Karakul Lake

In midsummer, the air temperature can sometimes reach 35°C, but the water is so cold that you will hardly be able to swim in it. Most travellers refuse to swim. The temperature is no more than 12°C on the sunniest days. There is an ongoing debate among scientists about the origin of the Karakul ice.

As of 1999, 89.37% of the population of Kashgar (Kasi) Prefecture was Uyghur and 9.1% of the population was Han Chinese. In 1997, the population of Kashgar Prefecture was 3,145,000 with Uyghurs making up 89.4% of the total. As of 1983–4, Kashgar Prefecture had 6,180 mosques.

Travel from Kashgar to Karakul Lake by Bus People usually take a bus to Tashkurghan and get off at the lake. You can take the bus at Kashgar West Bus Station (喀什客运西站). It usually departs at 11:00 in the morning and the ticket is CNY 65, but you need to get there at least 30 minutes in advance.

Karakul Lake, is located at Akto County, in Kizilsu Kirghiz of Xinjiang, China. It is a short distance (196 kilometers) southwest of Kashgar and it is reachable by the acclaimed Karakoram Highway, a picturesque route, which cuts across the regions of soaring mountains, wide valleys and beautiful scenery.