An Essential Guide to Kol Ukok Lake, Kyrgyzstan

Kochkor is known as the gateway to Song Kul lake, one of the most famous places to visit in Kyrgyzstan. However, even closer to Kochkor town, you’ll find Kol Ukok, an underrated but stunning turquoise lake sitting in a bowl of mountains at 3,000m.

With just a handful of small yurt camps on the lake’s shore and far less visitors, Kol Ukok is not on a lot of traveller’s radar. However, if you have time on your itinerary, I highly recommend a trip to the lake either on foot or by car, as it was one of my most memorable experiences in Kyrgyzstan.

In this post I’m going to detail everything you need to know about exploring Kol Ukok from Kochkor. Plus, the day hike to Kol Tor from Kol Ukok, which gets you deeper into the mountains to another glacial lake.

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Where is Kol Ukok?

Kol Ukok lake is located about 20km southeast of Kochkor town. It sits at 3,000m high in a valley of several snow-capped mountain peaks and grassy slopes where shepherds let their animals graze in summer. The lake is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Kyrgyzstan.

It’s relatively easy to reach Kol Ukok from Kochkor, with a dirt road running directly up the valley to the lake’s shore. This makes it an easy add-on to any Kyrgyzstan itinerary, with options for different adventures.

How to Get to Kochkor

Bishkek to Kochkor: 200 km or 3 hour drive

Kochkor is a large town in the Naryn Region of Kyrgyzstan. It’s commonly known as the gateway to Song Kul lake, but is also the closest place to Kol Ukok lake, making it a great base for exploring the mountains.

From Bishkek Avtovokzal (Bus Station), you can find marshrutkas (shared minibuses) that leave for Kochkor every day. Bus #513 is the route to Kochkor, and it should cost around 300 som per person. They only leave when full, so I’d advise going in the morning to ensure you get one.

Otherwise, you may also find shared taxis running from Bishkek Bus Station to Kochkor. However, the fare will be higher as there are less seats. If you’re travelling in a group this would be a quicker option though.

The new bus station in Bishkek is north of the city centre and it costs about 300-400 som to reach it with a Yandex. Otherwise, public bus #13 connects the centre of Bishkek with the New Bus Station for 20 som (and also the old Western Bus Station which is now closed, in case you end up there by mistake).

The “bus station” in Kochkor is just a parking lot in the main street of town. Ask anyone and they’ll show you, or find the congregation of marshrutkas near Globus Supermarket.

Where to Stay in Kochkor

Most of the accommodation options in Kochkor are family run guesthouses. These are a great way to experience local life and usually include a private room and breakfast. They vary in price depending on the quality and facilities, but you’ll find something for every budget.

We stayed at Guesthouse Liliya and had a great experience. Three of us shared a triple room. The family is absolutely lovely and the son can arrange yurt camps, horse treks, taxis and other trips. They also have a nice dining room and lounge to chill out in, plus it’s close enough to town that you can walk anywhere.

Here are some other recommendations for places to stay in Kochkor with good reviews:

• UYA Guesthouse
• Malika Guesthouse
• Center Guesthouse

Where to Eat in Kochkor

Kochkor has some decent restaurants and food options, although opening times can be a little random sometimes. After spending a week in Kochkor, we tried a few restaurants and cafes. Here’s where I recommend to grab a bite to eat:

• Retro Coffee Bar: On the Main Street this place offers a range of meals from traditional Kyrgyz food to Western favourites. It’s a staple for tourists in town.
• Cafe Bayan: We ate several times at Cafe Bayan and can highly recommend it. They serve local food and it’s reasonably priced. The eggplant salad, lagman, and gan fan are all good choices.
• Pizzeria Syrduu: if you’re craving a pizza, this cute spot has outdoor seating (a rarity in Kyrgyzstan) and decent Western food. They also have local beer and wine.

How to Get to Kol Ukok Lake

Kochkor to Kol Ukok: 20 km on a dirt road

Kol Ukok is quite accessible via road from Kochkor town. There are several ways to reach the lake depending on how much time you have and your budget. 

You can reach the lake on foot, which is the cheapest option but also the slowest. Otherwise, you can also arrange a horse ride to the lake or even just drive right from town to the lake’s shore.

