Kaindy and Kolsai Lakes, Kazakhstan

We left Charyn Canyon in the morning and started the 2.5 / 3 hour drive towards lake Kaindy. This was another epic drive where we got to see the Kazakhstan landscapes at their best. Every now and again we would drive through small villages wheee we got a glimpse at what local life is like as well as stopping occasional to view wild horses and eagles gliding through the sky.

Before you get to the Kolsai lakes you can turn off the main road and drive along a bumpy track toward lake Kaindy. The drive along the track takes about 30 minutes and having a 4x4 is essential. The locals drive it in a lot quicker time but we definitely wanted to be cautious and you even have to cross a river! It’s all completely manageable but you definitely want to have your wits about you!

We got to the park entrance in one piece and paid the entry fee of 2,500 tenge. This covered two people and one vehicle for 24 hours. After driving for as long as the track could take us we parked up to where we would be spending the night.

You then have walk along a track (up and downhill) for 30 or so minutes and you begin to see glimpses of the stunning lake through the trees. After a steep walk down you then meet the stunning lake. The two main things that hit you straight away is the bright blue water and the pine trees sticking out of the middle of the lake. The lake was formed in 1911 after an earthquake and the near freezing cold water has preserved the trees perfectly. Beneath the water level you can still see the pine needles sticking out from the tree trunks.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking up and down the sides of the lake taking it all in. Here was only a handful of other visitors and the whole afternoon was very relaxing and peaceful. We then headed back to the car to set up camp and enjoy another al fresco evening meal under the stars.

We woke up the next morning at about 7am, had a quick breakfast and packed up the tent. Where we left to begin the drive to the nearby Kolsai lakes, this time taking on the bumpy track and river with a bit more confidence under our belts!

There are three Kolsai lakes in total, all of which you can visit. The first is very popular with day trip from Almaty and you can rent boats. The second is reachable after walking towards the end of the 1st and then continue hiking along a narrow path through the forest and mountains. We did this trek and it was very enjoyable. It’s a 12km round trip from the start of the first lake to the second and takes about 7 hours, including resting and viewing times. It’s very steep in places but totally worth it and is a great day’s hiking. To get to the third lake you have to have a special permit as it is very close to the boarder of Kyrgyzstan. We decided against this as the paperwork takes time to sort out and we only had time to hike this area for 1 day.

Both Kolsai lakes 1 and 2 are beautiful and well worth a visit. They offer alpine and mountain landscapes similar to Switzerland. Visiting lake 1 is a chilled day out and is quite busy (we visited late September). But hiking to lake 2 is a great experience. We had lake 2 all to ourselves and only saw a small group of people horse trekking during the walk back.

The only problem is we had to park the car and camp in the lake 1 car park. This is made from tarmac and was still quite busy when we returned. To avoid the crowd we went to a cafe at lake 1 and had a hot chocolate, both very tied from our day of hiking. We connected our phones to the wifi for the first time in days which was a nice luxury. By the time we got back to our car / tent the car park was empty and we settled down for another early night.