Handpicked experience · Tashkent
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
A full private day from Tashkent to the Urungach lakes high above the Pskem valley, travelling past Chimgan and the Charvak reservoir and finishing the climb by four-wheel drive, with a picnic lunch by the water.
The lower and upper Urungach lakes
The Pskem valley by four-wheel drive
A picnic lunch by the water
The Charvak reservoir and ancient petroglyphs
<section><h2>Overview</h2><p>Urungach is two mountain lakes, one above the other, hidden in a side valley of the Pskem river in the western Tian Shan. Getting there is a proper expedition for a day trip, and that is exactly its appeal: few visitors, clear water and mountains on every side.</p></section><section><h2>The day</h2><p>Pickup is at half past seven. The road runs past Chimgan and along the Charvak reservoir to the village of Pskem, where you change to a four-wheel drive for the rough track that climbs about 80 kilometres further to the lakes.</p><p>There is time to walk between the lower and upper lake and to eat a picnic lunch on the shore. On the way back the car stops at rocks carved with petroglyphs before returning to Tashkent in the evening.</p></section><section><h2>Highlights</h2><ul><li>The lower and upper Urungach lakes</li><li>The Pskem valley by four-wheel drive</li><li>A picnic lunch by the water</li><li>The Charvak reservoir and ancient petroglyphs</li></ul></section>
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The last part, from Pskem to the lakes, is an unpaved mountain track taken slowly in a four-wheel drive. It is bumpy but safe in dry weather; after heavy rain or in snow it may be impassable and the trip rescheduled.
Late spring to autumn. In winter the track is usually closed by snow.