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The Kyrgyz Republic, more commonly known as Kyrgyzstan, is a country found in the south of Central Asia. The country has a natural beauty that can take anyone’s breath away. Its culture is influenced heavily by the nomadic traditions that have been passed down through generations of the Kyrgyz people. It is landlocked, like most of the rest of the Central Asian Union, and it shares boundaries with China to the southeast, Tajikistan to the southwest, Uzbekistan to the west, and Kazakhstan to the north. It was annexed by Russia in 1876 and became an eastern satellite state of the USSR until it gained independence with the USSR’s collapse in 1991. Kyrgyzstan is one of the more progressive former USSR satellite states, with one of the most accommodating tourist visa policies of the Central Asia countries. Kyrgyzstan’s tourism industry has grown at a snail’s pace ever since the country gained independence in 1991. The reason for the slow growth is the lack of investment in the industry so even with all the natural and cultural attractions that would make other countries jealous, there are less than one million visitors to Kyrgyzstan every year. Most of the visitors come from neighboring countries as well as others from the former Soviet Union. The 2018 report from the British Backpacker Society ranked the country as the fifth-best destination for adventure tourism in the world, further stating that word about the natural beauty of the country, long a secret from the world, is bound to get out soon. Get your Health Declaration Form before your trip to Kyrgyzstan and enjoy the best of what the country has to offer. The country is dominated by mountains with the Tien Shan range being the biggest. The mountainous country has a lot of glaciers, tall peaks, and lakes found at high altitudes. Kyrgyzstan’s highest point is recorded at Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy), with an altitude of 7,439 meters. With snow-capped mountains and verdant foothills, Kyrgyzstan’s mountain region is perfect for adventure and hiking. Kyrgyzstan’s climate ranges from subtropical in the southwest portion of the country (in the Fergana Valley), dry continental and polar in the heights of the Tien Shan mountains, and temperate in the foothill zone of the north. The country has a wide showcase of cultural attractions that bring in tourists. The predominant culture itself is derived from the nomadic lifestyle and traditions dating back from the days of the Mongol war horde. The modern peoples of the Kyrgyz live in houses and apartments, but change comes in the summertime. This is when a visitor can see native peoples herding their goats, sheep, horses, or yaks. During this time, the natives live in yurts, which are easy to take down and travel with, making it possible to live the life of the wandering nomad that were the ancestors of the modern Kyrgyz. With what is available in the country’s tourism industry, they have constructed a number of yurt camps in every oblast to indulge the curiosity of visitors from every country. The rule with these yurt camps is that the more remote they are, the more attractive their presence is to tourists. Some of the more remote is the "House of Stones" in the Naryn oblast, just past Naryn City, the one in Tash Rabat, and the camp in Jeti-Ögüz Valley or Seven Bulls Valley, neighboring the city of Karakul and Issyk-Kul Lake. Have your Medical Declaration Form on hand so you can fully appreciate the beauty of Kyrgyzstan in the summertime. The Kyrgyz people are also proud of their handicrafts. Most of them are made out of felt, since the nomadic tribesmen are still herding animals that produce felt. Kyrgyz women make fine items out of the felt. This includes bags, slippers, colorful carpets known as shyrdaks, the traditional hats of the Kyrgyz called Kalpaks, and decorative panels. The shyrdaks come in various sizes, from barely more than a foot to several yards on one side. They also come in a great variety of colors and patterns, mostly traditional. The traditional patterns are made from bright colors, mainly bright reds and greens as they are most favored by the Kyrgyz. Shyrdaks with more subtle colors are made for the tourists. These carpets for the visitors are available in Bishkek and they are more expensive than the traditional ones. The oblast which is famous for being the home of the best shyrdak makers is Naryn, with cooperatives where tourists can commission a custom-made carpet. Get yourself a self-declaration form so you can go into Kyrgyzstan and purchase handicrafts for souvenirs. With the meager backing that the tourism industry has, it nevertheless came up with an “eco-friendly” tourism program for the country. Helvetas, a Swiss organization focused on cultural development, supported some of the projects. The two more promising ones are "Community Based Tourism” and "Shepard's Life.” There are a lot of tourist companies in Kyrgyzstan who realize that attaching the prefix eco to just about anything appeals immensely to backpackers and other types of eco-tourists. Because of this, they begin describing their organizations as eco this or eco that, often without doing anything to implement “leave no trace” or “low impact” camping and backpacking. It is the very nature of the kind of visitors that Kyrgyzstan welcomes every year that tourist attractions are often about appreciating the beauty of the local environment. In an effort to increase the support being received by its tourism program, Kyrgyzstan joined The Region Initiative, which serves to bridge three regions – Central Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. Members of the organization include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. Kyrgyzstan is an amalgamation of several cultures dominated by nomadic traditions and heavily influenced by its time under Soviet rule. This unique combination gave rise to cities with mosques, Soviet-style architecture, and nomadic tribesmen just outside its area. Getting a Travel Health Card is essential for a visitor to enter Kyrgyzstan without too much hassle. Book your vacation now and enjoy the distinctive culture and natural beauty of Kyrgyzstan.