Thousand Lakes

Thousand Lakes

Thousand Lakes is located within the Hemu-Kanas Mongolian Township, 155 kilometers south of Burqin County and 13 kilometers west of Kanas Village. It is accessible by road, and can also be reached on foot or by horse from Kanas Village.

The Thousand Lakes are composed of a group of lakes in the mid-mountain zone along the watershed of the Kalasuaren River and the Geyanaining’erk Lake, at an altitude of 2160 to 2500 meters. Countless large and small lakes are scattered across the area, numbering in the thousands. In the Kazakh language, it is called “Menqiongkuer,” which means “1000 pits.”

The largest lake is Black Lake, located in the grazing area east of Kanas Lake. It is horseshoe-shaped, covers an area of 1.2 square kilometers, and has an average depth of 5 meters. The water is pitch black. Since it is not part of a river channel and has no outflow, organic matter in the lake decays and ferments, giving the water a distinct odor, thus it can be considered a “strong alcoholic lake.” Other smaller lake clusters include Kalaqiongkuer, Kesi’erk, and Xiàhènnuò'ěr. These lakes are numerous but small in size, and are either round or elongated in shape. Their distribution generally increases in elevation from south to north. The lake cluster is the result of ancient glacial activity, formed from ancient cirques, glacial kettles, and snow accumulation basins. The lake water comes from melted snow and local precipitation, and all the lakes are freshwater. The average annual temperature in the lake area is -4°C, with an annual rainfall of about 800 centimeters. The lakes freeze over entirely every December and thaw in May.