Karakol, on the eastern side of Lake Issyk-Kul, is a traveler’s favourite.

Just developed enough to provide the infrastructure and comfort tourists need, it still retains its village atmosphere. The Sunday market is the place to be if you need a horse or want to buy a sheep to throw a party. You’re likely to not need any animal, in which case you can just enjoy the ruckus of the animal market with your camera close to hand.

Karakol is also a hiker’s hub. Mountaineers wait here to be helicoptered in to the Khan Tengri base camp for their ascent, while everyone else heads to the Altyn Arashan valley. This broad, lush valley holds weeks of hiking in its hinterland. If that sounds boring, there is a plan B: you’ll love watching the horses roam free from one of the open-air hot springs that line the valley.