Son-Kul

Son-Kul, high-mountain lake (Inner Tien-Shan, Kyrgyzstan). Son-Kul Lake is located in the heart of the Inner Tien-Shan, 90 km north-west of the city of Naryn. The hollow with a length of 57 km and a width of 29 km is located inside powerful mountain heaps. In the center of this basin lies the second largest lake of Kyrgyzstan - Son-Kul. It has a length of 29 km and a width of 17 km. Its surface is located at an altitude of 3016 meters above sea level, maximum depth is 13.2 m. The lake is of tectonic origin, filled with fresh water.

18 streams flow into the lake and only the single Son-Kul river flows out. Only 4 small rivers have a permanent flow into the lake: Kum-Bel, Ak-Tash, Tash-Tebe and Kara-Keche. The coastal strip has a different character: the north-western part is cut by rocky bays and gulfs, and the rest has gently sloping shores with separate marshy areas. In the valley of the river - Son-Kul there are many thermokarst craters which were formed as a result of melting permafrost located at a depth of 1.5 m. 4 km from the source the water flow breaks down into a rocky gorge in a cascade of waterfalls - Kok-Jerty. The lake freezes in the second half of October, it begins to open from ice in late April. The thickness of the ice in some years reaches 1 m.

The animal world is extremely diverse. In the summer various species of ducks, gulls, herons and other waterfowl (66 species) nest here. Due to the harsh climate, the lake was fish-free until 1959. At present the Ottoman, Peled, and Whitefish are acclimatized in the lake.