Urungach natural monument

Urungach is a pair of small alpine lakes in the Ugam-Chatkal mountains of Tashkent region, about 160 kilometers from the capital and reached after a drive of roughly four hours, the last stretch covering some 30 kilometers of rough mountain track before a further 3-4 kilometer walk or off-road ride to the water's edge. Sitting at an elevation of roughly 1,227 to 1,363 meters, the lakes are nicknamed the "Jade Lakes" for the striking emerald color of their snowmelt-fed water, which runs coldest and clearest in the lower of the two. The best time to see them full and most vividly colored is from mid-May to late June, when melting snow raises the water level. In 2019 the lake and its surrounding territory were officially declared a state hydrological natural monument, protecting this small but distinctive high-mountain landscape within the wider Ugam-Chatkal National Park.