text:
Israeli Coastal Plain

The coastal plain (Hebrew: מישור החוף) is a flat region in Israel that runs along the Mediterranean coast.

Cities
From north to south, the Israeli Coastal Plain can be roughly divided into three groups:

The Sharon plain

 * – Mostly known by the landmark Orot Rabin Power Plant chimneys, where 19% of Israel's electricity is generated.
 * – Many people from Tel Aviv come here for its beach.
 * – A regular city in the Sharon region.
 * – Another regular city in the Sharon region.
 * – Its upscale suburb called Herzliya Pituach is home to many beachfront hotels and expensive residences - a big industrial and commercial center as well as home to many high-tech companies.

Gush Dan

 * – Main center of the country for economy and clubbing.
 * – The city's major focus is chareidi Jewish life.
 * – Less touristic and points of interest for those into early Zionist history.
 * – An eclectic town famous for many things totally unrelated to each other, including diamonds, football, malls, chocolates, Iraqi restaurants, a religious university, and an open-space African safari with lions.
 * – A small suburb in between Bnei Brak and Petah Tikva.
 * – Has one of the biggest water parks in Israel.
 * – A working-class suburb.
 * – Its amusement park is often visited by people from Tel Aviv seeking better thrills than the ones at Luna Park Tel Aviv.
 * – You may stop here on your way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and visit the Tower of Ramla.
 * – Next to the airport.

Southern Coastal Plain

 * – An academic city and home to the Weizmann Institute of Science.
 * – Meeting point of the yellow sand dunes from the south, the green lowland from the east (including the small Lachish river), and the blue Mediterranean Sea from the west.
 * – One of the oldest cities in Israel. Included some untouched dunes.

Other destinations

 * & Zarqa Bay – Extensive archaeological site north along the coast, and beautiful but not crowded beaches.

Understand
The coastal plain stretches from south of Haifa in the north to the Gaza Strip in the south. It is the main economic centre of country, including the Tel Aviv metropolis as well as a number of smaller cities. But the region also contains other sites of interest, including beaches, nature reserves, and archaeological sites.

Historically, the coastal plain was an agricultural region. The northern half of the coastal plain, known as the Sharon, was known for its citrus orchards which exported the famous "Jaffa orange". The southern half, south of Jaffa, mostly consisted of sparsely populated sandy areas. Starting in the early 1900s, the coastal plain was the main destination of Jewish immigrants and refugees who came by boat. Over time this led Tel Aviv to become Israel's most economically important city, while the southern coastal plain became an intensely used agricultural area dotted with many villages, kibbutzim, and moshavim. Nowadays, the fields and orchards of the coastal plain are still present, but they have become economically insignificant compared to the commerce and industry of the Tel Aviv region.

Geographically, in much of the Sharon region, the beaches are lined with cliffs, and agricultural settlements begin immediately above these cliff. There are a number of permanent streams winding through the Sharon region. In the south, there are usually large sand dunes along the coast, with agriculture several kilometers inland. The south is drier, and all the streams are intermittent, flowing only after winter rains.

By train
Most cities in the coastal plain are served by train lines connecting to Tel Aviv. However, the train stations are often inconveniently located on the outskirts of cities.

By bus
There are many bus lines coming from or going through major cities in the Sharon plain region (especially going through Hadera, Netanya and Herzliya) from many places outside the Sharon plain region. There are also express bus lines to various major cities in the Sharon plain region whom head out from Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tiberias.

By car
Highways 2, 4, and 6 cross the coastal plain region from north to south. Highway 6, the Trans-Israel Highway, is a toll road. Highways 2 and 6 are motorways.

Get around
Buses and sheruts are the options of choice. Bus stops can be found at almost every junction and intersection.

Hitch-hiking is possible, but due to the many large highways, it can be quite difficult to find an appropriate place to catch a ride – best to try the slip road that leads to the highway, otherwise at a three lane highway you might wait forever.

See
Besides the sites mentioned for each city, the following are worth mentioning in this region.

Eat and drink
Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above.

Sleep
Mostly covered by the cities mentioned above, but for camping options review the national parks of that region and read the information on the Turtle Bridge and Dor HaBonim Beach above.

