This Large Lake in Mongolia Has Caribbean-like Blue Waters — and It is an Out of doors 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 provides pure splendor in large doses. And although getting there might take some effort, the payoff is nicely price 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 also known as “Lake Baikal’s youthful sister” due to its similarity and proximity to Russia’s well-known large 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, house to round 50 vacationer camps made up largely of gers, that are Mongolia’s model of yurts. These spherical, wooden and felt buildings are ubiquitous all through the nation as lodging for each locals and guests. They’re easy, cozy, and as a result of 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 normally family-run with on-site eating places which will supply menus or only a single selection for meals. For these searching for a couple of extra creature comforts, the nicer camps have roomy picket cabins and hotel-style rooms with non-public loos. Although, such luxuries are the exception reasonably than the rule in rural Mongolia.

Nature is the true star of the present at Lake Khovsgol, with immaculate air, soothing environment, and wildlife comparable 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, instructed Journey + Leisure. “All the pieces is so quiet and delightful, and I can usually see deer.”

The lake and surrounding park are a visible feast. The icy, crystalline waters tackle sensible hues of azure and aquamarine, paying homage 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 brilliant white, offset with bruised shadows forged by lingering clouds. Within the summertime, night thunderstorms roll throughout the water, treating lucky spectators to explosive lightning exhibits that put any man-made fireworks shows to disgrace.

Lake Khovsgol is a spot of uncooked, unspoiled nature that additionally offers guests with heat beds, scorching meals, and a wide range of vacationer providers. Even simply a few days in its environs may have you relaxed, invigorated, and refreshed.

The place to Keep

Double Lake

Nestled on a little bit peninsula away from the principle shore street, Double Lake is extra of a small resort 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 consists of its personal stretch of shoreline with massive chairs and a basic 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 important promoting level is its wonderful views. That is very true for the restaurant, which is constructed within the fashion of a North American lodge home, full with partitions of home windows searching 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 company in regards to the native wildlife, and powering every thing with 100% photo voltaic power. A lot of the meals is domestically sourced, and there may be even a lakeside sauna. It’s additionally located on Lake Khovsgol’s largely undeveloped japanese shore, guaranteeing a peaceable expertise in environment that already radiate serenity.   

What to Do 

Hop within the Saddle

It has been mentioned that Mongolians are born on horseback, and even on this fashionable 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 beautiful as Khovsgol virtually begs you to get out on it, and several other locations supply kayak leases that will help you scratch this itch. The lake’s floor is normally glassy and calm, permitting you to glide by way of the water because the timber and rocks on the shore slip by.

Watch the Birds

Mongolia is a wonderland for fowl fanatics, and Lake Khovsgol is not any exception. The lake is house 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 plenty 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 need 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 provides 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 doable to go to these folks of their grazing lands, but it surely’s an arduous multi-day journey on horseback. Fortunately, a couple of 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 velocity.

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 time, the Sukhbaatar III — docked within the city of Khatgal on the lake’s southern tip — permits company 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 be taught some historic tidbits in regards to 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 at the least one full day.) 

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

When to Go

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

Organizing Your Journey

Whereas it’s doable to journey independently in Mongolia, logistics and the language barrier make it tough 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 normally included in a single package deal. Whereas there are numerous to select from, Goyo Journey, Nomadic Trails, and View Mongolia are respected outfits that provide each set and customized itineraries to fulfill your wants.