Lake Labynkyr

Lake Labynkyr lies on the Sordonnokh Plateau in the Oymyakon District of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), close to the region known as the Pole of Cold, home to some of the lowest temperatures ever recorded in an inhabited area. The lake is roughly fourteen kilometres long and notably deep, and it is often observed to remain partly unfrozen even in extreme cold, a quirk that has long intrigued visitors. Its setting is one of profound remoteness on the high, frigid plateaus of eastern Siberia.

The lake is famous in Russian folklore for the "Labynkyr Devil," a large aquatic creature reported by local Yakut herders and noted in the 1950s diary of the geologist Viktor Tverdokhlebov. Later expeditions have recorded sonar contacts and unusual echoes, but no creature has ever been confirmed, and the legend is best regarded as an anecdotal Siberian counterpart to tales like that of Loch Ness.

Beyond the cryptid stories, Labynkyr is a genuinely remarkable cold-climate lake of interest to limnologists and to those drawn by the extremes of the Oymyakon region, as well as a repository of indigenous folklore about the northern wilderness.

Labynkyr is extraordinarily remote, set deep in the Oymyakon region far from paved roads and settlements. Access is difficult in any season: winter journeys may cross frozen terrain and ice, while summer travel over bog and tundra is arduous, and there is no infrastructure at the lake.

Reaching it is effectively an expedition requiring local guides, robust logistics and preparation for extreme cold. Independent travel is not advisable; anyone visiting should plan meticulously for self-sufficiency, safety and the severe climate of one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth.