Lakes of Kazakhstan: 15 places to visit

Kazakhstan’s lakes come in very different shapes: icy turquoise mountain lakes, vast steppe and desert waters, salt lakes full of flamingos, and pine-ringed lakes among granite hills. For a summer swim, people head to Kapshagay, Alakol, Zhasybay and Imantau. For mountain colour, go to Kaindy, Kolsai and Big Almaty Lake, ideally July to September. For birds, it’s Tengiz from May to October. The remotest and quietest are Markakol and Rakhmanov lake in the Altai — allow at least three or four days.

The 15 lakes below run geographically: the south-east first, then the Altai, then the north and centre. Every figure comes from a park page on this site, where each fact has a source.

At a glance

“No data” means we found no reliable source on swimming. The season column follows the season bars on our park pages; for beach lakes it is an editorial guide, not a park rule.

1. Lake Kaindy — the sunken forest

Kaindy is a lake about 400 m long in a gorge near Saty village. It formed after the 1911 earthquake: a limestone rockslide dammed the valley and the water drowned a spruce forest. The trunks still stand above the surface.

It is about 284 km and 5–7 hours from Almaty; the last 9 km are dirt road with a ford, then about 1.5 km on foot. Go in summer or early autumn in dry weather — rain washes out the track. The water stays around 6 °C even in summer, so this is a place to look rather than swim. Most people pair it with Kolsai over two days. See our Lake Kaindy guide.

2. Kolsai Lakes — a staircase of lakes

Three lakes, one above the other: the lower at 1,818 m, the middle at 2,252 m and the upper at 2,850–2,900 m. You drive to the lower lake; a 7.35–7.8 km trail along the shore and through spruce forest, with about 470 m of climbing, leads to the middle one in 3–4 hours.

Almaty is 275–300 km away, about five hours. The trail is open April to October, ideally July to September. People stay in Saty, which had 90 guesthouses in 2023. No border-zone permit is needed for the lower and middle lakes, even for foreigners. See Kolsai Lakes.

3. Big Almaty Lake — turquoise above the city

The lake sits at 2,511 m, 1.6 km long and 30–40 m deep, under Sovetov peak (4,317 m), Ozerny and Turist. Its colour shifts through the year and is brightest in July and August.

Since 30 April 2026 no cars or e-scooters are allowed on the road: it is about 15 km on foot, 4–6 hours up. The lake supplies Almaty’s drinking water, so swimming, fishing and going down to the shore without permission are banned. Treat it as a hiking day, not a picnic. See our Big Almaty Lake guide.

4. Lake Issyk — after the mudflow

Issyk lies 40 km east of Almaty at around 1,715 m (Wikipedia gives figures from 1,707 to 1,759 m). On 7 July 1963 a mudflow broke its natural dam and emptied the lake; the dam was later repaired and the lake partly refilled.

It is an easy day out from Almaty. Since December 2024 the lake has been run by a private trust manager, but in summer 2025, NUR.KZ reports, the local authority ruled its visitor charges unlawful. The only legal fee is at the national park eco-post. The road may close in winter during the avalanche period. See Lake Issyk.

5. Kapshagay — summer water near Almaty

Kapshagay reservoir is 70 km from Almaty on the A3, with the town of Konaev on its western shore. Wikipedia gives it 180 km in length and up to 22 km in width; filling began in 1970. Water reaches 22–28 °C in July and August and 18–20 °C in May, June and September.

This is Almaty’s main beach escape for a day or a weekend, with holiday camps, guesthouses and town beaches, some of them paid. It freezes in winter. See Kapshagay.

6. Alakol — a salt lake and a rare gull

Alakol is a salt lake of 2,696 km², up to 54 m deep, in the east of the country. People swim at the beaches of Akshi, Koktuma and Kabanbay, which lie outside the Alakol reserve. The Araltobe islands, home to a relict gull colony, are closed from May to September.

From Almaty it is about 9–10 hours by car or bus; Wikipedia also mentions a seasonal train to Koktuma in June–August. With that much driving each way, a weekend makes little sense — plan several days. See the Alakol reserve.

7. Balkhash — a half-fresh lake and the Ile-Balkhash reserve

Balkhash stretches about 600 km; Wikipedia gives its area as 16,400 to 18,200 km² depending on the year. The western part is nearly fresh (about 0.74 g/L), the eastern part saltier at 3.5–6 g/L, joined by the Uzynaral strait, about 3.5 km wide. The Ili river supplies 73–80% of the inflow.

The Ile-Balkhash reserve covers the Ili delta and the southern shore; in July 2026 a tigress named Umit was released into the wild here. It is not a place to wander on your own: visits are arranged with the reserve office in Bakanas. See Ile-Balkhash.

8. Zhasylkol and Akkol — lakes of the Dzungarian Alatau

In Zhongar-Alatau National Park, route No. 3 — the same one that leads to wild Sievers apple forests — reaches the lower Zhasylkol lake. The Shumsky glacier and Akkol lake are reached from the visitor centre in Topolevka village, which opened in July 2026 with a hotel and two guesthouses for up to 60 people.

