Oreti lake

Trail: Omalo-Visitor's Centre-Tsokalta-ascent along the ridge to a summer sheep pen-Oreti and back

Duration: This option will take about 1.5 days (the best is to spend the night directly by the lake). The trail is ideal on a horseback as a single day trip and is marked red since summer 2018.

From Omalo you will go along the road, passing the turn to the Visitor's Centre. As you approach the end of the Lower Omalo plain, you may take a field lane right close to Hotel Omalo. You will continue down the footpath to the bridge (shorter way avoiding the dusty road). Behind the bridge, follow the arrow to the left to Kumelaurta until you come to the first major turn. Here, turn right up the path and after 300m you will get to a meadow in the vicinity of the village of Tsokalta (no need to go the village). At the end of the meadow you will find a path steepening up the ridge. The demanding ascent will take you to another meadow along which leads a path. You will continue through the forest to another meadow with a sheep pen (beware of dogs if sheep pen in use). From here, the lane heads up again. From the trees go to the alpine meadows and follow the path up the stream. Crossing the stream you will see remnants of an esker (glacier ridge) dominated by Oreti Lake above. Under favourable conditions and enough water you may even have a swim. You can also put up a tent for the night or enrich your trip with an ascent to one of the peaks above the lake, or further mount about 200m of altitude up Mt. Oncha (also marked as Encho in most maps), the frontier peak about 4 hours walk from Oreti (3,304m a.s.l.). You will have to return the same way.