During the Fall semester 2015 KIMEP CAT (Central Asia Travel) organized a ski/snowboard trip to Karakol. Karakol (Kyrgyz: Каракол), formerly Przhevalsk, is the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the Kyrgyzstan-China border and 380 kilometres (240 mi) from the capital Bishkek.Karakol is one of Kyrgyzstan’s major tourist destinations, serving as a good starting point for the excellent hiking, trekking, skiing and mountaineering in the high central Tian Shan to the south and east
During 3 days trip all students got an amazing change to discover all the beauties of Tian Shan Mountains and progress their skiing and snowboarding skills.
All international and local students were really friendly during the whole trip. It is a really good rein to organize trip with friends and to get to know each other better.
Feedback of the students and participants of the trip:
“Altough the timing of that trip was not very good and I had to deliver a lot of work in the week after the trip I tried to blend that out and enjoy my time skiing. The transport was pretty okay. Not totally comfortable, but it got the job done. 8 hours of driving are just okay to do it, altough the other group which have visited Karakol has been much faster (Michael, Adrian etc). The place we stayed was good. The building looked new and modern, the beds have been comfortable, breakfasts have been good and the place had even WiFi. The lady who served us, has also been friendly and even gave me a gift for my parents. The only downside of accommodation was that it was rather cold in our room and some of us got slightly ill because of that. The skiing itself was absolutely amazing. The view was stunning and the mountains have been challenging, but still fun. All in all I would recommend this trip to other exchange students”- said Alexandr Horst, Germany
“The trip to karakol was an amazing experience. Darya and Aizhan organized the trip and gave KIMEP students the chance to join. Every second of the trip was worth it, first experiencing a new country and second to spend a few relaxed days in the mountains carving through the white mountains of Karakol. I hope the upcoming exchange students will enjoy the same and Darya and Aizhan will offer more of those trips” – Rashid Arain, Germany
“I would like to say thanks to people who organized the trip. Everything was great: mountains, atmosphere, people. Wish I could have spent more time there”- Leila Turlybekova
Big Karakol Family 2015
Word of organizers:
“I hope we can offer more for students in order to discover all the beauties of Central Asia. Karakol is an amazing place to enjoy a part of Kyrgyz beautiful nature, to get fresh breath, discover new horizons of skiing and snowboarding, to have Fun together and of course, to create a new friendship with local and international students”. Me personally really enjoyed the trip and all people who were with us” – said Aizhan Akhmetova & Dariya Boronilo