The best museums Karakol

If you're lucky enough to be in Karakol on Saturday evening, get up before dawn the next day. Every Sunday there's a gigantic livestock market, one of the biggest in the country along with Öuzgen. Cows, sheep and, of course, horses are bought and sold by the herd between 2 and 6 am. The following five hours are reserved for individuals who come to buy a few head for a wedding or a birthday. In both cases, you'll find an atmosphere like no other, and a hustle and bustle worthy of the Palais Brongniart!

Built in 1908, it was the first city racecourse in Tsarist Russia. It owes its existence to a very romantic love story between an officer of the czar and the daughter of General Petrakov. The general strongly opposed the marriage of his daughter Elena to the young captain Pianovsky, so the two lovers decided to flee from Tashkent. They seized the General's best horses and galloped to Karakol, where they took refuge and built the racecourse, which still sometimes hosts horse races.

The museum, opened to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the death of Nikolai Przhevalsky (1839-1888), traces the life of the famous 19th century Russian explorer by exhibiting engravings dating from his travels as well as some extracts from his publications and journals. Linger in the first room where, around a globe, are presented the four successive great expeditions in Central Asia of the man who gave his name to the small prehistoric horse that has now disappeared from the Central Asian landscape. The number of individuals was so small that inbreeding accelerated their near-extinction, before attempts at reintroduction were made in Kazakhstan. Don't miss to carefully observe the murals, which seem to move as the angle of vision changes. The second room is interesting for photos of Kyrgyzstan at the time of the explorations. It shows the different populations in their ethnic diversity as well as their traditions and scenes from their daily life in the 19th century. A few pieces of Przhevalski's personal material decorate the showcases here and there, as well as stuffed animals among those he listed. The 10-hectare park surrounding the building is also home to the memorial itself, which consists of a statue and a small chapel. In the cove of Mikhailovka, where in Soviet times torpedo tests were carried out, CBT organizes excursions and fishing trips by boat. Find out more at Karakol.