Jety-Oguz Valley lies approximately 25 km southwest of the city of Karakol. It stands as one of Kyrgyzstan's most striking destinations—a lush valley dotted with waterfalls and dramatic gorges. It also functions as a national wildlife reserve, sheltering diverse animal species, mammals, and birdlife.

This is a place steeped in legends and tales from ancient times. The name Jety-Oguz, meaning "valley of the 7 bulls," draws from one such story. Russian writer Ivan Sokolov Mikitov recorded this account during his travels through Kyrgyz lands, as recounted to him by nomadic peoples.

The tale speaks of two noble and mighty kings (Khans) who once ruled this mountainous region with prosperity. One day, one Khan seized the wife of the other, triggering a period of fierce conflict between the two clans. After countless battles to reclaim the beautiful young woman, tensions in the region reached a breaking point.

The king who had abducted her loved her just as deeply as his rival did. Neither ruler could bring himself to surrender her to the other. So the thieving king, desperate to end the war, devised a dark scheme. To appease his enemy—by returning the woman—yet spare himself the agony of seeing her with another man, he decided to kill her, so he could "return" her body to his adversary.

This act would ostensibly satisfy his enemy (in theory) while fulfilling his own desire to possess her eternally.

He orchestrated a grand feast in the valley, drawing many guests. Seven bulls were sacrificed for the banquet. When the seventh fell, the thieving king plunged a dagger into the young woman's heart, and torrents of blood gushed from her wound, cascading down the mountainside. Legend holds that her blood poisoned the valley's water sources, sickening the feast's guests and members of the king's own clan.

From that time forward, the place became known as the "valley of the 7 bulls," Jety-Oguz. On one side stands a rock formation shaped like a broken heart; on the other, seven boulders arranged side by side.

Today, it is a favored destination for photographers and painters, drawn to its magnificent mountain vistas, cascading waters, and caves. The valley also contains an ancient cemetery and several burial mounds dating from the 7th to 5th centuries BC—their present dimensions range from 16 to 28 meters in diameter and 1.7 to 3 meters in height. One must imagine their former grandeur was considerably more imposing.

A thermal resort was constructed in 1932 at the heart of the valley, capitalizing on abundant geothermal springs. Set against the backdrop of striking red cliffs, it offers visitors the restorative benefits of its mineral waters, a mountain environment conducive to relaxation, and a particularly mild local climate. This resort notably hosted the first meeting between Kyrgyzstan's first president, Askar Akayev, and his Russian counterpart Boris Yeltsin in 1991.