One of the most famous local attractions of Kyrgyzstan is the Fairytale Canyons (they are also called Skazka Canyons, and this toponym is often used in this form). A visit there is included in all routes of tourist groups that appear near Lake Issyk-Kul.
It's a relatively small area among the similar canyons that surround them, but the Fairytale Canyons have one major difference: they are made of colored rocks. The drone photos above and below show what this looks like globally: as if a large bucket of bright colors of different shades were splashed into the almost monochromatic gray-brown mass of hills cut by canyons.
And these colors lay in quite clear, solid stripes: brick red, yellow, orange, gray-pink...
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Despite the fact that I called Fairytale canyons a relatively small place, there is plenty to walk around there, and I would recommend spending at least 2-3 hours there. And if you have the desire and opportunity to walk not only along the bottom of the canyons, but also to climb some of these colorful hills, then the walk can take even more time.
And of course, climb up the path to this rock formation, like a dragon's ridge, which runs almost in a continuous strip along most of the canyons. There is a great view from there, and it is quite fascinating to look at it up close.
By the way, to better understand the scale, in the upper left part of the photo you can see figures of people — and it is better to open the photo in full size to see them clear :)
In addition to the beauty of the canyons, the reason for their popularity is their easy accessibility, which is very valuable in a mountainous country like Kyrgyzstan. To get there, just take the road along the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul and, having left the highway between the villages of Kajy-Say and Tosor, go deep into the hills and canyons along a rather good dirt road for a couple of kilometers.
And here it is—- a slightly reddish area on the satellite map opens up before your eyes in shades of red, orange and yellow.
In addition to the wide panoramic views of the multi-colored hills, Fairytale canyons are also good for their fantastic figures, which time, wind and moisture have given bizarre forms. And your imagination will be happy to turn them into something recognizable! For example, here I see an oriental sage with a long beard down to his waist, half-lying on a slope.
And here is a giant with the head of an Easter Island idol, sunk waist-deep into a hill. He holds a huge snake with his powerful hand, preventing it from crawling out of the ground.
And what can you see here? It's up to you and your imagination to decide!
There are also ochre-colored with some brown striped hills and rows of huge two-tiered columns of rich brick color. And there are rare green bushes with thorns that enliven the landscape.
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There is a small, almost symbolic fee for entering the canyons. At the entrance, at the beginning of the paths through the canyons, there are often one or two souvenir sellers and, it seems, in the summer there is an opportunity to buy water there, but it is better to stock up on it yourself in advance. In the summer it is almost mandatory — it is quite hot here and there is little shade.
Of course, since this place is popular, there are a lot of people here in the season, and almost all organized tourist groups go there during the day. Therefore, early morning or late afternoon is the ideal time to visit, then with a high probability at any season of the year you will be able to walk there almost alone — it is always much more pleasant, in my opinion, and it will be less hot to walk under the scorching sun in the summer. And the light will be softer, which will make everything around even more beautiful :)
I have been there three times: in late spring, summer and early autumn, and I definitely recommend a visit to Fairytale canyons to anyone passing through those parts. Especially since there are many interesting places on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul that can also be visited in a relatively short trip.
It's better to watch the photos in high resolution.
Camera: OLYMPUS E-M1 Mark II and DJI Mavic 3 Pro
You can also see my photos in my blog LJ and in my profile on RTraveler. You also can read a short interview with me here.