Green Paradise

Route: Bishkek - Sary-Chelek Lake - Arslanbob Village - Jalal-Abad - Bishkek

The forests of Kyrgyzstan occupy 3.5% of the total area of the country (7041 km²), they are coniferous, hardwood, softwood, and walnut-fruit. In the west of the country, at the foot of the Tien-Shan Mountains and on the eve of the Ferghana Valley, the green Jalal-Abad Region is spread.

Already entering the region, you are greeted by a green corridor – the picturesque Chichkan gorge, bordered by the Tien-Shan mountains, rich in spruces and junipers, where you are accompanied by the Chichkan river of the same name, seething from the mountain peaks.

One of the tourist brand identities of the country is Lake Sary-Chelek. The lake of extraordinary beauty is hidden in the depths of the western Tien-Shan at an altitude of about 1900 m above sea level. Surrounded by high ridges, it has indescribable beauty, reflecting the blue sky and the green slopes of the mountains.

“And Alexander (Macedonian) accepted the fruits of green forests from the local people, as a tribute of respect and friendship, and planted them in his land”, one of the legends about the Arslanbob forest says something like this. This is the largest relict walnut forest in the world, which has arisen 50 million years. The area of Arslanbob is 700,000 hectares, and numerous trees of walnut, pistachio, almond, cherry plum, pear, and many others grow on this vast territory.