Sayram Lake is a large, cold, clear mountain lake at about 2,070 metres in the western Tianshan, in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of northern Xinjiang. Enclosed by mountains and ringed by grassland and spruce forest, it lies beside the main road from the Dzungarian Basin over the Guozigou pass into the Ili valley, and is the largest alpine lake in Xinjiang.
Key facts
Overview
The lake occupies a closed basin high in the mountains between the Borohoro range to the south and the Alatau hills to the north. Its water is slightly salty, very clear and deep blue, and it is so remote from other large bodies of water that a Chinese saying calls it “the last tear of the Atlantic”, since the westerly winds that bring its rain have crossed the whole of Eurasia.
In Kazakh it is Sayram Köli and in Mongolian Sairam Nuur; the origin of the name itself is uncertain. Kazakh and Mongol herders graze the meadows around the shore in summer, when the grassland is covered with flowers.
How the landscape formed
Sayram Lake lies in a fault-bounded basin within the Tianshan that has no outlet. It is fed by rain, snow and small streams, and loses water by evaporation, which makes it slightly brackish. The basin is surrounded by mountains rising above 3,000 metres; spruce forest grows on their north-facing slopes and alpine meadow on the rest. To the south, the Guozigou gorge descends steeply towards the Ili valley.
Highlights
Guozigou
果子沟
“Fruit Valley”, a gorge south of the lake with wild apple trees, spruce forest and a high road bridge.
Guozigou Bridge
果子沟大桥
A cable-stayed bridge high above the gorge on the Urumqi–Ili expressway, opened in 2011.
Songshutou
松树头
The south-western shore, where the forest comes down to the lake.
Plants and wildlife
The lake originally had few fish. Cold-water species such as the peled whitefish were introduced from Russia in the late 1990s and are now farmed in the lake. The surrounding meadows and forest belong to the western Tianshan ecosystems, and wild fruit forests in Guozigou are a genetic reservoir for apples and apricots.
Plants
Schrenk's spruce
雪岭云杉
The dark, conical spruce of the Tianshan forests around the lake.
Wild apple
新疆野苹果
Malus sieversii, the wild ancestor of the cultivated apple, grows in Guozigou and the Ili valley.
Wildlife
Peled
高白鲑
Coregonus peled, a whitefish introduced to the lake and now raised there.
Whooper swan
大天鹅
Migratory swans stop at the lake in spring and autumn.
Culture and legend
The pass by Sayram Lake has long been the route from northern Xinjiang into the Ili valley. Kazakh and Mongol herders move their flocks to the lakeshore pastures in summer, and a Kazakh legend tells of two lovers whose tears filled the lake.
Naadam
那达慕
A Mongol summer festival of wrestling, horse racing and archery, held by the Bortala Mongols.
History
18th century
Qing road to Ili
After the conquest of the Dzungars, the Qing garrison in Ili is supplied along the route past the lake and through Guozigou.
2011
Guozigou Bridge opens
The high bridge replaces the winding old road through the gorge.
Through the seasons
Spring
The ice breaks up in May; snow still covers the mountains around the lake.
Summer
June and July bring wildflowers across the meadows and herders' yurts on the shore; the main visitor season.
Autumn
Clear and cold, with golden grass; snow can return in September.
Winter
The lake freezes for several months; blue ice ridges form on its surface and draw photographers.
Routes and ways in
Lakeshore circuit
A road runs around the lake, about 90 km, with stops at meadows and viewpoints; it is often cycled in summer.
Guozigou
The gorge south of the lake, best seen from the old road and viewpoints below the bridge.
Practical notes
- At about 2,070 metres the lake is cool and windy; nights can be near freezing even in summer.
- Do not drive onto the meadows; use designated parking and paths.
- Yining lies to the south in the Ili valley, Bole to the east; the lake is usually visited on the road between Urumqi and Ili.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Sayram Lake — Wikipedia (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Tian Shan — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region People's Government — Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Xinjiang
- LakeKanas Lake喀纳斯湖A glacial lake in the Altai forests at China's northern tip
- Mountain · 7,546 mMuztagh Ata慕士塔格峰The “Father of Ice Mountains” above Karakul Lake
- GrasslandNalati Grassland那拉提草原Mountain pastures of the Kazakh herders in the Ili valley
- DesertTaklimakan Desert塔克拉玛干沙漠The sand sea of the Tarim Basin, ringed by Silk Road oases
- Lake · 5,445 mTianchi and Bogda Peak天山天池A mountain lake beneath the glaciers of the eastern Tianshan
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