Top Sights Travel Guide to Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia

Author and Editor: Gabriella Grace

The top sites in Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia. The ultimate travel guide for culture, hidden gems, and secret sites.

1. Take a boat tour of the lake 

2. Stay in a ger

3. See the Visitor Center

4. Hike in the hills

5. Visit the mountain tribes

6. Ride the ferry: Sukhbaatar

Lake Khövsgöl, near the boarder with Russia, is the largest fresh water lake in Mongolia (about 22 miles long).

I was told many times that the water was pure enough to drink from, although… I was not about to test that. The Lake holds nearly 70% of Mongolia’s fresh water. Lake Khövsgöl is one of the worlds 17 ancient lakes, at more then 2 million years old.

To get there I took a 16 hour bus ride. It was very bumpy, and VERY long. But was a stunning and very cheap way to travel and see the Mongolian landscape. Make sure to arrive with cash and food to cook. The ‘town’ is very small and the stores carry only the basics like noodles. We saw lots of signs with giant pizzas and western food photos, but could not find a single place to eat anything but soup and noodles. Very few shops were open and bringing your own food/goods from Ulanbatar is highly encouraged.

Our Accommodations: We LOVED our stay with MS Guest House. They spoke some English and helped arrange a private driver to take us to see the reindeer camp. They also had meals and water bottles for purchase. We did not want to stay with a local resort (there are many around that speak English). It was our first stay in a ger (so cozy).

It’s very beautiful to be so remote. You can walk for miles and miles away from town and see nothing but nature. It’s stunning. Oh and the stars… just wow…

The visitor center was closed…

Down by the lake, they had a Golden Eagle you could hold, as well as camel rides for sale. This only occurs during high tourist season in the summer.

We hiked up a hill to get a view, the Lake goes for miles and is a stunning ice blue.

Ovoo shrines are all over the country. They usually sit on the tops of hills. They act as sites for the worship of Heaven and lesser gods led by shamans. When passing an Ovoo one should stop and circle an ovoo three times, clockwise,  in order to have a safe journey. Rocks, bones or sticks are picked up from the ground and added. Many leave offerings such as: Candy, money, milk, or vodka.

Locals include big hairy yaks and more horses than people.

The reason we choose to endure 16 hours on a bumpy bus was the reindeers.

In the summer, the reindeer herding tribes come down from the high altitude to the lake region for green pastures and trading.

Dried hight mountain plants and herbs for trading.

My partner and I were invited into the tent of a couple from the Duke tribe known as “The Reindeer Herders”. The sweet grandma shared her aaruul(dried curd) with me. This local food has been made in Mongolia since the 13th century. It was sour and likely an original recipe. Like a taste of history! Some recipes add sugar and are put into decorated cookie forms (we saw some in ulanbantarr).

I was also offered raw liver from her partners bag. I tried it as well.

If you plan to visit, do some research on Mongolian Culture before booking your trip. It is advised to accept all gifts and have a little gift to give. I carried candy and tea for giving. Here are some more Mongolian culture tips.

We were able to book a ferry ride down and around the lake on the famed Sukhbaatar. This ship is was operated by the Mongolian Navy. Being a landlocked county it was the only boat in the Navy was operated by 7 sailors.

The lake and surrounding nature was stunning and serine. It was the getaway we were looking for.

For more information:

Trip Advisor Link Lake Khovsgol

Keep Travel Funky.