Teshik-Kul Lake (also Teshik-Kel) is an inaccessible alpine lake located at an altitude of 3500 meters on the southern side of the Terskey-Ala-Too ridge in Issyk-Kul district.
Teshik-Kul is a typical mountain lake divided into 2 parts, located at different heights and connected by waterfalls. The water in the lake is milky and opaque due to the high content of various impurities.
The surroundings of the lake are very picturesque. To the east of it there is a magnificent view of the mountain glaciers that do not melt even in summer, and to the west there is a small mountain plain stretching at the foot of the glacier that feeds this rather large lake. The lake has an underground drainage channel, so the river flowing out of it quickly breaks out of the ground a little below the lake itself. It has no direct drainage.
Access to the area where the lake is located is very difficult. The turn to it begins in the area of the valley of the Jyluu-Suu River, next to the hot springs of the same name, just before climbing the Ton Pass from the south side. In turn, the ascent of pedestrians to the lake is easy and unpretentious: only 5 kilometers with a slight height difference. When climbing the lake, you need to be very careful: the old road to the lake, depending on the location, crumbles into the river, so for a safe ascent, you need to make sure that the possible volume of the river flowing into the canyon is not too high.
Teshik-Kul Lake is located in Issyk-Kul region on the southern side of the Terskey-Ala-Too ridge. The nearest settlement to the lake is the village of Bokonbaevo, located 40 km from this place. But such a short distance is deceptive — it is very difficult to get to the area where the lake is located.
There are several ways to get to the lake by car: through the valley of the Bolgarth River, through the Jalpak-Bel pass or the Kichi-Naryn valley (check-in from the Bishkek-Torugart highway near the city of Naryn or the village of Sary-Bulak), as well as through the Tosor pass to the southern coast of Issyk-Kul (very difficult, but interesting by car route). Whichever way you choose, the car must be very well prepared for off-road driving. You can also reach the lake via the Ton pedestrian crossing near the village of Bokonbaevo.
