Ala-Kol - Glacial Turquoise Bliss

Kyrgyzstan is a country with almost endless beautiful hikes, but an exceptionally outstanding one is the exhausting hike to Ala-Kol Lake.

Sitting at around 3500 m (11500 ft) in the Terskey Alatau mountains, the water is unreal milky turquoise from glacial silt, surrounded by sharp peaks and quiet alpine silence.

It's already an effort to reach the first valley where the hike starts, because the road is anything but easy and rather an absolute massacre. You can easily destroy your vehicle there. That's why people usually hike, what takes you another whole day, or they use one of the offroad taxis.

The trek is a steady climb through juniper forests, past rivers and meadows, up over the Ala-Kul Pass (~3900 m/12800 ft) with big views in every direction. Coming from the east especially the last few hundred meters to the pass are a real adventure. It's extremely steep with a lot of loose gravel, exhausting and in high altitude. But one is rewarded with an absolute stunning view in the end.

The lake itself is cold (fresh meltwater), so most people just sit and take it in rather than swim. But after the effort to get there, even dipping a hand in feels like a small victory.

Such a peaceful, remote spot. One of those places that makes you feel really small in the best way.