Lake Shaitankol: a small granite-ringed lake near Karkaraly

Lake Shaitankol is a small lake about 5 km from the town of Karkaraly in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda Region. It is surrounded by weathered granite cliffs and pine forest. It is a short side trip from Karkaraly rather than a destination in its own right, and its main draw is a local legend about a cross that was thrown into the water.

Where Shaitankol is and what kind of trip it takes

Shaitankol sits among granite cliffs on Bugyly mountain near Karkaraly. The nearest large city among the reference points is Karaganda, about 171 km in a straight line. Astana is about 341 km in a straight line and Pavlodar about 340 km. Road distances will be longer.

The lake is best treated as part of a stay in Karkaraly. The lake is only 5 km from town, so it can easily fill a half day once you are there. We could not confirm public transport to Karkaraly, a marked trail from town to the lake, or whether English is spoken locally. A traveller with no car and no Russian should plan the Karaganda to Karkaraly leg in advance.

A pool, not a big lake: the key figures

Shaitankol is tiny. The Kazakh Wikipedia gives it as 60 m long and 40 m wide, with an average depth of 2 m, at about 1,200 m above sea level on Bugyly mountain. The English Wikipedia says the depth remains unknown, so treat the 2 m figure with some care. Even the direction from town differs between sources.

A walk around such a small pool takes little time.

Granite cliffs and pine forest around the water

The lake is enclosed by half-ruined layered granite that the Russian Wikipedia likens to a “layer cake”. The rocks are overgrown with pine. The Kazakh Wikipedia lists pine, birch, poplar, raspberry and other shrubs. It says this thick forest shades the water and protects it from heavy evaporation.

The water is described as clear, with a stony bottom that does not let water seep away. The lake does not dry out. In wet years excess water spills over and runs off through a trough-like channel on the southern shore. The Kazakh Wikipedia also notes that the lake appears in Sabit Mukanov’s poem “Sulushash” and that in summer it is a well-known place to relax.

The Shaitankol legend: Devil’s Lake and the sunken cross

The name means “Devil’s Lake”, and in Russian it is also called Chyortovo. Many folk tales surround it. People say that some visitors have seen devils, a mysterious old man and other visions here.

The best-known story is dated by local recollection to 1905. At the request of local residents, Bishop Mikhail set up a cross on the western shore and renamed the lake Holy Lake. The cross later disappeared and the old name returned. Some say someone threw the cross into the water, where it is said to remain.

The Kazakh Wikipedia adds a later account from Tiyshbek Tokhmetov, who for many years headed the Karkaraly national park. He recalls that in 1999 he brought Toktar Aubakirov, Kazakhstan’s first cosmonaut, to the lake. Aubakirov’s son then shouted that he could see a large cross lying on the bottom. A further story tells of a rash that troubled Aubakirov afterwards and that cleared only after he returned and bathed in Shaitankol. These are recollections and legends, recorded as such.

When to go to Shaitankol

June to August is the comfortable window, with daytime highs around 20 to 21 °C. The figures below are computed ERA5 reanalysis normals for 2011 to 2020 at a grid point at 1,139 m, close to the lake’s reported 1,200 m, so they are only a rough guide to conditions at the lake itself.

Summer is also the wettest time. July averages about 72 mm of precipitation and June about 55 mm, so pack a rain layer. Nights stay cool even in July, with lows near 10 °C. May and September are possible but chilly, with highs of about 15 °C and 14 °C and lows near 2 °C. From November to March daytime highs stay below freezing, and January lows average about -21 °C.

If you are combining central Kazakhstan lakes, Zerenda has a similar pine-and-hill setting further north. Lake Balkhash is about 320 km in a straight line to the south.