Merzbacher Lake, Kyrgyzstan
Lake Merzbacher is in the northeastern corner of Kyrgyzstan, where two ridges of the Tian Shan converge and peaks rise to over 6000 m. In the shadow of Khan Tengri lies the Inylchek Glacier, near the border with Kazakhstan and Peak Pobeda to the north and the border with China to the south. Stretching for 60 kilometers (37 miles) and covering an area of 583 square kilometers (225 square miles) with ice, some of it as much as 540 m (1,770 feet) thick, this is one of the most famous glaciers in the world.
Between the northern and southern branches of the Inylchek Glacier is Lake Merzbacher, which forms every summer, and then, usually in August and sometimes also in the winter, bursts through the ice banks and flows into the Inylchek River. Only part of the river drains: Lake Merzbacher is in fact divided by an ice bridge into two parts, and while the lower half regularly empties, the upper part is always full of water.
Epic Kyrgyzstan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
Own or work here?