Brilliant Lakes and Snowy Mountain Scenery

At 7:00 in the evening we came to the banks of Karakuli Lake. The weather was unusually beautiful and the sky a brilliant blue. The lake is extremely deep, fed by water melted from the ice and snow coming down from the mountains. On the other side of the lake stands a solemn, massive mountain called Muztagata. The reflection of the sun on the snow-covered mountain was so bright and it was difficult to open our eyes.

At a height of 7,546 metres above sea level, the peak is one of the tallest in the Kunlun Mountain range. It is crowned with ice and snow that has been accumulating for ages, and just the solid ice alone is estimated to be over 200 metres thick. When the mountain is seen from afar, it appears stately and majestic, but when seen close-up, it is even more impressive. No wonder its name,Muztagata, in the Tajik language means "Father of All Ice Mountains".

Standing by the lake opposite Muztagata is the tallest peak on the Pamir Highland, called the Kongur, rising 7,719 metres above sea level. It too is covered with snow and ice all year round, and the glaciers that move slowly down its slopes send out dazzling lights like cascading waterfalls.

The grassland by the lake was dotted with beautifully coloured tents, temporary living quarters that the local tourist bureau had prepared for its guests. To sleep by the lake on the highland is without doubt a special experience.

Not far from our tent were five small tents occupied by mountaineers belonging to the Xinjiang Mountaineering Association. They had been there already for three months, and thanks to warm temperatures and good weather, several teams had aheady made it to the top of the mountain.