Twenty-fifth of the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic is occupied by reserves and natural parks. On an area of 800 thousand square kilometers there are 6 reserves, 8 national parks, 67 natural parks and 2 biosphere reserves recognized by UNESCO.
The Ala-Archa gorge and national park are located just 35 kilometers from Bishkek, this is one of the most popular holiday destinations for both tourists and residents of the capital.
Ala-Archa is located on the central and highest part of the Kyrgyz Range - the second longest range of the Tien Shan. The height of some peaks here exceeds 4 thousand meters above sea level.
The Issyk-Kul Biosphere Reserve is the largest in the Kyrgyz Republic, its area is 19 thousand hectares. It was created in 1941 to protect the unique species of animals and birds wintering near the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. These are Marco Polo sheep, and ibexes, the Tien Shan brown bear and the snow leopard. The reserve is one of 338 world reserves recognized by the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program.
This reserve in the Naryn region is divided into three zones - these are forests and two lakes, Son-Kul and Chatyr-Kul. The reserve occupies 72 thousand hectares.
Three reserves of the country - Sary-Chelek, Besh-Aral and Padyshatinsky - are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
