Karakul Lake

Chinese name: 卡拉库里湖（Ka La Ku Li Hu）
Location: the foot of Muztagh Ata, about 190km from Kashgar, Xinjiang.
Ticket: Entrance ticket CNY60.00
Estimated tour time:1-2 hours
Recommended time to visit: Jun to Sep
Nearby attractions: Stone Village, Muztagh Ata, Taheman Wetland, White Sand Lake, etc.

Karakul Lake is known as “Father of Glaciers”, it is located at the foot of Mount Maztagata, at over 3600m above sea level. It has a depth of 30m and measures 100,000 square kilometers, it's a pure pearl among the harshest landscapes in the west of Xinjiang.

The Kachgar road to Karakul Lake, around 200 kilometers long, takes travelers on a road with arid dune landscapes, camels and yaks. The lake appears as though it appears out of nowhere. The surface of the lake reflects the snowy peaks of Mount Muztagata.

The area around the lake is quite remarkable. From one side there is a boundless stony desert, with sand dunes and small oases occasionally coming across, while from the other - the inaccessible Pamir Mountains with its slightly rugged beauty, beneficially fetching out Lake Karakul. But yet, among this inhospitable landscape in the band of pastures that starts near the lake, cattle breeders put their yurts and graze their herds of sheep, horses and camels. The greater part of the population is the Kirghiz, constantly moving from pasture to pasture.

Karakul Lake is one of the most frequently visited tourist places around Kashgar. The excursions, arranged there, give you a possibility not only to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, but also to get to know better the life of the local people and their unique culture. For a certain fee, you can stay overnight in a yurt of the locals and enjoy all the charms of a nomadic lifestyle. You can see some campgrounds scattered around the lake, but still bear in mind that the lake is located at high altitude where temperatures are often below zero.