Navigating the Karakol Bus Stations

There are different bus stations in Karakol that go to certain regional areas of Krygyzstan. It can be confusing for travellers to find the right bus station or depot, along with finding scheduled departing times (if any).

Buses here are primarily minibuses, locally known as marshrutkas.

Bus stations in Karakol are split into destinations that are going either north (түндүк) of Issyk-Kul or south (Туштук) of it, or rural places such as Jyrgalan.

Below are the main bus stations you’ll find in Karakol (“Каракол” in Russian).

Get where you want to go faster with translation

Download Google Translate with Russian language pack to communicate with people here as not many people in Karakol speak English, especially mashrutka drivers. Using the app is good way to communicate where you want to go.

It’s better if you have a local sim card with mobile data so you can use the voice translation in Google Translate for you and the locals.

Also use Google maps or Maps.me to show where you want to go.

As the name may suggest, buses here go north of Issyk-Kul lake to certain places:

There are two different bus bays, one left of the main building and the right side.

I went to the left bus bay to catch a bus to Bishkek (FYI the mashrutka fare to Bishkek was 350 som per person – as of 2019; to be used as reference. Subject to yearly changes).

There is a cash counter for reach where you pay in cash for a ticket – make sure to get this ticket so you can show it to the bus driver as proof of purchase after boarding a marshrutka.

Marshrutkas depart at certain times. See the photo below to see the latest timetable (2019; to used as reference).

Arrive early, depart earlier

Most mashrutkas at the bus stations depart only when it is full so you could wait anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours; the set schedules can be seen as rough departure times. It is better to depart in the morning than afternoon; mornings tend to be busier with more passengers wanting to depart than in the afternoon.

This bus depot takes passengers going south of Issyk-Kul, to places such as Barskoon (Барскаун) and Bokonbayevo (Боконбаево).

You can find frequent buses that go past Skazka “Fairytale” Canyon where you can just ask to stop on the main road near its entrance.

The main highway that these marshrutkas go on are close to the south shores of Issyk-Kul so you can easily go to the lake using any buses going to the south shore.

You can also find marshrutkas that go near Jeti Oguz village (Note: this is not the Jeti Oguz Resort if you intend to go to Seven Bulls rock as the resort is still around 11km away from Jeti Oguz village).

Here you find buses going to more rural areas, especially east of Karakol, places such as Ak-Suu (Ак-Суу) and Jyrgalan (Жыргалан). There are also buses to Jeti Oguz as well.

There are yellow and black destination signs (written in Russian) mounted on walls but they aren’t always so obvious.

Marshrutkas to Ak-Suu (Ак-Суу) and Ak-Suu Resort (Ак-Суу курорт) are frequent in the day from early morning until late afternoon.

Take marshrutka 350 to Ak-Suu Resort (Ак-Суу курорт) if you want to go to Ak-Suu hot springs.

The frequency of buses going to (and from) rural areas are sparse so careful planning is a must if you want to return to Karakol on the same day.

Buses and taxis to Jeti Oguz resort (Жети-Огуз курорт)

If you want to visit Seven Bulls rock or go hiking around this lovely area (such as the Kok-Jayik trail), you can get a bus or taxi to Jeti Oguz resort (Жети-Огуз курорт).

Marshrutka 371 or 355 go to Jeti Oguz resort (Жети-Огуз курорт).

Make sure the route sign on the marshrutka says “Жети-Огуз КУРОРТ” as this goes to the resort.

Other signs that display “Жети-Огуз” are for Jeti Oguz village only which is around 11km away from the resort.

Cost:
~100 som. (As of 2019; to be used as reference. Subject to yearly changes.)

Marshrutkas can be infrequent and irregular, especially outside of high season. If you can’t find a marshrutka, you can use either a private or shared taxi to get you there.

Note:
After 17:00, it will be difficult to find a shared taxi to and from Jeti Oguz resort. Typical working hours from 08:00 to 17:00.

Location of many taxis:
Corner of Torgoeva and Aldashev streets.

Cost for private taxi:
~700 som for a one-way journey. (As of 2019; to be used as reference. Subject to yearly changes.)

Shared taxi:
~150 som per person for a group of 4 people. (As of 2019; to be used as reference. Subject to yearly changes)

Note:
Many shared taxis are unmarked private cars that maybe operating without a licence. Proceed at your own risk.

Go on a location recce the day before

To minimise any stress or drama on your day of planned travel to a destination, I would highly recommend going to the bus station a day before you intend to travel to know exactly where the bus station is, try and get the latest information regarding bus departure times (if possible) and making sure the right bus number actually departs from the station.

You can also take marshrutka 116 that goes to the eastern area of Issyk-Kul, going also past near Przhevalsky Museum.

42.491356, 78.395487

There are also buses (such as marshrutka 310) at South Bus Station that go pass the lake. The main highway that these marshrutkas go on are close to the south shores of Issyk-Kul so you can easily take a bus going via the south shore.

Destination Karakol:
Find additional information on destinations, bus times, and fares.

These are the main bus stations in Karakol. I hope it clarifies information regarding where to take certain mashrutkas to get to particular places.

My key advice is if you feel unsure of what bus to take or the time it is meant to arrive and depart, don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if you can’t communicate in English with them – that’s why Google Translate is so useful and important.

Been to Karakol and have more helpful advice in using regional transport?

Comment below to let other travellers and myself know.

If you know a friend who is planning to go Karakol or is already there, share this helpful post to help them get around Karakol and neighbouring destinations easier.