Kel-Suu Lake

A 4.5-km-long alpine lake at 3,514 m on the Chinese border, surrounded by spectacular vertical limestone cliffs.

Kel-Suu (sometimes spelled Kol-Suu) is one of the most striking alpine lakes in Kyrgyzstan — a long, narrow, milky-turquoise body of water hidden in the rugged border zone with China at 3,514 metres. The lake fills a 4.5 km long limestone gorge between vertical 300-metre cliffs, ending in a sharp dam-wall created by an ancient landslide; the water level rises and falls by up to 30 metres seasonally because the lake drains through underground caves rather than over a surface outlet. The colour shifts dramatically through the day from gunmetal grey at dawn through milky turquoise at midday to cobalt at sunset, reflecting different concentrations of suspended glacial silt. Kel-Suu is reachable only between July and mid-September; the access road from At-Bashy crosses the wide Kok-Kiya valley and several streams, requiring 4×4 vehicles, and the final 2 hours must be done on foot. The site lies inside the Kyrgyz-Chinese border zone, so a special permit is mandatory and must be arranged at least 7 days in advance through a tour operator. The reward is one of the most photogenic and least-visited alpine lakes anywhere in Central Asia.