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On the road from Bishkek to Issyk Kul, 125 km from Bishkek, are the Konorchak Canyons. They are approached by crossing onto the right hand side of the Chui river after Red Bridge and making your way through a stony labyrinth.
The canyons stretch for a total nearly 200 km and to see them in their entirity would take a long time – but it is possible to spend a few days exploring the spectacular scenery. The canyons have romantic names like “Grand Canyon”, “Bobsleigh” and “Skyskraper”. They were formed about one and a half to two million years ago and since that time erosion by wind and water has turned a plain plateau into gigantic stone pillars, some of which are 400-500 meters high. One of the sights of the canyons is a "dry waterfall" - all that remains of a waterfall that flowed here long ago - and which, according to local folklore, emits a "black slush" once a year.
The whitish clay in the area gives evidence that Lake Issyk Kul once extended this far.
One peculiarity of the Konorchak Canyons is that plants growing there tend to be very large – much larger than usual. One of the main attractions at Konorchak is an extinct volcano, Segizkhan Shokhy, dating back to 2.5-3 million years ago with slopes covered with fossilized seashells the size of the child's fist and the remnants of lava.
During the summer months the air in the canyons is hot, dry and dusty. The winter, however, can be severe although the canyons see almost no precipitation at any season of the year - between 1980 and 1990 the canyons received no snowfall at all, and in the last decade of the twentieth century snow has fallen twice. If the air temperature in Bishkek is 20 degrees below zero, in the Konorchak Canyons it is +5 degrees - however, in recent times the climate in the Canyons is becoming a little colder.
There are many legends about the canyons and local folklore has it that any horse that strays into the canyon will not emerge alive. Despite this, it is claimed to be their favourite valley in the Kyrgyz range by many of the locals.
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