Go next

 * Carmel Range, Western Galilee and Lower Galilee (northeast) – All gateway to northern Israel, i.e. the Jezreel Valley (for Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) National Park and Mount Gilboa), the Upper Galilee with the interesting Safed, the Sea of Galilee region and the Golan Heights. Nazareth is the most famous city and a must see in the Galilee.
 * Negev (southeast) – A huge and must-see desert with many amazing sites, including the Ramon Crater, the Small Crater, Ein Avdat and Ein Akev.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Israeli Coastal Plain


text:
Israeli national parks

Israel's national parks and nature reserves, of which there are about 75, are managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Entrance fees are between ₪20-40 and most of the time are discounted for (international) students.

A unique feature of some national parks is the lantern tours offered at night in summer. Details are available here (in Hebrew).

Facilities
The facilities and infrastructure of the parks vary greatly with the importance of each site. Generally, the more significant and well-known a park or site, the better equipped it is and the higher the entrance fee. Places that are rarely visited and are of little interest to foreign tourists are usually free (and are sometimes even missing on the English pages of the park administration), but there is no infrastructure worth mentioning, i.e. paths through the area rather than well-developed paths, and no toilets either or shopping.

At the other end of the spectrum are those top park destinations that are usually presented even on a short one-week tour of the country, e.g. Masada, En Gedi, Caesarea or Bet She'an. At these destinations there is a visitor center with toilets and kiosk or restaurant, and the sites are very well developed and usually at least partially accessible for wheelchair users. Admission here for adults costs ₪20 to 25, sometimes more.

In most parks with a staffed ticket counter, there is a small shop where you can buy drinks, snacks and ice cream, sometimes there are larger souvenir shops with brochures and books. Where appropriate, binoculars can be rented for bird-watching or snorkels in Eilat on the Red Sea.

If, for example, you are restricted in your mobility and want to visit a site or combine your visit with lunch, you should check the article or the park administration website to see whether the park in question allows this.

Overnight accommodation is available in some parks: the areas designated as campsites usually only consist of a more or less shaded area with level ground, the toilet and sanitary infrastructure (partly showers available) of the park can also be used in the evenings during the closing times.

Fees and permits
Simple parks are partly accessible free of charge, as a rule, an entrance fee of ₪25-45 applies for adults as of 2019, there are discounts for pensioners & students, as well as for larger groups.

The Israel Pass is a discount card for visiting several parks (known until 2019 as a “Green Card”). If you visit at least three parks within two weeks, the purchase is worthwhile. There is a Classic and Israel Pass & Ride option, which includes a Rav Nav transit map.

The three variants of the Classic Pass, valid for 14 days from the date of purchase (as of 2019): "blue:" 3 parks for ₪78, "green:" 6 parks for 110 ₪, "orange" any number of parks for ₪150. In terms of price, the Israel Pass & Ride does not offer any advantage, only the fee of ₪5 for the rechargeable local transport value card Rav Nav, which can be purchased elsewhere, is added.

Get in
For most of the parks, the easiest way to get there is to go on an organized tour or rent a car. Only a few parks can be easily reached by public transport; the majority are difficult or almost impossible to get to by train or bus. For more information, see the respective article or on the website of the park administration.

List

 * Ahziv National Park
 * Alexander River National Park
 * Ashkelon National Park
 * Avdat National Park
 * Baram National Park
 * Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park
 * Beit Govrin National Park
 * Beit She'an National Park
 * Beit She'arim National Park
 * Caesarea National Park
 * Castel National Park
 * Cochav Hayarden National Park
 * Corazim National Park
 * Ein Avdat National Park
 * Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park
 * Ein Hemed National Park
 * Eshkol National Park
 * Gan Hashlosha National Park
 * Hamat Tiberias National Park
 * Harod Spring National Park
 * Hermon National Park
 * Herodion National Park
 * Hula Valley Nature Reserve
 * Hurshat Tal National Park
 * Kursi National Park
 * Mamshit National Park
 * Masada National Park
 * Mount Carmel National Park
 * Nimrod Fortress National Park
 * Qumran National Park
 * Sharon National Park
 * Shivta National Park
 * Shomron National Park
 * Tel Arad National Park
 * Tel Beersheva National Park
 * Tel Hazor National Park
 * Tel Megiddo National Park
 * Yarkon National Park
 * Yehiam Fortress National Park
 * Zippori National Park

title: Israeli national parks


text:
Israel National Trail

The Israel National Trail (Hebrew שביל ישראל or Shvil Yisrael) is a marked trail along almost 1,000 km, crossing Israel from north to south.

