While you travel to Kashgar, you are advised to visit the Karakul Lake which is about 200 km away from Kashgar. Karakul Lake or Karakuli is a stunning mountain lake located 196 km southwest of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. It is located on the Karakoram Highway, before reaching Tashkurgan, the Khunjerab Pass on the China - Pakistan border and Sost in Pakistan. The meaning of Karakul in Uyghur is black lake.
At an altitude of 3,600 m, it is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau, near the junction of the Pamir, Tian Shan and Kunlun mountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztagh Ata (7,509m), Kongur Tagh (7,649 m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530 m). The lake is popular among travellers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue. It is a nice experience to hike around the like to view the stunning mountains. It is also very close to the Base Camp of Muztagh Ata. There are two Kirgiz settlements along the shore of Karakul lake, a small number of yurts about 1 km east of the bus drop-off point and a village with stone houses located on the western shores.
