Sary Chelek Lake and Nature Reserve

Emblematic places

It happens in almost every region that awakens a minimum of interest in the traveler. There are always special places, with a special charm, places of which the local inhabitants are proud and which are those listed by any grandfather who wants to talk to you to welcome you when you cross him.

In Kyrgyzstan we are no less, and here begins our series, of places that for us make up that mythical list of dream places to which we always want to return, as unrepentant travelers on motorcycles that we are.

The first of these places is:

Sary Chelek Lake and Nature Reserve.

Sary Chelek is located in the Jalal-Abad region of western Kyrgyzstan, hidden in the western Tien Shan Mountains at the foot of the Chatkal Range.

This amazing alpine lake is the highlight of a larger area called Sary Chelek Nature Reserve, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978.

The reserve has seven alpine lakes, Sary Chelek being the largest of them. Located at an altitude of 1,887 meters and created by a landslide, the lake occupies almost 500 hectares. Depth varies throughout the lake, with its deepest point at 245 meters.

The other six lakes in the area are smaller, but no less beautiful. There is a hiking trail in the park that allows you to visit almost all the lakes in a single day.

The dense forest with its wild fruit and walnut trees and the valleys surrounding the lakes are home to thousands of plant species, hundreds of birds and some 40 species of mammals, such as bears and lynx.

Not surprisingly, hunting, fishing and collecting herbs and flowers are prohibited when visiting Sary Chelek. Swimming in any of the lakes is also prohibited and you must always stick to the trails and camp in the designated areas.

Fun fact: Sary Chelek means “yellow barrel”. According to legend, there was once an old beekeeper who decided to place his hives on the shores of an incredibly beautiful lake.

When harvest time came, the beekeeper was so amazed by the golden color of the honey that he named the lake Sary Chelek, in reference to the barrels full of honey on the shore.

The lake is very isolated and takes time to reach. That’s why you don’t see many foreign tourists, as the lake and the reserve are not part of the usual route.

However, it is worth taking the time to get to Sary Chelek. Even the views along the road leading to the nature reserve are very scenic.

Not to mention the pleasure of riding a motorcycle along the road leading to the reserve. If you want to check it out, come with us, we’ll take you there!