I’ll provide more details about these options here:

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Hiking to Kol Ukok

• Distance: 14.5 km one way
• Time: 4.5 hours
• Elevation gain: 1,103m
• Max. elevation: 3,166m

A common way for budget travellers and hikers to reach Kol Ukok is on foot. Typically you take a taxi to the start of the “hiking route”, which is at the edge of town at a bridge. This saves you about 7km of walking. It costs 600 som for the taxi, so you can split it between other hikers.

From this spot, you have about 14.5km to walk and about 1000m of elevation to gain to reach the lake. However, it’s not really a walking trail, but simply about following the dirt road the whole way as it winds up through the valley. 

It can be a dusty walk with a little bit of car traffic (although mostly only a few locals or tourists going to the lake) and plenty of animals grazing along the way. You will get views looking back down the valley to Kochkor town as you climb higher, but otherwise it’s not the most spectacular walk.

It’s very exposed with no tree cover, so ensure you have enough water, food and sun protection (there are a couple of small streams you cross along the way if you need to collect more water).

Horse Riding to Kol Ukok

Instead of hiking, you can also arrange a horse ride from Kochkor town up to the lake. You can do this through either the CBT Office (government tourist office) in Kochkor or your guesthouse. 

This is a nice and easy ride, so if you’re unsure of tackling the multi-day horse trek to Song Kul, this is a good alternative.

Driving to Kol Ukok

You can also pay a taxi to take you all the way to the lake. If you’re short on time or simply don’t want a long walk, then this is an easy option to organise in Kochkor. The road is dirt and rocky, so a 4×4 is recommended. However, we saw quite a few regular 2WD cars on this road too, so don’t worry if they send an old Lada to take you!

Either your guesthouse in Kochkor or one of the yurt camps at Kol Ukok can arrange a driver for you. Otherwise, we also saw travellers driving a hire car up to the lake too.

How Much Time to Spend at Kol Ukok

If you drive to the lake, you can technically just visit for the day. It would be an easy day trip to do from Kochkor, if you were short on time. However, I really recommend spending at least a night at the lake in a yurt camp (or wild camping if you have your own tent).

This will allow you to see the lake at sunset and sunrise, and watch the yurt camp owners tend to their animals and milk the cows.

There’s also a great day hike from Kol Ukok lake to Kol Tor lake, which is a worthwhile side trip. This can only be done on foot, so it requires a decent day to reach the lake and return to Kol Ukok. 

This is why we stayed two nights. We hiked the road to Kol Ukok on the first day, then the next day did the day hike to Kol Tor and back, and on the third day we headed back to Kochkor. I’d recommend this option for those with enough time, otherwise, you could squeeze this into a one night stay, if you paid for a taxi back to Kochkor after your hike on the second day instead.

Where to Stay at Kol Ukok

You have two options for an overnight stay at Kol Ukok: yurt camp or wild camping.

Yurt Camps

There are currently three small yurt camps clustered together at Kol Ukok. The dirt road leading to the lake directly ends at the camps, so it’s not hard to reach or find them. These are small scale yurt camps with only about 3-5 yurts each, so it feels much more homely and authentic than some other places in Kyrgyzstan.

We stayed at Yurt Camp Cholponai. They are the furthest one of the three and have their yurts slightly elevated above the others. Honestly, all three camps looked much the same and the prices are relatively similar. 

We paid 2100 som per person per night for a bed, dinner and breakfast. We booked prior to arriving through our guesthouse in Kochkor, so the owners knew we were coming, but you could also try your luck and negotiate upon arrival without a booking. It wasn’t full every night we were there, but in peak season, booking ahead would provide peace of mind.

You can find the yurt camps contact on Google Maps, or find Yurt Camp Cholponai on Instagram here with their WhatsApp number.

Yurt camps provide an outdoor drop toilet (no showers) and water (which is usually boiled from the lake, so bring a filter bottle if you’re concerned with water quality).

Wild Camping

You can also wild camp along the lake shore if you bring your own camping gear. This is free and you can pick a spot anywhere, although most people we saw pitched their tents not too far beyond the yurt camps close to the water.

If you wild camp, you can also pay just for a meal at the yurt camps, like dinner or breakfast. Otherwise, bring your own food and the whole experience will be free. Please leave no trace and pack all your rubbish out with you.

