Tash-Tyube: Etshkili-Too and the Talas Region

• Etshkili-Too lies in a valley running northwest to southeast in the northeastern part of Etshkili.
• The Besh-Tash Nature Park is in the Talas Region, not in Tash-Tyube itself. It lies in the Talas Valley on the central northern slope of the Talas Alatau and covers 32,411 hectares.

The Manas Ordo cultural landscape lies in the upper Talas Valley on the right bank of the Kenkol, a tributary of the Talas, at the entrance to the Kenkol Gorge. The Kenkol burial ground is located within the Manas Ordo area. Its kurgans date from the end of the 1st millennium BCE to the first half of the 1st millennium CE and are associated with the Huns. Petroglyphs near the burial ground reflect the economic and ceremonial life of the nomadic population.

A 14th-century mausoleum in the Manas Ordo cultural landscape is traditionally associated by the Kyrgyz people with the epic hero Manas. The cultural landscape also includes rituals and ceremonies connected with the initiation of Manaschi, the storytellers of the national epic Manas. Üch-Kümböz Cemetery and Nyldy-Ata Mazar are designated pilgrimage sites in the Talas Region.

Besh-Tash Nature Park in the Talas Region was established in 1996 to protect a natural complex and biodiversity in northwestern Kyrgyzstan. An official 2025 report lists more than 800 species of higher plants in Besh-Tash Nature Park in the Talas Region. The Besh-Tash River in the Talas Region is also an important habitat: Osman fish are found there.

The Besh-Tash Valley is part of the Talas Region, not Tash-Tyube itself; a 15-kilometre trail runs along a river gorge there. Below peaks less than 4,000 metres high, the trail opens onto alpine meadows; seasonal conditions may vary. The Besh-Tash Valley in the Talas Region can be reached by road from the city of Talas. Check local road conditions before driving to the Besh-Tash Valley in the Talas Region. The road to Talas in the Talas Region crosses the high-altitude Too-Ashuu and Otmok passes; seasonal conditions there can also change.

A statement published by the Kyrgyz Tourism Department in May 2021 described four major tourist routes. Destinations mentioned at the time included the Manas Ordo National Complex, Besh-Tash Nature Park, the Urmaral Valley, an open-air museum with figures from the works of Ch. Aitmatov, and the Kirov Reservoir. The route description dates from 2021; check the current route status before making specific plans.

Yurts are set up at Üyür-Maral in summer. Seasonal recreation is organized there for tourists and the local population. This seasonal focus differs from the region’s cultural and natural themes and may be a consideration when choosing when to travel.

Where is the Etshkili-Too rock art site?

Etshkili-Too lies in a valley running northwest to southeast in the northeastern part of Etshkili, 4.5 kilometres southwest of the village of Tash-Tyube.

What historical connections are there at Manas Ordo and Kenkol?

The kurgans of the Kenkol burial ground date from the end of the 1st millennium BCE to the first half of the 1st millennium CE. A 14th-century mausoleum in the Manas Ordo cultural landscape is traditionally associated with Manas.

When are yurts set up at Üyür-Maral?

Yurts are set up there in summer; recreation for tourists and the local population is organized seasonally.

For the broader travel overview: Manas.