Kyrgyzstan: Shatyly Panorama
Кыргызстан: Панорама Шатылы

Shatyly Panorama is a short but rewarding viewpoint hike from the Boz-Salkyn Valley (near the town of Bokonbaevo) to an overlook with incredible views of the South Shore of Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kol Lake. Barely even long enough to call it a hike in Kyrgyzstan, we include it here primarily for the magnificent sunrise views for such an easy walk – even with a long photo stop expect an hour or less round-trip.

Total Km: 3.5km
Total Days: 1
Elevation Gain/Loss: 177m+ / 177m-
Start/End Point: Boz-Salkyn Valley
GPS Files

The only difficult part of the Shatyly Panorama hike is finding the trailhead, about 11.5km east of Bokonbaevo up the Boz-Salkyn Valley. You’ll know you’ve arrived when the valley road takes a sharp S-curve just beside a small farmstead – the trailhead begins here and climbs north up the small side valley along a jeep track.

Follow the jeep track to the bottom of a small pasturage, and look for where a trail begins to climb the hillside to the west. Eventually as this trail gradually climbs the hillside it cuts laterally through a small copse of trees that lets out at the tip of a small dip and then climbs the next hill on the far side.

From here you should have eyes on the rest of the route, climbing beyond one more dip and up a more prominent rise to a hilltop and some light vegetation – at the top you’ll have trouble going any further down the opposite slope as the bushes and occasional tress grow increasingly thick very quickly.

If you can time it right, this viewpoint offers one of the most magnificent sunrise panoramas in Issyk-Kol oblast. Mountains to the back and across the glimmering lake shore pick up the light nicely, but particularly incredible is the low-angle light highlighting the rugged terrain on this side of Bokonbaevo. The warm sunrise light picks out the crests of barren hillsides to make an incredible contrast with the cooler tones of the lake beyond.

Having admired the sunrise and taken all your photos, head back to the Boz-Salkyn Valley along the same route you took to the Shatyly Panorama. It’s even quicker on the way down.

Alternate Options for Shatyly Panorama

Though we haven’t done it, there’s no reason to expect it wouldn’t be possible to hike through the rolling hills back to Bokonbaevo or even onwards to the village of Kadjy-Sai (which is visible to the northeast from the lookout). Be sure to pack plenty of water and some snacks as you do so, as this is a fairly dry region of the south shore and you’re unlikely to find any water sources on the way.

Good To Know

There are no entrance fees for Shatyly Panorma, though you may want to hire a taxi to drop you off at the trailhead. You won’t need any special equipment, though even in summer plan to take a light jacket if you’re going up for sunrise as the mornings can remain cool and the hilltop is quite exposed. For more information on hiking in the region or to hire a guide, stop in at the Destination South Shore office in Bokonbaevo. They should also be able to sell you the full range of Kyrgyzstan Topographic Trekking Maps we’ve discussed elsewhere.

Getting to the Shatyly Panorama

The only real problem with this route is access – as with much of rural Kyrgyzstan, no public transportation uses these old mountain roads so you’re basically at the mercy of taxis or hitchhiking for the 11.5km between Bokonbaevo and the trailhead. If you want to hitch, walk two blocks south from Bokonbaevo’s main roundabout and then turn east. This road carries on out of town and up the Boz-Salkyn Valley, so it’ll be the likeliest place to catch a car heading that direction. To hire a taxi, you can ask at either of the CBT or Destination South Shore offices or try to arrange it yourself. Don’t pay more than about 1500 Kyrgyz Som, including waiting time, for the round-trip transfer. With good barganing, you can almost certainly get it for less.

Where to Stay and Eat

There are surprisingly many options of where to stay in Issyk Kol’s South Shore region, from CBT homestays to full service beach hotels. Our favorites are the handful of yurt camps around there area. Of special note are Bel-Tam Yurt Camp for an unbeatable lakeside location and Almaluu Yurt Camp for excellent food and facilities. A little further away is Jaichy Yurt Camp – not extremely well-placed for access to the Shatyly Panorama hike, but a lovely place to stay and with an excellent location to explore while you’re staying there. All yurt camps and guesthouses can arrange meals (though it’s better to give a bit of notice), and there are a handful of cafes at the center of Bokonbaevo.

We’ve also published a quick and dirty guidebook to show tourists around for their first few days in Bishkek. If you’re headed towards Kyrgyzstan and expect to need some help getting around, consider our Unanchor: Bishkek guide. Additionally, we contributed the Kyrgyzstan chapter to the most recent Lonely Planet: Central Asia guidebook. If you’re looking for more help than that, consider reaching out to our friends at Feel Nomad to organize a tour to the country.