Issyk-Kul

Issyk-Kul is an alpine saltwater lake in Issyk-Kul Region, Kyrgyzstan, surrounded by mountain ranges of the Tian Shan system. The water appears turquoise blue and stretches in a west-east direction for roughly 180 kilometers with a width of up to 60 kilometers.

Caravans on the Silk Road used the shores as rest stops between the 2nd century BCE and the 15th century. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang described the body of water in the 7th century in his travel notes as a great cold sea.

The name comes from Kyrgyz and means warm lake, a reference to the way the water remains unfrozen even during cold months. Beaches along both shores draw families in summer who swim in shallow bays and picnic on the pebble shoreline.

The northern shore offers more infrastructure for visitors with lodging and restaurants, while the southern side remains quieter. Water is clear enough for swimming from June through September, outside those months it stays cool despite its nonfreezing nature.

Despite winter temperatures below zero, the water never freezes because of its salt content and thermal activity at the bottom. Local stories tell of sunken settlements beneath the surface that archaeological expeditions have been searching for decades.