The surreal beauty of Dead Lake in Kazakhstan

Lake Kaindy, also known as Dead Lake, makes many visitors feel like they are lost in a surreal world .

Lake Kaindy with spruce forest seen from above. Photo: Central asia guide

Kaindy Lake, located in the Tian Shan Mountains, was formed after a major earthquake caused a landslide in 1911. Rainwater poured down and filled the valley, submerging the spruce forest, forming the 400-meter long Kaindy Lake as it is today.

The lake is famous for its dead, discolored spruce trees that protrude from the water. They are remnants of the forest that was flooded when the lake was formed. From a distance, visitors might mistake the lake for an upside-down forest, with its leaves submerged and its trunks sticking up like masts.

Lake Kaindy has clear water that allows you to see the bottom. Photo: Wiki

The most impressive part of the "forest" is the underwater part. The tree trunks do not decompose. The spruce leaves are perfectly preserved on the branches after more than 100 years thanks to the cold temperature of the lake water, which rarely exceeds 6 degrees Celsius even in summer. The lake's crystal clear water allows visitors to easily see this underwater forest.

The magical atmosphere of the lake becomes even more apparent when the water is covered in fog or when the lake freezes. Many visitors feel as if they have entered a surreal world.

In winter, it becomes a popular destination for trout fishing and ice diving. People cut a hole in the ice and dive into the lake’s depths. Ice diving is considered more dangerous than regular diving. However, for adventurous visitors, seeing the surreal landscape of Lake Kaindy through the crystal clear, frozen waters above is a special experience.

Despite being known as “one of the strangest lakes in the world,” this unique destination has few visitors to date. Kaindy is often overlooked by tourists who are drawn to the nearby famous Bolshoe Almatinskoe and Kolsay lakes. One of the reasons people often overlook Kaindy is that it is more difficult to reach because it is located in a canyon with only dirt roads outside. Getting to the lake requires a specialized vehicle and traveling over rough terrain. As a result, the lake has remained quiet to this day.

Kaindy means "landslide" in Kazakh. The lake is part of Kolsay Lake National Park, which borders Kyrgyzstan. In a straight line, the lake is 130 km from Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty. However, because the lake is located in the mountains and the roads are bad, it usually takes visitors about 5 hours to drive and walk to get there.

Google Maps doesn’t work properly in Kazakhstan. Locals use the Russian Yandex tool for directions. From the village of Saty in Kolsay National Park, visitors can drive to the lake, 15 km away on a dirt road, in about 60 minutes.

Saty Village. Photo: Adventurous-travels

Tourists visit the lake. Photo: Adventurous-travels

Inside a room rented to tourists in Saty village. Photo: Adventurous-travels

The road to Saty village. Photo: Adventurous-travels

Mountain view, near Lake Kaindy. Photo: Adventurous-travels

Tourists visit the lake. Photo: Adventurous-travels

Inside a room rented to tourists in Saty village. Photo: Adventurous-travels

Saty is unlike other tourist villages as there is no Internet, shopping malls or pubs. However, the culture, lifestyle of the local people and the experiences in Saty make many tourists excited because they have unforgettable memories here. Food is prepared from local ingredients, grown by the locals. At sunset, the village becomes extremely quiet, making visitors feel like they are traveling back in time 100 years ago. In the village, there are houses for guests to rent overnight.

Not many people in Kazakhstan speak English. They speak Russian. Tourists can book tours with local travel agencies to admire natural wonders and experience the life of local people.

“If you want to find yourself in a different world: accessible but not completely explored and with a lot to offer, choose Kazakhstan,” says Flavio, who runs the travel blog Adventurous-travels.

Video: Dead_Lake_is_as_beautiful_as_in_the_surreal_world_in_Kazakhstan_-_VnExpress_Travel.mp4

According to vnexpress.net

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