Place: Lake Issyk Kul, Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan

Description

If you look at a map of Kyrgyzstan, you cannot miss Lake Issyk Kul, the largest lake in the country, located in its northeastern quadrant. The lake is roughly 182km long by 61km wide, and at its deepest, it reaches a depth of 702 meters. Additionally, Issyk Kul is a mountain lake, located roughly 1600 meters above sea level, and ringed by spectacular peaks of the Ala-Too mountain range. Issyk Kul is the most popular tourist destination in Kygyzstan; if you ask any locals where they spent their last vacation and inevitably their answer will be Issyk Kul. The name Issyk Kul translates from the Kyrgyz as “hot lake” although given its year-round chilly temperatures, this is clearly a misnomer. However, prior to the winter of 2008, Issyk Kul had never been known to freeze. The winter of 2008, the coldest in Central Asia’s recorded history, saw large portions of the lake freeze over, to the consternation of many locals.