The water in Issyk Kul is fresh or salty. Mountain lake Issyk-Kul. Excursions around Issyk-Kul

Basic moments

Issyk-Kul is one of the deepest lakes in the world, located in the northeast of Kyrgyzstan in the Tien Shan mountains at an altitude of 1600 meters. The length of the lake reaches 180 km, and its width varies from 30 to 60 km. The average depth of the lake is 300 meters, but in some places it reaches 700 meters. In terms of cleanliness and transparency of water, the lake is second only to Baikal. Thanks to the huge thickness of water, the lake does not have time to cool down and never freezes. About 80 rivers and tributaries flowing from the glaciers of the Tien Shan flow into Issyk-Kul. But there is no drainage from the lake, and it accumulates all the valuable minerals brought by rivers and rain.

The climate in the vicinity of Issyk-Kul is moderately maritime. The sun pleases with its appearance more often than on Black Sea coast. But there is no sweltering southern heat, and there are no frosts in winter. The average summer temperature is +24 °C, the water warms up to +22...+24 degrees. In winter, the thermometer rarely drops below 6 degrees below zero.

Hundreds of thousands of birds spend the winter or rest during migration on the ice-free lake, and nature lovers will spend many fascinating hours watching them.

Why go

Issyk-Kul provides incredible opportunities for recreation and wellness - the purest mountain-sea air, thermal springs available all year round, healing mud and healing mineral water. For good rest a year-round tourist infrastructure has been created here - comfortable housing, comfortable sandy beaches, cafes, cinemas, discos, boat and catamaran rental. Guests of Issyk-Kul are offered exciting excursions to places untouched by civilization. Lovers active rest They will be happy to take part in mountain climbing, hiking, horseback riding, and rafting. For those who want to see undersea world Dives into the lake to a depth of more than 20 meters are organized. A hang gliding flight over the beautiful Issyk-Kul will be one of the most exciting adventures of your life!

Fishermen will appreciate fishing on the lake - bream, carp, trout, tench, and carp are found here.

There are only a few places on Earth with such a unique microclimate - the air contains a huge amount of iodine ions, sea salts, ozone, and the water of Issyk-Kul is truly a magical storehouse - it contains all the useful chemical elements and microelements, which, coupled with a weak alkaline reaction, have has a powerful healing effect on the human body.

Resorts and Attractions

The northern coast of Issyk-Kul is more comfortable; guests have a lot of hotels to suit every taste and good entertainment infrastructure. The Cholpon-Ata resort is located here, the mineral waters of which are similar in composition to the Essentuki springs. Local silt and hydrogen sulfide muds are famous for their analgesic and antibacterial properties. Local attractions, a water park and a 70-meter Ferris wheel are worthy of attention. In the vicinity of Cholpon-Ata, take a look at the Stone Garden, where you will see the unique ruins of the city from the times of the Great Silk Road.

Not far from Cholpon-Ata there is the village of Bosteri, famous for its fair and local apricots, cherries, and honey.

For a calm family vacation The village of Bulan-Sogotu is perfect.

In the village of Korumdu you can see an ethnographic zone with ancient petroglyphs.

The shallow water beach near the village of Sara-oy will satisfy vacationers with children.

Near the village of Ak-Suu you can plunge into unique springs - although they are located next to each other, the water in them differs in composition (hydrogen sulfide and radon) and in temperature (from +32 to +50).

Fans of esotericism consider it their duty to reach the local shrine of Tanga Tash - three gigantic stones lying at a distance of a kilometer from each other.

A 5-hour drive from Issyk-Kul lies Dead Lake with healing mud and water so salty that it is impossible to drown in this reservoir. The chemical composition of the lake's water is equivalent to the water of the Dead Sea in Israel. Local muds are very effective in treating colds and skin diseases. If you come here, be prepared for the fact that the lake is not equipped in any way; on its shores there are only yurts where you will be offered dishes of national Kyrgyz cuisine. Do not try to remove water under any circumstances - this will result in a heavy fine.

To the east of Issyk-Kul there is the legendary Sentash Pass - it was here that Tamerlane ordered the construction of his famous stone heaps.

