Kol Ukok Lake

Kol Ukok Lake

Lake Kol-Ukok is located in the Naryn region on the Teskey-Ala-Too ridge, not that far from Kochkor. The lake is a calm and peaceful place and an ideal place to get away from civilization and engage yourself in your thoughts and observing the nature around you. Kol-Ukok lake is crystal clear and the cold water is very refreshing, though it is better not to go far from the shore as the depth reaches 17 meters quite quickly in some locations. It is also believed that the caravans of the Great Silk Road passed here on their way to / from the Torugart pass to Chinese Kashgar and the name of the lake translates as “a lake in a chest”.

It is best to visit this Kol Ukok lake during the warm season as the height of the lake is located at the height of more than 3000 meters above the sea level . The grass is particularly juicy during these months, so the shepherds bring livestock to pastures and set up yurts near the Kol Ukok lake. The area is home to wolves, foxes, hares and mountain goats and many wild plants and flowers such as garlic and edelweiss. Sevan trout, imported from Armenia, also lives in the waters of Kol Ukok. 

Visit Kol Ukok lake

Kol Ukok is best visited by horseback as the walk to the lake is about 17km one way and constantly gaining elevation with the total height difference between the starting point and the lake being about 1000 meters. The route is not very steep and fairly easy but only long and it usually takes 2 days by walk. The river that flows down from the lake also needs to be crossed several times during the route. You can stay at the lake for the night as local nomads offer cozy Kyrgyz yurt accommodation

Sights near Kol-Ukok LAKE

Page updated 17.11.2022

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