Zaysan Lake (Kazakhstan) is the largest in its country. But other than that, it seems very unusual. For example, when night falls, and stars appear in the sky, strange sounds that resemble the noise of electric wires are heard on the lake. This feature gave the pond a second name - “Lake Bell Chime”.
Location of Zaysan
The lake is located 30 km from the city of Kiin-Kerish on a flat plain between the Kalabinsk, Altai and Tartatagai mountain ranges. It stretched from the southeast side to the northwest.
Description of the lake
Zaysan Lake is very large: its length is 105 km and its width is 48 km. The maximum depth of the reservoir is 15 meters. With such dimensions it is not much, therefore the lake is considered shallow. But in the old days, Zaysan was much deeper and even longer. Such a conclusion can be made if you look at the old surf, which left their mark on the lowlands. They are located away from the current coastline.
Now Zaysan Lake has low, gentle shores that are overgrown with many aquatic plants, including reeds. But this pool has many picturesque sandy capes, among them Barkhotsky and Baklanii, on which there is absolutely no aquatic vegetation. Also, the most famous capes that grow out of mountain elevations are Sandy, Naked, Golodaevsky, Vershinin.
The bottom of the lake has a silty composition covered with small pebbles. Some sites have a sandy bottom. The surface of the water is even, without islands. But near the mouth of the Black Irtysh there are still a couple of small islands.
The lake is distinguished by unusually clear, clean water. The fact is that the water supply is due to mountain rivers, which are formed from snows and rains. In addition, there are no industrial enterprises or cities on the coast and in its environs; therefore, nothing harms the ecological state of the lake.
Several rivers flow into Lake Zaysan. As already mentioned, from the east there is Black Irtysh, as well as Kendyrlyk. In the north are the Arasan, Cherga, Ters-Arlyk rivers and several others, and the Irtysh flows out. There is also Bugaz, Kokpektinka and Bazar, which flow into the lake from the west.
Fishing on the lake
The abundance of fish is the pride of Zaysan. There are 23 species of fish, and seventeen of them are commercial. The most valuable here is taimen. But also bream, burbot, pike perch, tench, crucian carp, pike, ide and perch are caught here. In addition, there are many crayfish in the lake . Fishing on Zaysan will be successful even for beginners in fishing, and no one will be left without a catch. Usually they can easily catch crucian carp, pike, perch or burbot.
Where to stay
The best option for an overnight stay is the fishing village of Akshuat. She settled down on the bank of Zaysan. The main activity of its inhabitants is fishing. Local families are very hospitable and friendly to tourists. If desired, they can give you an orientation tour that will allow you to plunge into the atmosphere of fishing life.
Also the village itself is very picturesque. It stands near the water, where the banks have an interesting, unusual shape and color (local clay has several different shades). Since everything is located near the beach, at any time you can swim in soft, refreshing water. Zaysan Lake is an unusual, sparsely populated place, where the water is warm enough and favorable for swimming.
Local fauna
It is interesting that about a hundred years ago in this region near the lake wild two-humped camels, kulans, saigas, tigers, Przhevalsky horses, gazelles found their home. But even now, here you can sometimes meet some rare animals. Also here live foxes, gophers and other animals. In the sky you can see the steppe eagle soaring, and in the steppe an early bird is poured. Therefore, in addition to fishing, by the lake you can relax your soul, listening to the trills of birds.
Climate and weather in Zaysan
But what kind of weather can be expected when setting out on a trip to Zaysan? We must not forget that the climatic conditions here are due to the location of the lake. It is located in central Eurasia in the East Kazakhstan region, so the climate is sharply continental. Altai mountains, which are located in this territory, also influence weather conditions. So, the weather in Zaysan is characterized by sharp temperature differences, not only between seasons. Also, night and day indicators of thermometers vary greatly.
This area is distinguished by hot summers, arid, but not without precipitation. Winter comes cold and carries a lot of snow. Snowstorms are very common here. On average, the January temperature drops to -33 ° C. But sometimes the Arctic air masses invade the territory, and the thermometer can show -52 ° C. The lake draws ice in November already, and the ice drift begins by the end of April.
Moreover, when summer comes, the air heats up to +37 , and sometimes, on dry days, the mark gets to +45 . Such temperatures often provoke steppe fires.