Boom Gorge, Natural canyon in Chüy Region, Kyrgyzstan.

Boom Gorge is a roughly 30 km river gorge where the Chu cuts north between the Kyrgyz Ala-Too to the west and the Kyungey Ala-Too to the east. Its upper part is broad, with a wide, vegetated river floodplain and gentle slopes; downstream it narrows into a canyon where the river winds among steep cliffs.

The gorge was described in the 1890s Brockhaus and Efron dictionary under the Russian name Buamskoye Ushchel'ye. A 180 km railway branch linking Bishkek and Balykchy, then Frunze and Rybachye, was built through it in 1948. The Red Bridge over the Chu in the middle of the gorge marks the administrative border between Chüy and Issyk-Kul regions.

In Kyrgyz the gorge is called Boom kapchygayy, meaning 'shoestring gorge', a reference to the narrow lower canyon where the Chu River winds between steep cliffs. The upper section is wide and green, with roadside cafes where travellers stop before the climb. Rafting on the Chu is popular today.

The main highway and railway pass directly through the gorge, connecting different regions easily. Taking a train through offers a good view of the landscape from a different vantage point.

The Kyrgyz name Boom kapchygayy means 'shoestring gorge', a reference to the narrow lower canyon where the Chu River winds between steep cliffs. The upper section is far wider, with a broad, vegetated river floodplain.