Lake Khövsgöl

Lake Khubsugul is considered the most beautiful lake in Mongolia. It is the deepest lake in the country. Situated at the foot of the high mountains of Bayan-Zu, Khiin-Nuuru and Munku-Sardyk ranges, the lake with crystal clear water and picturesque pristine shoreline densely overgrown with tall 25-meter larch trees at the water’s edge, is still an untouched oasis of wild nature. There are very few places like this left in the world, where human presence is not felt at all and nature preserves its natural state unchanged for thousands of years. There are many birds, you can often see wild animals, in the tributaries there are taimen, and the lake is extremely rich in fish.

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Video: Lake Khubsugul

Contents

Highlights

Geologically, Khubsugul is a Baikal-type body of water and is sometimes referred to as Baikal’s smaller brother. The kinship is emphasized not only by the similarity of the coastal landscapes, the water flowing out of Khubsugul with the Egiin-Gola River enters first into the Selenga, the largest tributary of Baikal, and then, having traveled over 1200 km through the steppes of Mongolia and Transbaikalia, flows into Baikal. Both great Asian lakes are located in the same fault in the Earth’s crust, have a similar sickle shape and asymmetrical underwater slopes of the basin. The water in Khubsugul is fresh, similar in its properties to Baikal water, clean and suitable for drinking in raw form. In fact, it is a huge reservoir of pure drinking water, with a remarkable mineral composition. It is the second largest freshwater lake in Central Asia. It contains about 1-2% of the world’s fresh water supply.

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From the southern tip of Lake Baikal to the northern tip of Lake Khubsugul, the lakes are separated by only 230 kilometers. The proximity of the two great Asian lakes and a good asphalted road along the Tunka Valley from Baikal to the Mongolian border facilitates convenient transportation by car to the Mongolian lake from the Russian side through the checkpoint in Mondy. From the Russian-Mongolian border to the village of Khankh in the northern tip of Lake Khubsugul is 22 km. Very near majestically rises the mountain junction Munku-Sardyk with the highest peak of the Eastern Sayan (3491 m).

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The combination of beautiful natural landscapes on the coast of Khubsugul with untouched nature is especially attractive for tourists. More than three dozen tourist bases have been set up for them, in the south of the lake – on the west coast near the settlement of Hatgal, and in the north of the lake – in the settlement of Khankh. Exotic Mongolian tourist bases with traditional felt yurts, Mongolian cuisine with poses or the national dish “khorhog” – a ram cooked with the help of heated stones, the possibility of horseback riding along the lake shore and in the Darkhad Basin are becoming more and more famous and popular among Russians. The uniqueness of the journey is given by the national Mongolian flavor preserved in these areas – riding shaggy yaks with wooden harnesses, painted with Mongolian ornaments arcs of sleds with hay on the beds, sheep Mongolian tuluks – dagel with colorful embroidery and bright sashes around the waist of the Mongols, old Russian carbines with Chinese cartridges for guides.

The coast of Khubsugul preserves wild nature, especially beautiful is the mountainous, untouched by civilization western shore of the lake. On the eastern shore of the lake runs the only on the lake coast dirt road with a deep muddy rut, connecting the villages of Khanh and Khatgal, passable only in the dry season on off-road vehicles. The horse is still the main means of transportation in these parts. Occasionally, tourists travel around the lake on horseback, but such a circular route takes about 8 days. In winter, and especially in late March – early April it is possible to travel on the ice of the lake on horse-drawn sleighs, dog sleds or bicycles, but so far such trips have not become mass and have an extreme, expeditionary character. For people who are not afraid of expeditionary difficulties and overnight stays in tents by the taiga fire in the cold season, this is a land of unlimited opportunities for enjoying nature and close acquaintance with the life of Mongolian nomads.

