblast is widely considered the home of the best shyrdak makers in the country; there are several cooperatives there where it is possible to commission a work specially.
[edit] Cuisine
Kyrgyzstan is home to many different nationalities and their various cuisines. In larger cities, such as Bishkek, Osh, Jalal-Abad and Karakol, you can find many options at any price range. On the road and in the villages, the cuisine tends to be standard Kyrgyz dishes, liberally flavored with oil or sheep fat, which are considered both delicious and extremely healthy by the local population.
Bread and tea ("Nan y Chai") are considered almost sacred by the native people. A good host always offers their guests bread and tea, even if the guests are only staying for a few moments. Kyrgyz bread is cooked over coals in tandoori-like ovens. It is round and relatively flat. The local people love to dip it in their homemade jams or ayran, a thick cream somewhat like cream cheese.
Shashlik is meat that has been marinated for hours then cooked on spears over smoking coals. Shashlik is made from beef, chicken, and fish, but most especially from mutton. Each shashlik usually has a fat ratio of one-to-one with meat. They are delicious when cooked fresh, but after being allowed to sit for a time (as is often the case with "Bazaar" shashlik) they can cool into greasy blobs.
Samsi are little pockets of meat and vegetables wrapped in flakey pastry, very similar to Indian samosas. They are stuffed with mutton and fat most often, but are also made with chicken, cheese, cabbage, and beef. The can be bought in most bazaars or on street corners in larger cities.
The Kyrgyz national dish is Besh Barmak, the "Five Fingers", so called because it was traditionally eaten by hand. It is essentially meat (horse, beef, or mutton) boiled in its own broth for several hours, served over homemade noodles. This dish is most often made during a feast to celebrate a birth or important birthday, or to mourn a death, either at a funeral or on an anniversary.
A version of rice pilaf called plov is prepared throughout the country, but said to be made best in the South, as it is traditionally an Uzbek dish. It is cooked over a fire in a large semi-circular pot called a kazan. Plov is made from pieces of meat (chicken, mutton or beef) cooked in hot oil, then mixed with chopped carrots and rice, as well as raisins or apricots depending on the preference of the cook.
Lagman is a dish that consists of thick homemade noodles covered in chopped peppers and other vegetables in a vinegary, spicy sauce. This is served almost everywhere in Kyrgyzstan, but is said not to be a Kyrgyz dish at all, but rather a Dungan one.
A popular Kyrgyz beverage that can only be found in the summer time is called kymyz. It is a slightly alcoholic drink made from fermented mares' milk, and can be purchased on the roadside in the mountains from May until August.
[edit] Eco-Tourism
Currently there are several efforts to promote "eco-friendly" tourism in Kyrgyzstan. Helvetas, a Swiss cultural development organization, sponsored several projects of this sort, including "Shepard's Life," and "Community Based Tourism." The many tourist companies in Kyrgyzstan understand that "eco-" anything sounds very appealing to the many backpackers that come to their country, so they tend to use it to describe their organization, even if they do nothing to promote "low-impact" or "leave no trace" camping. However, the very nature of the type of tourists that are attracted to Kyrgyzstan dictates that most of the tourist attractions offered are aimed at enjoying the beauty that the local environment has to offer.
[edit] Links
- See photos of Kyrgyzstan
- Community Based Tourism , an organization based on a Community Tourism Model
- Information from the Lonely Planet
- Information on Kyrgyzstan
- Sheep Guts Won't Kill You: A Guide to Seeing the Kyrgyzstan that Most People Don’t
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