The Trout Lake is the only place in Dombai you can easily get by car, and the water of this lake is warmed up to 20°. It is rather cool, but quite comfortable for bathing.
In Karachay the Trout Lake is called Tumanly-Kel. A trip to the lake is one of Dombai tours. However, while the other tours involve foot walks over the mountain valleys and forests, one can get to the Trout Lake only by car.
Having left Dombai you should go to the «Northern Shelter» signpost – the entrance to the Gonachhir Gorge. It is the border (check-point) of the Teberda National Park, where the tourists are told the behavior rules and make the entrance fee. Further on the road runs along the Gonachhir Gorge turning into a wide mountain valley with beautiful landscapes.
Sukhumi Military Road runs along the Gonachhir Gorge. The road was built in 1947 and provided for a through route from the Stavropol Territory and through Kluhor Pass (2781 meters) to the Kodori Gorge and then to Sukhumi in Abkhazia. After the war conflict with Georgia in 1992, the road was closed, and now you can’t cross the pass in a car. However, the border check-point is beyond the Trout Lake, so everyone can go there to have a dip in its clean waters and spend his/her time in the most beautiful mountain valley.
The Trout Lake is at the altitude of 1850 meters; it is 275 meters long and 120 meters wide. The average depth of the lake is some 4 meters. There are trout in the lake, but fishing is prohibited, as the Trout Lake is located in the nature reserve. In summer, there are always a lot of bathing and sunbathing tourists here..
