Upper Naryn includes the upper part of the Naryn River basin from the vicinity of the town of Naryn to the headwaters of its two main tributaries - Taragay and Kara-Say, which originate in the ridge's crest area of Ak-Shiyrak. The territory of the complex lies within the administrative boundaries of the Issyk-Kul and Naryn regions.
The valley of Torogay (the right tributary of the Naryn) is of great interest, as it is the source of the great river. This is a flat-hilly geocomplex located at an altitude of 3600 m in the zone of high-altitude cold desert. It is bordered to the south by the spurs of the Jetim Bel ridge, to the north by the Terskey Alatau, and to the east by the Ak-Shiyrak ridge. The Naryn begins with a small stream Kumtor, which flows from a lake about 800 meters in diameter, located at the steep icy cliff of the Petrov Glacier. The Petrov Glacier is situated in the glacial-nival zone of the Ak-Shiyrak ridge near the peak of the same name (5225 m). This powerful ridge, constantly snow-covered from top to bottom, contains one of the largest glacial nodes in Central Asia. Deep within the glaciers, roaring swift water flows are enclosed in peculiar "bobsled-like troughs," and whimsical ice caves and grottos open up. This area was first visited by the expedition of A. V. Kulbars in 1869, which included Ensign Petrov, after whom the glacier is named.
In addition to the ice cradle of the Naryn, there are other attractions here. Among them is a glacial lake with almost Arctic icebergs at the foot of the Petrov Glacier Kumtor and the interesting Kapchigay gorge-canyon, whose walls, as if painted by a skilled artist, reveal colorful layers of crystalline schists, gneisses, marbles, and other rocks.
The area where the Big and Small Naryn merge is very attractive for tourism, where at an altitude of about 2250 meters, nature has created a fairy-tale oasis. Lush vegetation covers the slopes like a dense carpet, with thickets of juniper standing out in a special pattern. The mountain elevations are mainly formed of granites and marbles, creating cosmic landscapes among the rocks, the impression of which is enhanced by the evening rays of the sun flooding the frozen stone cities with fantastic light.
