Issyk Kul salt lake. Disputes around Issyk-Kul, salt or fresh lake? Reasons to visit Issyk-Kul
One of the symbols of Kyrgyzstan is the legendary Lake Issyk-Kul. This huge lake, located high in the mountains, has crystal clear water. Its transparent blue surface stretches for many kilometers. Issyk-Kul replaces the sea for all residents of Central Asia. Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks come here.
General information about Lake Issyk-Kul
To find out where Lake Issyk-Kul is located, you can use the Google map, which can even determine the coordinates of the reservoir. They are 42.26.00 s. w. 77. 11. 00 century. d. The length of Lake Issyk-Kul is 182 km, and its width reaches 58–60 km, its area is 6330 sq. km. The maximum depth of the reservoir reaches 702 meters, its height above sea level is 1608 meters. 
Due to the fact that more than 50 rivers flow into the lake, and not a single one leaves it, many minerals are concentrated in it and the water here is as salty as the sea. Salinity in ppm reaches almost 6. In winter, the lake does not freeze due to its great depth and high concentration of mineral salts; the water temperature during this period does not drop below 2-3 degrees Celsius. Only in some places of the bays in especially cold winters can the water become covered with a crust of ice. 
The reservoir contains a wide variety of fish. In Soviet times, several fish hatcheries operated here, which supported the population of rare and expensive varieties of fish: trout, pike perch, bream and many others. But even now fishing attracts numerous tourists to these areas.
Recreation and attractions
The reservoir has a unique pristine nature. On its shores there are alternating settlements and cities built in ancient times, with a rich history and culture, and also replete with unusual attractions. There are sanatoriums, children's camps, tourist centers and various complexes designed for relaxation and restoration of health. 
North Shore
Lake Issyk-Kul is famous for its beauty, but there is much more interesting in its surroundings. For example, on the northern side there is an unusual Rukh-Ordo complex (spiritual center), the main goal of which is to prove that God is one. Upon entering, you immediately notice 5 almost identical white chapels, museum exhibits symbolizing the main world religions:
- Islam;
- Orthodoxy;
- Buddhism;
- Catholicism;
- Judaism.
In the cities known as popular resorts, Cholpon-Ata and Bosteri, located five kilometers from each other, vacationers are provided with all the conditions necessary for complete relaxation and entertainment. For example, in the city of Boster there is a huge Ferris wheel, which allows you to easily see the entire coast of Issyk-Kul. There is also a water park and many different attractions. Cholpon-Ata is famous for its unique museums, numerous restaurants and cafes. 
Not far from these cities there are mineral springs equipped with comfortable outdoor swimming pools. There are also beautiful unique gorges, where tourists go in droves every summer, where they take interesting photos, admire the surrounding landscapes and forever take with them their love for the Issyk-Kul region. 
On the northern shore of the lake, the climate for recreation is more favorable, and the swimming season lasts longer than on the opposite southern coast. There are a lot of sanatoriums, as well as private boarding houses and small hotels. The beaches are sandy, sometimes with pebbles, or completely covered with clean, fine sand, so relaxing and swimming in the lake here is more convenient.
In the coming season of 2017, Lake Issyk-Kul is waiting for its admirers for a summer holiday. There is no sweltering heat here, like on the Black Sea, but the lake warms up quite well - up to 24 degrees. The water is second only to Baikal in its unique composition, purity and transparency. It’s not for nothing that these regions are called the second Switzerland. 
South coast
On the southern side, the natural landscape is richer and amazes with diversity, the shores are rocky and inconvenient for swimming, but the water is much cleaner and more transparent. There are fewer vacationers, mini-hotels and boarding houses. The most visited places are Tamga and Kadzhi-Sai. There is a military sanatorium in the village of Tamga. 
Few travelers know that on the southern side of the lake there is the Kyrgyz Dead Sea - Salt Lake. It is called so because of the mineral composition of the water. The lake measures about three hundred meters wide and five hundred meters long. The bottom is on average 2-3 meters deep. The water is saturated with microelements.
When plunging into the lake, vacationers experience a feeling of weightlessness, like in the Dead Sea. It is impossible to drown in such water; it literally pushes you to the surface. The properties of Salt Lake water are in no way inferior to the healing water of the Dead Sea in Israel. You can improve your health here in just a few days. 
