Kaindy Lake

The mysterious charm of Kaindy

A real gift has been prepared in the Almatу region of Kazakhstan for those who are fond of nature’s secrets and mysteries and have a dream to visit places that are able to add an adrenaline rush to their lives. At an altitude of 1667 meters, in the Kungei Alatau gorge located in Tian Shan there is a small but absolutely amazing place: the Kaindy Lake. About five kilometers from it there is a charming birch grove in the middle of a dense spruce forest.  It is believed the lake owes its name to this beautiful grove. In fact, “Kaindy” means in Kazakh language “abundance of birch trees”. The lake is also referred to as a “submerged forest” because of its absolutely surrealistic view: the trunks of giant fir trees rise out of its turquoise water like the masts of sunken ships.

Kaindy is located 280 kilometers from Almatу, and it takes about 5 hours to get there   by car, driving mostly along a principal road. From the village of Sati, the closest to the lake, it had better transfer in a jeep though. By the way from Sati there is also a road that leads to the Kolsai Lakes, another amazing corner of Kazakh nature, just 12 km to the west from Kaindy. You will not regret if you take decision to visit those lakes as well. And besides, Kaindy is a part of the Kolsai Lakes national park, which was established in 2007.

Once upon a time when a small but capricious river fed by underground springs, went twisting through the bottom of the gorge Kungei Alatau, age-old majestic   spruce trees used to grow. In their desire to reach the sun, the strong and branchy Tian Shan beauties, were getting taller and taller. Their dense branches almost touched the clouds wandering in the sky. Forest inhabitants, birds and animals, had a quiet life in complete harmony with nature. However, nature is unpredictable. In pursuit of excellence, “she”, as a genuine artist, mercilessly gets rid of anything obsolete in order to create masterpieces. And so, in 1910, natural forces got to this idyllic place. A powerful earthquake caused a landslide, which blocked the river bed. The untamed river, looking for a way out, began to fill the gorge with water, step by step, absorbing the huge spruce trees. But the giants did not give up. Their anchor roots which clung tightly to the ledges of rocks and large stones in the soil, kept them from falling. The turbulent water rose to about 25 meters and suddenly calmed down, having captured the part of the forest possessions and turned them into a splendid mountain lake.

A century later, the lake is not so deep. The mudflows that took place in 1980 and 2010 brought tons of stones and clay into its waters, reducing its depth by a couple of meters. But the spruces, captured in water at the beginning of the last century, continue to stand. Their trunks, devoid of crowns, still are reaching for the sky as symbols of an endless struggle for a place in the sun. Although the most amazing thing is that the spruces retained their dense branches underwater, having lost only their needles in this eternal fight against the elements. The icy water seems to have frozen the giants in time and turned their branches into emerald necklaces hanging down like stalactites in caves.

Divers are fond of this lake, enchanted by the mysterious beauty of the underwater forest. Desire to dive into these crystal clear waters and to enjoy the view of the mysterious submarine giants make them come here not only in summer but even in winter. However, diving here requires serious preparation and special wetsuits. Indeed, even in the midst of summer, the water temperature does not exceed + 6 degrees Celsius. And the air does not warm up more than +23.

Kaindy is fascinating at any time of the year; each season brings its own unique shades to the lake’s amazing and fragile beauty. Walk up to the observation deck high in the mountains and enjoy its bewitching panoramic view.  You will not be able to forget the mysterious charm of this lake.

Jatko Y.V., 2019

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