The Kyrgyz Republic is a country remarkable in natural beauty. Majestic mountain ranges give way to rolling peaks soaring to 4,000m above sea level. Wide valleys and vast lake basins are framed by eternally snow-covered peaks and ranges. Over 93% of Kyrgyzstan's surface area is at an elevation of more than 1,500m, and 41% consists of barren alpine pastures and mountains.
The contrasts of Kyrgyzstan's nature - its location in the center of the continent and great distance from the World's oceans and seas, surrounded by vast deserts, and divided by massive mountain ranges - makes for a rich and diverse ecosystem of plant and animal life. The small area of the country of Kyrgyzstan (199,000 sq km) has an incredible abundance of plant varieties: there are 3,786 species of higher plants and 3,464 species of a lower order. Half of all the plants of Central Asia are found here in Kyrgyzstan - and 90% of its plant families. The Republic's mountain terrain covers almost all types of landscape: semi-desert, steppe, meadow-steppe, sub-alpine, alpine, tundra and glacial.
OrexCA.com offers you an alpine-botanical tour: "Bishkek - Chuy valley (700-2,000m) - Issyk-Kul area (1,600 -1,700m) - Sary-Dzhaz valley (2,700-3,600m) - Arabel peaks (valley of high mountain lakes, 3,600-4,000m) - Son-Kul lake (3,100m).
This tour includes samples of every type of landscape in Kyrgyzstan. Also, we offer you a tour of a most interesting area for botanists - the western Tien Shan system, where flourish 38 rare species of plants; the Chatkal range, whose significant area is blanketed by forests (the nut forests of the Chatkal, Fergana and Turkestan ranges are the largest in the world); the area of Sary-Chelek lake (1,878m, length 7.5km, width 2.3km); Susamyr valley and basin of the Chichkan River.
Animal life in the Republic is well represented: there are more than 83 species of mammals, over 368 species of birds, about 75 species of fish and around 37 species of reptiles and amphibians.
368 species of birds are represented by 20 orders, and 259 species birds have permanent nesting grounds in Kyrgyzstan, 32 of which are rare and endangered. Moreover, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan is situated along seasonal migration routes, and many species stop here to replenish their resources or winter here. You can watch winter birds on Issyk-Kul lake and nearby biosphere reserve, with a population of 50-100 thousand birds of around 120-140 species. (An English publication on the wintering birds of Issyk-Kul is due to be published this year. Authors: Braunlich A., Eremchenko V.)
Many birds of prey have permanent nesting grounds in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan as well. OrexCA.com offers you a beautiful ornithological tour in the surroundings of Issyk-Kul lake, Son-Kul lake, Alabash valley, Arabel peaks, Sary-Dzhaz area and more. In addition, wildlife viewing is excellent in these areas. Kyrgyzstan is rich not only in natural beauty, but also in natural resources. Vast mountain pastures occupy half of the Republic's territory, and the nut forests of the Chatkal, Ferghana and Turkestan ranges are the largest in the world.
The depths of Kyrgyzstan are flush with valuable minerals. There are more than 60 elements of the Mendeleev periodic table in Kyrgyzstan. Not only are there deposits of scarce elements in Kyrgyzstan but also oil, gas, peat and coal of all grades. The Republic is also rich in non-ore mineral deposits: limestone, marble, granite, gypsum, clay and sandy-gravel materials. We offer you a geological program, the student fieldwork course: "Geology of the Tien Shan". This tour includes the northern and southern parts of Kyrgyzstan. Practical fieldwork is intended for students of Universities, Colleges, etc, who have a general theoretical background in geology.
During this geological practical work, participants can learn of the geological structure of the Tien Shan region in Central Asia (stratigraphy, magmatism, metamorphics and tectonics, history of geological evolution in the region, mineralogy, geomorphology), they will see and learn methods of field geology and geological cartography, prospecting and mining of minerals, and engineering-geological processes in mountain karst processing.
During the entire trip, our geology specialists will accompany participants and tutor them. We will prepare all educational materials, geographical maps of visited regions, geological maps and lectures.
Notice: OrexCA.com can organize any tour on the territory of Kyrgyzstan based on guests' needs.