As of today, peak season now, through ~September 30. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
High in the Tian Shan mountains of southeast Kazakhstan, Lake Kaindy hides a forest underwater.
In 1911 the powerful Kebin (Chon-Kemin) earthquake shook a limestone slope loose; the landslide dammed a valley, and over the following years rising water swallowed a stand of mature Schrenk's spruce.
The trees died but did not fall.
The lake's frigid water, which rarely climbs above about 6 degrees Celsius, preserved the bare trunks so well that they still rise like a flooded forest of masts, their tops breaking the bright turquoise surface while their submerged branches remain eerily intact below.
From the shore the effect is surreal: pale spears of dead wood standing dead-straight in glassy, mineral-blue water at around 2,000 metres elevation.
In summer the trunks are clearest and the water at its most vivid; in winter the lake freezes and the trees stand trapped under ice, an even stranger, ghostlier scene.
Divers and snorkellers brave the cold to drift through the standing forest below the waterline.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
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| Lake Kaindy Shore Viewpoint |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.