The southern side of the lake is famous for its beautiful scenery. Here is the most beautiful gorge not only on the Issyk-Kul coast, but throughout Central Asia. It is called Fairytale Valley. Wind and water have created truly amazing and unusual landscapes here, the description of which is impossible in simple human words. These are some of the most ancient mountains in Kyrgyzstan, which took thousands of years to form. The mountain folds look like pictures depicting quaint castles built of white clay. The shells found remind us that there was once an ancient sea here. 
The southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul is more suitable for those who know how to appreciate the beauty of pristine nature. There are almost no sandy beaches here, in most cases they are small pebbles turning into large boulders. But the southern coast is very picturesque; the nature of Issyk-Kul itself has become its main attraction. Here you can take wonderful photos that will keep the memory of this amazing adventure for a long time. 
Secrets and history of Lake Issyk-Kul
The waters of Issyk-Kul are fraught with many unsolved secrets. Over many centuries and millennia, the surface of the lake sank and rose again more than once. When Lake Issyk-Kul once again overflowed its boundaries, its waters absorbed on its way all the cities and settlements that were located in its vicinity. So many villages of ancient people found themselves at the bottom. And in them, researchers discover household items that belong not only to different time periods, but also to different cultures. 
Historians explain this by the fact that trade caravans passed through this place in ancient times and the Middle Ages. Due to the fact that the Silk Road ran there, signs of almost all of humanity are found at the bottom of the lake and in its surroundings during archaeological research. In total, at the bottom of Issyk-Kul there are up to hundreds of local objects, large and small, that can be identified as a settlement. 
Legend of the lake
Kyrgyzstan keeps many legends about the amazing and wonderful Lake Issyk-Kul. Here is one of them, which explains the origin of the reservoir. A long time ago, in the very place where the waves of Lake Issyk-Kul splash, there stood a huge beautiful city with magnificent palaces and numerous streets and houses where ordinary people lived. But suddenly the earth began to emit tremors, and an earthquake of unprecedented strength began, which spared neither people nor buildings. Everything was destroyed, and the earth itself sank, and a depression formed in this place, which filled with water. So a deep lake appeared on the site of the city. 
Several girls from this city early in the morning, shortly before the earthquake, went high into the mountains for brushwood, and that was the only reason they remained alive. They began to mourn their dead relatives and friends who were buried at the bottom of the lake. Every day they came to the shore and shed hot tears there, which flowed in streams into Lake Issyk-Kul. There were so many of them that the water in it became as bitter and salty as the tears of the girls.
The most beautiful and largest lake in Kyrgyzstan - Lake Issyk-Kul. It is located in the northeastern part of the republic between the ridges of the Northern Tien Shan: Kungey Ala-Too (facing the sun) and Terskey Ala-Too (facing away from the sun) at an altitude of 1609 m above sea level. Lake Issyk-Kul one of the largest mountain lakes in the world.
The lake basin, surrounded on all sides by powerful mountain ranges, remained a remote area of Kyrgyzstan for a long time. Now you can get here along the road passing through the famous Boom Gorge; there are also 2 airports on the territory of the basin: Cholpon-Ata, located near the resort town, and Tamchi International Airport, which was built and opened in the summer of 2003 on the basis of a military airport.
Here are some figures about this unique place, which is attracting an increasing number of tourists: the volume of all water is 1738 km², the area of the water surface is 6236 km², the length of the coastline is 688 km, the average depth is 278 m, the greatest depth is almost 2.5 times greater and equal to 668 m, length Issyk-Kul from West to East is 182 km, and from South to North - 58 km. Over the past two centuries, the level of Lake Issyk-Kulpon has been decreasing and, as a result, both the depth and length of the coastline have been reduced. According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, since 1886 it has fallen by 4 m, according to other sources, by 9 m.
Due to the great depth of the lake, the water does not have time to cool completely - the lake never freezes, except near some shores. Issyk-Kul translated from Kyrgyz means “Hot Lake”. The ancient Kyrgyz called this pearl of the country “Tuz-Kul” - “Salt Lake” for the brackish taste of the water, which was not suitable for drinking either for people or animals.
