Issyk-Kul Sunset
Golden hour at the pearl of Central Asia
Issyk-Kul — the second-largest alpine lake in the world, never freezing despite being ringed by the Tien Shan mountains at 1,607m elevation. The name means "warm lake" in Kyrgyz.
These sunset shots were captured from the southern shore near Tamga village, where the water turns from deep blue to molten gold as the sun drops behind the ridgeline.
The lake holds more water than all of Switzerland's lakes combined — 1,738 cubic kilometers.