The lake and mountains were beautiful. We went in the summer, with wildflowers blooming all over the hills. Unfortunately, everyone has realized how beautiful it is. The place was mobbed with tourists. To control the flow of tourists, the government has recently implemented a system of buses that, coupled with the Disney-fication that is familiar in Xinjiang, create a theme-park atmosphere. You park down in an imitation Swiss village, then take a packed bus to the ticket office, then board another bus to the actual lake, where you can walk around on boardwalks with thousands of other visitors. If you walk far enough, it's possible to leave most of the people behind. But the boardwalk is blocked off after only 2km or so, and since you're not allowed to walk freely off the boardwalk, it's rather disappointing.

The valley lake of the Altai Mountains. Fishing here is excellent. A cold rainy day on our visit. Heavenly natural scenery.