Be sure to go on an excursion to at least one of the most beautiful local gorges - Jety-Oguz with a zoological reserve and hydrogen sulfide springs; Barskhan, along which the Great passed Silk Road; Boom with a botanical reserve; Barskaun with magnificent waterfalls and a monument to Yuri Gagarin, who loved to visit these places.

Accommodation

More than two hundred sanatoriums with excellent medical facilities, boarding houses, holiday homes, and mini-hotels are available to tourists. For those who want to get as close to nature as possible and enjoy the local exoticism, traditional Kyrgyz yurts are offered for accommodation.

Helpful information

• Do not purchase alcoholic drinks in markets and small shops - there is a danger of buying counterfeit products.
• During forest walks, do not eat unfamiliar berries and plants, do not pick mushrooms unknown to you.
• It is more profitable to buy souvenirs and things not in Issyk-Kul, but in the Bishkek Dordoi market.

How to get there

We fly by plane to Bishkek or Almaty, then by bus or train we go to Issyk-Kul. The journey from Bishkek will take 4 hours, from Almaty 8 hours. To cross the borders of Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan, a Russian passport is sufficient.

Issyk-Kul is a lake in eastern Kyrgyzstan in the northern part of the Tien Shan Mountains. It is the tenth largest lake in the world by volume (but not surface area) and the second largest among salt lakes after the Caspian Sea. Translated from Kyrgyz, Issyk-Kul means “ warm lake“, despite the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by snowy peaks, the lake never freezes.

The lake is 182 km long and about 60 km wide. This is the second largest mountain lake in the world. It is located at an altitude of 1607 meters and reaches a depth of 668 meters. 118 rivers and streams flow into the lake, but not a single one flows out. There is a hypothesis that the waters of the lake have an underground outlet into the Chu River.
The salinity of the water in the lake is low - only 0.6% (for comparison, ordinary sea water has 3.5% salt). The water level decreases by 5 centimeters annually. The climate in the lake area is mild, not as hot as in other regions of Kyrgyzstan.

The best period for beach holiday- July, August, the air temperature at this time is about 25 degrees, the water temperature is 22-23 degrees.

How to get there

The shortest way to Issyk-Kul is a flight to Bishkek airport. Route taxis depart from the Eastern Station, the journey takes about 4 hours. A taxi will cost about 60 dollars.

Calendar low prices for flights to Bishkek:

Order a private transfer from the airport HERE

A longer option is a flight to Almaty (Kazakhstan). At one time I used exactly this path, because... I also wanted to visit Medeo. In addition, the flight to Almaty was cheaper. Buses from Almaty to Issyk-Kul depart late in the evening, the journey takes about 8-9 hours, i.e. the road lasts all night. It should be taken into account that a holiday in Issyk-Kul for residents of Kazakhstan is an economy class holiday, so the buses were crowded with tourists, mainly young people.

The bus was very noisy, so it was difficult to sleep. In addition, it was necessary to go out at night to cross the border.

The border is formal, a Russian passport is enough, but do not forget to take out medical insurance just in case.

Where to stay

The most populated is the northern part of the Issyk-Kul coast. South part, although no less picturesque, was once subject to mercury contamination and is the site of gold mining by a foreign firm. Although it is believed that the ecology of the region has already been fully restored, this part of the coast has developed more slowly, and the main tourist settlements located on the northern part of the lake.
The main settlements are Cholpon-Ata and Bosteri, and there are also numerous villages along the lake. One more big city on Issyk-Kul is Karakol (formerly Przhevalsk), it is located on the east coast of the lake.

There is a ski resort there.

In the area of ​​Lake Issyk-Kul there are sanatoriums and boarding houses. The most famous are sanatoriums "Blue Issyk-Kul", "Cholpon-Ata" and "Kyrgyz seaside" in Bosteri.

They have a developed infrastructure and offer a wide range of services, located right on the lake. It is recommended to buy vouchers in advance.

You can book your accommodation in Issyk-Kul HERE.

While still on the bus, at the entrance to Issyk-Kul, real estate rental agents began to sit down with us and offer various accommodation options. We agreed with one of the agents that he would show us several options in Bosteri. We transferred to a passenger car and soon chose a nice room in a private mini-hotel a 5-minute walk from the lake. Accommodation prices are cheaper than in similar private hotels on the Black Sea coast.
You can rent a room in the private sector even cheaper. Usually, private sector is located further from the coast, but its advantage is home-cooked food from the owners and the opportunity to use the kitchen.

