The "Manas" zone is located 63 km from the city of Talas, south of the village of Kirovskoye on the northern slopes of the Talas Ala-Too. It includes the branched gorges of Kara-Buura, Kyurkureo-Suu, and Maidantal, through which the rivers of the same name flow.
On the slopes of the lower part of the gorges, mountain steppes with patches of various shrubs are widely represented. Sometimes snakes can be encountered here. More than ten species of snakes are found in Kyrgyzstan. Ignorant people spread all sorts of myths about them, claiming that they attack humans and are very dangerous — and therefore should be exterminated. Some tourists, upon encountering a snake, hurry to kill it. Many cannot distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes, resulting in the mass deaths of grass snakes, legless lizards — yellow-bellied ones, and other harmless and beneficial reptiles. In many water bodies of Kyrgyzstan, water snakes are found. They swim well, stay underwater for a long time, and feed on small creatures. They are completely harmless to humans, so one can swim peacefully in these waters.
Currently, there are few venomous snakes left in the natural conditions of Kyrgyzstan, but they can still be encountered. The most common are the steppe viper and the horned viper. Snakes are most excitable in April — May before mating, and in autumn — before hibernation. It should be remembered that no venomous snake will attack a person first if he does not harm it.
The upper part of the gorges opens into wide picturesque valleys covered with the lights of alpine flowers, clusters of deciduous shrubs, and isolated patches of juniper. The "Mistress of the Mountains" — juniper — climbs steep slopes and rocky outcrops up to the moraines. The trunks of the trees take on bizarre plastic forms, resembling figures of various animals. Photographs of such trees against the backdrop of the mountains will long remind one of a visit to this zone. The ridge is covered with dazzling white snow cornices, rocky-ice walls, and numerous large boulder slopes. Against the sky, the serrated profile of pointed rocks is outlined.
Above the rocky gorges of the river sources are the passes: Dustlik (3600 m), Soviet Militia (3670 m), leading from the basin of Kyurkureo-Suu to the sources of Shavursay on the southern slopes of the Talas Ala-Too; Ashuu-Tor (3678 m), connecting the sources of Maidantal with the southern slopes of the ridge located in Uzbekistan. An automobile road runs along the valley of the Kara-Buura River, leading from the city of Talas through the Kara-Buura pass into the Chatkal valley.
The mountain knot of the Talas Ala-Too at the sources of the Kyurkureo-Suu River is crowned by the highest peak — Manas Peak (4482 m).
...Night in the mountains. Step away from the fire, let your eyes adjust to the darkness, and you will see an extraordinary picture. In the black sky, large stars burn brightly, bright streaks of meteors are clearly visible, and moving spots of satellites can be seen. The shimmering light of the moon plays on the surface of streams and lakes. Rocky masses slide into the silver mirror of the water like dark monsters. The peaks are covered with pale glimmers from sparkling glaciers. Torn clouds play hide and seek with the stars. In the ridge zone at the sources of the rivers Arabik, Kyuruch-Kel, Kashka-Suu, Kuugandy, Suulu-Bakayir, Shilbili-Sai, all types of glaciers are located, except for flat-topped ones.
Within the zone, interesting archaeological sites can be found: rock paintings of Kyurkureo-Suu (15th century BC — 8th century AD) near the village of Kek-Sai, and further upstream, between Maidantal and Kuugandy — rock paintings of Kuugandy. In the mountains, there is a huge stone cavity — Manas-Unkyur ("Manas Cave"). According to legend, in this cave, the legendary hero Manas sheltered his whirlwind-like horse from the bad weather.
In the area of the Tyuz-Ashuu pass (3580 m), located in the upper reaches of Kashka-Suu (a tributary of the Kuugandy River — the right component of Kyurkureo-Suu), there are many small lakes and huge debris fields. Here is an interesting rock of regular shape, more than 5 m thick and as tall as a seven-story building. From the upper reaches of the Kashka-Suu and Kuugandy rivers, one can cross into the gorge of the Shabyr-Sai River and to the lake of the same name. In the floodplain of the Kyurkureo-Suu River, around Manas Peak, lies the Kirov State Zoological Reserve. Here is also the hunting area "Bakair," where licensed hunting of ibex and grouse is organized.
On the western border of the republic, on the slopes of the mountains near the Maymak station, there is a botanical reserve of the same name covering an area of 40 hectares, intended for the protection of the habitat of Kaufmann's tulip.
