Besh Tash, Kyrgyzstan

To the south of Talas, lies the valley of Besh Tash (”five stones”).  This name originates from the five narrow, tall stones standing in the upper part of the park. There is a legend connected to these stones that tells about five robbers who lived in these mountains and robbed everybody who passed nearby. Once they robbed a nun and she damned them, so they turned into stones. The stones are still standing in a line. Locals say that ancestors put them this way. Probably it was the site of ancient sun worshippers…

But who knows?  The road climbs slowly at first and follows the Besh Tash river to a height of 2997 meters a.s.l., where there are some mountain lakes. Constantly changing, wild, spectacular mountain scenery and the fact that you are unlikely to meet other foreigners make this an interesting venue for either a day trip out of Talas, or as a base for a longer camping/trekking expedition.