Tourism in Kyrgyzstan

Although Kyrgyzstan’s mountains and lakes are an attractive tourist destination, the tourism industry has grown very slowly because it has received little investment.

Kyrgyz women produce a variety of handicrafts created out of felt, including slippers, bags, decorative panels, traditional hats known as "Kalpaks" and colorful carpets called "shyrdaks."

Helvetas, a Swiss cultural development organization, sponsored several projects of this sort, including "Shepard's Life," and "Community Based Tourism."

The many tourist companies in Kyrgyzstan understand that "eco-" anything sounds very appealing to the many backpackers that come to their country, so they tend to use it to describe their organization, even if they do nothing to promote "low-impact" or "leave no trace" camping.

The popular science magazine National Geographic named eight wild places in Kyrgyzstan that are recommended for tourists to visit.