The border starts in the west at the tripoint with Uzbekistan in the Ugam Range and then proceeds in a north-eastwards direction, past Taraz and along the Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountains. The border then traces a rough arc around Kara-Balta, before following the Chu river past Bishkek and Tokmok. Leaving the Chu near the town of Kara-Bulak, the border then proceeds eastwards across the Küngöy Ala-Too Range, north of lake Issyk-Kul, to the tripoint with China.