Here you can swim in the warm emerald-blue water, “hunt” with a photo gun for predators and visit the garden where, according to local legend, Eva plucked the same apple. In this article, we will tell you about the Makpal mountain lake in the picturesque Sairam-Ugam National Park in the Turkestan region.
At an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, there is a mountain lake the size of two large football fields. This is a real pearl of the Sairam-Ugam National Park, the highest lake of the Ugam range, from where you can take in all the greatness of the Karzhantau range and the wide valley of the Ugam River.
Природный ландшафт Сайрам-Угамского национального парка. Фото ©Shutterstock
The lake is located in a kind of” bowl ” – on the east side it is surrounded by high cliffs, on the west there are alpine meadows, and on the south the lake is fed by a stream, which gives the pond an emerald-blue color. The optimal place for meditation is the murmur of the river and the grandeur of the mountains create an atmosphere of unity with nature and peace. The blue of the water in the lake beckons to take a dip, say those who have visited this place. In the warm season, the water warms up to 18 degrees Celsius in coastal places. But keep in mind that the depth of the reservoir is 15 meters.
“The harmony of nature is extremely strongly felt here – a golden eagle soars in the air, ulars scream on the gentle southern slopes, and graceful mountain goats graze on high grassy areas under the rocks,” write the guides who arrange trips to the mountain lake Makpal.
The route to the lake is not categorical, but this does not mean that the hike will be an easy walk. Kristina Shirnaeva, a lover of an active lifestyle, having learned from a friend about an unknown mountain lake for herself, began to search for information about it.
“We began to learn about it from friends of climbers and lovers of mountain recreation. We found out that the route to the lake is not easy, there is little information, photos are even less. They immediately made a decision: “We need to go!”
We started the route from the village of Ugam and the Ugam River of the same name. We walked about 15 kilometers in one direction. It took about eight hours. The difficulty was that none of our team knew the exact route, they were guided by the map and the explanations of knowledgeable people. We passed through picturesque flowering meadows, on which snow partially lay, climbed the crest of 2,800 meters and walked along it, looking at all the beauty of Ugam from a bird’s-eye view. We walked through the meadows, and the clouds seemed to touch our hair – so beautiful and picturesque is the nature of Ugam.
In the middle of the way, we met a shepherd’s house, who lives there with his family all season. When he saw us with backpacks of 30 kilograms, tired, but charged with the desire to see the magic lake, he sat us down at his dastarkhan. I fed them with homemade bread and butter and gave them delicious tea with mountain herbs. After listening to his instructions on how best to move on, we continued our hike.
After climbing the ridge, we realized that we had gained an extra height, this did not upset us, but ahead of us was a long winding descent to the lake, which is located at an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level. That is, we had to descend from the ridge 700 meters below. The descent took about an hour. The path passed through thickets of green juicy flowering plants. There is not a single trace of human presence around. But we saw a lot of mountain goats that ran away when they noticed us. By the way, you can see a lot of discarded horns there.
We went down to the campsite right at sunset, which painted the rocks in a golden color with iridescences. And it gave the lake a pink hue. By the way, there is a cave near the lake where mountain goats hide, and there are many traces of wild boars around the lake – many plants are dug with roots, and you can see how the boars dug the ground with their tusks.
However, we were horrified by the tracks of bears at every step. There were a lot of them, most likely a whole family. We began to hurry to light a fire. It gets dark very quickly in the mountains, and here we are, having set up tents, sitting near the fire, wrapped in sleeping bags and telling scary stories. And in the distance, you can hear a wild cat screaming. Later we were told that it might have been a leopard.
At dawn, we ran to swim in the turquoise water of the lake. Usually there is icy water in mountain lakes, but not in this one. Beautiful refreshing and clean Lake Makpal! The atmosphere of wildness and solitude, you really feel the power of nature in such places and you understand that we are just guests who should keep everything in the same untouched form. This lake has really sunk into my soul, and I dream of visiting it again, ” the traveler so colorfully describes her acquaintance with Lake Makpal.
However, Lake Makpal has sunk into the soul of not only Kristina. So, in 2020, the newlyweds from Shymkent decided to hold a wedding photo shoot here. The bride in a white dress and the groom in a strict suit reached the lake by helicopter.
Another way to get to the mountain lake is horse riding. The 45-kilometer route passes through the Ugam cordon and the Diermenbastau gorge. By the way, the slopes of the gorge are covered with rosehip thickets, and there is also a wild Sivers apple tree growing here.
An interesting fact.
These apples got their name from the name of the St. Petersburg botanist Johann Sievers, who studied this variety of apple trees in 1796. It is believed that all the apple trees of our planet originated from the Sievers apples. Studies of 2,500 apple varieties have confirmed that the Sievers variety is indeed the ancestor of all apple trees on Earth. The apple tree has very deep roots, both literally and figuratively. Scientists believe that the first Sivers apples appeared 65 million years ago. And thanks to the deep immersion of the roots in the ground, apple trees can tolerate both extremely low and high temperatures and live up to 300 years. A biologist from France, Catherine Pax, visited the apple orchards of the Trans-Ili and Dzungarian Alatau, after which the film “The Origin of Apples, or the Paradise Gardens of Eden” was shot – a 55-minute documentary film tells about the ancestor of all apple trees.
Neither in jest, nor in earnest, scientists say that the “first woman” plucked the “first apple” right here, in the wild gardens of the Sievers apple tree. Note that the myth of the greatest temptation in history – the forbidden fruit-is written in the Bible, but it does not specify which fruit Eve plucked. It is possible that the whole thing is due to the similarity of the spelling of the Latin words “apple” – mālum and “evil” – malum.
It is worth mentioning that wild gardens are a favorite feeding place for wild boars and the Tien Shan bear. Be careful.
A 15-kilometer-long hiking and horse-riding trail leads from Lake Makpal to the village of Ugam. This small village consists of 19 houses. In winter, you can only get here by tractor or horse. At the same time, there is an elementary school, there is a shop, and people watch TV through satellite dishes in their homes. Residents are engaged in agriculture, work in the national park and sometimes meet rare travelers.
How to get to Makpal Lake
The route starts from the bridge over the Ugam River in a southerly direction and passes through a picturesque area. After two and a half hours, the trail turns to the east. Then the path leads to the Diermenbastau tract in a southerly direction. From there, at an altitude of two thousand meters, in the upper reaches of the gorge, a stunning panorama of the Karzhantau and Ugamsky ridges and the majestic valley of the Ugam River opens.
Next, you need to go along the upper part of the Gamblers ‘ gorge, which turns sharply to the east and ends with a bridge – the pass of the Pass (2,790 meters). The descent to the lake is gentle and protracted. The journey time is six hours.
Видео Youtube/navintah
Photo courtesy of Kristina @dzhekikollinz Shirnaeva
Keep in mind that the mountain lake Makpal is located on the territory of the Sairam-Ugam National Park. Before passing to the lake in the village of Ugam, a checkpoint of the Sairam-Ugam State National Natural Park is installed. There you will need to purchase a pass – 492 tenge per day per person. We also recommend that you have an identity card with you.
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