Rest on Issyk-Kul lake how to get there. Cheap flights to Issyk-Kul. How to get from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul

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Special offers on flights to Issyk-Kul

How to get to Issyk-Kul?

To get to Issyk-Kul, you must first purchase an air ticket to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, from where it is very close to your final destination.

AirFrance, Aitalia, Aeroflot airlines offer air tickets to Issyk-Kul on flights AF 4974 \ AZ 3036 \ SU 1880, respectively, on the Moscow-Issyk-Kul route. The duration of the flight is three hours and fifty five minutes. The flight is carried out on the Airbus A319 liner, a French-made aircraft with a total capacity of up to one hundred and thirty people and an arrangement of passenger seats six in a row. Departure at 09:5 from Sheremetyevo, arrival at 15:00 local time.

AirFrance, Aitalia, Aeroflot and Chezh Airlines offer air tickets to Issyk-Kul on flights AF 4976 \ AZ 3038 \ SU 1882, respectively, on the Moscow-Issyk-Kul route. The duration of the flight is four hours and fifteen minutes. The flight is carried out on the Airbus A319 liner, a French-made aircraft with a total capacity of up to one hundred and thirty people and an arrangement of passenger seats six in a row. Departure at 22:55 from Sheremetyevo, arrival at 05:10 local time.

How to buy cheap flights to Issyk-Kul?

The airline Kyrgyzstan offers cheap flights to Issyk-Kul on flight QH 404 route Moscow - Issyk-Kul. The flight duration is four hours and ten minutes. The flight is carried out on a Boeing 737 liner - an aircraft manufactured by the United States of America with a total capacity of up to one hundred and thirty people and an arrangement of passenger seats six in a row. Departure at 13:20 from Domodedovo, arrival in Issyk-Kul at 19:15 local time.

Air Bishkek airline offers flight KR 716 low-cost ticket to Issyk-Kul by route Moscow – Issyk-Kul. The duration of the flight is four hours five minutes. The flight is carried out on an Airbus A320 liner, a French-made aircraft with a total capacity of up to one hundred and thirty people and an arrangement of passenger seats six in a row. Departure at 12:00 from Domodedovo, arrival in Issyk-Kul at 18:05 local time.

Do I need a visa for Kyrgyzstan?

If you purchased an air ticket to Kyrgyzstan, you need to take care of obtaining permission to enter the territory of the state.

When entering the territory of Kyrgyzstan for tourist purposes for no more than ninety days, citizens of the Russian Federation do not need a visa. To cross the border of Kyrgyzstan, you must present a general passport or a foreign passport. If you present a general passport, you need to fill out a migration card. If children under the age of fourteen cross the border with you, you must present the original birth certificate, and the child must also be entered in the passport of one of the parents.

How to get from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul?

Issyk-Kul is a big resort. Many buses depart from Bishkek Airport to Issyk-Kul. It is important to pay attention to the fact that the bus goes exactly to the CITY of Issyk-Kul (or as it is still called Rybalskoe) and not to the lake itself, as some routes go to the southern coast of the lake, often to save time bypassing the city.

Where to go in Issyk-Kul?

To the west of Karakol, twenty-eight kilometers away, is the Jety-Oguz gorge. At an altitude of two thousand three hundred meters is the Jety-Oguz resort. Long-term weathering of the rock led to the appearance of red rocks of a bizarre shape, the Jety-Oguz gorge is one of the most beautiful places in Kyrgyzstan. These mountains got their name because they look like bulls. Dzhety-Oguz is translated as "seven bulls". The red rocks are so unique and beautiful that in 1968 they were depicted on Soviet postage stamps dedicated to Kyrgyzstan

Lake Issyk-Kul is called the Kyrgyz Baikal, and this is the second most popular lake where tourists like to relax. Residents of Russia do not need a visa to travel to Kyrgyzstan, so for a holiday in Issyk-Kul you will not need to issue extra documents.

Fly to Issyk-Kul you can through the 3 nearest airports: Issyk-Kul, Manas and Almaty.

Issyk-Kul International Airport receives in the summer (from June to September) international regular flights from the cities of Novosibirsk, Alma-Ata and Tashkent. Therefore, you can fly to Issyk-Kul from Novosibirsk by direct flight (travel time: 2 hours 45 minutes). From other cities, you will have to get to this airport with a transfer in the same Novosibirsk.

