Kel-Suu Lake: permit, route and when to go

The border permit

Kel-Suu is in the border zone. Soldiers check passports and permits at a post on the way in, and without a permit you are turned back. The permit is issued in advance, not at the checkpoint, and takes about a week or more.

Send your passport details at least two weeks before the trip. Check that the names and passport numbers on the permit match your passport exactly.

Getting there

Naryn is the last town with fuel and shops. From there an unpaved road runs south into the mountains to the yurt camps below the lake, 4–5 hours with rough patches and river crossings. Spring high water can block it.

The last stretch to the lake is on foot or on horseback: about 8–9 km each way. On foot the round trip takes 4–6 hours with around 300 m of climbing; on a horse it is about 2 hours each way.

When to go

Mid-June to September. July and August usually have the fullest lake. The water level changes from year to year: in 2019 the lake drained almost completely. Snow is possible even in summer, and the camps close in autumn.

Where to stay

Yurt camps in the valley below the lake serve dinner and breakfast. They are the only place to sleep. When the water is high, some camps arrange short boat trips on the lake.

Is Kel-Suu worth it?

It is one of the most striking lakes in the country and still sees few visitors. The cost is time: it takes two days from Naryn and a permit. It makes the most sense as part of a loop with Tash-Rabat and Song-Kol.