Kel-Suu Lake, Kyrgyzstan

Lake Kel-Suu is one of the most beautiful lakes in Kyrgyzstan. Kel-Suu is located in the Aksai valley of the Naryn region. The lake, which is located at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level, appeared after a landslide in the 1980s. The resulting bowl - bounded on one side by sheer cliffs, on the other by Mount Sary-Beles - began to fill as a result of melting glaciers.

Kel-Suu means "incoming water". Glaciers melt and the lake collects water, it leaves very slowly. But in 2018, the water went down several hundred meters, and after a while the lake reached its previous level. In summer, the water level should rise due to more active melting of glaciers, but this does not happen. That is, the lake is completely unpredictable. Locals joke that before coming here, it is better for tourists to ask if there is water in Kel–Suu.

The length of the lake is 9 kilometers, the width is from 500 to 2000 meters. But the depth is only 5-10 meters.

The lake is located 20 kilometers from the border with China. To get here, you need to pass two border posts. Therefore, it is impossible to get to the lake without a special pass. In addition, it is impossible to get to Kel-Suu by car, and part of the way will have to be overcome on horseback or on foot. Nevertheless, more and more tourists come here every year. The picturesque views and turquoise color of the water are worth all the difficulties.

In front of Kel-Suu you will find the valley of the Kok-kyya River, where the yurt camp is located. There you can spend the night and chat with local elders. The further road to the lake will amaze with picturesque views.

On the lake, hidden from civilization, tourists are offered active recreation: diving and kayaking. The absence of civilization is not said for the "red word". Already at the entrance to Kel-Suu, the cellular connection stops catching. It should also be taken into account that the Aksai Valley, in which the lake is located, is the coldest place in Kyrgyzstan.

There are no fish in the lake, but there are many wild animals nearby. Therefore, you need to be more careful.

Residents of Bishkek and Naryn come to the lake for beautiful photo shoots, and tourists for the magnificent views. By the way, if you're lucky, you can see argali here.

If you go west up from the lake, you will find a unique cave. From a distance, it looks like a gap located in the rocks. And the entrance is almost two meters above the ground. Speleologists are delighted with this cave.

Also near the lake there is a rock called Balcony. At the bottom it has a small hole through which tourists like to crawl for the sake of fulfilling desires. An amazing panorama opens from the opposite side of this cliff.