Kyzyl UnKur – the place of the heart stone

Dear visitors and friends,

The Bazar-Korgon region is famous for another distinctive forest. It is certainly a tourist attraction, too. The area is convenient to travel and to stop by for a rest.

Walnuts, apples, wild cherries, and other fruits and berries are harvested in the area. Unlike Arstanbap and Sary-Chelek forestries, where walnuts grow too, Kyzyl Unkur is more densely wooded with nut trees. One can also see trees like pine trees, hawthorn, honeysuckle, rosehip, woody plants asa-musa, willow, and bushes.

The village in the area is also called Kyzyl Unkur. A local legend says that in old times, on the edge of the village, in the rocky mountain there was a big cave .The cave was red inside. This is due to plenty of iron oxide, which causes the soil and rock to have a characteristic red.

That is where the name Kyzyl Unkur comes from: Kyzyl Unkur means Red Cave.

This cave is no longer there as it collapsed and was filled with fallen rocks.

But what you can see is a heart. Have a closer look to the top of the mountain. Next to it, where the red cave used to be, you will see the stone seemingly the shape of a heart.

Local residents call it "Heart Stone”. It surprises everyone how the stone stays on a sloping position. Through generations, people have been telling a lovely story about the stone. And it goes like this:

An old couple lived in a heavenly beautiful place and had an only daughter. From her childhood, the daughter was engaged to a son of a rich man. This man knew that the girl would be a good wife for his son, and he was right.

The girl grew up to be cute, beautiful, smart and kind. According to the tradition, she had to marry the one whom she was engaged to.

But, by then she was in love with another young guy from the village. His name was "Elaman". Knowing that they could not be together, the sweethearts decided to elope. They left the village, and when they reached the red-caved cliff, her parents discovered her escape.

At that moment her mother cursed angrily. On one hand the mother was upset with her daughter, on the other hand she was afraid of the anger of the rich man. The curse of the mother was so powerful that the sweethearts’ bodies joined and their hearts turned into a stone.

A sad story. But locals see the stone as a sign of true love, and have been narrating varying legends about it since then.

Kyzyl Unkur, is a gorgeous land. It is surrounded by high mountains with dense forests. The Kara-Unkur River, 75 km long, runs through the valley to the border with Uzbekistan, with dozens of tributaries.

The picturesque Ken-Kol lake lies right below the mountains with glaciers on the top.

In the forests of Kyzyl Unkur, visitors can discover small springs. Each spring has a healing effect on the organism. Ask your guide or the locals for a cup and taste it.

Escape from stress, relax and enjoy the moment, take a deep breath of fresh air, listen to the sound of water and bird songs. Enjoy the view!

Forest lovers arrive in this area mostly in the fall, to witness a fascinating panorama of the red and yellow trees. Moreover, they can pick the ripe fruits, berries and nuts themselves.

The Kyzyl Unkur Forest can absolutely impress tourists with its nature in its virgin state, during any of the season they visit.

Please help us to keep this place clean! Take your garbage with you! Respect plants and animals! Thank you very much for your support.

We wish you a pleasant stay!