Chuy is the region around Bishkek, the capital and the production base for most shoots in Kyrgyzstan. Gorges, canyons, waterfalls, alpine lakes, steppe and Soviet-era towns are all within a day trip of the city, which keeps company moves short and budgets predictable.
On screen it can double for Switzerland-style alpine gorges, the American Southwest in Konorchek, post-Soviet towns and a capital city.
01Burana Tower is an 11th-century brick minaret 12 km south of Tokmok, the last standing part of Balasagun, capital of the Karakhanid state. A lone tower in open steppe with stone balbal figures and mountains behind it: Silk Road and ancient-world scenes.
UNESCO World Heritage: Silk Roads, Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (2014) ↗
02Ala-Archa Reservoir is a large body of open water in the Chuy Valley, a short drive from Bishkek. Flat shoreline, wide sky and the Kyrgyz Range on the horizon.
03Alamedin Gorge cuts into the Kyrgyz Range south of Bishkek: a fast mountain river, steep rocky slopes and spruce on the upper sections, within easy reach of the city.
04The birch grove in the Boyrok tract lies next to the Kashka-Suu ski base at the edge of the Ala-Archa national park, 30-40 km south of Bishkek, about an hour by asphalt road and then 3-4 km on foot. A dense grove of white trunks with clearings, a stream and the Edelweiss waterfall nearby; best colour from mid-September to October. It reads convincingly as Russia, Scandinavia or Central Europe. Entry to the national park is paid per vehicle.
05Boom Gorge is the narrow canyon of the Chuy River on the road from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul. Red and brown rock walls with the highway and the railway threaded through them: road-movie and travel scenes.
06Belogorka Waterfall falls through a rocky gorge in the foothills of the Kyrgyz Range, a short trip from Bishkek. Water, stone and greenery in one compact frame.
07Kegeti Waterfall sits at the head of the Kegeti Gorge east of Bishkek, framed by spruce forest and rock.
08Ak-Tyuz is a former Soviet mining settlement 45 km from Kemin, founded in 1938 around a polymetallic and rare-earth mine. About four thousand people once lived here; today only a few remain among empty apartment blocks and plant ruins: post-Soviet, dystopian and period scenes.
09Suusamyr Valley is a wide high valley at about 2,200 m on the Bishkek–Osh highway, 155 km long and up to 40 km wide. Summer pastures, herds of horses and yurts in summer, deep snow and empty white space in winter.
10Chon-Kemin Valley is a nature park in the Kemin district, about 150 km from Bishkek on the way to Issyk-Kul: a long river valley with forests, alpine meadows and small villages.
11Kok-Moynok Canyons are eroded clay and sandstone formations in red, ochre and grey in the Boom Gorge, about 150 km from Bishkek on the road to Issyk-Kul: desert, Mars and western scenes without leaving the north of the country.
12Konorchek Canyons are red sandstone canyons in the Boom Gorge about 125 km from Bishkek, reached on foot along a dry riverbed: columns, towers and ridges that read as the American Southwest or the Middle East.
13Karernoye Lake is a flooded quarry near the former mining settlement of Ak-Tyuz in the Kemin district: clear turquoise water and steep stone banks, a graphic and almost surreal colour contrast. An easy location for a crew that very few people know about.
14Kol-Tor is a turquoise alpine lake surrounded by spruce slopes and peaks, reached by a mountain trail.
15Too-Ashuu Pass (3,400 m) carries the Bishkek–Osh highway over the Kyrgyz Range through a 2.2 km Soviet tunnel built in 1962. Switchback roads, snowfields and long mountain views.
16The Chuy River runs through the Chuy Valley, partly along the border with Kazakhstan. A wide braided riverbed, steppe banks and mountains on the horizon.
17The 'Wedding of Rivers' is the confluence of the Chuy and the Chon-Kemin at the exit of the Boom Gorge, on the road from Bishkek to Issyk-Kul: two mountain rivers of different colours meet and run side by side before they mix.
18Ala-Archa Gorge is a national park 30-40 km south of Bishkek: glaciers, peaks up to 4,800 m, juniper forest and a mountain river. The most accessible high-mountain location from the capital.
19West Karakol is a 60 km gorge on the southern side of the Kyrgyz Range next to the Suusamyr Valley, reached by a road from the village of Kojomkul. There is not a single settlement along its whole length: glaciers, green slopes and no one in the frame.
20Kegeti Gorge is a forested gorge east of Bishkek with dense spruce on the slopes, a mountain river and the Kegeti Waterfall at its head.
| Location | By road | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Burana Tower | ~87 km | ~1 h |
| Ala-Archa Reservoir | ~18 km | < 1 h |
| Alamedin Gorge | ~42 km | ~1 h |
| Birch Grove | ~32 km * | < 1 h |
| Boom Gorge | ~146 km | ~2 h |
| Belogorka Waterfall | ~66 km | ~2 h |
| Kegeti Waterfall | ~87 km | ~2 h |
| Ak-Tyuz Town | ~153 km | ~2 h |
| Suusamyr Valley | ~163 km | ~3 h |
| Chon-Kemin Valley | ~159 km | ~3 h |
| Kok-Moynok Canyons | ~162 km | ~2 h |
| Konorchek Canyons | ~144 km | ~2 h |
| Karernoye Lake | ~153 km | ~2 h |
| Kol-Tor Lake | ~87 km | ~2 h |
| Too-Ashuu Pass | ~122 km | ~2 h |
| Chuy River | ~77 km | ~1 h |
| Confluence of Rivers | ~146 km | ~2 h |
| Ala-Archa Gorge | ~39 km | < 1 h |
| West Karakol Gorge | ~166 km | ~3 h |
| Kegeti Gorge | ~87 km | ~2 h |
Approximate figures by road from the centre of Bishkek, without stops; mountain roads and weather change the time. * to the nearest road, the location itself is reached on foot, by horse or by 4x4 track. We confirm the logistics for each project in the production plan.
We can run a location scout specifically for your script.
Updated: 2026-10-20