Heavenly Lake of Tianshan

Tianchi lies at about 1,900 metres in the Bogda range of the eastern Tian Shan, a lake around three kilometres long held behind moraine left by glaciers, ringed by Schrenk's spruce and looking up at Bogda Peak at 5,445 metres, snow-covered year-round. The contrast with Urumqi, which sits in dry basin heat below, is the point: the drive climbs from desert scrub into alpine forest in about an hour and a half. Kazakh herders graze the meadows above the lake in summer and set up yurts, some of which take guests. Boats cross the water and paths run around the shore.

What you actually see

• The lake and spruce - alpine water ringed by dark conifer.
• Bogda Peak - the snow summit above the valley at 5,445 metres.
• The Kazakh summer camps - yurts and grazing on the high meadows.
• The shore paths - walks around the water and up the side valleys.

When to go

June to September, when the meadows are green and the herders are up; the lake freezes in winter and some services close, though ice activities run. Cloud often hides Bogda.

Honest expectations

Entry plus compulsory shuttle is expensive. The site is developed and crowded at weekends. Yurt stays marketed to visitors are simplified versions of the real thing.

Nearby

Urumqi lies west; Turpan is south across the range.