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Islands of Lake Khubsugul

There are a total of four islands on the lake:

  • Dalaina-Modon-Kuys-Aral Island. The largest is Dalain-Kuys, located in the central part of the lake, 10 km from the eastern shore. The island is almost circular in plan, in cross-section reaches 4 km, in its center rises a mountain with a height of 1819 m, densely overgrown with deciduous forest and rising above the water level in the lake at 174 m. The area of the island is about 7 km2. A sandy beach was formed on the eastern side of the island, and a long spit of pebbles and boulders more than 200 m long and 10-15 m wide forming a small lagoon. Spits composed of such large material are extremely rare in nature.
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  • The second largest island – Yelisin-Hupsun is located 25-26 km south of Dalain-Kuys Island.
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  • The third island, Baga Krii, is located at the southern end of the lake.
  • The fourth island is located opposite the mouth of the Turty River in the northern part of Khubsugul.
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Khubsugul National Park

In 1992, the Khubsugul National Park (838.1 thousand hectares) was established with the administration in Khatgal settlement of Khubsugul aimag. Among the national parks of the country the territory of the national park with the lake – Khubsugul National Park is considered one of the most beautiful and represents a unique natural and ethnographic complex. In Prihubsugulie local people breed sarlyk and reindeer, and the nationalities inhabiting this region – Darhats, Soyots, Tsaatans, Evenks, Buryats, Tuvinians still practice shamanism. On the roads one can meet a harness with wooden wheels harnessed with shaggy yaks, exactly the same as they used in ancient times. The nature and ethnography of this region is amazingly diverse, and the potential of tourist routes is inexhaustible.

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The territory of the park includes Lake Khubsugul, the highlands adjacent to it from the west and the headwaters of the Egiin-Gol River flowing out of the lake. The flora and fauna of the Khubsugul National Park is rich and diverse: about 750 species of tree, shrub, moss and lichen vegetation have been found. There are about 170 bird species in the region, including such rare ones as the whooper swan, mountain goose, bustard and mountain vulture endemic to mountain lakes of Central Asia. Three colonies of herring gulls are known on the islands of the lake. According to a 1996 estimate, their number exceeds 3,500 birds.

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There is a fee for visiting the Khubsugul National Park and staying in its territory is regulated by a number of special rules. The fee is charged per group member and per vehicle.

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Short about Lake Khubsugul

  • Khubsugul is a freshwater lake in northern Mongolia, located south of the Munku-Sardyk Range, Eastern Sayan
  • Location – between N49°53 E99°00 and N52°00 E101°56
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  • Age – less than 6 million years old, Lake Khubsugul is younger than Lake Baikal, which is estimated to be about 25 million years old
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  • Altitude – 1645 m above sea level (for comparison: Baikal’s altitude is 456 m above sea level)
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  • Height above Baikal sea level – 1118 meters
  • Length – 136 kilometers
  • Greatest width – 36.5 km
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  • Length of coastline – 414 km
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  • Number of islands – 3. The largest of them is Dalain-Modon-Huis. The fourth island near Hanh has been hidden underwater due to rising lake water
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  • The greatest depth is 262 meters. It is the deepest lake in Mongolia.
  • The water surface area is 2760 km²
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  • Volume of water mass – 383.3 km³
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  • In terms of freshwater reserves – 1-2% of world reserves, it is the second largest lake in Central Asia after Lake Baikal, which contains 20% of the world’s freshwater reserves
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  • Visibility under water – from 20 to 50 meters
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  • There are 46 rivers flowing into the lake
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  • The Egiin-Gol River (left tributary of the Selenga River)
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  • The highest water temperature on the surface – near the shore in summer +10…+14°C
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  • Air temperature – in summer +10…+15°C
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  • Flora and fauna – 750 species of woody, shrub, moss and lichen vegetation. The region is home to about 170 species of birds.
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  • Settlements: Khanh – in the northern part of the lake, Hatgal – in the southern part of the lake.
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  • Ethnic composition of the population – most of the population are Khalkha-Mongols, Darhats, Soyots, Buryats.
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Legend of the origin of Khubsugul

Geographer E.M. Murzaev in his book “Years of Searching in Asia” gives a legend about the largest island of Lake Khubsugul: “Suddenly a powerful fountain of water struck from the ground, flooding everything around. A lot of land disappeared under water, and every moment more and more mountains, wonderful pastures and forests were covered with water. Then the hero grabbed a bigger rock, ran up to the fountain and, struggling with the water, plugged the hole from where the stream was flowing. The fountain stopped, and where the water had already flooded the land, Lake Khubsugul appeared. The rock, which the rich man plugged the fountain, is now sticking out on the surface of the lake as a wooded island called Dalai-Khuys.”

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In Mongolian sources this legend contains more details and sounds as follows: “Many years ago, Lake Khubsugul was surrounded by beautiful mountains, lush forests and meadows full of flowers. The people who lived on its shores thought it was the best place in the world. But one day a terrible ogre appeared on its shores. He despised beauty, and in his anger he drank every last drop of water from the lake and destroyed all living things around him, so that nothing was left that could cast even a shadow.