Understand
The Israel National Trail (INT) crosses historic places, archeological sites and unique landscapes while it zigzags its way from the northern border with Lebanon to the Red Sea through the Sea of Galilee region, Nazareth, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea and the Negev desert.

Consisting of 1,000 km of marked trail, the trail is a diverse path ranging from rivers in the north to the dryness and emptiness of the Negev in the south, to modern and busy Tel Aviv, to the ancient and holy city of Jerusalem.

Swimming in the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River and visiting the Basilica of the Annunciation will take you to the places where Christianity was born. Walking in the land where the Bible stories unfold and seeing the evidence and the archeological sites of many familiar tales from childhood make the trail a holy and spiritual experience for every human being. Crossing many villages and towns, the INT is full of choices and possibilities.

One can sleep near civilization or be one with the wilderness. One can choose to carry five days of food or re-supply almost everyday. It is up to each individual to decide what kind of INT experience is right for him/her.

The INT gives one the chance to experience superb desert scenery in a relatively accessible way. When hiking the INT, one is never more than a one day's hike from a road or two days to a reliable water source. Magnificent desert colors, animals and flowers are some of the many wonderful highlights.

In Israel, the majority of people speak English as a second language and are more than willing to help. One will not recognize this picturesque Israel from the pictures seen on television news, which typically only depict the conflict which occurs in small sections of a largely conflict-free land. One who visits will have a better understanding of the place that is constantly in world headlines.

Route
 { "type": "ExternalData", "service": "geoline", "ids": "Q583897", "properties": { "title": "Israel National Trail", "stroke": "#003e81", "stroke-width": 5 } } North to south:

This is the most common way, and it has certain benefits:
 * The northern part is easier and gives your body a better chance to get in shape, acclimatize and adjust to the trail life. The amount of water you need to carry is smaller and again it gives your body time to get stronger.
 * During the spring start in early March or late February in Eilat. You will each the north with all the green and flowers still at their peak.
 * In spring consider starting in Tel Aviv and go south. From Eilat take a bus to Dan and go to Tel Aviv. The finish in Tel Aviv is very rewarding.
 * The finish line of Eilat is generally more rewarding than the region of Dan in the north. Eilat is a resort town filled with luxury hotels, which will likely be more relaxing and rewarding than Kibbutz Dan's, especially when contrasted to the desert that one is exiting.
 * There are many more villages and kibbutzes on the northern part with more resupply possibilities. For most of the hikers it's the first long trail they have experienced and many mistakes are made with water, food and gear. These mistakes are much easier to fix on the northern part of the trail. By the time one gets to the desert, important lessons on water and food quantities and gear should have been learned.
 * Expect however more rainy days in the north during March-April and consequently more delays.

South to north:
 * If one is hiking in the spring it makes more sense to hike the desert section before it gets too hot. Hiking in May in the desert is associated with more very hot days when one must stop the day's hike at about 10:00 and continue hiking in the afternoon, when temperatures drop.
 * There is a higher likelihood of experiencing desert floods after a heavy rain, which are beautiful. However, such rains and floods can also be dangerous. Floods are not frequent in the desert section of INT.

Galilee
Galilee Panhandle (Kibbutz Dan, Tel Dan, Hasbani River, Ma'ayan Baruch, Kfar Giladi, Tel Hai), Mount Meron, near Safed (Upper Galilee), Hukok (Kibbutz), Mount Arbel, Sea of Galilee, Tiberias, Jordan River, Mount Tavor, Nazareth, Zippori

Carmel Range
Yagur (Kibbutz), Carmel Range, Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve, near Zikhron Ya'akov

Coastal Plain
Caesarea, Hadera, Nahal Alexander, Netanya, Herzliya, northern Tel Aviv, Antipatris, Givat HaShlosha (Kibbutz near Petah Tikva), Mazor Mausoleum

