Kyrgyzstan's Fairy Tale Canyon

About 10 kilometres from the village of Tamga, on the south side of shimmering Issyk Kul lake, is a canyon of remarkable beauty - Fairy Tale Canyon - or Skazka Canyon as locals call it.

The magical Fairy Tale (Skazka) Canyon, near Tamga, Kyrgyzstan

It is so named because of the magical shapes and colours of the stones, eroded and transformed over the centuries by wind, ice and water.

Locals have given the formations names such as sleeping giants, dragons, snakes, young girls. Even the Great Wall of China is represented.

The entrance is not far from the main road - the fee is 50 Kyrgyz sum per person and it is open from 09:00 - 16:00 daily.

If the weather is fine it is easy to spend most of the day here tramping around the canyon. Good footwear is vital: although the landscape is dry, it is easy to skid.  No rivers run through the canyon now. However, if it rains, then walking around will be muddy and slippery.

Many of the herbs and plants used in traditional Kyrgyz medicines grow in this canyon: sage, ephedra, plantain, dog-rose, milfoil, sea buckthorn, barberry and many others.

The changing hues of the stones - yellow, orange and red - according to the light, are enchanting. Sit atop a small hill and gaze over this remarkable landscape to the blue waters of the lake and beyond to the snow-capped peaks of the Tien Shan mountain range.

View from Fairy Tale Canyon over Lake Issyk Kul

Related posts:
Kyrgyzstan: Yurt Preschools Reach Nomadic Children
Kyrgyz Woman Singer Remakes Poem Traditionally Sung By Men
Kyrgyzstan: Edelweiss and the Legend of the Broken Heart