The Toktogul Zone includes the Ketmentebin intermountain basin in the lower reaches of the Naryn River, the Toktogul Reservoir, and the valley of the right tributary of the Naryn — Chychkan ("mouse"). The zone is located within the middle section of the famous Kyrgyz route Bishkek — Osh. Its center, the village of Toktogul, is located 190 km from the city of Talas. The city of Kara-Kul, located on the southern border of the zone, is 295 km away from Osh.
The Ketmentebin basin is smaller in area than the Talas basin. It is surrounded on all sides by high ridges: to the north — the Talas and Suusamyr ranges, to the east — the Kekirim-Tuu, and to the south and southwest — the Atoynok and Fergana ranges. The basin is dominated by semi-deserts and steppes. In the foothill zone surrounding the reservoir, there are steppes with chiy, prangos, cherries, and many other types of shrubs. From the reservoir and the water-rich Naryn River, the valley surface rises steeply to the slopes of the ridges. All flat areas remain at the bottom of the man-made sea. The names of the most significant areas of the valley bear the name of the great Kyrgyz akyn — Toktogul Satylganov, who celebrated the cherished places in his songs. Any Kyrgyz will point out Mount Shamsikal, the Toktobek-Say gorge, the Toktobek-Tuu mountains, and Ketmentebe. About Mount Shamsikal, located near the village of Torkent, T. Satylganov wrote:
“Shamsikal, oh, holy mountain!
Be kind to my household,
Share your salt with them,
White salt, whiter than silver.”
Even now, shepherds take salt for their sheep from this mountain.
From east to southwest, the valley is crossed by the water-rich Naryn River, which cuts through the mountain ranges with narrow and deep gorges. On the banks of the Naryn River, during the construction of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station, the city of Kara-Kul was established. It is the youngest city (1977) in Kyrgyzstan. The city is built with modern, well-equipped houses with a high level of cultural and domestic services. Here live the builders of another major hydroelectric power station on the Naryn River — the Kurpsai.
10 km from Kara-Kul is the unique high-altitude dam of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Power Station. Its height is 227 m, the length along the crest is 350 m, and the base width is about 150 m. As a result of damming the Naryn River in the lowest part of the Ketmentebin basin at an altitude of about 800 m, the Toktogul Reservoir spread out as a wide man-made sea. It is the largest in Central Asia. The reservoir has a capacity of 20 billion cubic meters of water with a surface area of 284 square km. The dam is located in a narrow rocky canyon with almost vertical walls. Raising clouds of water dust, giant, twisted streams of foam burst from under the dam. In the canyon, the water color is dark green. As the depth decreases, its color becomes bluish, and in shallow waters — with a yellowish tint.
The Toktogul Sea supplies water to about 900 thousand hectares of arid lands in the Fergana Valley and the Hungry Steppe. The reservoir is home to marinka, zherekh, and Turkestan catfish. In the 1980s, carp, grass carp, white amur, Issyk-Kul trout, and Lena sturgeon were introduced here. The coastal areas provide ample opportunities for organizing summer recreation with swimming and water sports. On the southern shore of the reservoir is the "Uch-Terek" spring with salty water at a temperature of 22°. The local population uses this water for medicinal purposes.
To the northeast of the reservoir, in the basin of the Burlykiya and Tuzdusuu rivers, there are karst bowl-shaped depressions. In the picturesque area of Arym, there is a marble quarry, which has been used to clad many buildings in the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
From the north, the Chychkan River flows into the reservoir. This is a small, fast river with transparent clean water. It flows through the most picturesque gorge with steep slopes and whimsical rock formations. Along the banks of the river runs the Tien Shan highway, which gently descends from the Ala-Bel pass (3184 m) into the Ketmentebin basin. Two ridges rising to 4000 m loom over the river — the Talas and Suusamyr ranges. The gorge is open to air currents that bring moisture. The special humidity of the Chychkan valley compared to other areas of the zone has predetermined the abundance of vegetation. The slopes of the gorge and its branches are covered with masses of slender blue Tien Shan spruces, rowan trees, thickets of barberry, wild rose, sea buckthorn, currants, raspberries, and even wild grapes, while the grass reaches human height. The slopes are adorned with colorful scree and rocks covered with moss.
