Getting There
You should definitely visit this place. Lake Aydarkul is located in the southeast of Kyzyl Kum. The flora and fauna of the lake and the area around it will not leave anyone indifferent.
You can travel around Uzbekistan on your own by car or by hitchhiking. First you need to get to the city of Nurata. In the city of Nurata, you can also get acquainted with local attractions. Then go to the side of Aydarkul lake, which is about 50 km.
You can get to the lake by car (2 hours from Navoi, a little more from Samarkand or Bukhara). You will have to go through the desert. However, the long road and the heat are more than justified by the enchanting views outside the car window. Despite the fact that it is a desert, the Kyzyl Kum sands look very picturesque.
The distance from it to Tashkent is 330 km, and to the famous center of ecotourism – the mountain village of Sentob – only 30 km. Travel companies from Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara carry organized excursions to the lake. In addition, you can get to the lake by a rented car.
What to Expect
People go to the lake to admire the unspoiled nature and beautiful landscapes. The lake is home to many different species of birds. In particular, waterfowl that flock here from the drying up Aral. Fans of extreme sports and exploring the national flavor should definitely visit the nearby yurt camps. The most famous and most visited of these today is “Aydar” (7 km from the lake).
Arriving at the lake, tourists can stay in yurts for the night. The yurt camp has everything you need for a comfortable stay – clean beds, dry closets and showers. Lunch for tourists is prepared according to traditional recipes of Uzbek cuisine. From the yurt camp to the lake there are walks on Bactrian camels. In addition, tourists are offered long camel and horse rides to the attractions of the desert. Here you can live right in a yurt, ride a camel and taste kumis – fermented camel milk. The drink, of course, is not for everybody’s taste, but many tourists like bitter kumis. By the way, it quenches thirst very well.
There are 11 yurts in the camp. There are also bathrooms and a mess for meals. This yurt-type camp is the most comfortable in the country. Located 10 kilometers from Lake Aydarkul in the Navoi region, it consists of 11 beautifully decorated yurts. The camp has everything you need for a pleasant pastime: restrooms with showers, a cozy yurt-dining room , gazebos for relaxation.
There are tandoors for baking cakes and samsa, a restaurant, electricity, baby cots on request. On the way to the camp, visit the famous mountain tract Sarmysh. More than 3000 rock paintings can be seen here. Entertainment: delicious national cuisine, recreation on the shores of Lake Aydarkul, camel riding, folklore show, walk and acquaintance with the endless desert, in which, contrary to all stereotypes, there is a rich life of flora and faunа.
Festivals and cultural events are regularly held in the idarkul. Local and international guests come to the festival enjoying the beauty of the place and wanting to be a guest again. Local government representatives do not spare their help in organizing events.
There are several catering points in the canoe. Dining rooms will constantly serve guests. Holidays are always held in a solemn atmosphere, attracting attention to themselves. It is only natural that you will be glad to see that the people in the area, who embody different traditions, are very hospitable and friendly. For a pleasant pastime, we recommend coming to Aydarkul.
It is a surprise for every tourist to see a huge lake located in the middle of the desert. Movies and descriptions from books immediately come to mind, where tired heroes make their way under the scorching sun and overcome the oasis. The climate is very favorable for humans. The weather of the region and the coolness of the lake will impress every tourist.
A worthy place in the list of water tourism routes is occupied by the endless lake Aydarkul, located in the endless Kyzyl Kum desert. For its beautiful water color and impressive size, the picturesque lake is often called “the turquoise sea in the sands.” On the shores of Aydarkul, no more than two thousand people live, so the nature in the vicinity of the lake remains wild and untouched. The shores of the lake stretch from the Nurata district of the Navoi region to the Farish and Mirzachul districts of the Jizzakh region.
The lake has no underwater currents and the salt content in the water is not quite high, which has a beneficial effect on the development of flora and fauna in the area. Here you can find a huge number of such fish as pike perch, carp, asp, chukhon, breeder, which is favorable for the development of the fishing season and a successful catch. Over the surface of the lake you can often see soaring pink pelicans, graceful swans, and egrets. Here, birds listed in the Red Book – the curly pelican, the cormorant, the red-breasted goose, the white-eyed duck, the steppe harrier, the white-tailed eagle, the black vulture – have found shelter. … Many kilometers of beaches with amazingly soft and clean sand, pristine cleanliness of coastal thickets, as well as the peace and quiet of the coastal zone will leave a lot of positive impressions and unforgettable sensations.
History
For a long time, the Arnasai lowland or, as it was called, the Hungry Steppe, for almost a whole year, was a dried up salt marsh. With the onset of spring, Lake Tuzkan appeared here, which dried up when the intense summer heat set in.
In the early 1960s, a dam was erected in Uzbekistan on the Syrdarya River, the Shardara hydroelectric power station was built and sluices were made. The flood of 1969 turned out to be so strong that the sluices were forced to open, and within a year 60% of all water from the Syr Darya was directed to the Arnasay lowland. Because of this, a new reservoir was formed – Lake Aydarkul. Since 1969, every time a reservoir near a hydroelectric power plant overflowed the dam, the lake received additional water from the river. Soon it turned into the second largest body of water in Central Asia, second only to the Aral Sea.
Then different types of fish were brought into the artificial lake. Carp, pike perch, asp, bream, catfish, snakeheads and sabrefish have taken root in the Uzbek reservoir best of all, and today from 760 to 2 thousand tons of fish are harvested here annually.
Facilities Available
The canoe has all the amenities. There are conditions for fishing. In addition to quality fish, the kitchens prepare “kumron” and “kimiz”. Tourists usually come to taste these products. In addition, hotels provide their services for local and foreign tourists.
