Tulpar-Köl Lake

Tulpar-Köl is a scatter of small lakes on a shelf at around 3,500 metres directly below the northern face of Peak Lenin, and it functions as the base camp area for the mountain: yurt camps and tent camps operate here through July and August, serving climbers heading up to the higher camps and trekkers who come only for the view. The face rises straight out of the shelf, ice and rock over three vertical kilometres above the lakes, and on a still morning it reflects in the water. Day walks go to a viewpoint on the moraine and to the Lenin memorial. Marmots are everywhere. The track in from Sary-Mogol is rough and takes an hour or two, and everything at the camps is brought up by vehicle.

What you actually see

• Peak Lenin's north face - three vertical kilometres above the shelf.
• The lakes - small waters reflecting the mountain in calm weather.
• Base camp life - climbers and yurt camps through the short season.
• Marmots - colonies across the whole shelf.

When to go

July and August, which is when the camps operate; outside those weeks there is nothing there. Snow falls at any time. Mornings are the clearest, with cloud usually building on the face by midday.

Honest expectations

At 3,500 metres altitude affects most people, and going straight up from Osh in a day is unwise. Nights are below freezing in midsummer. Camps are yurts with shared facilities and pit toilets. The track needs a four-wheel drive. There is no medical support beyond the climbing operators.

Nearby

The Alay valley is north; Sary-Mogol is the access village.