Climate of Lake Issyk-Kul
Lake Issyk-Kul refers to those formed by tectonic means and due to the orographic isolation of the basin - the climate here is peculiar, almost marine. It is softer, warmer and wetter than in other depressions of the Tien Shan, located at the same altitude. According to the thermal regime, Issyk-Kul is a subtropical lake. Here, on the shore of the lake, it is moderately warm in summer, and not cold in winter. The average air temperature in January is minus 2 - minus 10 degrees, in July - plus 17 - plus 18. The average water temperature in summer is plus 21 - plus 23, in winter - minus 3 - minus 4. The western part of the basin is arid, rain is rare, snow almost never falls out. In the western mountains bordering the lake, only 115 mm of precipitation falls, while on the eastern shore - about 600 mm. However, in recent years the amount of precipitation has increased - the impact of Global Warming is also noticeable in Kyrgyzstan.
To Lake Issyk-Kul More than 80 rivers and tributaries flow in, but not a single river carries its waters away from this azure lake, which causes the accumulation of salts (water mineralization - 5.90%). The largest rivers flowing into the lake are Tyup (103 km) and Dzhergalan (81 km), the length of the rest does not exceed 50 km. Once upon a time, the Chu River, flowing along the western edge of the basin, carried its waters into the lake.
The contrast of natural zones is varied: in the east there are steppes on dark chestnut soils, on the slopes of the mountains in the west there is a semi-desert, but in the east, at the same altitudes, especially along the Terskey Ala-Too gorges, there are dense spruce forests. The organic world of the lake is also diverse - about 20 species of fish live here, 10 of which are acclimatized. Issyk-Kul is inhabited by: chebak, carp, marinka, osman, pike perch, bream, mirror carp, grass carp, Amur Darya and Sivan trout, whitefish and other fish.
Nature of Lake Issyk-Kul
Large vertical extent Lake Issyk-Kul, the complexity of the relief, significant fluctuations in hydrothermal parameters and other environmental factors have led to a wide variety of flora and fauna in the Issyk-Kul basin. At relatively close distances from each other there are various types of vegetation - wormwood and solanchak deserts, turf-like steppes, tall grass and alpine meadows, coniferous and deciduous forests and shrubs. The most notable representatives of shrubs on the shore of the lake are thickets of sea buckthorn, and in the alpine meadows there is yellow edelweiss, listed in the Red Book.
Woody vegetation is represented mainly by forests of Schrenk spruce. Spruce forests are distributed mainly on the northern slopes of the mountains bordering Lake Issyk-Kul. Spruce grows in separate tracts, islands, interspersed with glades, scree and rock outcrops, alternating with meadows. The mountain slopes are rich in thickets of rosehip, barberry, currant, rowan, and juniper. In the lower reaches along the banks of rivers, in places with more moisture, willows are abundant. In the east of the valley they form deciduous forests.
The fauna of the Issyk-Kul region includes 50 species of mammals, 285 birds, 11 reptiles, 31 fish, 4 amphibians. The black-throated loon, bittern, black stork, mallard, gray duck, demoiselle crane, common gull, and blue kingfisher nest near the coastal waters of the lake and the inflowing rivers. A large number of bird species spend the winter and migrate. Typical of these are: gray heron, swans, gray goose. In the 40s, over 100 thousand waterfowl wintered here. By the end of the 60s, their number was reduced by half. Thanks to the introduction of a 2-km protective zone and a ban on gun hunting on the coast, the number of wintering birds has increased and now amounts to 70-80 thousand individuals.
The lake is home to 11 native and more than 10 acclimatized fish: osman, marinka, chebak and chebak, carp, trout, tench, bream, etc. Osman, bream, marinka, carp, carp, trout, pike perch, chebak and chebak are of commercial importance. The latter are also objects of traditional recreational fishing.
Additional information about the lake Issyk-Kul- Guides:
Answer from Danila Serbenyuk[guru]
not salty!)) Baikal is also a lake, and more!!!
Answer from Victoria Kormilina (Kostenko)[newbie]
But still many seas are larger
Answer from User deleted[guru]
Everything that does not have access to the World Ocean is called lakes, and it is salty because there are salt marshes there.
Answer from User deleted[guru]
not fair! agree with you! incredible beauty!
Answer from Rus[guru]
By definition, a sea is a part of the world's oceans. Anything that is not connected to the ocean by at least a strait is not a sea. By the way, the Caspian is a lake called the “Caspian Sea”. And the Aral, until it dried up, although it was called a sea, was a lake. And please note: based on the definition, the sea cannot dry up; if the flow (evaporation) of water exceeds its inflow along the rivers and due to precipitation, the shortage will be compensated by the influx through the strait. Through what strait can water get into Issyk-Kul?
