Tash-Rabat

Tash-Rabat is a stone caravanserai from the Silk Road, hidden in a high green valley at about 3,500 m in the At-Bashy mountains on the way to the Torugart pass and China.

The building has thick stone walls, a domed central hall and about thirty small rooms where merchants and their caravans once rested. Historians still debate its age — most date it to the 15th century, some think it began as a monastery. It has been restored, and you can walk through its dim rooms and corridors.

Around it, yurt camps stand on the meadows from June to September. A night here is unforgettable, and from the valley you can hike or ride up to a pass with views over Chatyr-Kol lake.

• Distance: about 2 hours from Naryn
• Altitude: about 3,500 m
• Best time: June to September
• Bring: warm clothes — it is cold at night

Read the legend: The caravanserai of two brothers.