Shfela and Jerusalem Mountains
Ben Shemen Forest, Ajalon, Latrun, Burma Road, Tzova (Kibbutz), near Jerusalem (connecting to the Jerusalem Trail), Netiv HaLamed-Heh (Kibbutz), Beth Guvrin, Tel Lachish

Negev
Dvir (Kibbutz), Lahav (Kibbutz near Lehavim), Metar, Arad, HaMakhtesh HaKatan, Sde Boker (Kibbutz), Mitzpe Ramon, Arabah, Neot Semadar (Kibbutz), Timna Valley, Eilat Mountains, Eilat

Prepare

 * Also consult the guide for Hiking and Backpacking in Israel

The trail is approximately 1,000 km (625 miles) long. For the average hiker, it should take from 40 to 60 days.

When to go
There are two good seasons: October to November, and February to mid-May. During February to mid-May, the landscape is green and the flowers are blooming, more water is available in the creeks, and the rivers up north are much more impressive. Winter is also a good time to hike the INT. In both seasons you can expect rain in the northern part of the trail. A tent or tarp and rain gear would be good to have in winter.

Supplies and water
The trail passes near towns and places where one can buy food and resupply more often than you need. One wouldn’t need to carry more than five day's worth of food. Every village, town and kibbutz usually has a grocery store. As may be expected, the bigger the community, the bigger and better-supplied the stores will be. Notice not to arive to settlements that are critical for stocking up on food and water such as Arad, Mitzpe Ramon, Neot Samdar and Tzopar, on Saturday, which is a day when the shops are closed, or on Friday, when the shops close around 2 P.M.

Until one gets to Arad traveling southward (assuming no abnormally hot conditions), five liters per person per day should be enough for drinking and cooking. More would be necessary for "bottled showers" or dish-washing. There is no place along this northern part that one would need to carry more than one day's water supply.

From Arad to Eilat 6-7 liters per day are needed. One would have a 2-3 days between water sources. You should cache water in the desert in designated places. On hot days (over 30°C) more water is needed.

There are many places that extra water supplies would be useful to have "stashed" ahead of time on the trail. South of Arad (Wadi Hemar, Meizad Tamar), bottom of small crater, the large crater (north & south), Ein Akev or Wadi Hava, Wadi Geled, before Barak Canyon, wadi Zihor, Shehoret Canyon and Ein Netafim. A complete updated list of water points is available from the ITC.

Safety
There has never been a reported incident of anyone, foreign or national, experiencing conflict on the trail. Contrarily, many hikers have reported that they have been welcomed both by Arab and Jewish communities through which the trail passes.

Most of the trail between Beit Guvrin and Naot Smadar passes relatively close to training areas of the Israeli army. Therefore, it is very important in these places not to deviate from the path so as not to fall into the same training areas. That's why if you hear gunshots or explosions especially in the remote areas of the Negev desert on weekdays. You will know that these are trainings of the Israeli army.

The trail between Mount Amsha and Arad passes by Bedouin villages, where live a population considered the poorest in Israel. Beware of the dogs that are near these villages as they are not used as pets. Therefore they will be relatively aggressive and can bite travelers.

Trail markers
The trail is marked all the way in orange, blue and white. The "up" color points the direction. White up it's north, orange up south. It's difficult to get lost.

Costs
In general, you do not have to pay any fee to use the trail. Having said that, crossing through a national park, the park might require you to pay a fee. For instance, the Israel National Trail goes straight through Timna Park before Eilat, which has a steep entrance fee of ₪49. For other parks best consult a map.

Resources
In 2020 the fourth edition of the guide in English was published. The guide contains highly detailed topographical maps (1:50,000) of the trail in English, a hike description in both southbound and northbound direction, and a lot of useful information about the trail. The cost of the guide + maps is very reasonable.

There is also an excellent Guide in Hebrew published by the Israeli publisher "Eshkol". It includes all the topographical maps of the trail.

There are very detailed topographical maps of Israel as well. They are available from the ITC directly or at book stores, but they are Hebrew-only and rather expensive (around ₪100). Water sources are marked, but they're not reliable. There are no recommendations on places to stay or good campsite markers on the ITC maps.

