Kyrgyzstan—Land of Ecotourism

Eurasia News

Kyrgyzstan (Russian: Кыргызстан or Киргизия) officially the Kyrgyz Republic is a nation located in Central Asia. Landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.

“Kyrgyz” is believed to have been derived from the Turkic word for “forty”, in reference to the forty clans of Manas, alegendary hero who united forty regional clans against the Uyghurs. Literally it means We are forty. At the time, in the early 9th century AD, the Uyghurs dominated much of Central Asia (including Kyrgyzstan), Mongolia, and parts of Russia and China. The 40-ray sun on the flag of Kyrgyzstan is a reference to those same forty tribes and the graphical element in the sun’s center depicts the wooden crown of a yurt – a portable dwelling traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan is situated in Central Asia , its neighbouring countries are Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west,

Although there are so many different people living in the region, whose lifestyle and traditions sometimes differ a lot, they all have one thing in common—The typical Central Asian hospitality

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, the capital of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with a population of about 1 million, is situated in the north part of the country (Chui-Region). Especially the centre is heavily influenced by the Soviets, and you can enjoy quite a number of typical soviet-style architecture. Monument for the Great War of the Native Country) but also modern monuments pointing out the traditional Kyrgyz culture (Monument of Manas, Monument of Independence, as well as many statues of Akyns, Manas’chi and local governors of different periods).

Issyk Kul Lake

Lake Issy Kul, a biosphere reserve of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program, is the main attraction for ecotourists in Kyrgyzstan. Located at an altitude of 1600 meters among the mountain peaks of the Tien Shen Mountain range, Issy Kul is the world’s second largest mountain lake after Titicaca. Encircled by several hotels and health spas, Lake Issy Kul can be an ideal ecotourism getaway in Kyrgyzstan, providing excellent opportunities for activities like swimming, hiking, and mountain climbing.

Kyrgyzstan is facing serve competition in the tourism market with its neighbors, especially Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and now it needs drastic changes within its system to sustain in competitive market. According to Central Asian tourism experts, Kyrgyzstan has to take revolutionary steps to stay competitive within the Central Asian tourism market.

The world tourism destinations list increased by a number of attractions when the former Communist Soviet Union was disbanded and the opening up of new republics reshaped world tourism markets. One of these new destinations is Kyrgyzstan.

This entire country can be Heaven for ecotourism lovers, provided its government concentrates on a better communication network, especially its destinations linking road. It is feared that this country is experiencing an imbalanced growth of community-based tourism (CBT) providers and is facing a serious deficit in the supply-and-demand factor.

The lion’s share of tourists traveling to Central Asia is going to its neighbors due to a lack of connectivity of this country to the rest of the world through air travel, while the national airlines of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are far ahead of Kyrgyzstan Airlines.

Kyrgyzstan offers magnificent and unspoiled natural beauty that has, until now, not been encroached by commercial tourism. Its mountains, rivers, and forests are the major selling points for promoting this mountainous country as a cultural and ecotourism destination.

The mountainous terrains of Kyrgyzstan feature dramatic glaciers and snow-clad peaks, and its high, grassy meadows are the perfect grazing grounds for several wild species including antelope, ibex, rare snow leopards, and brown bears. Some well-known, eco-tourism locations in Kyrgyzstan include Lake Issy Kul, Bishkek, Osh, Talal, Kazarman, and Irkeshtam.

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