Lake Shalkar in North Kazakhstan: a brackish lake with a birch-lined shore near Kokshetau

Lake Shalkar in North Kazakhstan is a slightly brackish lake in Aiyrtau District, part of the Kokshetau Lakes group and of Kokshetau National Park. It lies about 68 km in a straight line from Kokshetau and about 309 km from Astana. Expect a summer lake stay: a swim, a walk in the birch woods on the south shore, and quiet, with resorts on the shore.

Where Lake Shalkar is and which Shalkar this page covers

This page covers the Shalkar in Aiyrtau District of North Kazakhstan Region, in the far north of the country. Shalkar means “spacious” in Kazakh and the name turns up across the whole country, so check the region before you plan around a map pin or a booking.

The lake sits in the western part of the Kokshetau Lakes. Aiyrtau village lies a little south of its southwestern tip, and Shalkar village lies to the southeast of the eastern end, about 7 km from the shore. Other lakes are close: Saumalkol about 10 km to the northwest, Imantau and Ulken Koskol about 15 km away, Zhamantuz about 20 km to the west.

These are straight-line figures, so road distances will be longer. Almaty is on the other side of the country.

What the lake is like: shallow, brackish, open on most sides

Shalkar is an elongated lake stretching east-northeast to west-southwest, with a cove at the eastern end whose entrance is only 164 m wide. The bottom is flat, sandy and rocky, slightly silty near the shore. Three small islets lie near the eastern shore.

The southern shore is the scenic side: banks up to 8 m high, backed by birch and aspen woods with sea buckthorn among the shrubs. Elsewhere the shoreline is open and gently sloping, with banks of 3-4 m according to Kazakh Wikipedia.

The figures for the lake’s size differ between sources, so treat them as a range.

For a swimmer this means water that is noticeably but mildly salty, getting a little saltier as summer goes on. Russian Wikipedia credits the water with a healing effect from its low salt content; we could not confirm any medical basis for that.

Rivers, flooding and a falling water level

The lake swells strongly in spring, when the Koi-Bagir river pours in and floods wide meadows along the northern shore. Sources disagree on the details: English Wikipedia places the Koi-Bagir inflow on the northwestern side and calls the Tyun-Tyugur the lake’s outflow to the south, while Russian Wikipedia calls Shalkar endorheic and says the Tyun-Tyugur flows into the southwestern end.

Kazakh Wikipedia lists five small rivers feeding the lake, plus rain and groundwater, and a yearly level swing of 0.5-0.6 m. It also notes that the level fell gradually between 1930 and 1960. In practice, a late-spring visit may find soggy, flooded meadows on the north side, while the wooded south shore stays high.

Fish and fishing

Only perch is native to the lake; least cisco, peled, carp, Prussian carp and crucian carp were all introduced. The water is also used for livestock and for the needs of Aiyrtau and Shalkar villages, so this is a working lake as well as a holiday one.

Because Shalkar is inside Kokshetau National Park, fishing may be regulated. We could not confirm the current rules, licences or closed seasons.

When to go to Lake Shalkar

June to August is the window for a lake trip, with September as a cooler shoulder month.

These are ERA5 reanalysis normals for 2011-2020 at a grid point at 306 m, close to the lake’s own elevation. July is the warmest month, with average highs around 24 °C and nights around 14-15 °C. June and August are only slightly cooler. The figures are a model grid value, not a station reading at the lake.

July is also the wettest month, with about 94 mm of precipitation, so pack for showers. May brings highs near 19 °C but nights around 6 °C, which is too cold for most swimmers. From November to March daytime averages stay below freezing, down to about -12 °C by day and -17 °C at night in January.

Getting there and staying

Kokshetau is the natural base, about 68 km away in a straight line. English Wikipedia mentions resorts on the lakeshore, and the villages of Aiyrtau and Shalkar sit near either end of the lake.

We could not confirm any public transport to the lake, road conditions, or how lakeside accommodation is booked. For a traveller without a car or Russian, that makes the trip hard to arrange independently: plan transport from Kokshetau before you arrive. If you are in the area, Zerenda, another lake among pine hills near Kokshetau, about 57 km away in a straight line, can be combined in the same trip.

We cover the lake near Oral on its own page: Lake Chelkar (Shalkar).