There are some English resources on the trail:

 * English language guide book. Hike the land of Israel, all the topographical maps of the INT in English (1:50,000) are included in the INT guide book. ISBN 9789654205917.
 * Israel National Trail Travel Guide Includes elevation gain and mileage, detailed descriptions of each trail suggested places for breaks, and opportunities to take it a bit further for a hidden gem that is not on the trail’s route.
 * List of trail angels in English
 * Israel National Trail forum
 * The ITC offers a (Hebrew-only) seminar on hiking the Israel Trail.
 * Maps (in Hebrew) - A set consists of 14 laminated topographical maps, costing ~US$20 per map. Each map weighs about 150 grams (~5 ounces). A free downloadable version is available here.
 * Maps (in Hebrew) - A set consists of 14 laminated topographical maps, costing ~US$20 per map. Each map weighs about 150 grams (~5 ounces). A free downloadable version is available here.

 * Walk About Love Journey - Annual journey walking of the entire trail in an international group open to everyone

 * "Walk the Land - A Journey on Foot through Israel", ISBN 9780975961957, a travel memoir

 * Jesus Trail - This website has maps and GPS tracks for a large portion of the Israel Trail in the Galilee (Migdal to Tabor), as well as detailed planning information for hiking in Israel
 * Israel National Trail - Maps, guides & other resources.

History
When Avraham Tamir, a journalist and writer (for the children's magazine, Thing for Children), hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1980, he came up with the inspiration for the Israel Trail. Upon returning to Israel, Tamir approached ITC (ITC, the Israel Trails Committee, is housed by SPNI, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel) Director Ori Devir with the idea. A long-time veteran and founder of SPNI, Ori Devir contemplated the idea, fell in love it, and began the long process of establishing the Trail. Devir and his team collected ideas and feedback from tour guides, park rangers, hikers and veteran nature lovers. After much investigation, bureaucracy and hard work, 15 years later ITC opened the Israel Trail with then President Ezer Weitzman conducting the ceremony on Passover 1995.

Most of the Israel Trail was patched together from the network of thousands of kilometers of pre-existing trails across the country. The trail system stringently protects environmental concerns and each region's character. The Israel Trail was intended for hiking by foot only, but as a result of jeeps driving the trails, some sections of the trail are now accessible not only to jeeps, but to regular private cars. You can get to the trail by foot, car and even public transit. Along the trail, informational signs feature maps, background on the area and interesting sites, trail rules and emergency phone numbers.

In 1994, Yariv Ya'ari was the first person to hike the entire Israel Trail and he completed the trail in 21 days. More and more people began to hike the Israel Trail and today tens of thousands of people hike the Israel Trail every year! In October 2006, Avraham Tamir's young son Mickey Tamir hiked the Israel Trail to mark his father's 100th birthday and his own 60th birthday. Thousands of groups hike a section of the Israel Trail, hiking once a month or so, until they complete the entire trail within two years.

title: Israel National Trail


text:
Issaquah

Issaquah is a city of 40,000 people (2019) in King County in the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

By car

 * I-90.svg Interstate 90 (I-90) eastbound, take exit 15 or exit 17 (Front Street). The main east-west roads are Gilman and Newport Way.  Front Street runs north-south through downtown.
 * WA-18.svg Connects I-5 (exit 142A) in Federal Way to I-90 (exit 25) in Snoqualmie through Auburn, Covington, Black Diamond, and Maple Valley. From SR-18 take Issaquah Hobart Road in Tiger Mountain into town which becomes Front St.
 * WA-900.svg 17th Ave NW winds its way from downtown Issaquah (exit 15 of I-90), through Cougar Mountain Wildlife Park, to I-405 (exit 5) in Renton as Sunset Blvd NE.
 * East Lake Sammamish Pkwy goes along the east side of Lake Sammamish from Front St & I-90 (I-90.svg) at Exit #17, north of Issaquah, to its intersection with SR-202 just east of downtown Redmond. Front St continues south though Issaquah and connects to  WA-18.svg at "Issaquah-Hobart Rd".
 * West Lake Sammamish Pkwy goes  along the west side of Lake Sammamish to Exit #13 of I-90 (Lakewood Blvd) just west of Issaquah.

