This Large Lake in Mongolia Has Caribbean-like Blue Waters — and It is an Outside Lover’s Dream

With rugged hills, pristine rivers, and impossibly huge areas, Mongolia is gaining floor as a vacation spot with vacationers thirsty for journey. This huge, landlocked Asian nation affords pure splendor in huge doses. And although getting there might take some effort, the payoff is properly value it. Merely put, Mongolia is an out of doors lover’s dream — and Lake Khovsgol Nationwide Park is the proper place to soak all of it in.

Located within the nation’s far north and surrounded by mountains, rocky shorelines, and thick pine forests, the 85-mile-long Lake Khovsgol is Mongolia’s largest physique of water. (It is so mammoth that it accounts for 20 p.c of the nation’s freshwater and .04 p.c of all on Earth.) It’s sometimes called “Lake Baikal’s youthful sister” due to its similarity and proximity to Russia’s well-known massive lake.

Lake Khovsgol is the place Mongolians go to flee from all of it. Nonetheless, it’s now more and more drawing worldwide guests.

A lot of the park’s human exercise takes place on the western shore, residence to round 50 vacationer camps made up largely of gers, that are Mongolia’s model of yurts. These spherical, wooden and felt constructions are ubiquitous all through the nation as lodging for each locals and guests. They’re easy, cozy, and resulting from their thick insulation, are cool within the warmth and heat within the chilly.

The vacationer camps at Khosvgol vary from tough and rudimentary affairs to extra upscale eco-lodges. They’re often family-run with on-site eating places that will provide menus or only a single alternative for meals. For these looking for just a few extra creature comforts, the nicer camps have roomy picket cabins and hotel-style rooms with non-public bogs. Although, such luxuries are the exception relatively than the rule in rural Mongolia.

Nature is the true star of the present at Lake Khovsgol, with immaculate air, soothing environment, and wildlife corresponding to Siberian moose, wolverine, ibex, sable, and brown bear. “My favourite factor is waking up at dawn and strolling into the forest,” Batsuren Ganbaatar, whose household owns the Olimp Camp and Restaurant on the western shore, advised Journey + Leisure. “The whole lot is so quiet and delightful, and I can typically see deer.”

The lake and surrounding park are a visible feast. The icy, crystalline waters tackle sensible hues of azure and aquamarine, harking back to the Caribbean or Hawaii. The Khoridol Saridag mountains rise like stony sentinels over the gleaming expanse of Lake Khovsgol’s floor. Come sundown, the sky is awash in shades of pink, tangerine, and vibrant white, offset with bruised shadows forged by lingering clouds. Within the summertime, night thunderstorms roll throughout the water, treating lucky spectators to explosive lightning reveals that put any man-made fireworks shows to disgrace.

Lake Khovsgol is a spot of uncooked, unspoiled nature that additionally gives guests with heat beds, sizzling meals, and quite a lot of vacationer companies. Even simply a few days in its environs may have you relaxed, invigorated, and refreshed.

The place to Keep

Double Lake

Nestled on a bit of peninsula away from the principle shore street, Double Lake is extra of a small lodge than a rugged ger camp, with non-public rooms and well-appointed A-frames set amongst the pines. Its restaurant serves up Western fare together with Mongolian requirements, and the property contains its personal stretch of shoreline with massive chairs and a traditional picket dock. In order for you quiet, look no additional. 

Khuvsgul Bayan-Ulaan

With snug gers and little cabins perched upon a broad hillside, Khuvsgul Bayan-Ulaan’s fundamental promoting level is its superb views. That is very true for the restaurant, which is constructed within the model of a North American lodge home, full with partitions of home windows looking onto the lake in all of its shimmering glory, making it the proper spot to sip a drink and take all of it in.  

Ar Davhar Peninsula Eco Camp

Designed with most sustainability in thoughts, Ar Davhar Peninsula Eco Camp practices what it preaches by recycling all natural waste into compost, educating its visitors concerning the native wildlife, and powering the whole lot with 100% photo voltaic power. A lot of the meals is regionally sourced, and there’s even a lakeside sauna. It’s additionally located on Lake Khovsgol’s largely undeveloped jap shore, guaranteeing a peaceable expertise in environment that already radiate serenity.   

