Travel deep dive
A Glacier Valley and a Silk Road Minaret Near Bishkek
Bishkek lies at the foot of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too, and two of the country's best-known sights are an easy day away. To the south, Ala-Archa National Park leads straight from the edge of the plain into a valley of juniper and spruce under glaciers; to the east, in the Chuy valley, the Burana Tower stands alone among the fields, the stump of a minaret from the time of the Silk Road. Each makes a day trip from the capital, and together they show the two sides of the country, the mountains and the old caravan road.
Updated 2026-10-08
Ala-Archa National Park
Less than an hour south of Bishkek, Ala-Archa National Park follows the valley of the Ala-Archa river into the high mountains, between slopes of juniper, the archa that gives the park its name, and spruce, with snowy peaks at its head. A level path runs along the river for an easy walk, and steeper trails climb to waterfalls and side valleys.
Walks and climbs in the park
The classic longer walk climbs from the end of the road to the Ak-Sai waterfall and on to a mountain hut below the Ak-Sai glacier, a long day's round trip or an overnight for fit walkers, with the peaks of the range above. The park is also Kyrgyzstan's training ground for mountaineers, with climbs from the hut, and in winter its lower valley is walked on snow.
The Burana Tower
About an hour and a half east of Bishkek, near the town of Tokmok, the Burana Tower rises from a grassy mound in the Chuy valley, the lower part of a brick minaret of the eleventh century, its upper part long fallen. It stands on the site usually identified with Balasagun, a capital of the Karakhanid rulers, and a narrow stair inside climbs to the top, with views over the plain to the mountains.
The balbals and the museum
Around the tower, a field of balbals, stone figures with carved faces gathered from across the region and once set up on the steppe by Turkic peoples, stands in rows on the grass. A small museum shows finds from the site, and the outlines of mausoleums and the old town walls can be traced around it.
Visiting
Both sights are reached by car or taxi from Bishkek, or on day tours, and each fills half a day to a day. Ala-Archa is at its best from late spring to autumn, when the trails are clear of snow, and is crowded with city walkers at weekends; Burana can be visited all year, and is often combined with the road east to Issyk-Kul.