Lake Aqqikkol

Aqqikkol, the “bitter lake”, lies in the western Kumkol Basin beneath the Kunlun Mountains. Streams flow into this high saline lake, which has no outlet to the sea. Its shores are set in a cold, dry plateau of mountains and open ground. Wild yak, Tibetan wild ass and antelope inhabit the wider region, moving across the sparse pastures and wetlands around its scattered lakes.