By bus
Intercity bus services operating beyond the region mostly stop in Seattle.

By bicycle
Bike lanes run east-west along W Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE (north of I-90, preferred) and Newport Way NW (south of I-90). If coming from Sammamish, it is recommended you avoid the segment of Front Street/East Lake Sammamish between Gilman and SE 56th as there is no bike lane until you've crossed through one of Issaquah's busiest retail areas. (Alternate route takes you along the soft trail past this.)

Get around
Issaquah is best accessed by car, although bicycling is a viable option. Issaquah also has a network of hiking and walking trails which extend through the Gilman Blvd shopping district to Lake Sammamish State Park. It is possible to walk from Issaquah to Redmond, WA on this trail network.

By public transit
The transportation hub (bus station) in Issaquah is the on NW Maple St & 17th Ave NW. The Issaquah TC offers routes with service to Downtown Seattle (214, 554); UW in the U-District (271,556); Bellevue (214,271,556); Redmond (269,554); North Bend via Snoqualmie (208); and other surrounding cities (208,269,271,545,556).

 * Operating regional bus services on bus routes 554 and 556.
 * Operating regional bus services on bus routes 554 and 556.
 * Operating regional bus services on bus routes 554 and 556.

By bicycle
Bike lanes run east-west on Gilman, though alternative routes (Newport Way, W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy -- see above) have less traffic. If you need to cross I-90, the best route is the pedestrian trail adjacent to 4th Ave NW. Front Street/Issaquah Pine Lake between Gilman and SE 56th street has extremely heavy vehicle traffic.

Do

 * Hiking the Issaquah Alps, consisting of nearby Cougar, Squak and Tiger Mountains.
 * Hiking the Issaquah Alps, consisting of nearby Cougar, Squak and Tiger Mountains.

Go next

 * Seattle, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest
 * Nearby Eastside cities: Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, and North Bend
 * The beautiful Cascades, rising up to the east of Issaquah, with numerous recreational opportunities.

title: Issaquah


text:
Issoudun

Issoudun is a city in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Indre department.

Understand
Issoudun is on the Way of St. James pilgrimage. French novelist Honore de Balzac came to Issoudun several times to visit friends. He describes the city in one of his novel 'La Rabouilleuse'.

By train
Issoudun can be reached by train from Orleans (1 hour), Vierzon, Chateauroux.

See

 * Saint-Cyr Church (L' eglise Saint-Cyr)
 * Beffroi
 * City Hall (L' hotel de ville)
 * The White Tower (La Tour Blanche)
 * The mirrors fountain (La Fontaine aux Miroirs). In front of the City Hall.
 * The castle town (Le quartier du Chateau).Between the Beffroi, the City Hall and Saint-Jacques tower, nice medieval houses.
 * La cite des metiers d'art is a renovated industrial hall, next to the train station.
 * Francois-Mitterand Park (Le parc Francois Mitterand)
 * Frapesle Manor (Le Chateau de Frapesle). The place where Balzac spent some time. It's a private manor today but the poplar trees alley to reach it is nice for a walk. 20 minutes by foot out of town.
 * Frapesle Manor (Le Chateau de Frapesle). The place where Balzac spent some time. It's a private manor today but the poplar trees alley to reach it is nice for a walk. 20 minutes by foot out of town.

title: Issoudun


text:
Issyk Kul

Issyk Kul (Kyrgyz: Ысык көл Ysyk Köl, Russian: Иссык-Куль) is a lake in Kyrgyzstan. The name refers both to the lake and the oblast (region) containing the lake. The region is centered around the massive Issyk Kul lake, which is the second largest alpine lake in the world. It is completely ringed by the massive snow-capped Tian Shan mountains that lie between 3,000 and 4,000 m.

