Song Kol is a lake at 3,000 metres, sitting in a high bowl of the Tian Shan like something left behind by the sky. Its name means last lake, or perhaps following lake; Kyrgyz speakers give different readings. It lies in Naryn province, far from any town, and for four months a year it is the summer pasture of herders who bring their sheep, horses and yaks up from the valleys. Their yurts, white domes against a green and brown landscape, are the main architecture here, and the main way a traveller stays.
Reaching the lake is a proper expedition on two wheels. The usual approach climbs from the Kochkor valley over a pass at roughly 3,400 metres on gravel roads with a series of tight hairpins, steep drops and variable surface. Loose stones, mud after rain, and stream crossings are all possible, and a bike with decent ground clearance and tyres is a real advantage. The track along the shore is open and rolling, with big skies, no trees, a constant wind, and horses moving across the pasture. It is wonderful riding, but not casual riding.
The season is short. The road is generally passable from about June to September, with the weather closing in sooner than you might expect. Even in July, nights are cold enough for frost, and the wind can cut straight through a summer jacket. Dress like it is autumn, whatever the calendar says. In the right conditions, though, the lake mirrors the clouds and the mountains, and the sound of hooves and sheep bells carries for miles. At night the stars arrive in ridiculous numbers.
Fill up at Kochkor or Naryn before you head in, carry spare fuel if your range is limited, and bring a tool kit. Yurt camps offer a bed, dinner and breakfast, typically bread, jam, soup, mutton and plenty of tea, plus sometimes kymyz, fermented mare's milk. Be respectful of the herders' land and animals, take your rubbish with you, and ride out with the feeling that you have been somewhere that genuinely feels far away.