In the upper reaches of the Chychkan River is the Chychkai Hunting Reserve, covering an area of 68.6 thousand hectares, where the protection of the ibex, roe deer, wild boar, argali, maral, bear, lynx, and snow leopard is ensured.
In winter, all slopes are covered with snow, which accumulates in avalanche collectors, especially in the Ketchkyu-Bulak area. In March and April, the accumulated snow collapses into avalanches on the road, burying it for 100—200 m under a layer of up to 10 m. To protect the road, the "Itagar" avalanche station has been created. It is located at an altitude of about 2000 m among dense forests. Here, avalanches are studied, forecasts of avalanche danger are made, and measures to combat them are determined.
In the upper reaches of the Chychkan River, on the crest of Suusamyr-Too, is the Ala-Bel pass, from where the road descends into the Suusamyr valley and then goes into the Chuy and Talas valleys. In the upper reaches of the Bala-Chychkan River (a tributary of Chychkan) is the Ak-Unkur cave ("white cave"), which has two entrances — one above the other.
At an altitude of 1998 m, not far from the city of Kyrgyz energy workers — Kara-Kul, on the slopes of the Fergana range lies the double high-altitude lake of Kara-Suu of the dam type. It is surrounded by mighty rocks with lush vegetation. The steep Tien Shan spruces are replaced by thickets of juniper, which transition into fragrant subalpine meadows filled with flowers and juicy grasses. The lower lake, Chon-Kel, stretches about 11 km, is up to 8 km wide, and up to 200 m deep, filled with the clearest transparent water. The upper lake, Kichi-Kel, is shallower and smaller with a greenish-blue color of water. The shores are overgrown with reeds and berry bushes. The osman and marinka fish are found here. The lake receives water from 10 tributaries, the largest of which flows from the moraine-dammed lake Kapka-Tash, located higher up the Kara-Suu gorge at an altitude of 2305 m. Its area is about one square kilometer, and its depth is up to 50 m. The water has a shade of rich green. The upper part of the gorge is closed off by snowfields and glaciers.
In the gorge of the Uzun-Akmat River, there are unique grottos that impress with the giant sizes of their entrances (up to 80 m). In the upper reaches of the river is the Uzun-Akmat Forest Reserve, covering an area of 500 hectares, created to protect the forest areas of the Semenov fir.
On the territory of the zone, there are hunting farms "Toluk" and "Uzun-Akmat," where licensed hunting of wild boar and ibex is allowed during hunting seasons.
Since ancient times, the basin and surrounding gorges have been inhabited by humans. Evidence of this is the Upper Paleolithic site on the northern shore of the reservoir in the Nichke-Say area (from 40 to 12 thousand years ago), where household tools have been found. In this part of the valley, burial mounds reach up to 50 m in perimeter and up to 6 m in height. They contain the burials of the tribal nobility of the Saka (VII—III centuries BC). Stone sculptures left by ancient tribes (VI—XII centuries) are also found. Well-preserved expressive rock paintings of goats, hunting scenes, economic activities, and magical symbols are located in the Chaar-Tash area (I—V centuries) above the village of Toluk. Excavations of the burial mounds have uncovered gold, bronze, and ceramic household items of the Usuns (1—5 centuries). An interesting object is the gallery of drawings that has survived to this day in the upper reaches of the It-Agar River, a right tributary of the Chychkan River. In the village of Toktogul, there are monuments to the Kyrgyz folk akyn Toktogul Satylganov (1864—1933) and the poet-dramatist Joomart Bokonbaev (1910—1944). On a rock along the Bishkek — Osh road, a portrait of T. Satylganov is carved.