Side Trip: Hiking to Kol Tor Lake From Kol Ukok

• Distance: 12 km return
• Time: 5.5 hours
• Elevation gain: 520m
• Max. elevation: 3,489m

An incredibly underrated day hike in Kyrgyzstan is the trail that leads around Kol Ukok lake and then up to the glacial-fed sparkling lake of Kol Tor at nearly 3,500m. (There is another Kol Tor Lake closer to Bishkek, so it’s not to be confused with that one.)

The trail begins from the yurt camps and follows the shoreline of Kol Ukok all the way around to the far end of it. From there, you turn right up through another valley that slowly gets steeper and steeper.

You’ll climb up what seems to be a rocky wall, and then up again beside a rocky waterfall, which makes it feel like a never-ending scramble to get to the lake.

However, when you finally make it over the waterfall, you’ll be rewarded with an incredible view of a clear blue lake sitting underneath glaciers and jagged peaks. There’s even a little sandy beach where you can sit on the shore and relax for a snack break.

To the left side of the lake, there’s a small hill which is worth scrambling up for an incredible view of the lake from above. From here, you can see all the way down the trail back to Kol Ukok lake too.

Then, you have to walk all the way back the same way. This trail is not signposted, but if you have Maps.Me downloaded, then you’ll have no problems finding the way. We came across plenty of horses and even saw yaks in the distance on the way.

Allow enough time to make it to the lake and back before dark. Carry enough food and water and sun protection, as there’s no shade and the sun can be very hot at this elevation. If you have a water filter, you can collect more water along the way.

Important Things to Know Before Visiting Kol Ukok

• The food at the yurt camps is not the best. In general, the meals tend to be small and not overly filling, but this is common across many yurt camps around the country, so it’s not surprising. Pack snacks if you think you’ll be hungry.
• It gets cold at night, so be prepared with warm layers. The days can be warm if the sun is out, but the temperatures drop suddenly as soon as the sun has set.
• If you plan on heading to Kol Tor lake, leave in the morning, as it will take a bit longer than you might think.
• There’s no phone reception at Kol Ukok lake, however, you can get some signal just back up the hill on the dirt road from the yurt camps. The families often sit up there to receive messages.
• They are currently building a road that will eventually go around the entire Kol Ukok lake. It’s only just starting to be constructed, but it will definitely change the landscape when it’s finished.
• There is a local yurt camp used by herders at the other end of Kol Ukok lake, which we passed nearby on our way to Kol Tor lake. This is not for tourists, but a traditional summer jailoo (camp).
• We managed to hitchhike half the way back from the lake to Kochkor with other travellers who’d hired a car. Hitchhiking can definitely be a way of saving you a long walk on the dirt road, but it’s not always reliable as there isn’t a lot of traffic.
• It’s normal to feel a bit out of breath and tired at Kol Ukok due to the altitude. Kol Ukok sits at 3,000m which may cause a slight headache for those who have just arrived in Kyrgyzstan. If you decide to take the side trip to Kol Tor, take it slow as it ascends up to almost 3,500m.

Is it Worth Visiting Kol Ukok Lake?

I would definitely say it’s worth adding Kol Ukok to your Kyrgyzstan itinerary if you have the time. It’s far less visited than other places like Issyk Kul and Song Kul, so it doesn’t feel busy or overly commercial.

The yurt camps are relatively traditional still and owned by local herders who have set up camp on the lake’s shore for generations. It was probably one of the most authentic yurt camps I stayed in, which was a nice experience.

It’s a really beautiful landscape, especially if you add the side trip up to Kol Tor lake as well. For those looking for something a bit off the beaten track in Kyrgyzstan, this is a great option.

Exploring More of Kyrgyzstan?

• Issyk Kul: How to Travel From Bishkek to Karakol and Exploring Issyk Kul
• Song Kul: Complete Guide to Horse Trekking to Song Kul
• Bishkek: 10 Best Things to Do in Bishkek
• Karakol: 15 Best Things to Do in Karakol
• Train Travel: How to Take the Train From Bishkek to Issyk Kul
• Ala Kul Trek: Complete Guide to the Ala Kul Trek
• Jyrgalan: Essential Guide to Visiting Jyrgalan Valley
• eSIM: Which SIM Card Should You Buy for Kyrgyzstan?

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