From Issyk-Kul Airport it is convenient to travel to the following resorts

• In the village Tamchi, located 5 km from the airport (the main attraction is the petroglyphs, which date back to 1 thousand BC, as well as a large number of mineral springs with warm water, sanatoriums and clinics).
• In Cholpon-Ata, located 35 km (famous for its healing mountain air, diving, trekking, clean beaches and mineral springs).

Manas International Airport is located in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. It is separated from Lake Issyk-Kul by about 240 km. It serves regular flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Kazan, Belgorod, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don, Chelyabinsk, Surgut, Grozny ... It is most convenient to fly to Issyk-Kul from these cities through the airport in Bishkek.

From Bishkek to Issyk-Kul can be reached

• by bus or minibus. They leave from the Western Bus Station, which is located on Zhibek Zholy Street. Many different flights depart from here both to the northern (for example, to Karakol, Cholpon-Ata, Balykchy) and to the southern, wilder coast of the lake. Travel time is 4-5 hours.
• by train. This option of getting to Issyk-Kul is possible only in summer. Unfortunately, the train schedule is changeable and it does not run every day. Travel time from Bishkek to Balykchy is about 5 hours.

Almaty International Airport, located in Kazakhstan, is located about 100 km from the lake in a straight line. Russians do not need a visa to travel around Kazakhstan, so there will be no additional difficulties. Almaty airport serves regular flights from different cities of Russia. Through this airport, you can fly to Issyk-Kul from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Perm, Krasnoyarsk and other cities. Travel time will depend on the number of transfers and their duration.

From Alma-Ata to Issyk-Kul The easiest way to get there is by bus or minibus. They depart from the Sairan bus station and go to the city of Cholpon-Ata. Travel time is about 10 hours, taking into account the border crossing (this is due to the fact that only serious off-road vehicles can drive along a straight road to the lake, while buses go around the mountains and overcome almost 500 km in one direction). Buses depart from the bus station in the evening so that travelers can be on the lake in the early morning.

Lake Issyk-Kul is called the pearl of Kyrgyzstan. It is one of the thirty largest and seven deepest lakes in the world. In terms of purity and transparency of water, it is second only to Lake Baikal. Why Russians should visit here at least once in their lives, how to save money on the road and how much it costs to stay in a Kyrgyz resort in the material of the U24 correspondent.

To the lake - across two borders

Our family first visited Issyk-Kul in 2016. You can get to the lake only with transfers. The road is not easy, but it's worth it. Therefore, in July 2018, we again spent a vacation in sunny Kyrgyzstan.

In the morning we started from Chelyabinsk by train to Troitsk. From here, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 13.32, only a couple of Kazakh second-class carriages leave for Kostanay. It's no surprise that people are stuffed into them - like herring in a barrel. It was stuffy. They quietly envied the lucky ones who managed to take places in compartments with opening windows.

To cross the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russians need a regular passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. If you are traveling with children, take a birth certificate. Don't forget to grab a pen. Since you will be given a migration card, in which we write passport data, the purpose of the visit (guest) and other information.

Tickets are sold on the train. The fare is no more than 200 rubles. Four hours on the road and here we are in Kostanay. An hour after arrival, we transfer to the Kostanay-Alma-Ata train and go to the Chu (Shu) station. We spend a day on the way, arriving at 3.26 am. It is from here that the fastest way to get to Issyk-Kul.

In Cholpon-Ata and Bosteri, there are hundreds of guest houses, boarding houses, sanatoriums that have been preserved since Soviet times for every taste and budget. One of them was our choice. For a double room with new furniture and a sink in a sanatorium, but with a shower and toilet on the floor, we gave 800 rubles. per day.

Earlier in 2016, they lived in a cottage for 1000 rubles. with all the amenities in the room, but the beach was a 10 minute walk. They seem like an eternity when you come back from the lake in 30-degree heat. This year we decided to save on some comfort in exchange for an excellent beach 50 meters from the building and a huge territory of pines and firs.

You will not find such a park in ordinary guest houses. In the evenings or in the heat of the day, one could sit on the benches in the shade, take a walk, inhaling the pure mountain air with the scent of pine needles. And a little more about prices. On every second fence and pole there are advertisements for renting housing - from cheap little rooms to elite cottages.

I note that the service in some boarding houses in the Kyrgyz resort is lame. For those who want to feel the echoes of the Soviet past, go there. Although tourists who want to relax cheaply and cheerfully can get quite tolerable conditions.

Locals also raise prices on weekends when residents of Bishkek and Alma-Ata go to the lake. But you can bargain, as the choice here is really great, and hence the competition. Therefore, experienced travelers are advised to look for shelter on the spot and better on their own. Save well if you plan a trip not at the height of the season, but at the beginning or end (before June 15 and after August 25).

