Kyrgyzstan: Issyk-Ata Waterfall
The short Issyk-Ata Waterfall dayhike near Bishkek is one of the most popular options for tourists hiking in Kyrgyzstan‘s Chuy region.
Total Km: 5km
Total Days: 1
Elevation Gain/Loss: 344m+ / 344m-
Start Point: Issyk-Ata Sanatoria
End Point: Issyk-Ata Sanatoria
GPS Files
This walk couldn’t be more straightforward – walk straight down a wide valley until a turn up a small side valley and a short scramble to the base of the eponymous waterfall. At 5km round-trip, you’ll spend about as much time getting to Issyk Ata and back as you’ll actually spend hiking.
The hike starts from the top end of the Issyk Ata Sanatoria, a lovely Soviet-era relic still popular among visitors from Central Asia and Siberia that come to soak in the mineral hot springs, exiting either up a curving drive to the left of the old Lenin statue our out through a gate in the fence a little behind and above the statue.
Beyond the gate, follow the wide valley trail along a gently-climbing 1.5km, with nice views down the valley to the attractive 4018m Peak Byty at the end of the valley. Eventually the trail will descend briefly to a stream bed, which is your indicator to turn up this small side valley and follow upwards against the flow of the water.
The stream bed can be a bit of a scramble depending on water levels, but at normal times there’s a dry footpath alongside that only necessitates a handful of crossings of the stream itself Finally at the top, around 200m beyond and 20m higher than the turnoff, is the waterfall itself.
The falls here are actually a cascade, which you can catch a glimpse of by scrambling to the top of the rocks immediately opposite the main fall, but to date we’ve never found a safe and easy access to scramble higher along an dup the falls themselves – though perhaps by climbing the backing hill and dropping down towards the top one might be able to do so.
The falls are attractive in summer but we like them best in winter – the main flow more or less freezes into a cascade of ice, with only a gently brook flowing onwards and down to the main valley. The valley trail is also gentle enough that the walk up from the resort is no trouble in winter, though do expect somewhat of an icy scramble the last few hundred meters up to the base of the falls.
Alternate Options for Issyk Ata Waterfall
Most tourists stick around after the short hike for a dip in the hot springs – there’s one attached to the obvious hotel in the center of the small settlement across the river from the resort, or another poorly signed pool on a hilltop above the resort (we prefer the latter, though both can be quite crowded in the high season).
Further, one could (with proper provisions) proceed beyond the waterfall up to the top of the valley, turning towards an attractive but receding glacier to the east of the Byty massif or folling the main valley to the west to eventually climb a somewhat gnarly pass and drop down into the Alamaddin Valley and return towards Bishkek.
Good To Know
Getting to the Issyk Ata Waterfall
From the East bus station in Bishkek, the 316 marshrutka travels directly to Issyk-Ata several times per day. The cost was ~50som last time we took it, which was admittedly quite a long time ago, but don’t expect it to be anything expensive. Do however anticipate that it could be quite crowded – several times on the return to Bishkek we got stuck standing in the aisle, which is not always welcome after a hike!
Costs and Practicalities
There is no fee to enter the resort or to make the hike, though if you’re arriving in a private vehicle there is a small fee to park in the resort’s lot.
Where to Stay and Eat
While the sanatoria itself is somewhat run-down, there are a number of private apartments with rooms for rent as well as the Hotel Ulai which can provide alternate accommodations. For food, a few small kiosks and a shop at the entrance to the resort offer small takeaways, while a restaurant attached to the hotel offers wildly mediocre hot dishes and salads.