What to Do 

Hop within the Saddle

It has been stated that Mongolians are born on horseback, and even on this trendy age you will notice that horses are nonetheless the popular mode of transportation for a lot of locals. The western shore options scores of horse camps, providing you with ample alternatives to rise up on a steed and go, whether or not it’s a one-hour jaunt or a multi-day tenting journey to the northern reaches of the lake.

Get Your Paddle on

A lake as attractive as Khovsgol virtually begs you to get out on it, and a number of other locations provide kayak leases that can assist you scratch this itch. The lake’s floor is often glassy and calm, permitting you to glide by way of the water because the bushes and rocks on the shore slip by.

Watch the Birds

Mongolia is a wonderland for chook fans, and Lake Khovsgol isn’t any exception. The lake is residence to scores of everlasting and migratory species, together with kites, white-tailed sea eagles, cinereous vultures, bar-headed geese, ruddy shelducks, terns, seagulls, red-billed choughs, nice cormorants, nuthatches, Demoiselle cranes, and lots of extra.

Catch a River Monster

The Egg River drains out the southern finish of the lake and is famed for its fish, together with grayling, lenok trout, and the legendary taimen, a large salmonid that’s the highest prize for many anglers coming to Mongolia. Whether or not you wish to forged your spinning rod or moist a fly line, fishing the Egg is an opportunity to hook into trophy fish in pristine waters.

Hike the Khoridol Saridag

With steep slopes, deep gorges, expansive valleys, and craggy peaks reaching almost 10,000 ft in altitude, the Khoridol Saridag is a playground for mountain trekking. This vary shoots up from the western facet of the lake and affords not simply gut-punching vistas of Khovsgol, but additionally the panorama past.

Go to the Reindeer Herders

The Tsaatan (or Dukha) are a nomadic ethnic group who elevate reindeer within the mountains and valleys west of the lake. For these feeling additional adventurous, it’s attainable to go to these individuals of their grazing lands, nevertheless it’s an arduous multi-day journey on horseback. Fortunately, just a few teams of Tsaatan come right down to the lake in the summertime, the place you’ll be able to pose for a pic with a reindeer and buy a few of their conventional, handmade wares if that’s extra your pace.

Sail With the Mongolian Navy

As a landlocked nation, Mongolia has no actual want for warships, however they nonetheless have a single vessel devoted to nationwide protection, and it ought to come as no shock that it patrols the nation’s largest lake. Through the summer season, the Sukhbaatar III — docked within the city of Khatgal on the lake’s southern tip — permits visitors to leap on board twice a day for cruises out to the center of the water. Right here, together with splendid views of each shores, you’ll be able to study some historic tidbits concerning the nation’s quirky one-ship navy.

Getting There

Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, is served by worldwide flights by way of Chinggis Khaan Worldwide Airport (UBN). From there it’s a fast flight to Moron, the capital of the Khovsgol province, which is only a 1.5-hour drive on a sealed street to Khatgal, a village on the southern tip of the lake. (Driving to Moron from Ulaanbaatar takes not less than one full day.) 

When you get to Khatgal, the street accessing the western shore of the lake turns right into a rutted, pothole-ridden dust monitor. (Although, a correct blacktop is within the works.)

When to Go

Mongolian winters are lengthy and harsh, so except you’re looking for out snow, ice, and bitter chilly, June, August, and September are the most effective time to go to. July could be good as properly, however the annual Naadam Competition falls throughout that point, and the camps in Lake Khovsgol replenish with Mongolians on vacation. It’s additionally the rainiest month, so unhealthy climate could be a difficulty.

Organizing Your Journey

Whereas it’s attainable to journey independently in Mongolia, logistics and the language barrier make it troublesome and time-consuming. Most guests as a substitute flip to established tour corporations to make preparations for them: lodging, transportation, gas, meals, permits, and facet journeys are often included in a single bundle. Whereas there are numerous to select from, Goyo Journey, Nomadic Trails, and View Mongolia are respected outfits that supply each set and customized itineraries to fulfill your wants.