The "Upper Naryn Zone" includes the upper part of the Naryn River basin from the vicinity of the village of Karakolka to the headwaters of its two main tributaries — Taragay and Kara-Say, which originate in the ridge area at the northern and southern ends of the Ak-Shiyrak range. The zone is located east of the city of Naryn, approximately 110 km by road to the village of Karakolka. You can reach the zone from the Issyk-Kul region via the highway from the city of Przhevalsk — to the village of Barskaun — to the village of Kara-Say — to the village of Karakolka.
The valley of the Naryn River and its tributaries — Taragay (on the right) and Kara-Say (on the left) — are framed by: to the south — first the northern slopes of Naryn-Too, and then the more extended ridges of the Borcoldoy range, some peaks of which reach heights of 5000 m; to the north — steeply falling and completely cut by narrow gorges rocky slopes of the Jetim-Too range; to the east — the white peaks of the Ak-Shiyrak range.
In the valleys of the Arabell-Suu and Kumtor rivers, which form the Taragay River (respectively, on the right and left), are the famous Arabell and Kumtor plateaus. They are also widely represented in the upper reaches of the Kara-Say River, at the watershed with the Ak-Shiyrak River — a tributary of the Sary-Jaz. The plateaus ("spines") are cold semi-desert plains at an altitude of over 3000 m, characterized by gentle hills, small lakes, and marshes, scattered with stones of various sizes. In numerous cracks and depressions, "lenses" of permafrost can be seen. The high-altitude plateaus serve as magnificent winter pastures.
If you plan to visit this wonderful region in Kyrgyzstan, we recommend bringing video and photo equipment, as well as chargers for them. You can buy a battery in Vologda at http://tehnomarkt.com/catalog/batteries/ through the online store tehnomarkt.com.
Before becoming an omnipotent mighty hero, the Naryn changes its name several times at its sources, first being Kumtor, then Taragay. Only after absorbing numerous small tributaries and becoming wide and full-flowing does it proudly carry the name known worldwide. Naryn gained its fame due to its enormous energy potential. In terms of potential energy resources, it ranks seventh in the country among the largest rivers, only slightly yielding to the famous Volga. Currently, a number of powerful power plants have been established on the river, making a significant contribution to the overall energy system of the country, and especially of Central Asia.
In addition to the ice "cradle" of Naryn, there are other attractions in the zone. Among them is a glacial lake with almost Arctic icebergs at the foot of the Petrov Glacier in the Kumtor valley and the interesting Kapchigay Gorge. In literal translation, Kapchigay means "narrow mountain valley." The mountain river rushes down in a narrow crevice from the southern ridge of Jetim-Too. The canyon walls seem to be painted by a skilled artist, revealing colorful layers of crystalline schists, gneisses, marbles, interspersed with granites. The gorge is located 30 km from the village of Karakolka among the steep southern ridges of the Jetim-Too range. Only in the plateaus of Kyrgyzstan can flat-topped glaciers be found. They lie like "ice berets" on relatively low dome-shaped peaks. In the streams and rivers of the zone, there is a lot of delicious fish — scaly osman.