Search hotels in Cholpon-Ata:

Excursions around Issyk-Kul

The main reason why you should make such a long journey to Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan is, of course, excursions. There's a lot to see here.

Excursions can be purchased at boarding houses in localities.
We took excursions to Karakol, a two-day tour around Issyk-Kul in an SUV with an overnight stay in yurts, and a trip to the famous Bishkek Dordoi market.

Karakol (formerly Przhevalsk)

Karakol is the fourth largest city in Kyrgyzstan. It contains attractions of interest to tourists:

Russian Orthodox Cathedral

The cathedral was originally built of stone in 1872, when Karakol was a garrison city on the border of the Tsarist Empire. It was destroyed in 1890 by an earthquake, and the current cathedral was built of wood on a brick foundation. Construction lasted 6 years and was completed in 1895. After the 1917 revolution, the building was used as an educational center, gym, theater, dance hall and even a coal warehouse. Then, in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Kyrgyzstan was declared independent, the building was again transferred to the Orthodox diocese.

Dungan mosque

The Issyk-Kul central mosque of the city of Karakol was built according to the design of the Beijing architect Chu Seu in the traditional chinese style. Construction of the mosque began in 1904 and ended in 1910. The mosque was built without a single nail and is a monument of wooden architecture. In the period from 1929 to 1947, the mosque building was used as a warehouse; in 1947 it was transferred to the Muslim community. Currently the mosque is open to visitors.

Przhevalsky Museum

Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky is one of the first Russian geographers who began to study the geography, flora and fauna of the countries of Central Asia. Beginning in 1870, he organized 4 major expeditions to Mongolia, China and Tibet. He discovered and described more than 200 plant species. He also collected a gigantic zoological collection. He died in 1988 from typhus and was buried on the shores of Issyk-Kul near the city of Karakol. The Przhevalsky Museum opened in 1957 not far from the scientist’s grave.

Salt lake Issyk-Kul/

Salt Lake located at the southern tip of Issyk-Kul. It has a unique microclimate. Presumably, it was previously part of Issyk-Kul, but then separated from the main lake, and the concentration of salts increased due to evaporation.

By chemical composition The lake is close to the composition of water in the Dead Sea.

The lake is small in size, but it is difficult to swim across it, because... Due to the high salinity, it is impossible to swim there. Here, like in the Dead Sea, you can read a newspaper while lying on the water. The shores are covered with dark mud, considered medicinal. Around the lake are picturesque canyons where you can take pictures.

Gorge of the Seven Bulls (Jety-Oguz)/

Picturesque red rocks east coast Issyk-Kul. If you go further, you can see beautiful waterfall Girlish tears. In the gorge they offer horse riding, tea drinking in a yurt, and kumiss.

Here you can buy delicious mountain honey inexpensively.

It is impossible to talk about all the sights of Issyk-Kul in one article. Follow the updates on the website. And if you are planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan, write questions in the comments, I will try to answer them.

Central Asia, in addition to its numerous attractions, can safely boast of its highlight - Lake Issyk-Kul. This unique lake At the same time, it is one of the thirty largest lakes on the planet both in area and in depth.

Mountainous Issyk-Kul continues to attract the attention of the tourist community. The flow of vacationers increases every year. But, unfortunately, not everyone knows where Lake Issyk-Kul is located and what it is famous for.

Issyk-Kul is located on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. This republic was part of the Soviet Union, and its landmark belonged to a huge country. Getting to the lake at that time was not difficult. Today, in order to enjoy the beauty of one of the deepest lakes in the world, you will have to cross several states with which Kyrgyzstan borders: China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Lake Issyk-Kul is among the top largest lakes in the world by area and ranks seventh in the world.

1609 meters above sea level determines the location of the Kyrgyz lake. The exact location of Issyk-Kul can be found at geographical map. If you look at it carefully, the first thing you come across is the Northern Tien-Shan mountain system. The Teskey-Ala-Tau and Kungey-Ala-Tau ridges surround the reservoir on both sides.

