Excursion to the Kishi-Kaindy Gorge and the Kishi-Kaindy Pass

We'll depart for the Asel Hotel, located five kilometers from the village of Zhabagly, where we'll begin our horseback ride. From the hotel, we'll head to the Kishi-Kaindy botanical lodge, located at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level. Along this road, we'll enjoy beautiful views of the gorge. After seven kilometers, we'll stroll through the botanical lodge grounds and then ride to a waterfall on the Kishi-Kaindy River.

Next, we'll take a walk through the juniper forest on the northern slope, offering a beautiful view of the Zhabagly River valley. In the spring, herds of ibex and argali sheep can be seen on the southern slope. Birds also include golden eagles and vultures. In spring, Greig and Kaufman tulips, as well as Iridoditium kolpakovskyi, and many other plants unique to this area grow along our trail.

In good weather, we'll be lucky enough to see a stunning panorama of the central part of the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve and the beautiful Bugulutor peak. Trollius, buttercups, primroses, forget-me-nots, and columbine grow in the alpine meadows. Bear sightings are highly likely in this area. The Kishi-Kaindy tract is one of the most easily accessible parts of the reserve.

Our route is seven kilometers long one way. Our road runs along a slope parallel to the Zhabagly River, offering a beautiful view of the river valley. Our path will lie between the river on one side and snow-capped mountain peaks on the other.

Along our trail, we'll see isolated trees and entire thickets of juniper. The wonderful aroma of the juniper forest is most noticeable in hot weather. What makes these forests especially charming is that the entire space between the trees is covered with a beautiful lawn.
The lawns change color depending on the season. In the spring, a multitude of ephemeral plants grow here, such as goosefoot, crocuses, corydalis, leontitsa, anemone, tulips, juno, young umbelliferous plants, and many other plants in a variety of vibrant colors – yellow, pink, white, and purple.

Among these plants, you can find many rare species: morina kokandensis, aconite talassica, a wide variety of the labiate family, carnations with their insanely delicious aroma, and many others. Sievers apple trees also grow here, the fruit of which is a favorite snack for bears.

A variety of insects inhabit the vegetation, including very beautiful butterflies, flying from one flower to another. There's plenty to see and photograph in this area. If you use binoculars, you might be lucky enough to spot a bear and mountain goats in the spring.

At the end of our walk, we can rest at a small field camp and then walk to a waterfall that roars among the rocks. A little further on, we can stop by a stream to refresh ourselves with the cold, fresh mountain water. Throughout our journey, picturesque panoramas of the Kishi-Kaindy Gorge open up before us. On the slopes of this gorge, the vegetation's zonation, depending on altitude, is clearly visible.

On the way back, we'll pack lunchboxes and ride back to the Asel Hotel. The return journey will seem completely different, so you won't even realize we came here by the same route. Once we reach the hotel, we head to the village of Zhabagly.