About food and more

The guest houses offer three meals a day for 500-700 rubles. Portions are big, by the way. You can save money if you cook on your own. Food prices in the Issyk-Kul area are comparable to Russian ones, somewhere more expensive, somewhere cheaper.

Moreover, the cost of the same product in neighboring stores may be different. For example, locally produced kefir costs from 40 to 50 rubles, delicious 100 gr. a glass of ice cream - from 12 to 20 rubles, grilled chicken from 290 to 350 rubles. Seasonal vegetables and fruits are tasty and inexpensive. You can eat in cafes, which are here at every step. Try ashlyan-fu, lagman, beshbarmak, mampar, hot tandoor flatbreads.

I note that even the most seedy eatery will charge you 10-15% of the amount in the check for service, plus for the performance of the artist, if any. Numerous outlets in Cholpon-Ata sell interesting souvenirs. Here you can easily withdraw money from a Russian bank card, exchange currency.

How and where to relax, what to see?

1. Beach holidays and swimming in the springs

Actually, this is what people go to the Kyrgyz seaside for. Issyk-Kul, although translated as "hot lake", is not such. Rivers flow into it from the Tien Shan glaciers. Therefore, the water in it is cool, invigorating. Although in the process of swimming you get used to it. Most of the coast is strewn with sand, stones are rare.

The photo shows the opposite side. It may seem that there are only snow-white clouds in the distance, but if you look closely, you can see the Tien Shan ranges.

Beaches are both free and paid for 20 rubles. with benches and shelter from the sun. Rent sunbeds from 100 rubles. and umbrellas from 50 rubles. in an hour. Tourists are offered a lot of fun activities. Ride 10-15 min. on a jet ski and "banana" - 500 rubles, on a catamaran - 400 rubles. per hour, on an inflatable sofa 250 rubles, a boat ride 400 rubles.

The most expensive pleasure - a parachute flight over the water surface costs 1.5 thousand rubles. for one person and 2.5 thousand if you fly in pairs. In the northern part of Issyk-Kul, in the village of Bosteri, the popular Golden Sands beach stretches for a kilometer. There is also a boarding house of the same name with a large park area.

In addition to all the entertainment listed here, there is a water park, you can tickle your nerves on the only rollercoaster on the entire coast.

Also take a ride on the Ferris wheel. Its height - 76 meters, is considered the largest in Kyrgyzstan. The wheel offers wonderful views of the lake, the village and the mountains. The cost of one circle (20 minutes) - 200 rubles. for an adult, 100 rubles. for children under 10 years old, children under four years old are admitted free of charge. This is what Issyk-Kul looks like from above.

Sellers of hot corn (50 rubles a piece), manti (150 rubles five pieces), popcorn, fish, pies will not let you get hungry on the beach. Interestingly, children are often found among the merchants. They offer to take a picture for 100 rubles. on a "reflex camera", rent umbrellas, work as waiters in canteens and cafes, "cashiers" of paid public toilets.

The fact is that there is not a single large enterprise in the resort area and the locals live off agriculture and tourism. In order to live comfortably during the off-season months, adults grab any work and children help them.

For example, this 14-year-old teenager earns 30-35 thousand rubles over the summer. He offers to take a picture for 100-150 rubles. with a bird. He says that he spends money on school supplies and clothes, and gives part to his parents.

In rainy weather and not only tourists go to the healing hot springs. The lake is surrounded by them on all sides. You can swim in the pools with thermal water at boarding houses. Entrance 250 rubles, for children 100 rubles, up to three years - free of charge.

Anyone who wants to be alone with nature goes to the mountains to open baths. For example, the hot springs of the Altyn-Arashan gorge or the "Golden Spring" are located at an altitude of almost three thousand meters. Taking procedures, here you can admire the Alpine valley. In addition to paid pools, there are free hot tubs.

2. Trip to the mountains

Tourist guides advise you to definitely visit the picturesque Semenovskoye and Grigoryevskoye gorges with majestic Tien Shan firs on the slopes.

Brezhnev's famous dacha is located in Grigorievsky.

Tour operators are actively promoting the story that Leonid Ilyich once rested here. But there is no official confirmation of this and the local old man whispered that this was invented to attract tourists. In summer, in the gorges, you can taste national dishes in yurts set up near the river, trout caught in it, ride a horse.

This is how they catch trout.

