After breakfast at Kilemche, spend the morning hiking to Jaldyz Karagai pass (3400 m), over the Song-Kul Mountains and into the lake’s basin. The morning climb offers wonderful views of Kilemche jailoo, and the pass itself is rocky. From the pass, Song-Kol is still distant, but as you hike down the slopes, it gets larger and larger; the mountains on the other side get higher and higher. Son-Kul is a mountain lake in the Central Tian Shan range, virtually in the center of Kyrgyzstan. One translation of the name is “The Last Lake”. At an altitude of 3016m above sea level it is 29km long and 18km wide and a maximum depth of 13.2m – it is Kyrgyzstan ‘s second largest lake. It is frozen for more than half of the year – between October and May. It is situated on a treeless, high mountain plateau, and is surrounded by lush mountain meadows, where shephers stay during Summer with their families and cattle. Dinner and overnight in the yurt ca. 3 kilometers from the lake. Upon arrival at the yurt camp, you have some free time to walk on foot or ride on horseback to the lake.
Simple Yurt Camp (ca. 3030m altitude)