Much later, an old woman wandering across a dry lake in search of water came across a tiny thirst shrunken boy who was only the size of a finger of her hand. Together they continued traveling in search of water and a home. For three days and three nights they walked without rest through an ocean of sand. On the fourth day they found a large rock at the foot of which crystal clear water seeped through the dry ground. They dug a hollow here, which they closed at night with a large piece of rock to keep the water from escaping, and declared this place their home. The child soon grew strong and grew to his usual size. One day, while he was singing, a beautiful girl appeared and then suddenly disappeared. The boy felt sorry that he could not find this girl and hoped that she would reappear. Finally, after three years had passed, the girl appeared again, this time she stayed with the old woman and the boy.

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They became a happy family, but one day they forgot to cover their spring with a shard of rock for the night, the water gushed out overnight and a flood began. This flood attracted another ogre (ogres hate water) and he began to drink water non-stop. The boy, who by this time had turned into a real bogatyr, was very strong, he killed the ogre in a fight and cut off the top of the mountain to cover the ogre. All this time the water kept pouring out, and to keep the flood from spreading, the old woman, gathering all her strength, dived under the water to cover her spring with a piece of rock. Unfortunately, it took all her strength and she drowned, but managed to cover the spring with the rock. The boy and girl were very saddened by what happened, and in honor of her act, they began to call the old woman their mother. Today on Lake Khubsugul, you can still see the top of the mountain, which covered the ogre, it is the largest island in the lake. The smaller island is the rock with which the erupting water source was closed and stopped the flooding.”

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Although the details of the stories in the above legends differ somewhat, the general plot and legend of the great drought and subsequent flood coincides. In contrast, the island on the western shore of the lake does have a flat-topped mountain, which the locals call by name – The Fine Anvil.

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Settlements on the lake shore

Hanh settlement

There is only one settlement in the north of Lake Khubsugul, which originated originally as a Russian settlement on the shores of Khubsgul. The old merchant settlement was founded in the 18th century. It was originally called Turt after the river of the same name, which flows into the lake in this place. Nowadays it is a very small settlement with a population of about 2500 people. In the settlement there is a children’s boarding school, a sports hall. In the school you can familiarize yourself with the exhibits of the local history museum, among which there are items of iron pendants from a shaman’s costume, found 35 km from Khankha. There are several tourist bases (oriented primarily to receive tourists from Russia), several stores, a border post, a port and a mothballed oil depot. A gas station is located on the territory of the oil depot (Ai-72 gasoline and diesel fuel).

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Khatgal settlement

Khatgal settlement is located in the south of Lake Khubsugul. Khatgal settlement, founded in 1727 as an outpost of Manchuria, preventing Russian advances in that direction. In 1911, the first steamship “Sukhbaator” began to run on the lake, and Khatgal became an important point for Russian-Mongolian trade. In Khatgal village there is the administration of the Khubsugul National Park, the information and visit center of the park and the local museum of local lore. And the town is full of small stores, there are tea houses and guanzas, a hospital and a post office from where you can call to Russia. There is an airport in Khatgal, which connects Khatgal settlement with Ulaanbaatar by air flights. More often airplanes arrive in Muren, and from there tourists come to Khubsugul (102 km) by car. The distance from Hatgal to Ulaanbaatar by road is 757 km. From Hatgal to Muren 102 km is three hours on a bumpy gravel road with corrugations. Gas station in Hatgal – gasoline is only Ai-80 and DT. There are a large number of tourist bases (more than 15 bases) near Hatgal on the western shore of the lake.

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Tourism to Lake Khubsugul

Lake Khubsugul is a popular tourist attraction in Mongolia. There are more than 30 tourist bases, both near the village of Hatgal on the southwestern shore of the lake and the village of Khankh in the north. The Sukhbaatar ferry operates.”

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Travelers are attracted not only by the pristine nature of the lake and the surrounding area, but also by Mongolian exoticism: national felt yurts, Mongolian cuisine with poses and khorhog – mutton cooked on hot stones – all this and local hotels. In the vicinity roam riding shaggy yaks with wooden arbies with painted arcs and hay on the beds, locals dress in traditional Mongolian sheep tuluks dagela with colorful embroidery and bright kushaks on the waist, and they can still see the old Russian carbines (but already with Chinese ammunition).