In the Boom Gorge there is a section of red rocks, which is compared with the American "Grand Canyon". It will be interesting in the Jety-Oguz gorge or "Seven Bulls". The guides also recommend visiting the Skazka canyon with bizarre mountain shapes resembling castles and animals.

There are waterfalls in the mountains. The most famous are Barskoonsky, "Maiden's Spit". By the way, there are two monuments to Yuri Gagarin in the Barskoon gorge. One is carved right into the stone. Local residents say that the astronaut was brought here on an excursion three years before his death. Nearby there is a military sanatorium where his colleagues rested and trained.

Even in the mountains you will see many lakes. Among them, the "Holy" stands out for its beauty. The cost of excursion tours is from 1.2 thousand rubles. up to 4.5 thousand rubles

3. Salt Lake

On the southern shore of the lake is the saltiest lake in Kyrgyzstan. Local guides say that the composition of the water it is not inferior to the Israeli Dead Sea. The salt content in the water is 70%. It is impossible to drown in it. On the shore there is an accumulation of dirt useful for the skin and joints: blue, black and green. The path to the Salt Lake is not easy, there is no road as such. Therefore, a tour to it costs 1.5 thousand rubles.

4. Silent hunting, diving

There are various types of fish in Issyk-Kul. Here you can fish trout, mirror carp, bream, sloth, pike perch, carp, etc. The lucky ones can boast of such catches. In the photo 8.5 kg. rainbow trout and 15 kg. mirror carp caught on the lake by a local fisherman a few years ago.

You can buy a special tour for 1.5-1.8 thousand rubles, the price of which includes fishing and equipment rental for it. For 2 thousand rubles. tourists are also offered 40 min. diving.

5. Cultural and historical sights

These include the museum "Rukh Ordo" in Cholpon-Ata. He collected stories and legends in the form of monuments associated with the lake. Also united five religions, which are represented by chapels.

On the territory there is an art and photo gallery, a memorial complex of Chingiz Aitmatov and sculptures dedicated to the works of the Kyrgyz writer. The cultural center is named after him. The entrance ticket costs 400 rubles, children under seven years old are free.

In Cholpon-Ata there is another open-air museum - rock carvings from various eras. Thousands of boulders with petroglyphs are located on 42 hectares. You will see how ancient people hunted them, their way of life and wars, wild animals.

On the other side of the lake, in the city of Karakol, there is the Przhevalsky Museum. You can get acquainted with the culture and traditions of nomadic peoples, which include the Kyrgyz, at the World Nomad Games. They have been held on the coast of Issyk-Kul since 2014. For the third time, a unique analogue of the Olympics will be held here from 2 to 8 September 2018.

According to the organizers on the official website of the games, about two thousand athletes from 53 countries are expected to participate. They will compete in 37 sports. Among them are horse racing, national types of wrestling and martial arts, intellectual games, archery.

The program also includes a grandiose theatrical show with the participation of 1.5 thousand people, a large ethno-cultural festival. Part of the events will take place in the "Kyrchyn" gorge. Only the entrance to the opening ceremony will be paid, the cost of tickets varies from 400 to 4.9 thousand rubles. and for the closing ceremony - from 350 to 3.8 thousand rubles.

Maksat Dakeyev, tourist guide:

- It is worth coming to Issyk-Kul not only in summer. The ski season starts in November. Near the city of Karakol there is an excellent ski base at an altitude of 2.3 thousand meters above sea level. Even in Soviet times, athletes were trained there for the Olympics. They do freeride at the base, they go sleigh rides, there is an ice rink. You can also come for spa treatment. You can swim in the pools at boarding houses, in hot springs. In winter, there are fewer people here, housing is much cheaper. Even luxury rooms, which are now rented for a thousand soms, will cost 500 soms in winter. Winters are warm, the temperature drops to a maximum of -15 degrees. Mostly vacationers come from Kazakhstan and Russia. I also noticed that now there are a lot of Arabs from the UAE. They like our climate, nature. We welcome all guests. Welcome to Issyk-Kul!

5 interesting facts about Issyk-Kul lake

1. Issyk-Kul is a source of health

The water in the lake is salty and does not freeze in winter. The outlines are visible even from space - it looks like a human eye. The reservoir is also drainless, about 80 tributaries flow into it and all useful minerals and salts remain in the depths of the water area. Because the water in the lake is not only surprisingly clear, but also healthy. In Soviet times, Issyk-Kul was considered an all-Union health resort, now it is a Central Asian one.

