The blue water
Before snow peaks.
Benoît Vicart — CC0 · Ekrem Canli — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hans Birger Nilsen — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hans Birger Nilsen — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Hylgeriak / Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0
Karakul Lake is 25 km across and sits inside a 52 km impact crater in the Pamir Mountains. It lies at 3,960 metres within Tajik National Park. Its name means «black lake» in Kyrgyz, yet in sunlight its colour is a deep blue, and it is the best-known sight on the eastern part of the Pamir Highway. The crater was identified as an impact structure around 1987 through images from space. An international impact database lists it as younger than five million years, while other estimates differ. A peninsula and an island divide the lake into two basins, a shallow eastern one of 13 to 19 metres and a western one of 221 to 230 metres. It has no outlet, and its water is brackish. You stand on bare brown and white ground strewn with stones, with blue water before you and snow-covered peaks beyond. The sky can change fast, with cloud covering the mountains. On the eastern shore is a small village of the same name, with white mud houses and wooden power poles, and simple homestays for travellers. It is about 111 km from Murghab in a straight line and about 231 km from Khorog. The height is great, so do not come straight up from low ground, drink water and watch for signs of altitude sickness. Nights are very cold even in summer. A separate travel permit is required for the Gorno-Badakhshan region on top of a visa. The UK Foreign Office warns of security risks in the region and along the Afghan border, so read the current advice before you plan.
Before snow peaks.
White mud houses.
Brown, white and stones.
Pamir Highway, north of Murghab, Tajikistan
The water is very cold and brackish, and swimming does not suit most visitors.
Yes, in simple homestays in the village, and nights are bitterly cold.