Song Kol Lake
How to get to Sung Kol Lake
There are many different ways to get to Sung Kol Lake.
We advise you to go with a tour guide, as it can be quite dangerous and there is no reception.
We booked a tour in advance with CBT-Travel Kochkor, it is a Kyrgyz tour operator which focuses on Community based tourism. The guides and hosts are locals and receive a fair price for the tour. We decided to book a three-day-horseback-riding tour.
Even though we did so, it is not necessary to book in advance. You can just go to their office on the morning you would like to join the tour to the lake. Another option is to book a tour that includes more days and activities.
Before you start your journey to Sung Kol Lake
How to prepare your hike or trip to Song Köl lake:
Make sure you have packed enough warm clothes. It gets really cold around the lake and in the mountains. Also the weather conditions can change in a split second. Put a rain coat, gloves, and a warm hat in a place that is easy to reach on your trip to the lake.
If you happen to already be in Kochkor the day before, it can be handy to inform what time the tour starts.
The tour we joined starts at 9 am from their office in the centre of Kochkor.
First, we drove towards the Kyzart pass, a beautiful place in a valley surrounded by mountains. We stopped at a house of a Kyrgyz family and they offered us a great lunch. Unfortunately we could not communicate with the family, as they didn’t speak English and we don’t speak Kyrgyz. We did try to express our graditute. It was nice to see more of the inhabitant countryside of Kyrgyzstan.
After lunch, we meet our horses for the upcoming days. Our tour guide is a very nice young man who enjoys telling us more about life in Kyrgyzstan and what its like to live around the lake in summer. Even though it is summer, due to the high altitude, it is still snowing at this time a year.
The climb took us 7 hours by horse. It is fun in the beginning, at some point we get caught in a snow storm and are soaked and freezing. After that moment it still takes us 4 hours to get to lake side camp.
Although it is a tough climb, the astonishing nature kept us enthusiastic and motivated the entire time. It is still the most beautiful trip we have made in our lives.
We arrived at the first campsite in the evening, where we were comforted with food and an incredible scenery. It is quite a long day for us, so we go to bed early.
We share a tent with the guide and another person who was on the tour with us. As it is quite cold, this is the time your warm sweater, socks, gloves and thermo pants are much needed. In most tents there is a small wood stove which keeps you warm the first hours of the night. But there after, you rely on your clothes for warmth.
The next day we continue our journey, and horse pack ride by the lake. Still the weather is quite unpredictable which creates beautiful landscapes. The lake is breathtaking and there is a lot of cattle and wild horses grazing around the lake. All together it makes you appreciate nature and the tranquility of this magical place.
We arrive at the next camp side around lunch time. This campsite is a bit more luxurious than the previous one. We have actual beds and the tents are larger. There is even a small house where we have our meals.
After lunch, there is enough time to explore the area around the lake by foot. The tour guide says it goodbyes as he will do the whole hike in revers to bring back the horses to its owners. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
At the lake we see families from Kochkor that have come up to enjoy some time at the lake. Some have a picknick and there are a few people swimming. We have a short talk with one of the families and are invited to join them at their picknick. They even asked us to take a photo with the entire family. Something that we are being asked quite often in Kyrgyzstan. Be prepared to be in a lot of pictures.
We debate about going for a swim ourselves, as the water looks inviting. We decide not to in the end, as it is still quite cold and we don’t want to disturb this lovely group of cows.
Another thing which was one of our favorite moments at the lake was watching the sun rise in the morning.
The third day after the sunrise and our last breakfast at this incredible camp, we were picked up by the tour operator by car to go back to Kochkor.
On our way back in the car we could take in the last views around Sung Köl lake.