Issyk-Kul is a lake in eastern Kyrgyzstan in the northern part of the Tien Shan Mountains. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume (but not surface area) and the second largest among salt lakes after the Caspian Sea. Translated from Kyrgyz, Issyk-Kul means “warm lake”, despite the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by snowy peaks, the lake never freezes.
The lake is 182 km long and about 60 km wide. This is the second largest mountain lake in the world. It is located at an altitude of 1607 meters and reaches a depth of 668 meters. 118 rivers and streams flow into the lake, but not a single one flows out. There is a hypothesis that the waters of the lake have an underground outlet into the Chu River.
The salinity of the water in the lake is low - only 0.6% (for comparison, ordinary sea water has 3.5% salt). The water level decreases by 5 centimeters annually. The climate in the lake area is mild, not as hot as in other regions of Kyrgyzstan.
The best period for a beach holiday is July and August, the air temperature at this time is about 25 degrees, the water temperature is 22-23 degrees.
How to get there
The shortest way to Issyk-Kul is a flight to Bishkek airport. Minibus taxis depart from the Eastern Station and the journey takes about 4 hours. A taxi will cost about 60 dollars.
Calendar of low prices for flights to Bishkek:
Order a private transfer from the airport HERE
A longer option is a flight to Almaty (Kazakhstan). At one time I used exactly this path, because... I also wanted to visit Medeo. In addition, the flight to Almaty was cheaper. Buses from Almaty to Issyk-Kul depart late in the evening, the journey takes about 8-9 hours, i.e. the road lasts all night. It should be taken into account that a holiday in Issyk-Kul for residents of Kazakhstan is an economy class holiday, so the buses were crowded with tourists, mainly young people.
The bus was very noisy, so it was difficult to sleep. In addition, it was necessary to go out at night to cross the border.
The border is formal, a Russian passport is enough, but do not forget to take out medical insurance just in case.
Where to stay
The most populated is the northern part of the Issyk-Kul coast. The southern part, although no less picturesque, was once subject to mercury contamination and is the site of gold mining by a foreign firm. Although it is believed that the ecology of the region has already been fully restored, this part of the coast has developed more slowly, and the main tourist settlements are located on the northern part of the lake.
The main settlements are Cholpon-Ata and Bosteri, and there are also numerous villages along the lake. Another large city in Issyk-Kul is Karakol (formerly Przhevalsk), it is located on the east coast of the lake.
There is a ski resort there.
In the area of Lake Issyk-Kul there are sanatoriums and boarding houses. The most famous are sanatoriums "Blue Issyk-Kul", "Cholpon-Ata" and "Kyrgyz seaside" in Bosteri.
They have a developed infrastructure and offer a wide range of services, located right on the lake. It is recommended to buy vouchers in advance.
You can book your accommodation in Issyk-Kul HERE.
While still on the bus, at the entrance to Issyk-Kul, real estate rental agents began to sit down with us and offer various accommodation options. We agreed with one of the agents that he would show us several options in Bosteri. We transferred to a passenger car and soon chose a nice room in a private mini-hotel a 5-minute walk from the lake. Accommodation prices are cheaper than in similar private hotels on the Black Sea coast.
You can rent a room in the private sector even cheaper. As a rule, the private sector is located further from the coast, but its advantage is home-cooked food from the owners and the opportunity to use the kitchen.
Search hotels in Cholpon-Ata:
Excursions around Issyk-Kul
The main reason why you should make such a long journey to Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan is, of course, excursions. There's a lot to see here.
Excursions can be purchased at boarding houses in localities.
We took excursions to Karakol, a two-day tour around Issyk-Kul in an SUV with an overnight stay in yurts, and a trip to the famous Bishkek Dordoi market.
Karakol (formerly Przhevalsk)
Karakol is the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan. It contains attractions of interest to tourists:
Russian Orthodox Cathedral
The cathedral was originally built of stone in 1872, when Karakol was a garrison city on the border of the Tsarist Empire. It was destroyed in 1890 by an earthquake, and the current cathedral was built of wood on a brick foundation. Construction lasted 6 years and was completed in 1895. After the 1917 revolution, the building was used as an educational center, gym, theater, dance hall and even a coal warehouse. Then, in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Kyrgyzstan declared independent, the building was again transferred to the Orthodox diocese. 