Issyk-Kul has four bays: Pokrovsky, Tyupsky, Dzhergalansky, Rybachy. The coastline of the lake spans almost 700 km. The size of Lake Issyk Kul is impressive. From west to east, Issyk-Kul measures one hundred eighty-two kilometers, from north to south - fifty-eight kilometers. The climate in Kyrgyzstan is very mild, so even in the most harsh winter the lake is not covered with ice. For several decades now, cyclical water levels have been observed in Issyk-Kul. It either increases or decreases.

The lake is of interest not only as a tourist attraction, but also as an object for research. Amazing view The lake can be seen even from space. It did not leave a single astronaut indifferent. They all admire the Kyrgyz reservoir as one. The legendary space explorer, Alexei Leonov, compared the mountain miracle to the human eye. Usually tourists combine a visit to Lake Issyk-Kul and

What kind of water is in Issyk Kul: salty or fresh?

The answer to this question will most likely be given by its regular visitors, who will confidently confirm its salinity. However, the discoverers of the alpine lake are confident that the water in it is fresh. This opinion comes from an erroneous comparison of Issyk-Kul with Lake Baikal. However, the similarity of the two lakes ends with their large size and clear water.

To find out for sure what kind of water is in Issyk-Kul, let’s approach this issue from a scientific point of view.

Issyk-Kul is a closed lake. It has no connection with the world's oceans. Approximately eighty tributaries flow into the lake. Jergalan and Tyup flow in from the east, and Kutemaldy from the west. The last channel belongs to the Chu River, which flows very close to the lake. The six-kilometer-long Kutemaldy replenishes the Issyk-Kul only during spring floods.

Issyk-Kul can be considered the center of a cluster of glacial rivers that carry dissolved mineral salts in their waters: sodium, sulfate, chloride and magnesium. This lake can rightfully be considered a health resort of pan-European and even world significance, thanks to its healing properties. mineral water.

Where did the name of the lake come from?

There are several explanations for where the name Issyk-Kul came from. If we take into account the origin of the words in the name of the lake, then they have Turkic roots. The Turkic words Issiq-Kul became the progenitors modern name Issyk-Kul. The Kyrgyz spelling of the lake, Ysyk kol, means “hot lake” because it does not freeze in the winter season. We already know that this is due to the mild climate, very salty water and huge reserves of heat that are stored at the depths of Issyk-Kul.

EM. Murzaev, a Soviet physicist and geographer, who at one time studied the history of the origin of the name of the lake, is inclined to a theory that goes back far into antiquity. The indigenous Kyrgyz consider Issyk-Kul a sacred lake. The nation has revered his holiness for many centuries, preserving it today. Ancient name Tuz Kul, that is, “salt lake”.

Reasons to visit Issyk-Kul

The most important argument for going to Issyk-Kul as soon as possible is to get your health in order. This amazing place, which combines fresh mountain air and medicinal mineral water. The health resort awaits its visitors from the second half of June until the end of summer. Since those wishing to improve their health are growing every year, medical institutions are increasing depending on demand. In addition to sanatoriums and boarding houses, you can stay in hotels, holiday houses, and tourist complexes.

Issyk-Kul is a favorite place for avid fishermen. The species diversity of fish includes about twenty families. Most of was introduced intentionally and adapted to mountain water. One of the acclimatized species is Gegharkuni, imported from Armenia. Fishermen often boast about their catch of trout and chebak. It happens that individuals larger than 15 kilograms are caught.

The alpine lake is very attractive to those who like to contemplate Beautiful places On the Earth. Issyk-Kul, like Baikal, attracts with its clean and clear water. Throughout the day you can observe how the color palette of the water changes. The color scheme plays with a variety of colors: sometimes it blinds the eye with emerald tints, sometimes the blue waves excite the heart with their pressure.

Issyk-Kul is no less fascinating with its sights and legends.

Legends and secrets of the Kyrgyz miracle

Issyk-Kul is full of mysteries and legends. The guides tell with particular interest about local mysteries and legends. To confirm the mystery of the alpine lake, let’s get acquainted with some of them.

The first legend tells how the mountain pool appeared. This happened in the distant past, when there was no trace of any reservoir. And in its present place stood a magnificent city. But the life of the large settlement was interrupted in an instant. During a strong earthquake, the earth moved apart and “swallowed” the city along with its inhabitants, leaving a huge depression in its place. The huge depression began to quickly fill with water and turned into a mountain lake.

