Song Kul Lake

Song Kul lies in a high basin of the inner Tian Shan, more than three thousand metres above sea level. The Song-Kul-Too and Moldo-Too ranges surround its fresh waters and broad, treeless meadows. In summer herders bring their flocks and horses to the lakeside pastures, setting up felt yurts on the open grassland. Long winters close the high passes and cover the lake with ice, giving this mountain basin a markedly seasonal rhythm.