5 Wonderful Things to do at Iskanderkul Tajikistan

The Iskander Lake in the Fann Mountains in Tajikistan is a marvel to feast your nature-loving eyes on, if you are not impressed by this then I am seriously shocked! A trip to the lake will be a relaxed one, but you will find some breath-taking things to do at Iskanderkul.

About Iskanderkul

The lake is named after Alexander the Great – Iskander in Alexander in Persian and Kul is a lake in Turkic, the language of Tajikistan. Strangely enough, it has never been proven whether the heroic king was ever-present at Iskanderkul but there are many legends linking him to the site.

Iskanderkul is a mountain lake of glacial origin in Tajikistan’s Sughd Province. It lies at an altitude of 2,195m (7,201 ft) on the northern slopes of the Gissar Range in the Fann Mountains. The lake is 72 metres deep and was formed by a huge rockslide and is considered a remnant of a much larger palaeolake of Iskanderkul.

When thinking about the effects of ongoing climate change, It is believed that the longevity of Iskanderkul is relatively low out of the Tien Shan lakes. So if you haven’t seen this jewel, it is certainly worth a visit when you visit Tajikistan.

Things To Do In Iskanderkul

Driving through the pass, the beginnings of the flowing river through the rocky mountains and the turquoise colour were out of this world. The tired bodies in our van started to surface from sleeping with mouths open at the view of Iskanderkul, it was jaw-dropping.

Take A Dip In Iskanderkul

Our chalets were on the water’s edge of Iskanderkul, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. Some brave souls decided a swim would be a fantastic idea before dinner, I was saving my swim in the lake for the morning but no harm in letting others test the temperature first. I thought there were going to be a few heart attacks right there, the water was minus temperatures.

Prepared for the baltic temperatures for my 7 am dip, my tactic was to swim as if my life depended on it. When I turned around my swimming buddies were already standing on the pebbles with a towel to take away the chill! 

Leave the snorkels at home as Iskanderkul has almost no aquatic life due to the high concentration of minerals, only small loaches can survive in such waters.

Boat Ride On Iskanderkul

From the shores of Turbaza chalets, you can take out the boat for 50 somonis. Feel the wind in your hair and gaze around at the incredible landscape.

Make sure they take you past the president’s dacha, one of his grand summer residences on the far side of the lake.

Star-Gazing By Iskanderkul

So happy we decided to spend the night by the lake chatting underneath the clear sky and the stars as something truly amazing happened, we saw the Milky Way in all its’ glory! The whole sky was alight with twinkling stars and a huge blurry bar glowed upwards from behind the mountain silhouette. 

Sunrise By Iskanderkul

Sunrise by Iskanderkul is a dreamy time to see the glassy reflections of the peaks. Landscape photographer or not, who would miss this beauty?

If this rocked your world and you are prepared for a hike to 3500m, you should check out Ala-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan – it’s a real gem!

Snake Lake

Before we left, we took an easy hike to the waterfall, Snake Lake, looking out at the president’s dacha on the other side of the lake, passing the village of Sarytag and the Kaznok valley.

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