Dungan mosque
The Issyk-Kul central mosque of the city of Karakol was built according to the design of the Beijing architect Chu Seu in the traditional Chinese style. Construction of the mosque began in 1904 and ended in 1910. The mosque was built without a single nail and is a monument of wooden architecture. In the period from 1929 to 1947, the mosque building was used as a warehouse; in 1947 it was transferred to the Muslim community. Currently the mosque is open to visitors.
Przhevalsky Museum
Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky is one of the first Russian geographers who began to study the geography, flora and fauna of the countries of Central Asia. Beginning in 1870, he organized 4 major expeditions to Mongolia, China and Tibet. He discovered and described more than 200 plant species. He also collected a gigantic zoological collection. He died in 1988 from typhus and was buried on the shores of Issyk-Kul near the city of Karakol. The Przhevalsky Museum opened in 1957 not far from the scientist’s grave.
Salt lake Issyk-Kul/
Salt Lake is located at the southern tip of Issyk-Kul. It has a unique microclimate. Presumably, it was previously part of Issyk-Kul, but then separated from the main lake, and the concentration of salts increased due to evaporation.
The chemical composition of the lake is close to the composition of water in the Dead Sea.
The lake is small in size, but it is difficult to swim across it, because... Due to the high salinity, it is impossible to swim there. Here, like in the Dead Sea, you can read a newspaper while lying on the water. The shores are covered with dark mud, considered medicinal. Around the lake there are picturesque canyons where you can take pictures.
Gorge of the Seven Bulls (Dzhety-Oguz)/
Picturesque red rocks on the eastern coast of Issyk-Kul. If you go further, you can see the beautiful Maiden's Tears waterfall. In the gorge they offer horse riding, tea drinking in a yurt, and kumiss.
Here you can buy delicious mountain honey inexpensively.
It is impossible to talk about all the sights of Issyk-Kul in one article. Follow the updates on the website. And if you are planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan, write questions in the comments, I will try to answer them.
Issyk-Kul is a legendary lake, impressive, naturally salty, never freezing, shrouded in legends and the love of everyone who has ever visited its shores.
The lake is truly incredible in size: its length is more than 180 km, and its width is about 60 km. These are impressive sizes not only for Kyrgyzstan, but also for the planet as a whole. There are not many lakes comparable to Issyk-Kul - it has an honorable place in the list of the largest lakes in the world.
There are several versions of the name of the lake. One of the most popular versions refers us to the Turkic roots of the word “Issik-Kul” (“hot lake”). The lake, by the way, is really “hot”: due to its properties, it does not freeze even in winter. This is due to the salinity of the water, large reserves of heat retained by the water column and relatively cold local winters. The second of the common versions of the origin of the name belongs to Eduard Murzaev, a famous Soviet scientist, professor, doctor of geographical sciences. He believed that Issyk-Kul means “sacred lake.” Perhaps this is true - the local population treats their lake as the most precious thing they have.
Lake Issyk-Kul is located in the northeastern region of Kyrgyzstan between the Tien Shan ranges. The height above sea level is about 1.5 kilometers. Depending on the amount of rain and a certain natural cyclicity, the water level in the lake changes over the years.
The expanses of the lake are home to at least 20 species of fish, most of which are characteristic of these places historically, and some were introduced separately from other regions. The most popular fish here is the Issyk-Kul chebak, a subspecies of roach.
During the periods of autumn and spring bird migration, the lake is a life-saving respite and resting place for many birds. Up to 50,000 birds remain on the lake for the winter.
Rest on Lake Issyk-Kul
Issyk-Kul is rich in both well-equipped beach areas and secluded wild places on the shore. The beach line of the lake is more than 600 kilometers. There are sand and pebble surfaces here, and in some places the shore is covered with boulders.
Among the most visited and developed places are Cholpon-Ata, Bosteri, Sary-Oy, Chon-Sary-Oy, Tamchi, located on the northern shore of the lake, Kadzhi-Sai, Tamga - located on the southern coast.
The best beach in Issyk-Kul is called the private beach in Cholpon-Ata, which belongs to the Blue Issyk-Kul sanatorium. People come here to relax with children. In Bosteri, the Golden Sands beach is especially popular - those who seek active recreation and entertainment like to come here.
