During the coldest days of winter, a spectacular ice bubble phenomenon appears at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海. Beneath the frozen lake surface are layers of ice bubbles of all shapes and sizes resembling lotus flowers or bunches of grapes. The methane gas released from plants and animals at the bottom of the lake normally rises to the surface. But in the winter, the lake freezes from the top down, forming ice layers that block these rising bubbles and trapping them in place. As more gas rises, it gets trapped in subsequent freezing layers, creating beautiful, stacked bubble columns.
We stayed in Tekes at the Grand Rezen Hotel 特克斯紫荆花丽呈华廷酒店.
Tekes Grand Rezen Hotel 特克斯紫荆花丽呈华廷酒店
En route to Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Ice bubbles at Kalatohai Lake 喀拉托海
Another popular place to visit in Yili region is Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台, nestled at the foot of the southern Tianshan Mountains. Qiongkushitai is a national historical and cultural village with a grand canyon, rivers, and trees, especially mesmerizing in the winter. In the summer, visitors come to see the vast grasslands, and in the winter, people come to admire the winter wonderland scenery. Qiongushitai, once an obscure traditional pastoral village inhabited by Kazakh herders and located at the “Northern Entrance to the Wusun Ancient Road”, has transformed itself into an “internet celebrity village”. The snow-covered wooden cabins backed by towering mountains and frozen forests attract many photographers. There are tiny ice caves, so tiny that my camera could barely fit, with icicles hanging down along the river which are fun to photograph. The most breathtaking scenic spots are actually along the snow-covered roads leading to the village.
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
En route to Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Leaving Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Leaving Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Leaving Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Leaving Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Leaving Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Leaving Qiongkushitai Village 琼庫什台
Next post will be on Sayram Lake, the “last tear of the Atlantic”. Stay tuned!
Thanks for stopping by!
Enter your email below for email subscription or keep checking back for more blog posts to come.
Alternatively, get connected through
my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/beatricetravelsblog or follow me on Instagram @beatricetravels.
Discover more from Beatrice Wong Photography
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
