Kyrgyzstan

Distantly ringed by a saw-toothed horizon of peaks, the wide open landscapes of Son-Köl (Сон-Куль) create a giant stage for constant performances of symphonic cloudscapes. Almost 18km across and 29km wide, and fronted by lush summer pastures, the lake's water colour changes magically from tropical turquoise to brooding indigo in seconds as the sun flashes or the storms scud by in a vast meteorological theatre. It's a sublime place to watch the sun come up or to gaze into a cold, crystal-clear night sky heavy with countless stars. At 3016m it's too cold for permanent habitation, but between June and September herders' yurts dot the shoreside meadows every few kilometres. Since many are part of the community tourism schemes, the area offers an unparalleled opportunity for yurtstay visits or multi-yurt hikes and horse treks – which can generally be organised at very short notice.

Platoons of vast, ever-snowy mountains march along the southern flank of the Alay Valley (Долина Алай), whose considerable width (up to 30km) makes the scene especially memorable – at least when the clouds lift off the peaks that surround the valley.

Visitors en route to China via Irkeshtam or to Tajikistan via Bordöbo get a taste of the scenery from Sary-Tash. However, it's well worth continuing to Sary-Mogol and Daroot-Korgon for trailheads to gentle lake hikes, week-long traverses of the Alay range, or the expedition to the top of Peak Lenin. Heading back towards Osh, look for CBT-posted hikes off the highway that vary from several hours to several days.

Remote even by Kyrgyzstan standards, magnificent Köl-Suu lake stretches over 10km through a sheer mountain gorge that reaches nearly to the Chinese border. It's hard to grasp the true scale until locally run boat trips (from $200 per person) strike out for the centre of the lake, where they seemed dwarfed by rock walls on every side. At 3500m the weather here can change rapidly so be sure to pack warm and carry extra provisions.

A shady grid of tree-lined streets, Karakol (Каракол) has limited sights but lots of activities, and is a good base from which to access some of Central Asia's best skiing and most gloriously accessible alpine trekking. The town offers clear-day backdrops of snowy peaks contrasted against the old blue shutters and whitewashed walls of some remnant antique colonial-period houses. These recall the town's Russian-era heydey: founded in 1869 as a support town for the then-new garrison of Teploklyuchenka (Ak-Suu), it housed many merchants, officers and explorers, most famously Nikolai Przhevalsky (in whose honour Karakol was renamed Przhevalsk between 1939 and 1991).

Founded as a coal-mining village but finding new life as an ecotourism base, welcoming little Jyrgalan (Жыргалан) is equally attractive for insight into Kyrgyz village life or as a launching point into the mountains that start just outside your guesthouse door. Come for a few days, linger for a week, and before you know it you're basically a local.