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Expedition date: August 01-12, 2022
In 2018, British speleologists conducted a reconnaissance in the Naryn-Too karst region, near the Naryn city. According to their estimates, this is one of the promising karst areas of the Middle Tian- Shan in Kyrgyzstan. The limestone of which the mountain range is composed is classic for the formation of caves. There is already one cave on the mountain range, which was discovered in 1976 by Soviet speleologists.
The mountain range is entirely composed of carbonate limestones of the Carboniferous. The length of the mountain range from east to west is about 80 km, the width is 10 km. The height of the watershed and the plateau is more than 3700 m above sea level. The height of the plateau above the Naryn River, about 1000 m.
The southern and northern slopes of the ridge are cut by canyons. During the reconnaissance expedition, speleologists discovered several black holes in the canyons, almost everywhere there are signs of a karst landscape and process. During the British 2-day expedition we explored the Char Canyon at the western end of the range. The height of the canyon walls reaches 300-400 m.
There are springs in the thalwegs of the canyons throughout the year. The flow rate of springs reaches 50 L\sec. Some springs form waterfalls.
In autumn, the waterfalls dry up, but in spring their debits increase to 50 L/s. In 2018, we surveyed the upper western part of the ridge. We assumed that the main water absorber (ponor) is located here. However, we had little time to continue our research. Hydrogeologists and speleologists suggest that the inner part of the Naryn-Too mountain range is a hydrogeological system that forms karst voids and caves.
In the area of a large water source forming a waterfall, several holes were also found, which were clogged with calcite. Local residents told us that there are also waterfalls with a similar genesis on the northern slope of the mountain range and at its eastern end.
To explore the karst massif, we plan to use good off-road vehicles to climb the plateau.
In order to search for new caves, from the base camp you can make radial hiking or trips for 1-2 days. In addition, we can use local horses to transport goods.
We plan to establish a base camp in a picturesque canyon, which is located in the western part of the mountain range. There are springs with drinking water here. For a more efficient search for new caves, we can move the camp to another promising karst area.
The air temperature in May-August is about 28-30 degrees during the day, and 20-22 degrees at night. From April to September, frequent rains are observed in this area. Sometimes it rains for 2-3 days. Therefore, the most favorable dates for the expedition are in August.
The karst territory also covers part of the reserve. Therefore, for legal research, we will obtain the appropriate permission from government organizations.
We invite interested speleologists to take part in the exploration of the new karst region of the Middle Tian-Shan.
- The main purpose of the expedition:
– Search and exploration of new caves,
– Speleo-biological research. - Organization and conditions of participation:
– Meeting at the airport,
– We will provide vehicles for the entire duration of the expedition,
– Equipment for the base camp: individual tents, large tents, etc.
If you want to take part in the expedition, please contact us by email: info@speleo.kg
Photos from the karst area Naryn-Too
Expedition route, location of the karst region
