Travel with Kevin and Ruth: There are currently two problems with this part of Kyrgyzstan

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

There are currently two problems with this part of Kyrgyzstan

We were on the south shore of Issyk-Kul Lake. It's a pretty enough lake, with lots of accessible beaches. Historically, it's been the only major source of summer tourism in Kyrgyzstan. But even then, tourism in Kyrgyzstan has been nothing to speak of. The current government is trying to change that.

And we don't blame them... of course tourism around the world has a lot of economic benefits. But improving the infrastructure comes at its own cost... at least temporarily.

But before we get into that further, both of our vehicles were having problems. So we got approval from each of our rental companies to visit a mechanic.

Vladdy at the mechanic shop in Kyrgyzstan.

We already had a new fuel pump installed the third day we had him. This time, they didn't know what to do but to change the fuel pump again, which they did, but it didn't fix the problem. Now they are blaming it on bad fuel, but I'm not convinced that's the problem. It's still drivable, but it's just not right.

Along the south shore of Issyk-Kul, there are starting to be some large hotels constructed.

Here's another one.

But look at these funny little cabins for rent. Right beside the main highway!

The entire south shore is being turned into a major 4 lane highway, despite the fact that there isn't enough traffic currently to support it.

Look how blue the lake is!

So, the amount of road construction is annoying for people currently visiting the area, and that includes us.

But the other problem with this area is the number of tourists. Because most people only have a week or two of holidays, and most people love being beside the water, and this area is closer to Bishkek, this is where most people gravitate. We really enjoyed the scenery and solitude during our first two weeks in the western part of the country much better.

Scenery along the way.

We tried to find a campsite along a valley heading up into the mountains, but this road was under construction as well. Very busy with trucks and heavy equipment working. We found out later that they are building a major highway through the mountains to the Chinese border.