Walking around Karakul Lake takes three to five hours on horseback or a full day on foot, and it is worth doing rather than simply looking at the lake from the roadside. The circuit follows the shore across varying terrain — flat gravel beaches, boggy margins, rocky sections above the waterline — with the three surrounding peaks changing angle and aspect as you move around.
The western shore, away from the road, offers the best views back toward Kongur Tagh and gives you the lake without the Karakoram Highway in the background. The northern shore is more barren and windier. The light on the water shifts constantly at this altitude, from the deep green of midday to slate grey under cloud to the extraordinary gold of late afternoon.
Horses can be hired from the yurt families on the south shore and provide both transport and a guide who knows the terrain. The ground is often boggy and unmarked — going on foot without local knowledge risks getting lost on the featureless plateau above the lake.