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In winter, fans of extreme expeditions can ride on the ice of the lake on horse-drawn sleighs or dog sleds; at other times you can go hiking or biking here; make horseback riding trips along the lake shore and in the Darkhad Basin; spend the night in tents by the taiga fire, experiencing firsthand the life of Mongolian nomads.

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Fishing on Lake Khubsugul

Lake Khubsugul is rich in fish and many people come here specifically for fishing. Fishing is only allowed on the basis of a permit obtained from the local government. A two-day fishing permit costs $4 for foreign citizens and 500 tugrik for Mongolians. You are allowed to catch and carry 5 fish per day, the rest of the fish caught must be released back into the lake.

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There are 9 species of fish in Khubsugul, including lenok, whitefish, taimen, grayling, perch and acclimatized omul. Mongolians practically do not catch fish, so there are a lot of them and fishing here is excellent. The most numerous fish species in the lake are the lenok (Brachymystax Lenok Pall.) and the Kosogol grayling (Thymallus arcticus nigrescens Dor.), which inhabit the lake littoral to a depth of 50 meters. This endemic form of Siberian grayling is distinguished by its darker coloration and is listed in the IUCN Red Book. During spawning, grayling are so abundant in the rivers that the water literally boils from their rapid movement, and the fish can be easily caught with bare hands. The main concentrations of these fish are in the pre-mouth areas of the major tributaries of the lake: Khanh-Gol, Ikh-Khoroo-Gol, Uver-Khachim-Gol, Alag-Tsaar-Gol. In summer, lenok and grayling form dense aggregations in the Khanhii Bay. In June, grayling predominate and abundance is high, and in July-August – lenok. Throughout the year, flax form dense aggregations in the mouth of the Khankh-Gol for 3-4 km. Wintering of lenok and grayling takes place in the Khankhinsky Bay: lenok concentrates at a depth of 4-10 m, grayling prefers a depth of 20-25 m.

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In 1956, Baikal omul was introduced to Khubsugul, which is now acclimatized in the lake. Of the carp family, a numerous species is the minnow (Phoxinus L.), which concentrates in the estuaries of Ikh-Khoroo-Gol, Khanh-Gol, Ikh-Dalbain-Gol, and is very abundant in Egiin-Gol Bay. The second species of this family is roach (Rutilus rutilus lacustris Pall.). Its greatest density is observed in floodplain lakes of the Ikh-Khoroo-Gol valley, in the lower reaches of the Khanh-Gol, Ikh-Dalbain-Gol.There are two species of predatory fish in the lake: perch and burbot. The perch are Ongolik Bay and bays of the western coast of Khubsugul, separated by spits. Burbot is widespread throughout the entire littoral of the lake, sometimes being recorded at a depth of 30 meters. Most of all burbot in Khankhinsky bay and pre-bays of Khankh-Gol, Ikh-Khoroo-Gol, on shoals Zhargalant-Gol, Bayan-Gol, Uver-Khachim-Gol.

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How to get there

From Russia you can easily get to the lake through the checkpoint in Mondy settlement – the road to the right along the Tunkinskaya valley from Kutulk from the Russian side is paved with asphalt. Then, after the bridge over the Irkut River, there is a dirt road connecting the checkpoint and the settlement of Khankh in the north of the lake.

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Don’t forget to fill up the tank completely in Kultuk and refuel in Kyren. There is a gas station in Mondy, but it may not be open, and when crossing the border you can carry one filled twenty-liter canister of fuel in your car. In the north of Khubsugul it is possible to refuel only in the village of Khankh, and then only with diesel and A-80 gasoline.

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The rest of the roads are forested, with large stones, deep ruts, swampy areas and fords through fast rivulets. The only passable road to Khatgal village runs along the eastern shore of the lake. The western shore is a steep mountain slopes, approaching close to the water, heavily overgrown with dense deciduous forest – it is possible to pass here only by a trail on horseback.

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Cars can be rented at tourist bases in Khanhe, or you can travel by your own car. The best choice for such trips is off-road vehicles like UAZ or GAZ-66, or light all-terrain vehicles like Niva – in swampy areas heavier vehicles can fall through the thin turf into the mire, and cars get stuck in deep ruts.

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