Distance: 782 km from Ulaanbaatar and 111 km from the town of Murun
Duration: 3 hours by road from Murun, the capital of Huvsgul Province and a 1 and a half hour flight northwest from UB
Accommodation: Ger camps
Activities: various nature trips, hiking, fishing, boating, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, photography and videography tours.
Known as the “dark blue pearl” of Mongolia, spectacular Lake Huvsgul truly epitomizes a geographic jewel. Bordered in the north by Sayan Mountain and in the west by the Horidol Saridag Range, the 136 km long and 36 km wide lake is the finest spot in a sublime area. The world’s 14th largest fresh-water lake by volume, Huvsgul holds 380 cubic km of water, over 1% of the globe’s freshwater. Comfortably situated 1,645 meters above sea level, the lake’s greatest depth lies 262 meters below its surface. Huvsgul shares similarities in its surrounding flora and fauna with Russia’s massive and magnificent Lake Baikal, which rests 200 km to Huvsgul’s east and is linked to the Mongolian lake by the Egiin River. 68 species of mammals including ibex, argali sheep, elk, reindeer, musk deer, brown bears, lynx, martens, wolves, beaver, moose, as well as 244 species of birds inhabit the lake and its surrounding area. The lake itself is home to nine species of fish, including Siberian grayling and lenok. While pollution has become an increasing risk for Hovsgul, samples were taken from the lake still suggest that the lake’s water remains remarkable pure. Just a glance in at the sparkling water body is enough to convince most people of this claim.