Sut-Khol Lake

Sut-Khol Lake (Tuv. Süt khöl) lies in Sut-Kholsky kozhuun in western Tuva at about 1,815 m. According to the State Water Register, the surface stretches roughly 7 × 2.5 km, area is 13.3 km², maximum depth reaches 148 m with an average near 25 m. It drains via the Khol-Yyash River through Ches-Bulun and Khemchik to the Yenisei basin. Since 2007 the lake area has been protected as a regional nature monument (IUCN Category III) covering about 3,794 ha with landscape and recreational profiles. This is not a postcard from central Kyzyl but a separate mountain lake framed by the Western Sayan ranges — visitors come for quiet, fishing and views toward the Alash Plateau. Approach runs through Khovu-Aksy village and local roads to the west bank; confirm access rules and seasonal limits on the protected zone before travel. Mobile signal is unreliable in the mountains — carry fuel reserves and offline maps. Summer rains wash out tracks; winter sections turn icy. Aerial and field descriptions show an elongated lake in an intermontane basin — the contrast with southern Tuva’s steppe lakes is clear from the terrain alone. Fishing and recreation sit alongside protected-area rules: pack out waste and stay on marked approaches to the shore.