Ala-Kol Lake

A turquoise glacial lake at 3,560 m — the high point of the most popular trek out of Karakol.

Ala-Kol — literally ‘multi-coloured lake’ in Kyrgyz — sits at 3,560 metres in the Terskey Ala-Too range above Karakol, fed by glaciers tumbling off Karakol Peak (5,216 m). The water shifts from emerald in early summer to deep turquoise once the silt settles in August, framed by black-and-white moraine slopes and snow-fields above. The lake is the highlight of the Karakol → Ala-Kol → Altyn-Arashan trek — Kyrgyzstan’s most popular multi-day hike — typically done over 3 to 4 days with two nights camping and a final descent through the alpine valley of Altyn-Arashan to natural hot springs. EcoNomad runs guided departures from late June, with porter horses for travelers who prefer to walk light, and pre-positioned yurt camps on the descent.