Arslanbap Zone (Arslanbob) is located on the southwestern slopes of the Fergana Range in the eponymous area, stretching up to 10 kilometers and situated 180 km from the city of Osh in the Jalal-Abad region. The entire territory of the zone is intertwined with picturesque serpentine asphalt roads that run along the riverbed of the Kara-Unkur River from the city of Osh through the town of Bazar-Kurgan to the village of Arslanbap (1400 m) and further into the mountains.
The territory of the zone has a complex relief, ranging from highly dissected spurs of the ridge to hilly sections of the valleys. Here, up to 1000 mm of precipitation falls annually. Winters with a high snow cover are warmer, while summers are 10 degrees cooler compared to the lower part of the Fergana Valley. This zone is truly a "paradise corner." It rightfully deserves this assessment due to its unique large masses of walnut and fruit forests, which cover the gently sloping hills at the foot of the majestic snowy giant — the Bauba-Ata mountain range. The highest point, Weber Peak (4490 m), stands out sharply against the backdrop of the blue sky on its jagged rocky ridge.
Up the right tributary of Arslanbap, there are many recreational and tourism facilities: the Arslanbap resort and tourist base, boarding houses, pioneer camps, sanatoriums, and rest homes.
The thickets of relict walnut-fruit forests, miraculously preserved from the depths of millennia, are located at an altitude of 1200–2000 m and cover an area of over 70,000 hectares. The natural composition of these forests is diverse. The predominant tree species is the walnut. It grows on slopes with a northern exposure, forming entire masses. On slopes with other exposures, only single trees or small clumps are found. Many walnut trees line the mountain rivers. Walnut trees, with their huge spherical crowns, can reach heights of up to 30 m under favorable conditions, and their trunks, covered with cracked bark, can be up to two meters in diameter.
The fruits of the walnut begin to ripen in August, shedding their cracked husks and carpeting the ground. Tourists are advised not to pick the fruits with green husks. If you peel them, your hands will be covered with a specific black-brown coating that will last for several days.
The walnut kernel is not only known for its pleasant taste but also for its high caloric content. Its nutritional value exceeds that of bread by three times and that of cow's milk by ten times. In southern Kyrgyzstan, rich harvests of walnuts are harvested, sometimes exceeding 3 quintals per hectare. In addition to the fruits, the wood is highly valued — strong, elastic, resistant to decay, and easy to work with and polish. There is also another unique and expensive product from the walnut tree — the walnut burl, which consists of growths on the trunk of the tree, mainly in the butt part. Interestingly, on the international market, the price of burl is assessed by weight and is equivalent to the price of silver.
Alongside walnuts, fruit trees such as apple, pear, cherry, and others grow here, whose fruits are very tasty and widely used by the local population. The understory of the forests is rich in rose hips, sea buckthorn, barberry, and other types of shrubs. The robust herbaceous cover of walnut-fruit forests is rich in medicinal plants.
The valley of the Kara-Unkur River at the confluence with Arslanbap represents a wide thicket, cut through by a powerful ribbon of river, reaching nearly 600 m in width near the village of Charvak. The valley gradually narrows towards the river's sources. In winter, it is covered by multi-meter layers of snowdrifts and avalanches.
In the vicinity of the village of Arslanbap, there are two very picturesque waterfalls steeped in legends. The Great Arslanbap Waterfall, located 6 kilometers from the village, cascades from a height of eighty meters among rocks hidden behind patches of bright greenery. No less interesting is the Small Waterfall, which tumbles from a densely overgrown wall about 30 meters high. It is located 2 kilometers from the village at an altitude of 1200 m. The gorge of the Small Waterfall faces the sun, so a rainbow sparkles and plays in the spray clouds raised by the falling water. The Arslanbap waterfalls are among the largest and most beautiful in the republic, which accounts for their immense popularity among travel enthusiasts.
The thickets of walnuts, apple trees, plums, and shrubs attract numerous animals and birds. Here you can encounter the exotic animal — the porcupine. It is one of the largest rodents in the Kyrgyz fauna, measuring up to one meter in length and weighing up to 15 kg. Its body, from head to tail, is covered first with long bristles and from the middle of the body with hardened quills that can reach lengths of 35 cm and hang down to the ground. The quills bristle in case of danger and serve as a reliable means of defense.
Near the village of Arslanbap, there is a well-preserved monument of ancient architecture — the Arslanbap Mausoleum — a 16th-century tomb considered sacred by Muslims. According to legends, it was built in honor of the legendary gardener who planted the surrounding forests. Not far from it is an interesting cave.
In the Baubash-Ata mountain knot, there are accessible beautiful passes that offer majestic panoramas of mountain peaks, narrow rocky gorges, and green valleys, carrying on their "breasts" the silvery ribbons of rivers and streams.