2. Mountain and sea climates have merged here

The climate in the area of ​​the lake is temperate maritime. The weather here is always mild and stable. In winter, the average temperature ranges from -5 to +5 degrees. The summer tourist season is opened in the Issyk-Kul region in early May. Summer in Issyk-Kul is not too hot and lasts until the end of September. The heat can rise to +35 degrees, but at the same time stuffiness in these places is not felt. A light breeze drives her away.

3. The lake "hid" in the mountains

Basking on the beach of Issyk-Kul, you can enjoy the most beautiful mountain landscapes. After all, the lake is located at an altitude of 1609 m above sea level between the ridges of the Northern Tien Shan: Kyungoy-Ala-Too and Terskey Ala-Too. Due to its inaccessible location, Issyk-Kul was closed to Europeans for a long time. Traveler Pyotr Semenov Tian-Shansky and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky, who bequeathed to bury himself by the lake, compared the local beauties with the landscapes of Switzerland.

4. On Issyk-Kul you can plunge into the legends and secrets of antiquity

The Kyrgyz lake is just a storehouse of legends. One of the old legends says that its waters are the tears of a girl who shed them because of the enmity of two young people in love with her. There is also a legend about an ancient Armenian monastery with the relics of the Apostle Matthew buried under water. Someone may remember an advertisement from the 90s, in which Tamerlane ordered his soldiers to lay down a mountain of stones before the next campaign. According to legend, this happened on the shore of Issyk-Kul.

Locals talk about numerous treasures at the bottom of the lake. It is interesting that one of the sections of the Great Silk Road passed in these parts, and there were trading settlements and fortifications on the banks of the reservoir. International expeditions annually go to Issyk-Kul in search of traces of ancient civilizations.

In 2017, according to Forbes magazine, recreation in Kyrgyzstan, including on the lake, became one of the most budgetary in the world. In terms of economy, it was second only to Vietnam. In total, 21 countries were included in the rating. According to the American edition, in recent years the republic has attracted more and more travelers. And all thanks to the Kyrgyz hospitality and affordable prices. Tourists from Russia, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries, Europe and China flock here every year. In 2017, 783 thousand people visited the Issyk-Kul region during the summer.

Not every tourist puts Kyrgyzstan on the list of places that must be visited in their lifetime. But Kyrgyzstan is many kilometers of high mountains, snow-capped peaks, the mystical lake Issyk-Kul and settlements, the way of life in which has not changed for many generations.

Kyrgyzstan cannot be called a country with a developed tourism industry: there are no hotels and restaurants at every step, the country does not have an official tourist site. However, this is the beauty of trips to Kyrgyzstan: Hiking on hitherto unpopular routes and the opportunity to walk along untrodden mountain paths attracts those in whom the spirit of adventurism is alive.

Tours to Kyrgyzstan with TourClub "Transition"

TourClub "Transition" invites you to see all the best that is in Kyrgyzstan - its nature.

• We organize trips to the Issyk-Kul lake, shrouded in secrets and legends. Many legends say that once there was a city in its place, and, indeed, in 2006, archaeologists discovered the remains of an ancient civilization at the bottom of the lake.
• Lake Issyk-Kul is surrounded by the Tien Shan mountains, and it is this proximity of the sea and mountain climates that attracts many travelers. Making transitions through the Tien Shan mountains, which are famous for their "Martian" landscapes, we will explore canyons, caves and grottoes, we will look for new interesting places where no tourist has ever set foot.
• In a hike with a visit to the base camp at Lenin Peak, a seven-thousander on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, participants in good physical shape are invited. This trip to little-known places far from the tourist trails has a share of extreme sports and gives travelers the opportunity to be alone with nature.

How to get to Kyrgyzstan from Moscow

The instructor meets with the group in one of the cities of Kyrgyzstan - depending on the route of the upcoming trip. Our trips start in the cities of Osh and Bishkek.

• Airplanes from Moscow regularly fly to the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the city of Bishkek. Travel time is approximately 4 hours. You can also get to Bishkek by train, which runs twice a week. In this case, you will have to spend 73 hours on the road.
• The city of Osh from Moscow can also be reached by direct flight, the duration of which is about 4 hours.

Helpful information

The national currency of Kyrgyzstan is the Kyrgyz som. You can officially pay for services and goods only in national currency, so take US dollars, euros or rubles with you to exchange them for soms. It is better to change currency in the capital, as in other cities the exchange rate is usually less favorable.
Russians do not need a foreign passport to enter the country - Kyrgyzstan can be visited with an internal Russian passport. You can stay in the country without a visa for up to 90 days.