Cities and villages

 * – the gateway to Issyk Kul, Balykchy is a small, dying industrial center on the western shore, and a former fishing town, with a train service from Bishkek through the beautiful Chui Valley
 * – a laid-back village east of Tamga, for horse treks and eagle shows
 * – an upscale summer resort town and central city for tourism surrounded by mountains, with the popular Grigorievskoe Trail nearby and most of the resorts within 50 km
 * – a small lakeside picturesque town, where you can (literally!) have a radioactive bath, climb the nearby Tashta Ata Mountain, or have a magnificent view from the Shatyly Panorama outlook. Its twin village Kadji-Sai 2 is a popular beach resort at the highway
 * – mainly a beach resort, overnight yurt stays and horseback riding trips can be arranged here, too
 * – town with a red sand beach; named after the nearby petroglyphs

There are plenty of smaller villages at lake shore, with cheaper accommodation and less tourists.

Understand
Issyk Kul is a slightly saline deep water body. Years of over-fishing have decimated its fisheries and many of the smoked fish sold in the surrounding cities come from other alpine lakes. Due to a lack of reasonable control on tourism, many sub-standard and unfinished low quality tourism resorts ring the lake's north shore. Nevertheless, there still remain numerous places to appreciate the true beauty of Issyk Kul.

A mountain pass road being constructed between Issyk Kul and Almaty, Kazakhstan is set to increase the number of tourists in the coming years and without government controls on development, exposing the lake to more tourists will only deplete its natural beauty. The Issyk Kul lake reaches to 663 m deep in the center. The east end of the lake was also once used as a torpedo testing site by the Soviet Navy, making the region off limits to foreigners for a period of time. Issyk Kul is divided between the more populated and touristy North Shore and the more rugged and less populated South Shore.

Talk
Russian and Kyrgyz are the primary languages. Some hospitality staff may speak English, but it is much more helpful to know basic Russian.

By bus
The simplest way to reach Issyk Kul is by minibus from Bishkek western bus station (Западный автовокзал Zapadniy avtovokzal). There are minibuses that goes over northern or southern shore, you can arrange with driver to stop at your desired village. The price is 280 som to Cholpon Ata and about 350 som to Karakol.

By taxi
You can arrange a van or taxi from Almaty or Bishkek. A hired driver one-way from Bishkek will cost up to US$100. Leave from the western bus station (Западный автовокзал Zapadniy avtovokzal) to get to Issyk Kul. A seat in a 4-person shared car to Cholpon Ata will cost about 500–1000 som. Beware that prices may differ largely between different drivers and be prepared to bargain. You may wish to team up with other travelers (or locals) and negotiate a price together, locals often pleased to ensure that you pay the local fare. Prices may be higher on weekends or peak season.

By train
There is also a scenic train ride from Bishkek to Balykchy (see here for more details). The train is slower than bus or taxi, and there is only one train to Balykchy departing early morning and returning back at afternoon. But the train ride boasts amazing views of the mountain pass. And the tickets are very cheap, for 69 som.

By bus
All of the larger cities have bus stations with frequent marshrutkas. If you are in a smaller city, town or village, you might have to head to the highway around the lake to catch a marshrutka.

By autostop
Hitching a ride around the lake or into any direction is easy—see Kyrgyzstan. This can be especially useful if you leave the main road around the lake and head for instance into the mountains, where there is no public transport.

By taxi
Most bus stations have a taxi stand nearby where you can negotiate additional rides. But also in smaller cities, towns or villages, you can just ask around for a car and driver—there are plenty.

See
The locally published Spektator magazine had an online guide to circumnavigating Issyk Kul.

Do
Issyk Kul is also ringed by hundreds of kilometers of beaches popular for swimming and sunning.

Eat
Most of the restaurants serve "national and European" cuisine, which amounts to local and Russian food. There are few restaurants catering to western tastes. Most locals pack their own food and prepare in their hotel rooms and on the beach. You can find numerous shashlik stands in the summer serving marinated grilled lamb and beef.

Drink
Some locals believe drinking the slightly saline water of Issyk Kul has health benefits. But, there is a uranium tailing pond on the south shore, that likely runs off into the lake.

Stay safe
There are no lifeguards at any of the beaches. There are no nudist beaches and women being topless is quite rare, but local custom has no aversion to extremely skimpy swimsuits.

Beware, as the lake sits at 1,600 m above sea level, the UV rays are far more damaging to your skin than they are at sea level. Wear sunscreen.

title: Issyk Kul


text:
Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan

Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan is a region and administrative district in the east of Kyrgyzstan.

