Spring is a wonderful time of the year. Time when everything around returns to life, wild kaleidoscope of flowering. It is dazzled. Smells sweet. Especially it shows up in May. Owing the unique microclimate spring in the Konorchek canyon is especially visible. Perhaps it is the only time when canyons start to live. Water seethes, flowers bloom, shooting out of red clay. Birds twitter around. Red dominating colors of canyons dazzle with variegated colors. All of these last only for three months. And then time of calmness starts.

Unique beauty of Konorchek canyons is shown in their stately rocks, dry and transparent air and long shades falling from sculptures created by nature, lighted up before sunset of Tien-Shan.

Canyons of Konorchek occupy east part of Kyrgyz Ala-Too filling up vast of its territory. Dry, void of any vegetation, red because of oxidation of mineral particles, canyons seem to be accumulation of fantastic tumbledown castles, ancient temples, modern skyscrapers, columns and spires. Unusual shapes of these constructions of nature got such strange names. Rock-Castle is an impressive mountain mass with flat top of 300meters high, crown by toothed turrets: Bobsleighing Canyon, Grand Canyon and others.

Water, filling up the clefts during summer thunder, turned the slopes of surrounding uplands into labyrinth of peaked ridges, low mesas, round domes, pyramids and columns. If to look from far away this landscape reminds ruins of ancient cities stretched out on the wide field.

Numerous rocks rise upon inherited from the past meanders and progressively open mysterious city of gods and religions. Canyons jugged by clefts show geological chronicle of the passed epochs. 

Canyons were created with power of erosion during several millions of years. Where movements of the earth crust opened clefts and breakings, rains and winds immediately destroyed laying under it sandstone, enriching the landscape by fanciful columns. So, step by step, time, water and wind were creating wonderful and magic city of Konorchek.

Pictorial paths, twisting between walls of canyons, lead out to massive rock monoliths, which iridescent on the sun with all tints of crimson, reddish and orange colors.

At a sunrise, towers and domes of Konorchek flush with red and purple colors, which go out and iridescent at a sunset, absorbing cold tints of the sun.

Program: Bishkek - Bishkek
Time: May (possibly March-April)
Activity: an easy trekking
Duration: 8 days

Day 1. Arrival in Bishkek. City tour.

Day 2. Transfer to Kyzyl-Suu valley (110km). En-route visiting of historical-architectural complex of "Burana Tower". Then we continue our trip. After setting up a camp, we may walk for a while up the gorge.

Day 3.  March to Kok-Djarsy valley over the Kok-Djar pass (2110m). En-route we will have to ford small rivers couple times. Seetting up a camp at the confluence of Kok-Djarsy and Konorchek rivers at an altitude of 1745m.

Day 4. This day will spend discovering fantastic eolian canyons: "Grand canyon", "Bobsleighing canyon", "Skyscraper canyon". Return to the camp.

Day 5. Climbing the Sagysh-Khan mountain (2925m), which affords fantastic view of the canyon. Return to the camp.

Day 6. March to Boom gorge over the Syly-Terek pass (2320m). Meeting with our vehicle and transfer to Bishkek. Accommodation in a hotel.

Day 7. Excursion to Ala-Archa gorge. Walking and horse-riding. Return to Bishkek.

Day 8. Departure.

Spring flowers	The bird
The river	The poppy