Chuy · 39 km · 0.9 hAla-Archa Gorge
Glaciers, peaks up to 4,800 m and a mountain river 40 km from Bishkek
- Film in Kyrgyzstan
- Look-alike locations
04Look-alike locationsUpdated: 2026-10-20
What can Kyrgyzstan double for on screen?
Kyrgyzstan can stand in for the Swiss Alps, the Icelandic highlands, Tibet and the Himalaya, the Mongolian steppe, Patagonia, the American Southwest, a sea coast, another planet and post-Soviet ruins, all in one country where a shooting day costs about $2,600. Below, each look with the real locations, the drive time from Bishkek and what the place cannot give you.
01. The Swiss Alps
Spruce slopes, glaciers above green valleys and turquoise lakes: the Tian Shan gorges south and east of Bishkek give the classic Alpine look within one to three hours of the capital.
Chuy · 39 km · 0.9 h
Chuy · 87 km · 2.0 hKol-Tor Lake
Turquoise lake under spruce slopes and peaks
Chuy · 159 km · 2.7 hChon-Kemin Valley
Long river valley with forests and alpine meadows
Issyk-Kul · 407 km · 6.6 hKarakol
Spruce forest, a fast river and alpine meadows above Karakol
Issyk-Kul · 449 km · 8.6 hJyrgalan Valley
Alpine meadows and spruce forest around a small village
Not here: No Alpine chalet villages, cog railways or cable-car infrastructure: villages here are Central Asian.
Switzerland or Kyrgyzstan: where can you film an Alpine look for less?→02. Iceland and the Nordic highlands
Treeless high plateaus, cold lakes under an open sky and big waterfalls: the inner Tian Shan above 3,000 m has the bare, wind-swept scale producers look for in the Icelandic highlands.
Naryn · 296 km · 4.9 hSon-Kul Lake
High plateau lake at about 3,000 m with open pastures
Naryn · 497 km · 7.1 hChatyr-Kul Lake
Lake at about 3,500 m on a bare plateau near the Torugart Pass
Naryn · 381 km · 5.7 hShaar Waterfall
A 220 m waterfall, about 400 m with cascades
Issyk-Kul · 407 km · 6.6 hAla-Kul Lake
Turquoise glacial lake at about 3,500 m
Osh · 685 km · 9.4 hAlay Valley
Cold high plateau with Lenin Peak (7,134 m) on the horizon
Not here: No active volcanoes, lava fields, black-sand beaches or ocean coast.
Iceland or Kyrgyzstan: where is it cheaper to film glaciers, highland lakes and waterfalls?→03. Tibet and the Himalaya
Seven-thousand-metre peaks, stone buildings in empty valleys and plateaus above 3,000 m: the Alay and At-Bashy districts read as Tibet or the high Himalaya on screen.
Osh · 685 km · 9.4 hAlay Valley
Lenin Peak (7,134 m) of the Pamir above a high valley
Naryn · 435 km · 6.5 hTash-Rabat Caravanserai
Stone caravanserai in a remote valley above 3,200 m
Naryn · 426 km · 6.9 hKuldzha-Bashi Canyon
Small canyon at about 3,500 m on the way to Kel-Suu
Issyk-Kul · 565 km · 11.2 hEnilchek Town
Remote town on the way to the Inylchek Glacier
Not here: No Buddhist monasteries or prayer-flag villages: they would need set dressing.
Where can you film a Tibet or Himalaya look?→04. The Mongolian steppe
Yurts on summer pastures, herds of horses and wide grassland under mountains: nomadic life is still part of the landscape in Naryn and Suusamyr, so horse and yurt scenes need little set dressing.
Naryn · 296 km · 4.9 hSon-Kul Lake
Yurts of herders around a plateau lake in summer
Chuy · 163 km · 2.7 hSuusamyr Valley
Valley 155 km long with summer pastures and herds of horses
Issyk-Kul · 305 km · 4.9 hKyrchyn Gorge
Meadows that hosted the World Nomad Games ethnic village
Naryn · 366 km · 5.4 hChech-Dobo Valley
High open pastures in the At-Bashy district
Not here: No Gobi-type sand desert.
05. Patagonia
Granite big walls, lakes in steep rock canyons and wind-swept valleys: the Turkestan Range in Batken is called the 'Asian Patagonia' by climbers.
Batken · 814 km · 11.8 hKaravshin Gorge
Monolithic granite walls above wild rivers
Naryn · 463 km · 11.9 hKel-Suu Lake
Long lake flooding a canyon with sheer walls
Batken · 845 km · 12.8 hAy-Kul Lake
Crescent-shaped lake at about 2,900 m
Not here: No ocean fjords or large glacier tongues reaching lakes at road level.
