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Fairy Tale Canyon, Issyk-Kul

Sample tour: Jeep Tour of the South Shore of Issyk-Kul: Barskoon and Fairy Tale Canyon

Duration

10 hours

Group size

2 to 6 people

Format

Group

Difficulty

Easy

Age

6+

Starts in

Каракол

Ends in

Каракол

A full day by 4×4 from Karakol: the Barskoon waterfalls, the red walls of Fairy Tale Canyon, a picnic by the water and the empty beaches of the south shore.

The south shore of Issyk-Kul means red canyons carved by the wind and empty beaches that buses never reach. In one day by 4×4 we see the highlights without rushing. From Karakol we drive west along the lake. The first stop is Barskoon gorge: the Tears of the Snow Leopard waterfall and the monument to Yuri Gagarin, who holidayed here in the 1960s. Next comes Fairy Tale Canyon (Skazka): an hour's walk among red clay formations that look like castles and dragons. We have a picnic on the lakeshore near Tamga village. The driver-guide from Karakol knows every stop on the route. The car takes up to six passengers, and we stop for photos whenever you ask.