Maybe you’ve passed through Karakol on your way to Enylchek in winter or Altyn Arashan in summer. Or maybe you’ve even come here specifically for the ski resort?

Karakol is more than 150 years old — one of the first real cities in nomadic Central Asia. It’s worth stepping out of your hotel and walking around, because thanks to waves of settlers and a mix of cultures, Karakol is probably the most unusual — and in my opinion the most historic — city in Kyrgyzstan.

And the mountain views here? Incredible.

How to Get There

These days you don’t have to suffer through an overnight GoBus ride on a broken road anymore. You can actually fly directly to Karakol — a small airport recently opened there.

A one-way ticket from Bishkek costs around 4,000 KGS.

What to See

Cable Car and the Café at 1,000 m

Even if you don’t ski, it’s still worth taking the cable car up just for the views. It brings you to a panoramic café overlooking the mountains.

One important detail: the cable car to the panorama opens at 10:30 AM and closes at 2:20 PM. What? Yes. I don’t see the logic either, but it’s still worth it.

A tourist ticket costs 700 KGS.

Watch my video review

Architecture

Just walk around the central streets of Karakol. The town is small enough that you’ll easily see most of the sights while strolling past colorful wooden houses with carved shutters.

Many of these buildings used to be girls’ schools, merchant houses, or old educational institutions. If you want to learn more about the city’s history, stop by the local history museum.

Given the current trends in our country, I just hope this architectural heritage won’t be demolished to make room for apartment blocks.

The Wooden Church

The Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, built in 1895, survived earthquakes and barely survived the Soviet era.

Inside, it almost feels like a greenhouse.

The Dungan Mosque

Built in 1910 by the master Zhou-Si from Beijing for the Dungan community, this mosque has remained almost unchanged.

It’s the only mosque in Kyrgyzstan built in a traditional Asian architectural style and one of only three mosques in the world built entirely without nails.

If you’re not Muslim — especially if you’re a woman — it’s better not to go inside. But honestly, you don’t need to. The architecture is just as impressive from the outside, and visitors can freely walk around the courtyard.

The Zoo

I hate zoos. But the Bugu Ene Foundation is less of a zoo and more of a rehabilitation center for animals. Many of the animals here were rescued from circuses, abusive owners, or people who realized too late that keeping a wild animal as a pet was a bad idea.

The animals live in spacious enclosures, receive proper care, and are well fed. Some of the signs on the cages are pretty funny too. You can also “adopt” an animal and pay for its food or donate to support the center.

My personal favorite is the Przewalski’s horse. Its face looks exactly like mine in the morning.

Food

As you’ve probably guessed, Karakol has a large Dungan community. And if you’ve ever heard of Karakol ashlyan-fu, this is the only place where you’ll taste the real thing. And not in a restaurant. No. Go to the bazaar. There’s a whole alley of small eateries serving ashlyan-fu, and the simpler the place looks, the better. The menu usually includes: fried pastries ashlyan-fu compote That’s it. What else do you need?

So what exactly is ashlyan-fu? It’s a cold, spicy-sour Dungan dish with noodles, starch jelly, and vegetables. Perfect for a hangover.

As we all know, food is good everywhere in Kyrgyzstan. But in Karakol I had the best and most filling burgers of my life. And where do you think? At SpongeBob’s.

A random guy on the street recommended it to us (hopefully not the owner). We decided to check out this Karakol version of the Krusty Krab — and we didn’t regret it.

Just look at the attention to detail in the design. And the burgers! The buns alone are incredible. Wishing this place all the success in the world 🙂

What to Do in the Evening

Karakol has bars and hookah lounges, but I’d recommend a small bar called The Hut. It’s a speakeasy-style place with good music, interesting people, cool decor… and a cat.

Conclusion

Karakol is more than just a stopover. You can easily spend a couple of interesting days here, no matter the season. It’s safe, the food is great, and it’s much cheaper than Bishkek.

Places to Visit from Karakol