Chon Ak-Suu Gorge or Grigorievskoe
Grigorievskoe Gorge is one of the wonderful and picturesque natural attractions
Chon Ak-Suu Gorge, or Grigorievskoe, begins to the south of the village of Grigorievka. It is 56 kilometers from the city of Cholpon-Ata to the First Lake in Grigorievskoe Gorge, and approximately 110 kilometers from the city of Balakchi to the middle of the gorge.
The length of the Chon Ak-Suu River valley from the village of Grigorievka to the beginning of the ascent to the Ak-Suu Pass, which is located at an altitude of 4012 meters above sea level, is approximately 38 kilometers.
Chon Ak-Suu begins with a valley, on both sides of which a coniferous forest spreads across the gentle slopes, while a winding river with crystal clear glacial water flows along the bottom. The mountain slopes of the gorge are covered with red mountain poppies, which spread like a carpet across the valley. Wild sea buckthorn, raspberries, and large black barberries grow along the riverbanks, and the rocks are covered with brown and green moss. Of course, the pride of not only Grigorievskoe Gorge but also the entire Issyk-Kul region are the Tien Shan firs, which reach heights of 50 meters here. The unique pristine nature is still preserved here, untouched by man or time. This is one of the wonderful and picturesque natural attractions of the southern foothills of the Kungey Ala-Too mountain range.
Above are the snowy mountain peaks: Kum-Bel (4200 m) and Eshenbulak (4647 m). Behind them lies the Ak-Suu Pass, through which one can reach Lake Zhasyl-Kel. The water in this lake is an unusual blue color, which visually changes depending on the lighting. In summer, many tourists come here to enjoy the beauty of the water surface of this small lake. From the Ak-Suu Pass, a stunning panorama of the waters of Issyk-Kul opens up.
Grigorievskoe Gorge has three beautiful high-altitude lakes. In the first part of the gorge is the Lower Lake, higher in the area of the At-Dzhailoo pastures (which means summer pastures) is the Middle Lake, and approximately 6 km from it is the most beautiful of the three lakes – the Upper Lake. All the lakes are home to high-altitude trout. Behind this lake, at an altitude of about 3500 m, the forested areas transition into beautiful alpine meadows. After the Upper Lake, the forest zone in the gorge ends approximately 3 kilometers later.
The gorge is very popular among tourists: in the height of summer, a small yurt town is set up here, showcasing handicrafts, where horsemen demonstrate magnificent horseback riding, folk music plays, and dishes of national cuisine are prepared.