Regions
The following raions and regions contain further information:
 * – surrounded by the massive snowcapped Tian Shan, this is the main attraction of the region (and the country, for that matter) with a touristy north shore and a rugged south shore

 * – a rural area and raion far east
 * – a rural area and raion that comprises much of the eastern end of the Teskey Ala-Too Range
 * – a rural area with salt lakes and historic sites on the southwest shore of Issyk Kul

Cities

 * – The gateway to Issyk Kul, Balykchy is a small, dying industrial center on the western shore, and a former fishing town, with a train service from Bishkek through a beautiful passant Chui Valley.
 * – A laid-back village east of Tamga, horse treks and eagle shows.
 * – An upscale summer resort town and central city for tourism surrounded by mountains, with the popular Grigorievskoe Trail nearby and most of the resorts within 50 km.
 * – Kyrgyzstan's most eastern village and formerly mining town, jump off point to the picturesque border region for skiing and impressive hiking.
 * – A small lakeside picturesque town, where you can (literally!) have a radioactive bath, climb the nearby Tashta Ata Mountain, or have a magnificent view from the Shatyly Panorama outlook. Its twin village Kadji-Sai 2 is a popular beach resort at the highway.
 * – One of the gems of Issyk Kul, this began as a Slavic settlement with a wealth of hiking, outdoor and sports available, including the Altyn Arashan hot springs, Karakol Canyon, and the beautiful Ala Kul glacier lake.
 * – mainly a beach resort, overnight yurt stays and horseback riding trips can be arranged here, too
 * – named after the nearby petroglyphs, this is a town with a red sand beach; Fairy Tale Canyon is a geological curiosity nearby

Understand
The region's shimmering Issyk Kul lake and the towering Tian Shan mountains are two of the biggest draws for travelers in Kyrgyzstan, and they dominate the views over this portion of the country.

The Tian Shan mountain range is part of the Greater Himalaya complex of mountains, running north from the Pamir Knot nearly 3,000 Km to around Urumqi. The borders between China and various Central Asian countries run along the Tian Shan for much of its length.

Get in
Due to the attractiveness and accessibility of the region, it is the one served most by marshrutkas, people in cars (see Kyrgyzstan), and (shared) taxis. Checkout the specific articles of the region, specifically Issyk Kul, Cholpon-Ata, and Karakol.

Get around
Numerous marshrutkas and shared taxis connect all cities, towns and villages along the main routes, and it is easy to get around. As always, relying on hitchhiking can be efficient, economical, and a great way to get into more remote places in this region. But of course, any taxi driver will be willing to take you as well, for the right amount of money—bargain hard if you look like a tourist.

Do

 * See the salt lakes in Tong District and near Tamga village.
 * For hot springs, checkout Kadji Sai, and a few more in Tong.

Hiking
There are many routes for hiking into the mountains surrounding Issyk Kul, especially in Ak-Suu.

Eat and drink
Please see the relevant city articles for details.

Sleep
There is virtually an infinite number of free camp sites available. If you want to stick with proven ones, checkout OpenStreetMap. Also, to the southern side of Issyk Kul, many yurts catering for tourists can be found along the side roads (south of the highway) leading to the various sights in this area, between Kara-Talaa and Tosor.

title: Issyk Kul and the Tian Shan


text:
Istalif

Istalif is a village in northern Kabul province, Afghanistan. The village itself makes for a nice wander, with good views and plenty of shade under the trees. However the valley offers some excellent hiking, both in summer and winter.

Get in
About an hours drive north of Kabul. There are two roads into the village from the main Kabul highway - the southernmost winds through the hills whilst the second is more direct and goes straight to the pottery shop street.

See
The ruins of the hotel makes for an interesting wander - with superb views over the Shomali Plain.

Do
Hike up the river valley.

Buy
Istalif is famed for its pottery - supply far outweighs demand so prices are more than reasonable - and who wouldn't want a glazed dish with 'Made in Afghanistan' stamped on the bottom?

Eat
Tea and kebabs under the trees.

Sleep
The oddly named HydroLight Lodge offers western comforts such as electricity and hot showers. The place was built with the expat in mind.

title: Istalif