Tours to Turgusun lakes in the West Altai Reserve.

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world” 

Gustave Flaubert.

Turgusun lakes in the West Altai Reserve.

The group of Turgusun lakes are located at an altitude of 1870 meters at sea level and above in the Ridder district of East Kazakhstan region. The lakes are located in the southeastern part of the Ivanovskiy ridge on the territory of the West-Altai National Nature Reserve in the valley of Black Uzel.
The group of Turgusun lakes belongs to the basin of the Big Turgusun river and consists of 11 lakes, the largest of which is the First Turgusun Lake. The lakes are located directly on the southern side of the moraine deposits and the Black Uzel valley cones.
In the northwest of the Second Lake Turgusun there are three moraine lakes - Tau- ana, Zaman and Arai. The following is a summary of the group's lakes.
The First Turgusun Lake is located at the eastern end of the Ivanovskiy Range on an ancient, leveled moraine at an altitude of 1870 meters above sea level in the Ridder district of East Kazakhstan region. The Big Turgusun River flows out of the lake in a wide cascade, and further to the west is the cascade of Turgusun Lakes, which are located in the Black Uzel valley.
The length of the lake is 346 meters, the largest width is 238 meters. In the northeastern part in front of the lake there is a flat dry area suitable for a campground. The northwestern shore of the lake is swampy, the southeast shore is steep in places with piles of huge, blocky stones.
13 kilometers west of the lake is the highest peak of the Ivanovskiy Range - Vysheivanovsky Belok, 2778 meters high above sea level. In the western part of the lake is the ridge Black Uzel with peaked peaks, which stretches from the southeast to northwest.
The Second Turgusun lake is located at the eastern tip of the Ivanovskiy Range on an ancient, aligned moraine at an altitude of 1980 meters above sea level in the Ridder district of East Kazakhstan region on the territory of the West-Altai National Reserve.
The Big Turgusun River flows out of the lake, forming picturesque cascades of waterfalls and flows through the 809 metro into the First Turgusun Lake. A 1.5-kilometer path to the Second Turgusun Lake runs along the southern and western swampy banks of the First Lake.
It is necessary to cross the small left tributary of the Big Turgusun and climb the stony part of the Second Lake along the rocky slope, consisting of granite fragments. The length of the Second Turgun Lake is 492 meters, a width of 403 meters.
This is the largest lake in the cascade of Turgusun lakes in the tract of Black Uzel. The southwestern and southern parts of the lake are cluttered with ice floes, which move along the lake in the wind. The northeastern part of the lake is more gentle, from here the Big Turgusun River flows from the lake.
The of the lake with rocky, steep banks. In the southern part, a large glacier hangs over the lake from the slopes of Burov Peak. The western and northeastern parts of the lake are suitable for walks and moraine movements to the Third Turgusun lake.
The Third Turgusun lake is located at the eastern tip of the Ivanovo ridge on a leveled moraine at an altitude of 2075 meters above sea level in the Ridder region of East Kazakhstan region on the territory of the West-Altai National Reserve.
This is a small, elongated lake from which streams of water break down with two powerful waterfalls. The eastern part of the lake lies on flat horizontal, granite slabs, from where the Big Turgusun River flows, which is divided into two streams and forms two grandiose waterfalls.
The right waterfall cascades at an angle of 75 degrees, the left small waterfall falls down vertically. The third Turgusun lake is at the same height as the Fourth lake, the length of the lake is 138 meters, the largest width is 47 meters. The distance from the Second to the Third Turgusun Lake is 270 meters.
The Fourth moraine lake Turgusun is located at the eastern tip of the Ivanovo ridge at an altitude of 2075 meters above sea level in the Ridder district of East Kazakhstan region on the territory of the West-Altai National Reserve.
The lake is 294 meters long and 203 meters wide. The eastern and northeastern shores of the lake are gentle. On the southwestern slopes of the lake snowfields hang. From the southeastern part of the lake flows the Big Turgusun River, which flows into the Third Turgusun Lake.
The distance from the Fourth to the First Turgusun Lake is 2.5 kilometers.

Authority and photos:
Alexander Petrov.