As it turned out later, not all residents died in that disaster. Several girls remained alive, who on the day of the tragedy went to the mountains for firewood. Grief overwhelmed the young beauties so much that they could not come to terms with the loss of their loved ones. As soon as the sun rose, they came to the pond and wept bitterly, suffering from the loss of loved ones. There were so many tears that they turned fresh water lakes to salty. It was the burning tears of the suffering girls that gave the name to Lake Issyk, which translates as “hot”. The Kyrgyz added Kul to the first word, which means lake.

The elders confirm that the character of Issyk-Kul fully corresponds to its name. If you peer into the waters of the lake for a long time, you can clearly trace its mood, similar to the experiences of the surviving girls. The transparent emerald color envelops you in its magic during calm periods, and the crazy waves raging in a storm are ready to tear the shore to shreds.

The legend of Tamerlane is considered no less entertaining. The Turkic commander visited the lake three times in seven years. The veracity of this legend is evidenced by the pass located in the eastern part of the lake. It was formed during Tamerlane’s military campaigns in these lands. Each time, making another campaign to capture the local population, the Central Asian conqueror ordered the soldiers to take one stone at a time and put them in one place. When the entire army passed, a formation was formed at this place. stone mountain. However, Tamerlane's campaigns of conquest failed. He never managed to conquer the indigenous tribes. The local population turned out to be quite resourceful. Before the approach of Tamerlane's army, the tribes migrated from the country and waited in secluded places. Tamerlane could not stay on Kyrgyz territory for a long time; he needed to conquer other lands. Returning back, the commander gave the order to each warrior to take a stone from the first pile and move it to another. In this way Tamerlane counted his soldiers. This is where the name of the artificial mountain “Santash” came from - counting stones.

Author - Oksana_Lyutova. This is a quote from this post

Mountain Lake Issyk-Kul

The most beautiful and most big lake Central Asia - Lake Issyk-Kul. It is located between the ridges of the Northern Tien Shan: Kungei Ala-Too (facing the sun) and Terskey Ala-Too (facing away from the sun) at an altitude of 1609 m above sea level. Issyk-Kul is one of the largest mountain lakes in the world.

The lake is incredibly beautiful. For this reason it is called the “Pearl of Kyrgyzstan”. Greater transparency and bright sunshine change the color of the water of Lake Issyk-Kul from soft blue to dark blue tones. In winter, the water temperature is + 4.2-5.0°.

There are many legends and myths about the origin of Lake Issyk-Kul. Here are three of the most common legends.

In July and August, the upper layers of water heat up to +18-20°. Even in the coldest winters the lake does not freeze. Magnificent views of snow-capped peaks open from the northern shore of the lake. Eighty rivers and streams flow into the lake, but the lake has no drainage, so the water in the lake is salty.

There are beliefs about cities buried under the waters of Issyk-Kul. The mountains around the lake are practically unexplored.


The lake basin, surrounded on all sides by powerful mountain ranges, remained a remote area of ​​Kyrgyzstan for a long time. Now you can get here along the road passing through the famous Boom Gorge; there are also 2 airports on the territory of the basin: Cholpon-Ata, located near resort town, And international Airport Tamchy, which was built and opened in the summer of 2003 on the basis of a military airport.

Here are some numbers about this unique place that attracts everything large quantity tourists: the volume of all water is 1738 km2, the area of ​​the water surface is 6236 km2, the length coastline- 688 km, average depth- 278 m, the greatest depth is almost 2.5 times greater and equals 668 m, the length of Issyk-Kul from West to East is 182 km, and from South to North - 58 km. Over the past two centuries, the level of Issyk-Kul has been decreasing and, as a result, both the depth and length of the coastline are decreasing. According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, since 1886 it has fallen by 4 m, according to other sources, by 9 m.

In terms of depth and volume of water, it has no equal in the world among high-mountain lakes. Issyk-Kul is rightfully the second largest alpine lake, after Lake Titicaca located in Chile.

Due to the great depth of the lake, the water does not have time to cool completely - the lake never freezes, except near some shores. Issyk-Kul translated from Kyrgyz means “Hot Lake”. The ancient Kyrgyz called this pearl of the country “Tuz-Kul” - “Salt Lake” for the brackish taste of the water, which was not suitable for drinking either for people or animals.

