The Chychkan Gorge is a beautiful natural object in the northern part of the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan, through which the Bishkek – Osh road passes.
Kyrgyzstan is famous for its magnificent natural landscapes, represented by mountain ranges, high-altitude lakes and rivers. It is such a landmark and the pride of Kyrgyzstan is the Chichkan Gorge. The gorge is located 250 km from the Bishkek-Osh highway. The mountainous landscapes of the country attract skiers, climbers, rafters, hikers and cyclists – all lovers of mountain tourism. Clean air, swift mountain rivers, incomparable landscapes, rocks and rocks of unique shape – this is truly a paradise for lovers of recreation in unspoiled nature and ideal conditions for walking along the tree-covered mountain slopes.
The Chichkan Gorge begins at the Alabel pass on the western edge of the Suusamyr swamp and stretches south for several tens of kilometers to the Toktogul reservoir. Translated from Kyrgyz, “Chichkan” means “mouse”. The name comes from the large number of field mice living on the slopes of the gorge.
Chichkan Gorge is a wooded canyon, the slopes of which are covered with Tien Shan spruce, flowers and berries (juniper, spruce, wild blackberry and barberry). In some parts of the gorge, the greenery is so dense that you have to wade through thickets where vegetation reaches the height of human growth. The average height of the gorge is 2200 m .
Such an amount of vegetation would be impossible without water. At the bottom of the gorge flows the stormy river of the same name, which flows out of the mountains near the Ala-Bel pass (more than 3000 m above sea level) and flows into the large Toktogul reservoir. Numerous streams flow into this river, flowing down from the mountains after the snow melts. The Chychkan Gorge is characterized by red mountain slopes, birch forests, pine forests and waterfalls overgrown with red mountain laurel. In some mountains near Ala-Belya, snow lies until June. There is a small lake in the gorge at an altitude of 3000 m.
On the bank of the Chichkan River there is an aquaculture farm where you can fish. Here tourists are offered fresh fish, cooked and served in the best possible way.
There is a nature reserve in the Chichkan Gorge in Kyrgyzstan, where animals such as white-tailed deer and wild boar live.
Special attention should be paid to the beautiful Chichkan gorges, such as Itagar Gorge, Ak-Kel gorge, Kyzyl-Kel Gorge and Tuarcha Gorge. In the Itagar Gorge, you can get to the beautiful Saz-Khel Lake. Mountain lovers can climb to the top in the Ashuu-Bulak gorge (3,100 m above sea level) and in the Kazy-Jar gorge (3,483 m above sea level).
There are also lakes in the gorges. The Upper lake is surrounded by glaciers at an altitude of 3317 m . From the lake, the water flows down a 60-meter cliff and after about 2 km flows into Lake Muztor, located at an altitude of about 3000 m. Below is the lake Kyzyl-Kol (“Red Lake”), at the bottom of which stones are visible, and the lake itself is surrounded by red rocks, which gives the water in the lake a red color. Because of this effect, the lake was named “Red Lake”.
