To reach the lake, visitors walk down a long staircase into the mountain. As you go deeper, the air becomes warm and humid, like stepping into a greenhouse. The cave opens up into an enormous chamber about 60 metres high — tall enough for a 20-storey building — with the lake stretching out below.
The water stays at around 33–37 degrees Celsius all year, even when snow is falling outside in the mountains. This is because heat from deep inside the Earth warms it constantly. The lake is about 70 metres long and contains minerals that give it a slightly salty taste.
Thousands of bats roost in the upper part of the cave. They hang upside down in clusters from the rock ceiling and fly out at dusk to hunt insects. Their squeaking fills the cave with a soft, echoing sound that visitors find surprisingly peaceful.
The cave has been a special place for local people for a very long time. The warm water, the dramatic cavern and the feeling of being hidden deep inside a mountain make it feel unlike any other place — a secret world completely tucked away from the desert outside.