State Circus and Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part starting at Tashkent
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
663 km
Riding-time estimate
14 h 55
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Tashkent it runs 663 km to Tashkent; allow about 14 h 55 of riding. The stops in between: The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve, Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part and back through The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,700 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Uzbekistan into Kyrgyzstan - carry ID and check the toll rules. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. State Circus
The Tashkent circus looks like a landed spaceship, or a giant pale flying saucer, and for decades it was one of the city's proudest buildings. Circus was a serious art form in the Soviet Union, with its own schools, state companies and international stars, and every large city had a permanent big top made of concrete. The one in Tashkent, a round building with a huge dome, was built in the 1970s and holds nearly two thousand spectators, and the tradition of acrobats, trained animals, clowns and trapeze artists is a cherished part of the city's culture, with many families bringing their children on Sundays.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
State Circus is where the day begins. Next is The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve.
2. The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve
East of Tashkent, the land rises steeply into the western ranges of the Tian Shan, and the Chatkal range forms the border with Kyrgyzstan. The Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve, established in the Soviet era, protects a stretch of these mountains, with juniper forests, walnut and wild fruit trees, alpine meadows and rocky peaks.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve comes up 81 km in. Next is Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part.
3. Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part
Far up the Chatkal valley in western Kyrgyzstan, where the river runs between the Chatkal and Sandalash ranges of the Western Tien Shan, lies the Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve. It protects mountain steppe, juniper woodland, walnut and apple groves and rocky high country, and it is part of the transnational World Heritage Site of the Western Tien Shan, inscribed in 2016 and shared with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The reserve was created in particular to protect Menzbier's marmot, a small marmot found only in this part of Central Asia.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at State Circus. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
State Circus to The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve
State Circus → The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve is 80 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve to Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part
The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve → Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part is 82 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part to back through The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve
Besh-Aral State Nature Reserve - main part → back through The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve is 82 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve to State Circus
back through The Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve → State Circus is 80 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.