Karakol, Issyk-Kul Region, Kyrgyzstan

🇰🇬 Karakol, formerly Przhevalsk, is the fourth-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, near the eastern tip of Lake Issyk-Kul, about 150 km from the Kyrgyzstan–China border and 380 km from the capital Bishkek. It is the administrative capital of Issyk-Kul Region. To the north, on highway A363, is Tyup, and to the south-west Jeti-Ögüz resort. Karakol is the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan after Bishkek, Osh and Jalal-Abad.

A Russian military outpost founded on 1 July 1869, Karakol grew in the 19th century after explorers came to map the peaks and valleys separating Kyrgyzstan from China. In the 1880s Karakol's population surged with an influx of Dungans, Chinese Muslims fleeing warfare in China.

In 1888, the Russian explorer Nicholay Przhevalsky died in Karakol of typhoid, while preparing for an expedition to Tibet; the city was renamed Przhevalsk in his honor. After local protests, the town was given its original name back in 1921—a decision reversed in 1939 by Stalin to celebrate the centenary of the explorer's birth. Karakol then remained Przhevalsk until the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. However the name has been retained by nearby Pristan'-Przheval'sk.

Nearby Issyk Kul Lake was used by the Soviet military as a testing site for torpedo propulsion and guidance systems and Karakol was thus home to a sizable population of military personnel and their families. Karakol continues to be a major hub for visitors of Issyk Kul Lake.

Tourist Industry Karakol is one of Kyrgyzstan's major tourist destinations, serving as a starting point for the hiking, trekking, skiing and mountaineering in the high central Tian Shan to the south and east. Also this city is culturally rich, with several different ethnic groups that live here such as Dungan, Uyghur, Kalmak, Uzbek, Russians and of course Kyrgyz.

Przhevalsky's grave, a memorial park and a small museum dedicated to his and other Russian explorations in Central Asia are some 9 km (5.6 mi) north of Karakol at Pristan Przhevalsky, overlooking the Mikhailovka inlet of Issyk Kul Lake where the former Soviet torpedo testing facilities were located. Facilities themselves are still a closed, military area.

Karakol has Central Asia's highest ski resort, with 20km of slopes, situated about 20 minutes from the town. Unlike Shymbulak resort, the riding at Karakol includes forest areas as well as cleared trails.