See Zhongar-Alatau National Park.

9. Markakol — a lake in the Altai taiga

A mountain lake 38 × 19 km and 455 km² in area, at 1,447 m between the Kurchum and Azutau ranges. It is up to 27 m deep, with a single outflow, the Kalzhyr. The endemic lenok, called uskuch, lives here, surrounded by larch taiga.

It is about 400 km and roughly 11 hours from Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk). Tarmac ends at Markakol village; then come more than 50 km of gravel with a hairpin section, so a 4x4 is needed. Go in summer — the lake usually freezes from around 20 November. No border-zone permit is required. See the Markakol reserve.

10. Rakhmanov lake — hot springs below Belukha

A lake in Katon-Karagay National Park, in the southern Altai. About 80 m downstream on the Arasan river, at around 1,760 m, the Rakhmanov springs emerge: thermal radon water at 34–41 °C. The river flowing out of the lake forms the Arasan waterfall. China is 9 km away, Russia 20 km.

From Oskemen to Katon-Karagay village is about 380 km, roughly five hours; in 2026 the last 13 km of access road were still described as hard going for a normal car. Decree No. 356 exempts the lake from the permit regime for foreigners, but carry your ID. July–August is the easiest time. See Katon-Karagay National Park.

11. Borovoe — Burabay among the pines

Lake Borovoe covers about 11 km² and measures 4.5 × 3.9 km, but it is shallow: 7 m at most, 3.4 m on average. The Zhumbaktas rock, the “Sphinx”, rises about 20 m from the water, facing the Okzhetpes cliff.

Astana is about 257 km and three hours away. The high season under the park’s fee schedule is 1 May to 30 September, with higher weekend entry, so weekdays are calmer. Beyond the lake, walkers climb Mount Kokshe (947 m) or take the 8 km Bolektau trail with views over Borovoe and Bolshoye Chebachye. See Burabay National Park.

12. Zerenda, Imantau and Shalkar — the Kokshetau lakes

Kokshetau National Park has three very different lakes. Zerenda covers 9.61 km², up to 6.8 m deep, with a village on its shore 45 km from Kokshetau city. Imantau is fresh and over 13 km long: people swim, fish and take boats to an island 4 km offshore. Shalkar is salty, 12 × 3 km and up to 15 m deep, with a rocky, pine-covered southern shore.

The park is about 60 km and 1.5 hours from Kokshetau. It has 14 trails and 5 routes; two or three days let you see several lakes. See Kokshetau National Park.

13. Zhasybay — Bayanaul

Bayanaul, founded in 1985, is Kazakhstan’s first national park. Of its four freshwater lakes, Zhasybay is the clearest: 4 km² and up to 14.7 m deep, almost twice the depth of Borovoe. It lies 6 km from Bayanaul village among granite shapes such as Kempirtas. The largest lake, Sabyndykol, has a village with shops on its shore.

Pavlodar is about 230 km away. Entry is 0.15 MCI per walker and 0.4 MCI per car. Swimming is mostly a summer thing. See Bayanaul National Park.

14. Shaitankol — Karkaraly

Shaitankol is a small lake, about 60 × 40 m, at roughly 1,200 m, 5 km west of Karkaralinsk, among layered granite and pines. The trail to it is the most popular in the park. Other lakes in the hills include Samal, Basseyn, Ulkenkol and Kishikol.

Karaganda is about 220 km away. Entry is 0.2 MCI per walker and 0.5 MCI per car. The warm season suits hiking, with July averaging 18–20 °C. Shaitankol is a walk, not a beach. See Karkaraly National Park.

15. Tengiz — the flamingos of Korgalzhyn

Tengiz is the salty, endorheic lake of the Korgalzhyn reserve, about 130 km from Astana. It holds one of the largest flamingo breeding colonies in Central Asia: an aerial count published in 2017 found 18,000 birds. Together with Naurzum, the reserve has been part of the UNESCO site “Saryarka” since 2008.

You cannot roam freely: visits are only with a guide on the reserve’s routes from Korgalzhyn village, May to October. The Flamingo route is 155 km long. Whether the colony is visible in a given year depends on water levels. See the Korgalzhyn reserve.

How to choose

• Summer swimming — Kapshagay (a day from Almaty), Alakol (several days), Imantau, Zhasybay.
• Mountain colour and photos — Kaindy, Kolsai, Big Almaty Lake.
• Birds — Tengiz in Korgalzhyn, the Tentek delta at Alakol.
• Solitude and a long road — Markakol, Rakhmanov lake, Zhasylkol.
• Closest to Astana — Tengiz and Borovoe; closest to Almaty — Big Almaty Lake, Issyk and Kapshagay.

Practical tips

• Park fees are set in MCI by Order No. 232; our fee calculator converts them to tenge for the current year.
• Mountain lakes stay cold even in August: don’t plan to swim at Kaindy or Kolsai.
• The Altai and the east are border areas: check where you need a border-zone permit.
• For a packing and checking list, see what to check before visiting a park. Lakes near Almaty also appear in where to go from Almaty.