Markakol Lake is known as “Pearl of the Altai”. The lake is located in the Eastern park of Kazakhstan nearby the Altai mountains. It is 38 km long lake with 19 km wide and up to 30 meters deep, rising at an altitude of more than 1,400m and close enough to the Chinese border so to get there a border zone permit is required. This great mountain lake is the most scenic of its kind in Kazakhstan. 

The lake’s northern shore displays a wonderful view of the Sarymsakty Ridge, with its snow-covered peaks of Burkitaul, Eagle’s Eyrie, 3,373 meters and Aksubas, Head of White Water 3,308 meters. For more than 100 rivers flow into Markakol Lake, however, only a single river, the Kalzhyr, flows out, south towards the Black Irtysh. The lake is famous for its crystalline water. The lake and its surroundings of marvelous mountain taiga forest were officially declared a 75,000-hectare natural reserve in 1976. Around hills are forested with larch and silver fir, which host brown bear, elk, fox, lynx and maral. The  most significant ones are a fish locally called the uskush, a variety of the Siberian lenok, a trout. Some uskush can reach eight kilograms in weight and are a big draw for anglers