Postcard from Bishkek

We say that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, (although the mathematicians and physicists tell us that things are not that simple). and we often use the phrase “as the crow flies”, (although birds rarely fly in straight lines).

One of the problems of Kyrgyzstan is that distances can be deceptive … although Kyrgyzstan is a small country, (measuring about 900 kilometers from east to west and 410 kilometers from north to south … with a total area of about 198,500 square kilometers), straight line distance between places make no allowances for the fact that roads meander to skirt the features of the landscape and have climb and descend the mountains that criss-cross the country.

This can be important as, for example, as the cost of transport may well depend upon the mileage (distance) – it is not unusual to be charged a rate per kilometer.  (The rate will differ, for example, depending upon the type of vehicle.)

As one blogger has put it: “Travel in Kyrgyzstan is not always as easy as it may seem on a map.”

Sometimes we get inquiries where the prospective client has done some homework (for which they need to be praised!) and propose a route taking in the various places that they would like to visit … but, unfortunately, not all their suggestions are practical.

Sometimes the problem is simple … but hard to explain …

• maybe it’s because, on the map at least, it doesn’t look so bad … especially if the travelers say that they are ready to cover long distances in one day … but most of the roads in Kyrgyzstan are not motorways, freeways or autobahns … and it is easy to be deceived into thinking that the distance will give a way of estimating the time needed for a journey. The speed limit in built-up areas is 60 km/h, in the country it is 90 km/h – however this is fairly academic. Apart from the number of photo-stops, toilet-stops and so on … there is the vehicle to consider (… a bus can be a lot slower than a saloon car) and the quality of the road conditions can vary significantly. A distance of 250 km on one road may be covered easily in two and half hours – whereas 250 km on a different road, (or even a different day), may take most of the day. To make matters worse … many people tend to be optimistic and estimate a shorter time than is actually probable.
• maybe it’s just that that the road doesn’t exist … anymore.  It did at one point  (such as the A364 from Enilchek to Barskoon or over the Kyrgyz Range from Kegety to Kochkor. which still appear on many maps), but over the passage of time, maintenance has lapsed, bridges are down and it’s no longer accessible.
• maybe it’s because although the road exists, it’s only open for certain months of the year, (such as the road between Djalal Abad and Kazarman or connecting the Talas and Chatkal valleys).

 

 

Just to give you some idea , here is a table of distances between some of the main places of interest in the country, (although the actual distance may depend upon the actual route taken).

 

 

Distances in Km	Bishkek	Cholpon	Djalal	Karakol	Naryn	Osh
……….>>>>> From >>>>>		Ata	Abad
vvvvv To vvvvv
Ala Archa	40
Alamedin	40
Almaty	250			(K) 380
…				(B) 700
Altyn Arashan	440			40
Arslan Bob	590		90			200
At Bashi	400				40
Avrora	265	15		135
Balykchi …	180	70		(N) 220	180
				(S) 270
Barskoon	330			120
Belagorka	80
Bishkek …		250	576	(N) 400	360	700
				(S) 450
Bokonbaeva	270			130
Boom Gorge …	130	120		(N) 270	230
				(S) 320
Burana	80
Chichkan	260		316			440
Cholpon Ata	250			150
Cholpon Ata Petroglyphs	265	15
Djalal Abad	576					110
Djety Oguz	440	290		40
Dostuk Border post						10
Grigorievka Usheli	330	80		110
Irkeshtam	1000					300
Issyk Ata	80
Kara Balta	62
Karkara Valley	520			120
Karakol…	(N) 400	150
	(S) 450
Karakol Valley	430			30
Karakul	400		176			300
Kara Suu	600		210
Kazarman	620		185		255
Kegeti	70
Kochkor …	200				160
	(b) 230
Krasnaya Rechka	35
Kyzyl Oi	200
Maida Adyr	580			185
Manas Airport	36
Naryn	360
Osh	700		110
San Tash	490			90
Sary Bulak	250				100
Sary Chelek	500
Sary Tash	920					220
Semyenovska Usheli	290	40		130
Shamsy	110
Son Kul	260
Suusamyr	150
Talas	370
Tamchi	220	20		170	220
Tamga	315			135
Tashkent	600
Tash Rabat	475				115
Tash Kumyr	465		125			235
Tokmak …	70	180		(N) 330
				(S) 380
Toktogul	290		286			410
Torugart	560			585	210
Tosor	320			230
Uzgen	640		50			60

 

Where alternative routes exist:

• B = via Bishkek
• b = via Balykchi
• K = via Karakara Valley
• N = via the Northern Shore of Lake Issyk Kul
• S = via the Southern Shore of Lake Issyk Kul
• Su = via Suusamyr

 

 

 

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