Kyrgyzstan climate
The climate in Kyrgyzstan is continental: the summers are dry and hot, the winters cold. The temperature fluctuations during the day are high. In the southern part of the country, temperatures of up to 45 °C can be measured in summer. The typical summer highs are around 30 ° C, which drop to 15 °C at night. In winter the temperatures are around 0 ° C, but can drop to -24 ° C. Temperatures rise rapidly in spring.
Best time to go to Kyrgyzstan
At lower altitudes, spring and autumn are probably the best seasons to visit – especially April to early June and September to October. In spring the steppe blooms for a short time, while in the autumn harvest season the markets are filled with fresh products.
Summer is very hot in the lowlands, but July and August are the best months to visit the mountains. In November and snow, cold rain sets in and the passes will soon be closed. The ski season in the Upper Ala Archa Mountains lasts from December to April. The winters in the mountains are very cold.
Money
Currency: 1 Som corresponds to 100 Tyjyn
Currency abbreviation: KGS (ISO code), KS – ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG
Banknotes are in circulation of 1, 10 and 50 tyyyn and 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 som. Coins are used in amounts of 10 and 50 tyyyn and 1, 3 and 5 som.
Exchange rate:
October 2009
1 US dollar = 44.2 som
1 euro = 65.0 som
1 swiss franc = 43.0 som
Sightseeing
However, there is still a lot on offer. So you shouldn’t miss Kotschkor. It is a small mountain town with a wonderful landscape. The highlight of Kotschkors is the felt museum there.In Kyrgyzstan there are unfortunately not many sights on the building level, as the country’s inhabitants were nomads until the twentieth century.
Arslanbobs is also worth seeing. Arslanbobs is a very small place, but it has fantastic flora and fauna. The place primarily tries to attract visitors through a huge waterfall and a cave, which is said to have been inhabited by a daughter of Mohammed for a time.
There are also some religious buildings to be seen in Krigisistan. One should not miss the orthodox churches of Djibek Jolu, Togolok Moldo and the mosques Gogolja and Moskowskaja.
The Burana Tower is also worth a visit. The tower was formerly a minaret and dates from the eleventh century. At that time it was 45 meters high. Since it has decayed heavily today, its height is only 24 meters.
The rocket launch site is also worth a visit.
Worth seeing is Lake Issykkul, the second largest mountain lake in the world.
Nature lovers should not miss the Ala Archa National Park. There is a fantastic flora and fauna to see here.
Other places of interest in Kyrgyzstan are the Tienschan Mountains, as well as the highest mountain in the country, the Dschengisch Tschokusulm. It has a height of more than seven thousand meters.