Tamga

Tamga lies in the middle part of the south shore of Issyk Kul Lake, 1 km from the beach with red sand.

Understand

History

Tamga got its name from an old petroglyph text; its name can be translated as letter. Nobody translated the text yet, nobody knows how old it is, but there are speculations about old Tibetan language.

Get in

Either from Karakol by taxi, marshrutka, bus or hitch-hike, or from Balicnyi by the same ways.

See

• Petroglyphs - you won't find it yourself, ask for a guide. It lies around 20 minutes by horse from the centre.
• Christian/Muslim cemetery, on dry hills behind the village.
• Sanatorium where Jurij Gagarin was preparing for the first cosmic flight ever. Open until September 15.
• 1 Tamga Tash (south of the village). A rock that has the Buddhist/biplane inscriptions "Om Mani Padme Hum" on it, a divine formula of Buddhism. It is dating back from the 3rd to 8th centuries. The locals interpretation is "Tamga". (updated Nov 2018)
• 2 Fairy Tale Canyon (Skazka Valley / Каньон "Сказка") (4 km from the village of Tosor). A beautiful and colorful mountain range, made of sandy red and yellow formations, popping out of the otherwise rather grey region. Diverse forms that look quite different with rain, shortly after or just sun. The satellite picture best summarises its potential. The canyon was named because of its bizarre rocky landscape, which for many years has been transformed by erosion into amazing sculptures and formations. Some formations look like the Great Wall of China and you can also find other formations that look like snakes, dragons, sleeping giants and even whole castles. From the canyon you can see a majestic panorama of Lake Issyk-Kul and snow caped mountains. It’s an easy hike close to Lake Issyk-Kul. It is kind of a touristy rip-off, charging entrance for a non-private mountain range—it is not-even a national park. If you do not want to support this practice, take the second road 1 km further east along the highway, which leads to the same colorful canyon (last 1 km walk), just its eastern range. 60 som. (updated Mar 2019)
• 3 Sayakbol Karalaev Monument. Monument of the famous Manas teller that lived between 1894 and 1971. (updated Nov 2018)

Do

• 4 Barskoon waterfalls & gorge (Водопад "Слёзы Барса") (20 km south of Tamga on route A364; not much traffic, may need a taxi). Barskoon waterfall is a geological protected area in the Jeti-Ögüz District of the Issyk Kul Province, on one of the tributaries of Barskaun River. It was established in 1975. Within the Barskoon valley there are two waterfalls on top of the mountain and the mountainside. At the foot of the mountain you can enjoy the beautiful river of Barskoon. During the summer time there yurts to stay over night. At the yurt you can try Kyrgyz traditional drink Kymys while enjoying the beauty of the landscape.
  There are three amazing waterfalls that can be seen within 2-4 hr hiking (return) from 2,350 m to 3,300 m.. Make sure to bring a lunch and hiking boots. Best to come here in spring when lots of water is coming from the mountain. Another interesting highlight are the two busts of Yuri Gagarin at the foot of the gorge. Food yurts, small shops and horse rental are available at the foot of the trail. (updated Mar 2019)
• 1 Kara Kul (кара-көл). A salt lake, but not as salty as those in Tong district. (updated Nov 2018)

Eat

In the 1 Tamge village, behind the main sanatorium entrance there is cafe that serves common Kyrgyz stuff - lagman, manty, samse... and some other food. They have tasty pasta-style lagman.

At the main crossroad there is a cafe that serves food.

Sleep

There are a few privately run guesthouses, but they are not cheap. Apparently they are using the fact that you have no choice.

Just next to the bazaar there is Tamaras Guesthouse B&B, in front of which there is a small shop run by Kyrgyz family. Tamara and her daughter Alia speak fluent English. Tamara was a teacher of Russian language and literature, her husband Akbar was journalist. Interesting and resourceful people to speak with. Tamara is able to organize horse tours with guide and old horses for inexperienced riders if needed. Do not accept the offer to eat in her place instead of a cafe which is 50 meters away. Tamara charges 200 som for lagman with bread and tea, while in the cafe you would pay 70 only.

Close to the entrance of the village, on the left side, there is guesthouse run by a Russian. She does not negotiate and does not go lower than 600 per som person. It's further from the centre.