The lake is one of those formed tectonically and, due to the orographic isolation of the basin, the climate here is peculiar, almost marine. It is softer, warmer and wetter than in other depressions of the Tien Shan, located at the same altitude.

According to the thermal regime, Issyk-Kul is a subtropical lake. Here, on the shore of the lake, it is moderately warm in summer, and not cold in winter. The average air temperature in January is minus 2 - minus 10 degrees, in July - plus 17 - plus 18. The average water temperature in summer is plus 21 - plus 23, in winter - minus 3 - minus 4. West Side The basin is arid, rains are rare, and almost no snow falls. IN western mountains, bordering the lake, only 115 mm of precipitation falls, while on the eastern shore - about 600 mm. However, in last years The amount of precipitation has increased - the impact of Global Warming is also noticeable in Kyrgyzstan.

More than 80 rivers and tributaries flow into the lake, but not a single river carries its waters out of this azure lake, which causes the accumulation of salts (water mineralization - 5.90%). The largest rivers flowing into the lake are Tyup (103 km) and Dzhergalan (81 km), the length of the rest does not exceed 50 km. Once upon a time, the Chu River, flowing along the western edge of the basin, carried its waters into the lake

Varied contrast natural areas: in the east there are steppes on dark chestnut soils, on the slopes of the mountains in the west there is a semi-desert, but in the east, at the same altitudes, especially along the Terskey Ala-Too gorges, there are dense spruce forests. The organic world of the lake is also diverse - about 20 species of fish live here, 10 of which are acclimatized. Issyk-Kul is inhabited by: chebak, carp, marinka, osman, pike perch, bream, mirror carp, grass carp, Amur Darya and Sivan trout, whitefish and other fish.

The lake was first explored by the great Russian traveler P.P. Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. He wrote about Issyk-Kul: “It is difficult to imagine anything grander than the landscape that appears to a traveler from Kungei across the lake to the Heavenly Ridge. The dark blue surface of Issyk-Kul with its sapphire color can easily compete with the equally blue surface of Lake Geneva, it seemed to me on the western side of Kungey is almost limitless in the East, and the incomparable grandeur of the last plan of the landscape gives it a grandeur that Lake Geneva does not have."

The famous Russian traveler and scientist, explorer of Central Asia, N. M. Przhevalsky, was in love with this region and asked to be buried on the shore of the lake. Having seen the beauty of Kyrgyzstan, he said: “This is the same Switzerland, only better.” After Przhevalsky’s death, a city located next to the traveler’s grave was named in his honor. Then, after the collapse of the USSR, Prezhevalsk was renamed Karakol. The city houses the Prezhevalsky Museum.


Issyk-Kul attracts a huge number of tourists from Kazakhstan, Russia, other parts of the CIS, as well as foreign tourists. On the coast of the lake there are resorts that operate year-round, where you can not only have a great rest, but also improve your health.

Lake Issyk-Kul

The most beautiful and largest lake in Kyrgyzstan - Lake Issyk-Kul. It is located in the northeastern part of the republic between the ridges of the Northern Tien Shan: Kungey Ala-Too (facing the sun) and Terskey Ala-Too (facing away from the sun) at an altitude of 1609 m above sea level. Lake Issyk-Kul one of the largest mountain lakes in the world.
The lake basin, surrounded on all sides by powerful mountain ranges, remained a remote area of ​​Kyrgyzstan for a long time. Now you can get here along the road passing through the famous Boom Gorge; there are also 2 airports on the territory of the basin: Cholpon-Ata, located near the resort town, and Tamchi International Airport, which was built and opened in the summer of 2003 on the basis of a military airport.
Here are some figures about this unique place, which is attracting an increasing number of tourists: the volume of all water is 1738 km², the area of ​​the water surface is 6236 km², the length of the coastline is 688 km, the average depth is 278 m, the greatest depth is almost 2.5 times greater and equal to 668 m, length Issyk-Kul from West to East is 182 km, and from South to North - 58 km. Over the past two centuries, the level of Lake Issyk-Kulpon has been decreasing and, as a result, both the depth and length of the coastline have been reduced. According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, since 1886 it has fallen by 4 m, according to other sources, by 9 m.
Due to the great depth of the lake, the water does not have time to cool completely - the lake never freezes, except near some shores. Issyk-Kul translated from Kyrgyz means “Hot Lake”. The ancient Kyrgyz called this pearl of the country “Tuz-Kul” - “Salt Lake” for the brackish taste of the water, which was not suitable for drinking either for people or animals.