Patagonia or Kyrgyzstan: where to film granite walls, glacier lakes and empty steppe?→06. The American Southwest and Cappadocia
Red sandstone towers, dry riverbeds and eroded clay mazes: the canyons of Boom Gorge and the south shore of Issyk-Kul give western, desert and Cappadocia-style frames.
Chuy · 144 km · 2.2 hKonorchek Canyons
Red sandstone columns and towers 125 km from Bishkek
Issyk-Kul · 307 km · 4.7 hSkazka Canyon
A maze of eroded red clay and sandstone by the lake
Issyk-Kul · 274 km · 4.1 hAk-Say Canyons
Bright red clay canyons with a desert-western look
Chuy · 162 km · 2.4 hKok-Moynok Canyons
Red, ochre and grey clay formations in Boom Gorge
Issyk-Kul · 402 km · 6.6 hJeti-Oguz Gorge
Red cliffs of the 'Seven Bulls' above a green valley
Not here: No cave towns carved into the rock and no saguaro cacti.
Turkey or Kyrgyzstan: where is it cheaper to film canyons, steppe and the Silk Road?→07. A sea coast and the Mediterranean
Issyk-Kul is about 180 km long and does not freeze, so its shore plays a sea coast; in Jalal-Abad, walnut forests and turquoise reservoirs among bare mountains give a southern European feel.
Issyk-Kul · 187 km · 2.8 hIssyk-Kul Lake
Open water to the horizon with snow ridges on both shores
Issyk-Kul · 264 km · 4.1 hIssyk-Kul Beach
Wide sand beaches with mountains behind
Jalal-Abad · 349 km · 5.5 hToktogul Reservoir
Turquoise water among bare mountains
Jalal-Abad · 529 km · 7.9 hArslanbob Walnut Forest
Old walnut forest with dappled light
Not here: No salt water, tides or port towns.
08. Another planet
Fossil badlands, striped clay and miniature canyons with no vegetation: frames for science fiction without CGI landscapes.
Batken · 765 km · 11.1 hMadygen Geopark
Fossil site with bare striped slopes
Naryn · 426 km · 6.9 hKuldzha-Bashi Canyon
A river cuts a miniature canyon at 3,500 m
Chuy · 162 km · 2.4 hKok-Moynok Canyons
Eroded clay in red, ochre and grey
Not here: Remote: the best badlands are 10-12 hours from Bishkek or are reached via Osh.
09. Post-Soviet towns and industrial ruins
Half-empty mining towns, Soviet tunnels and open-pit mines: real locations for period drama, thrillers and post-apocalyptic stories.
Chuy · 153 km · 2.3 hAk-Tyuz Town
Mining settlement founded in 1938
Issyk-Kul · 565 km · 11.2 hEnilchek Town
Former mining town with empty Soviet blocks
Naryn · 298 km · 5.3 hKara-Keche Gorge
Open-pit coal mine and haul roads over passes
Chuy · 122 km · 2.1 hToo-Ashuu Pass
Pass at 3,400 m with a 2.2 km Soviet tunnel from 1962
Not here: Some sites are working or protected areas: access is agreed case by case.
Compare further
Iceland · ×4.6Iceland or Kyrgyzstan: where is it cheaper to film glaciers, highland lakes and waterfalls?Shooting day $11,900 vs $2,600→Switzerland · ×6.5Switzerland or Kyrgyzstan: where can you film an Alpine look for less?Shooting day $17,000 vs $2,600→Norway · ×3.9Norway or Kyrgyzstan: which is better for mountain plateaus, glaciers and deep lakes?Shooting day $10,200 vs $2,600→Turkey · ×3.8Turkey or Kyrgyzstan: where is it cheaper to film canyons, steppe and the Silk Road?Shooting day $10,000 vs $2,600→Patagonia · ×2.1Patagonia or Kyrgyzstan: where to film granite walls, glacier lakes and empty steppe?Shooting day $5,400 vs $2,600→Canada · ×4.1Canada or Kyrgyzstan: where to film turquoise lakes, glaciers and spruce forests?Shooting day $10,600 vs $2,600→18 countriesHow much does a shooting day cost in 18 countries?→GuideWhere can you film a Tibet or Himalaya look?→GuideFilming in Central Asia: which country for which shot?→GuideWhere to film the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan→
Kyrgyzstan or another country: where should you film?→Didn’t find the right location?
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Updated: 2026-10-20