Kolsai Lakes

Three lakes in one gorge, one above the other. A car can reach the lower lake at about 1,800 metres. A trail through spruce forest leads to the second one: about 8–9 km on foot or on horseback. The water shifts from blue to emerald depending on the weather.

Kolsai in September The lower lake from the road Mountains reflected in the water The lower lake from above Turquoise water by the shore The lake and the mountain above it A mountain stream A sunken tree in clear water A calm day on the lake The lake through the spruces A squirrel on a spruce Mountains on the way to the lakes The shore of the lower lake Driftwood on the shore A small lake on the forest trail The trail up the gorge Tien Shan spruces Slopes above the gorge Clouds cling to the slope The river in the gorge Sea buckthorn by the road Hills near the village of Saty A valley on the way to the lakes Before the storm Map of Kolsai Lakes National Park A yurt camp by the lake A guest yurt Yurts in the valley A tent camp in the valley The wooden frame of a yurt Inside a yurt The shanyrak, the crown of the yurt Inside a yurt, panorama

The lake formed after the 1911 earthquake, when a landslide dammed the gorge and the water flooded a spruce forest. The trunks still rise straight out of the turquoise water. From the village of Saty the road is rough, usually done by 4×4, and the last stretch is on foot.

A panorama of Lake Kaindy Kaindy in September Spruce trunks rising straight from the water Reflections in the emerald water A birch grove on the way to Kaindy