Trip to the Kaindy and Kolsai Mountain Lakes

With a guided tour, exclusively occupied by Kazakhs and Russians besides us, Philipp and I traveled to a canyon and two mountain lakes.

The tour itself was long, a bit chaotic, and funny. We started at 6 AM and returned around 10 PM. Along the way, there were three major stops:

1) Black Canyon

Just a brief stop, but all the more impressive. Dark, rugged rocks rise up, and an emerald-green river winds through. It looks as if someone has carved a deep groove into the otherwise gently rolling landscape with a knife.

2) Kaindy Lake

This lake was the highlight for me. It formed about 100 years ago after an earthquake dammed up a small valley. The water flooded a spruce forest at that time, and to this day, the bare, preserved trunks rise like ghostly poles from the lake. Underwater, you can even still see the dead branches diverging from the trunks of the trees. The lake is surrounded by tall rocks and lies completely still. It appears mystical, beautiful, and a little eerie at the same time.

The journey there was also an experience: twelve people in a rickety minibus rattling over bumpy tracks. I was honestly surprised that the body of the vehicle didn't fall apart or at least that a tire didn't burst. However, I genuinely enjoyed the bumpiness. It felt a bit like a ride at a fair.

3) Kolsai Lake

The Kolsai Lake strongly resembles a classic Swiss mountain lake: turquoise blue, surrounded by wooded slopes, and even pedal boats are available there. To gain some distance from the rather numerous tourists by Kazakh standards, Philipp and I walked completely around the lake. The path took us along the shore, over a horse trodden path, and through a small stream.

I am very glad we took this tour, even though it was tiring. A quirky detail: Our tour guides entertained the group with small games along the way (e.g., guessing movie quotes). I wouldn't have needed that, but it was amusing to watch the others doing it :)