Lake Issyk-Kul is the visiting card of the country and one of the most popular vacation spots for local residents. In August, a full-fledged velvet season starts on the northern coast of Issyk-Kul: alpine meadows bloom, seasonal peaches, apricots and grapes ripen, and the water maintains a comfortable temperature for swimming.

Among the resorts, it is best to focus on Cholpon-Ata - a modern recreational area where it is easy to alternate a relaxed beach holiday with mountain hiking, horseback riding or diving. You should definitely take a ride on one of the lifts to see the lake from above: the landscapes and size are unlikely to leave you indifferent.

The route along the “heavenly mountains” involves long treks through ridges and descents into valleys, overnight stays in tents and yurts, pristine nature and a complete absence of civilization. You can walk around Lake Sary-Chelek for a long time and not meet a single person. And then suddenly stumble upon nomadic herds and get acquainted with the life of nomads. All this is surrounded by crazy mountain landscapes, moraine lakes, spruce forests, rocks and snow caps.

Located in the Chui Valley, the Issyk-Ata resort was once considered an all-Union health resort. Local mineral water "Arashana" is used to treat many diseases, peat silt mud is actively used in cosmetology, and geothermal springs help to relax and calm down. But the main thing is that the resort is located in an amazingly beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, thickets of barberry, sea buckthorn and rose hips, for which a little infrastructural fatigue can be forgiven.