Climate of Lake Issyk-Kul

Lake Issyk-Kul refers to those formed by tectonic means and due to the orographic isolation of the basin - the climate here is peculiar, almost marine. It is softer, warmer and wetter than in other depressions of the Tien Shan, located at the same altitude. According to the thermal regime, Issyk-Kul is a subtropical lake. Here, on the shore of the lake, it is moderately warm in summer, and not cold in winter. The average air temperature in January is minus 2 - minus 10 degrees, in July - plus 17 - plus 18. The average water temperature in summer is plus 21 - plus 23, in winter - minus 3 - minus 4. The western part of the basin is arid, rain is rare, snow almost never falls out. In the western mountains bordering the lake, only 115 mm of precipitation falls, while on the eastern shore - about 600 mm. However, in recent years the amount of precipitation has increased - the impact of Global Warming is also noticeable in Kyrgyzstan.
To Lake Issyk-Kul More than 80 rivers and tributaries flow in, but not a single river carries its waters away from this azure lake, which causes the accumulation of salts (water mineralization - 5.90%). The largest rivers flowing into the lake are Tyup (103 km) and Dzhergalan (81 km), the length of the rest does not exceed 50 km. Once upon a time, the Chu River, flowing along the western edge of the basin, carried its waters into the lake.
The contrast of natural zones is varied: in the east there are steppes on dark chestnut soils, on the slopes of the mountains in the west there is a semi-desert, but in the east, at the same altitudes, especially along the Terskey Ala-Too gorges, there are dense spruce forests. The organic world of the lake is also diverse - about 20 species of fish live here, 10 of which are acclimatized. Issyk-Kul is inhabited by: chebak, carp, marinka, osman, pike perch, bream, mirror carp, grass carp, Amur Darya and Sivan trout, whitefish and other fish.

Nature of Lake Issyk-Kul

Large vertical extent Lake Issyk-Kul, the complexity of the relief, significant fluctuations in hydrothermal parameters and other environmental factors have led to a wide variety of flora and fauna in the Issyk-Kul basin. Located at relatively close distances from each other Various types vegetation - wormwood and solanchak deserts, turf-like steppes, tall grasses and alpine meadows, coniferous and deciduous forests and shrubs. The most notable representatives of shrubs on the shore of the lake are thickets of sea buckthorn, and in the alpine meadows there is yellow edelweiss, listed in the Red Book.
Woody vegetation is represented mainly by forests of Schrenk spruce. Spruce forests are distributed mainly on the northern slopes of the mountains bordering Lake Issyk-Kul. Spruce grows in separate tracts, islands, interspersed with glades, scree and rock outcrops, alternating with meadows. The mountain slopes are rich in thickets of rosehip, barberry, currant, rowan, and juniper. In the lower reaches along the banks of rivers, in places with more moisture, willows are abundant. In the east of the valley they form deciduous forests.
Animal world The Issyk-Kul region includes 50 species of mammals, 285 of birds, 11 of reptiles, 31 of fish, 4 of amphibians. The black-throated loon, bittern, black stork, mallard, gray duck, demoiselle crane, common gull, and blue kingfisher nest near the coastal waters of the lake and the inflowing rivers. A large number of bird species spend the winter and migrate. Typical of these are: gray heron, swans, gray goose. In the 40s, over 100 thousand waterfowl wintered here. By the end of the 60s, their number was reduced by half. Thanks to the introduction of a 2-km protective zone and a ban on gun hunting on the coast, the number of wintering birds has increased and now amounts to 70-80 thousand individuals.
The lake is home to 11 native and more than 10 acclimatized fish: osman, marinka, chebak and chebak, carp, trout, tench, bream, etc. Osman, bream, marinka, carp, carp, trout, pike perch, chebak and chebak are of commercial importance. The latter are also objects of traditional recreational fishing.

Additional information about the lake Issyk-Kul- Guides: