Located in the center of the small village of Kochkor, CBT Kochkor will arrange homestays, horse-trekking, hikes and more for those interested. Additionally, they work in cooperation with the Altyn Kol group, which provides a place for local women to sell their handmade traditional felt goods, specifically shyrdaks, traditional Kyrgyz rugs.
If you look at a map of Kyrgyzstan, you cannot miss Lake Issyk Kul, the largest lake in the country, located in its northeastern quadrant. The lake is roughly 182km long by 61km wide, and at its deepest, it reaches a depth of 702 meters.
Altyn Arashan (Golden Spa in Kyrgyz) is a hot-springs hotel located in a high mountain valley above Karakol. Don't let the term "hot-springs hotel" fool you - this isn't your typical spa.
Kyrgyzstan isn’t exactly a great place for finding convenient public toilets. As we drove from Balykchy towards our destination of Karakoo, we found ourselves desperately in need of a pit-stop.