The Besh-Tash National Park, which translates to "Five Stones," stretches in a narrow chain along the Talas Ala-Tuu mountain range. On a good gravel serpentine road up the Besh-Tash river gorge, it feels as if the car is about to hit the sky. And at some point, this almost happens: the road leads to a wide plateau at an altitude of about 3000 meters, where, after overcoming a rocky ridge, the park's main treasure unfolds before you - the high-altitude Besh-Tash lake, sprawling at an elevation of about 3000 meters above sea level.

It lies at an altitude of about 3000 meters, like a mirrored bowl among stone walls, glacial remnants, and blooming alpine meadows. The lake stretches one and a half kilometers long with a width of up to five hundred meters, and its average depth is 28 meters. On calm days, you can see the bottom at a depth of 10-12 meters - the water is that clear and transparent. But what impresses the most is its color. In the morning, the lake is gently blue, as if illuminated by the first light. At noon, it turns into a rich turquoise - the very signature shade that Besh-Tash is recognized by in photographs. And by evening, when the sun sinks behind the peaks, the water darkens to emerald, reflecting the gold and copper of the sunset. It is said that if you make a wish at the moment when the sky and the lake become one color, it will surely come true. And in these places, it is easy to believe in such things.

In summer, the surface of the lake can be so smooth that the reflection of the mountains looks like a perfect copy of reality. Around it is a ring of snowy peaks of the Talas Ala-Tuu, clusters of alpine flowers, and rare herds of yaks coming to the water. The inhabitants of the lake - osman, brook trout, omul, and peled - remain almost unnoticed: Besh-Tash is not about fishing, but about contemplation. This is a protected area, and nature here demands respect.

Down the valley hides a small, dark, and calm lake - like the younger brother of Besh-Tash. Its dark water creates a perfect contrast with the bright turquoise of the main lake basin. In the side gorges, you can find other bodies of water such as Mykysh, Tuyuktor, Tuyuktor-Köl, and others : in total, the park has more than eight high-altitude lakes, each with its own character and history. Their origins go back thousands of years - some appeared as a result of powerful mountain landslides, while others formed due to the melting of ancient glaciers. Some are accessible to almost everyone, while others are revealed only to those who climb high - above the juniper forests and pastures, to the edge of the snowfields.

The lakes of Besh-Tash are a space where nature remains pristine, and humans become mere guests in a vast mountain world. Where silence rings so loudly that you can hear your own breath. Where colors change so rapidly that you want to stay until evening - just to see how turquoise turns into sapphire, and then into emerald. This place leaves a feeling of wonder and inner peace - the very sensation for which people travel to the mountains.