In general, the shores of Issyk-Kul offer a lot of interesting pastimes: a water park, catamarans, scooters, boat trips, hang gliding, parachute jumping, surfing and even diving (for example, to see with your own eyes the ancient ruins of settlements under water).
Beach in Botesri on Lake Issyk-Kul - Google Maps panorama
Weather
The unique climatic zone that arose in Issyk-Kul due to the virtually maritime climate and the proximity of the mountains, the stunning beauty around, the incredible coniferous air of mountain forests, the mildness of the climate (there is no need for acclimatization here, which is inevitable when you go, for example, to the sea), has long been and firmly made this region a favorite vacation spot both for the Kyrgyz themselves and for a huge number of tourists.
The beach season on the lake is relatively short (from mid-June to early September); it is during this period that there is the largest “influx” of vacationers. However, the climate is very mild and allows you to have a wonderful holiday in these parts at any time of the year. The local climate is considered temperate maritime, with mild winters and fairly cool summers. The average temperature in January is around zero (−2°С…−6°С). The usual daytime temperature in the summer months is around +20°С…+23°С, with a light breeze, and in July often thunderstorms. There is never sweltering heat here, although the number of sunny days a year is quite sufficient to get the required share of solar “vitamins”.
Water temperature in Issyk-Kul
The warmest water is in July-August - the lake heats up to +18°C...+23°C. In winter, the lake maintains a stable temperature of +4°C. In general, the swimming season here lasts up to six months, and excellent recreation is possible all year round.
The mountain rivers that fill the lake constantly keep the water in Issyk-Kul clean.
The salinity of the lake (ranging from 5.8 ppm at the surface to 18 ppm in deep water) is a result of the composition of the river water entering the lake. The unique composition of mountain springs is essentially a special mineral water that fills the lake.
They are “responsible” for the color of the water in Issyk-Kul - all shades of blue (from soft blue to rich blue, almost black).
For comparison, the water in the lake is much less salty than in our usual resorts. For example, when going on vacation to Crimea or Sochi, you will get water on average 3 times more salty than in Issyk-Kul (17 ppm), and on the Turkish Mediterranean coast water is at least 6 times more salty (from 36 to 39 ppm ). There is no need to shower after swimming in the lake. Moreover, after a few days of relaxation on the lake, you will definitely notice the beneficial effects of water on your skin. In addition, there are no jellyfish or large fish, which are often characteristic of sea water.
Wild beaches on Lake Issyk-Kul
Sanatoriums and boarding houses
Holidays on the shores of Issyk-Kul are chosen not only by connoisseurs of a good holiday, but also by those who care about their health. Here, problems with the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal tract, diseases associated with breathing, heart and blood vessels, endocrine disruptions, skin diseases and much more are cured. This is facilitated by the use of therapeutic mud (hydrogen sulfide and silt mud), healing colored clay, a special composition of air, as well as radon therapy (hot springs enriched with radon). The local mineral water is similar in composition to such famous waters as Narzan, Borjomi or Essentuki. It is used in the form of hot baths, massage showers, and special irrigations.
The most popular sanatoriums in the region offering therapeutic programs are: “Cholpon-Ata”, “Aurora”, “Kyrgyz Seaside”, “Blue Issyk-Kul”. Often, tourists who come here for rest and recovery choose to stay in one of the private boarding houses or small hotels surrounding the sanatoriums - this makes it possible to choose the type of vacation based on the comfort and accessibility that you want for yourself, and combine it with procedures on the territory of the sanatorium.
How to get to Lake Issyk-Kul
The lake is located 240 km from the capital of Kyrgyzstan Bishkek and 135 km from the regional center Karakol.
The local small airport closest to the lake is “Issyk-Kul”, located 35 km from the lake. From June to September it receives flights from Osh, Almaty, Tashkent, and Novosibirsk.
You can also get to the lake by train only in summer. A train has been launched from Bishkek to the western coast of the lake (Balykchi station). It departs from the capital of Kyrgyzstan at 6.25. and after 5 hours brings you to Issyk-Kul.
During other periods of the year, regular buses and minibuses are available.
Bishkek-Cholpon-Ata buses run between these cities all year round. Most often they depart in the evening (after 21:00). Travel time is about 5 hours.
The Bishkek-Issyk-Kul route goes to the lake several times a day. Travel time is also about 5 hours.
Aerial photography of Lake Issyk-Kul (video)
