The administrative center of IssykKul region, the town of Karakol is situated at the foot of Terskey Ala-Too mountain range, 12 km from the shore of Lake Issyk Kul.

Chong-Kyzyl-Suu gorge is located 60 km to the west of the town of Karakol. Its name "the big red water" the gorge got because water in a river at the bottom of it seems to be red.

The village of Tamga is located on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul Lake in Jeti-Oguz District. The population of the village is about 3.500 people.

Barskoon gorge is located on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul, 80 km far from Karakol. The length of the valley is about 30 km.

The picturesque valley Jeti-Oguz ends with a wall of majestic mountains, passing into Terskey Ala-Too. The highest point of this mountain wall is the peak Oguz-Bashi 5170 m high.

The famous Russian traveler of the 19th century Nikolai Mikhailovich Przevalski was one of the first to make an expedition to the Central Asia. 

On the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul, between the villages Kaji-Sai and Ton is situated a unique place called Manjyly-Ata. People call it "the Valley of the sacred springs."

Mars Canyons are located near the village of Kaji-Say on the southern shore of the Issyk-Kul Lake. They represent a ridge of red mountains similar to the landscapes of the planet Mars of the same name.

Issyk-Kul reserve is the biggest one on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. It consists of 12 separate parts with general area more than 19500 hectares. Issyk-Kul national reserve was established in 1948.

The valley of Sary-Jaz is located 75 km. from town of Karakol in the central Tien-Shan, near Kazakhstan's border.

The pearl of Kyrgyzstan, a lake surrounded on two sides by the majestic Terskey and Kungei Ala-Too mountains is called Issyk Kul.

The unique Mertzbacher Lake is located in the Central Tien Shan, between Sary-Jaz and Tengri-Tag mountain ranges, at the altitude of 3304 m.

Pobeda Peak is the highest point is the Tien Shan, which is 7439 m high. It is also the highest peak in the whole Kyrgyzstan.

The pearl of Terskey Ala-Too hidden high in the mountains is a glacial Ala-Kul Lake (translated from Kyrgyz as "the Motley Lake").

The Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral is located in the center of Karakol. It was built of hewn logs in 1894-1895 on the ruins of the brick church.

5 km to the south of the town Karakol a gorge of the same name is located. The gorge has a length of 40 km and it is adjacent to the ridge Terskey Ala-Too.

In the town Cholpon-Ata, on the shore of Lake Issyk Kul, a unique cultural center in the open air was built in 2002. Its name is Ruh Ordo.

On the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, about 4 km from the village of Tosor there is an unusual place - Skazka (Fairy Tale) Canyon.

The Kok-Jaiyk valley is located in the Jeti-Oguz Gorge, 25 km. from the city of Karakol and is one of the main Jailoo (summer pastures) in the south of Issyk-Kul.

Through Barskoon gorge runs the highway that connects the pass Barskoon (3754 m), the Issyk Kul basin and mountainous area of the Inner Tien-Shan.

Semenov Gorge, with a length of about 30 km, is located 40 km from the town of Cholpon-Ata. In the valley there flows the river Ak-Suu, which starts from the glacier.

10 km to the east of the town of Karakol, in the valley of Arashan River the gorge Altyn-Arashan is situated. In the lower part of the river there is the village Ak-Suu (old name Teploklyuchenka).

Kyzyl -Tuu is located on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul , 230 km from Bishkek. The village has a population of about 1,800 people.