The Lovely Lake

Lake Issyk-Kul is the second largest alpine lake in the world and the tenth largest lake in the world by volume. It's 113 miles long and 37 miles wide, and though surrounded by mountains, it never freezes. It's saltwater, but much less salty than the oceans (I tasted it and can attest to that). It's an extremely popular place to visit during the summer, but it's beautiful year-round because the water is so clear and blue, and the mountains make a perfect backdrop. It's considered the "pearl" of Kyrgyzstan, and we can see why.

Zack, Jonas, and I were lucky enough to get to spend a few days at a resort (I use that term loosely) on the lake while we were in Kyrgyzstan. We stayed outside of a town called Cholpon-Ata at a resort called Karven Four Seasons, which has no relation to the Four Seasons chain of hotels. It wasn't fancy, but it was on the lake, it had a pool, and breakfast was included. Good enough for us!


Because it was off-season, it was pretty quiet. But that's exactly what we wanted. We spent a few hours at the beach each day. Jonas loved digging in the sand and throwing rocks in the water.

The weather was sunny and warm enough with a coat on. For the first few days, the water was pretty calm. On our last day it was really windy, and there were decent waves. The mountains were also clearest on that day.

Other than enjoying time at the beach, Jonas also liked swimming, playing on the playground, watching people bowl, eating, and exploring the grounds of the hotel. Below are just some other pictures I wanted to share of the lake.

We loved Lake Issyk-Kul!