Lake Badak

On weekends, the roads in the Tashkent region transform into sprawling traffic jams stretching for miles. This is especially true for routes leading to popular mountain resorts like Amirsoy, Beldersay, Chimgan, and the shores of the Charvak Reservoir. Here, modern tourist infrastructures continue to expand, catering to tens of thousands of visitors seeking a civilized escape into nature each day. However, there are always those who prefer to retreat into the untouched wilderness, or at least a semblance of it. These enthusiasts venture deep into the Ugam-Chatkal National Park, aiming to visit the stunning alpine lakes that remain refreshingly cool even in summer.

Until recently, many of these lakes were somewhat inaccessible, attracting only the most experienced hikers willing to navigate exhausting bureaucratic processes and long, challenging treks. However, the simplification of access procedures to border areas and the rise of off-road tourism in recent years have opened up the breathtaking high-altitude valley of the Pskem River to many eager adventurers, revealing a plethora of natural wonders.

Lake Badak sits at an elevation of 1,700 meters (5,577 feet) above sea level, nestled within the expansive gorge of the river Badaksay, which flows down from the slopes of the majestic Pskem Ridge and the towering peak of Tavalgan (3,888 meters or 12,756 feet). The journey to this hidden gem begins on the banks of the Charvak Reservoir, where the bustling convoys of weekend travelers come to an end. From the village of Charvak, visitors must navigate an additional fifty kilometers along a serpentine road that hugs the northern shore, continuing through the mountain valley until reaching the village of Pskem. Here, the traffic jams dissipate, as not every vehicle can conquer the steep ascent of Tepar, which has an incline of nearly 50 degrees.

Consequently, on the most challenging sections of the road, you may encounter spontaneous gatherings of local drivers in old Soviet-era “Nivas,” offering rides to those whose journeys have unexpectedly halted, transporting them to the main local attraction—the “Jade Lakes” of Uruzgach (1,227 meters or 4,026 feet). These lakes were promoted by the state television of Uzbekistan in 2017 as one of the “wonders of the world.” In some respects, they truly are. However, six years later, the number of visitors has increased dramatically, sometimes rivaling the crowds at the Alai Bazaar. Environmentalists are now actively battling the pollution threatening this unique natural haven, although resisting the tide of human traffic remains a significant challenge.

Before reaching the village of Pskem, large groups of tourists who have made it there in minibuses cross the pedestrian bridge of Taka Yengok to the left bank of the river, trekking approximately four kilometers to the start of the Badaksay gorge. Those with 4×4 vehicles can cross the car bridge upstream and drive directly into the gorge.

The left bank of the Pskem River in this area features a wide, rolling terrace interspersed with fruit orchards and high-altitude wildflowers. Mid-summer here is far from harsh; rather, it marks the peak of life, a season of abundance and blooming. Orange plums and ranetki (small apples) tumble from heavy tree branches, while yellow mountain pears ripen in the sun. The grassy cover, rising to waist height, is adorned with vibrant patches of blue cornflowers, purple lavender, mountain mint, and entire fields of white hollyhocks.

The Badaksay gorge is deep yet relatively wide. The name “Badak” derives from the Turkic word “baytak,” meaning “wide” or “spacious.” A rushing stream of icy water flows through the bottom of the gorge, its banks lined with reeds, dense shrubs, and low willows. It’s a true wilderness, where one might easily encounter the Tien Shan brown bear in autumn. In mid-summer, entire broods of young chukars—mountain partridges—can be spotted darting through the underbrush.

The slopes of the gorge are steep, at times sheer, showcasing beautiful flecks of red Cambrian rock against the gray basalt. Landslides and powerful rockfalls are common occurrences here. The riverbed is often completely obscured by rockfalls, only to reemerge later. These natural dams create wide floodplains, which, in early summer, transform into actual lakes due to the rapid melting of snow on the mountain peaks and frequent rains and thunderstorms. Hence, the term “Badak Lakes” sometimes arises. However, by August, when the snow cover on even the three-thousand-meter peaks has largely melted and rainfall becomes a rarity, it becomes clear that these are indeed floodplains. Despite this, their genesis is the same as that of the large Lake Badak, which was formed behind a massive debris dam after some cataclysm, possibly an earthquake.

Lake Badak truly lives up to its name. It is expansive, stretching over a kilometer in length (1,130 meters) and up to three hundred meters in width. Its maximum depth reaches 23.2 meters, with an average depth of 13.5 meters—deep enough to submerge a five-story building. The approximate volume of water in the lake is about 4.2 million cubic meters, with summer midday temperatures hovering around +8°C (46°F). The natural dam is quite stable, showing no signs of potential collapse even under significant external pressures, such as seismic activity.

Tour operators often delight in describing the ever-changing colors of Lake Badak. While there’s nothing supernatural about this phenomenon, the color of any water surface significantly shifts based on lighting conditions—weather and time of day. Thus, while the Uruzgach lakes are commonly dubbed the “Jade Lakes,” Badak could justifiably be called the “Emerald Lake,” framed in the platinum colors of its natural stone basin. The shores are nearly devoid of vegetation, with only a small grove of birch trees at the upper end, near the river’s mouth, where annual spring floods have deposited a layer of fertile soil.

Further up, a thousand meters higher across the Pskem Ridge at elevations of 2,460, 2,508, and 2,724 meters above sea level, lie the most astonishing lakes of the Tashkent region—the Ikhnach Lakes. However, these lakes are inaccessible by off-road vehicles and can only be reached by helicopter.