Lake Markakol is a remote mountain lake in Eastern Kazakhstan, set at about 1,450 metres in the Altai Mountains near the Chinese border. The lake sits in a nature reserve — a quiet, forested basin of pine and fir surrounded by steep mountain slopes. If you can get here, the scenery is extraordinary.
Getting here is the challenge. The road from Ust-Kamenogorsk is rough and steep, with sheer drops on one side and mountain walls on the other. Halfway up you pass close to the Chinese border, marked by sand and wire. Once over the pass, the landscape transforms: dry steppe gives way to cool forest and clean mountain air.
Because of the border proximity, you need a permit from the migration authorities in Ust-Kamenogorsk — this applies even to Kazakh citizens who do not live in the border zone. Stay well clear of the Chinese border fence.