Son-Kul (Song-Kol) lake in Kyrgyzstan: yurts, weather and how to get there

Where is Son-Kul and how high is it?

Son-Kul (also written Song-Kol or Song-Köl) lies in the Naryn region in the middle of Kyrgyzstan, in a basin between the Son-Kul-Too and Moldo-Too ridges. Its surface is at 3,016 m. After Issyk-Kul it is the country's second-largest lake.

The lake is shallow, with a maximum depth of 13⁠–⁠14 m. Since 2011 it has been a Ramsar wetland of international importance, and part of the lake belongs to the Karatal-Japyryk State Nature Reserve.

How do you get to Son-Kul?

There is no tarmac and no public transport to the lake, only gravel roads over passes higher than the lake itself. According to Caravanistan a 4x4 is not essential, but a car with higher clearance helps with loose rocks and small streams.

Four roads lead to Son-Kul:

• from Kochkor to the north-east, the closest approach from Issyk-Kul;
• from Naryn to the south-east, a road with many hairpin bends and wide views;
• from the Suusamyr valley via Kyzyl-Oi to the west;
• from Kazarman over the Moldo-Ashuu pass to the south-west, the least used route.

On foot or on horseback you can reach the north shore in two days, most often starting from the village of Kyzart. With us you travel by minibus or car, with lunch on the way in a simple chaikhana.

When is the best time to visit Son-Kul?

The season is short. The ice on the lake usually does not clear until late May, and snow covers the basin for 180⁠–⁠200 days a year. Yurt camps are definitely open in July and August; in June and September it depends on the weather.

We run our Son-Kul programmes from June to September, and you agree the dates directly with us.

When to go to Kyrgyzstan: weather and seasons month by month. (Best time to visit)

What is the weather like, and how cold are the nights?

The average July temperature is only around 11 °C, day and night combined. Evenings and mornings are chilly even in summer, and rain or snow is possible at any time at this altitude.

That is why the yurts have warm woollen blankets, and we recommend bringing warm layers to sleep in as well.

What is it like to sleep in a yurt?

Around the lake there are herders' yurts and yurt camps for visitors, ranging from mattresses on the floor to camps with beds. On our programmes:

• 2⁠–⁠4 people share a yurt, sleeping on mattresses under warm woollen blankets.
• The facilities are shared and are outside the yurt.
• Dinner is served in the yurt, often with kumys, fermented mare's milk.
• In the evening there are stories by the light of a paraffin lamp or a fire.

Ordinary yurts usually have a stove in the middle, but the fire goes out towards morning and the yurt cools quickly. There is no shop or ATM at the lake and usually no mobile signal, so bring what you need. You spend one night here; the other nights are in 3⁠–⁠4* hotels, and on the longer programmes also in a mountain hut and a camp.

What is there to do on Son-Kul?

Son-Kul is above all a taste of summer life on the jailoo, the high pasture where Kyrgyz herders have brought their animals since ancient times.

• Horse riding across the pastures. The programme includes a gentle afternoon ride, and you do not need to know how to ride.
• A yurt demonstration: its symbolism, how the space is divided and how a whole family used to live in it.
• Birdwatching: bar-headed geese and demoiselle cranes are among the birds that breed on the lake.
• Dark night skies full of stars, and silence.
• Swimming for the hardy: the water is cold.

A longer ride outside the programme can be arranged on the spot for €25⁠–⁠30.

Can an altitude of 3,000 m be a problem?

Above about 2,500 m altitude sickness is possible. According to the NHS, symptoms usually start 6⁠–⁠10 hours after arriving at altitude: headache, loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, dizziness and difficulty sleeping. They usually pass within 1⁠–⁠3 days; if they get worse, go lower.

We reach Son-Kul in the second half of the trip, after days at Issyk-Kul (1,650 m) and Karakol (1,750 m), and on the 11- and 13-day programmes after nights at 2,500 m. On the 9- and 11-day programmes the yurt camp is the highest overnight stop of the trip; on the 13-day programme it is followed by a night in the Kok-Kiya valley (3,300 m).

What should you bring to Son-Kul?

• warm layers for the evening, the morning and for sleeping: a fleece or down jacket, a hat and gloves
• a waterproof jacket
• a head torch and wet wipes
• sun cream and sunglasses
• sturdy shoes
• cash in small notes, as there is no ATM at the lake
• a power bank for your phone and camera

What to pack for Kyrgyzstan: a list for the whole trip. (Packing list)

Which Elimtour programmes visit Son-Kul?

All three of our programmes include one day with a night in a yurt camp in the Son-Kul area: welcome tea with bread and home-made cream, an afternoon horse ride, a yurt demonstration and dinner.