July 7-9 - Lake Karakul, Xinjiang

Karakul lake is set at 3600m in the high mountains on the road to Pakistan and in the shadow of the mighty 7500+m Muztagh Ata.  The scenery on the way up and all around the lake is amazing. I stayed in a yurt with a local Kyrgyz family one night and camped by the lake the second.  I did a massive solo 30km day hike from the lake to a glacier at about 4300m across some crazy-rough terrain that took all day and a lot of effort.  This is definitely the least populated and off-the-beaten-track part of China that I have visited and it is awesome.

Selling bread on the side of the road on the way to Karakul

Fruit and bread for sale

Karakul

Yurts

Kyrgyz kid

Small and very blue lakes on the way up to the glacier

Getting closer...

Almost there!!

Up close and personal

Kyrgyz village as I headed down from the glacier

Burial ground

Grassy valley with braided river - a huge and open expanse of empty and wild land

Camping with 7500m peak in the background

An almost perfect reflection