Background
Lake Hovsgol, the "Mother Sea", is one of the oldest and most pristine lakes in the world. Nomadic tribes were first attracted to the beauty of the “Blue Pearl” over 4,000 years ago, and have left many cultural marks that can be seen in the artifacts that still dot the region today. Lake Hovsgol is the 16th largest freshwater lake (volume) in the World, holding 1 % of the Earth’s freshwater, and 70 % of all freshwater in Mongolia; it is the greatest source of inflow to its sister lake, Baikal.
Lake Hovsgol is recognized as one of 17 ancient lakes worldwide, and is the only such lake that is completely surrounded by permafrost. Its entire watershed is protected in a landscape of interconnecting ecosystems that cascade downward from high mountain tundra and alpine forest, through taiga forests and steppe grasslands, streams, wetlands, and ponds. The Lake is surrounded by old growth Siberian Larch, typical of the original taiga forest. The region is home to many ethnic minority groups: Darkhad, Khotgoid, Uriankhai, Buriad, and Tsaatan. Both the Darkhad and Tsaatan are famous for their practice of shamanism.
Until recently the National Park that surrounds Mongolia’s Lake Hovsgol was relatively inaccessible to domestic and international travellers. Over the next decade, however, the number of tourists expected to visit this lake region will increase multi-fold. A paved road will be completed to connect Lake Hovsgol with the provincial capital of Murun, about 100 kilometres distant. A regional airport there will provide easy access to domestic and international travellers. In addition, a newly opened border crossing with Russia at the northern end of the lake promises to usher in a new influx of visitors from the larger Lake Baikal region, located but a few hundred kilometres away.