Lake Khuvsgul
Introduction
Lake Khuvsgul is one of the most pristine large bodies of water of Asia, situated at 1645 meters above sea level. It is the twin lake of Baikal and its waters are equally blue. The setting is spectacular with Siberian taiga and the Horidal Saridag Mountain Range to the west. The lake is almost devoid of any ships, and is transparent to depth of 16-25 meters. There is lenok trout and an endemic gray-ling in the lake. It stretches some 125km from north to south and is 262 meters deep. It is not as deep as Baikal, but is part of the Baikal Rift system, which resulted from the pressures associated with the collision between India and Asia some 55 million years ago. Lake Baikal is 200km away and 1200 meters below inside Russia.
BRIEF OUTLINE ITINERARY
You will fly on a domestic flight to Murun, the aimag capital of Khuvsgul. You will stay in a ger camp at a secluded bay on the Ardavhar Peninsula. All meals will be served in the ger camp or as a picnic. A local guide will meet you when landing at ei-ther of the two locations. Murun airport is 110km and 3 hours from Hatgal village (102km), which is located at the southern-most tip of the lake. Weather permitting, you will be transferred to the Ardavhar Peninsula by boat which is a half hour north of Hatgal.
| Trip Details |
|---|
| Lake Khuvsgul |
| 4 Days / 3 Nights |
Trip Details
Day 1: To Lake Khuvsgul
Arrival at Murun airport. If you start your journey in Ulaanbaa-tar pick up at your hotel in Ulaanbaatar is included. Transfer 3h from to Hatgal and on to Ardavhar Peninsula by boat.
Day 2: Lake Khuvsgul National Park
Ardavhar is a simple ger camp on the peninsula, located in a secluded bay all on its own. The shoreline is spectacular, with forested hills coming straight down into the blue lake. We will hike up the hills and over to Somo Had, a sacred point of rocks jutting into the lake. It is worshipped by the locals, who travel there and leave hadags and others offerings.
Day 3: Lake Khuvsgul National Park
We will hike through the forest for a few kilometers until we reach the steppe, where several nomadic families live and where we will have a visit with these hardy people.
Day 4 To Mörön
A.m. Supported by a yak cart, which will carry our luggage to the departure point, we will travel by boat for about half an hour to Hatgal village. Transfer from there to Murun airport. If you fly to Ulaanbaatar transfer on arrival to your hotel in town.
Hazard
You need to plan to stay in Mon-golia for at least 2 nights after the return from Khuvsgul Lake. Flights from the inte-rior may cancel due to poor visibility (rain/fog), which is why there needs to be some “rubber” time built in to the itinerary to ensure that you arrive back in time for your international flight departure. The approach to Ardavhar Peninsula is by boat directly onto the beach. While for most wind directions the shore is not that exposed, the lake can be choppy and windy to the extent we will use alternative arrangements to get there.
Itinerary Map
DATES ex. Ulaanbaatar: 2024
- Approximately mid June to mid September daily.
PRICE ex 2024 Ulaanbaatar:
2 -12 members: USD 1500 per person
Single supplement (3n): USD 210
Practicalities:
Transport:
This tour is supported by a jeep or minibus depending on the number of travelers. The approach to Ardavhar Peninsula is by boat directly onto the beach.
Accommodation:
We stay in Ger (yurt) Camps for the duration of this trip. These permanent camps are equipped with a restaurant and shared bathroom and shower blocks.
Staff:
An English-speaking Mongolian guide will accompany you at all times. Other language guides such as Russian, French, German, Italian, Korean etc. available at additional cost, upon request.
Meals:
The meals will be provided in the ger camps, or as picnic lunches.
Additional:
We can organize hotel accommodation, city tours and transfers in Ulaanbaatar.
Includes:
Guide, all meals outside Ulaanbaatar. All overnights in ger camps. All local transport and entrance fees. Do-mestic flight tickets.
Excludes:
Beverages. Transfers and ac-commodation in Ulaanbaatar. Air or train tickets in and out Mongolia.
The luggage allowance (including a hand luggage) is 15 kg, and above that over-weight must be paid.
What our guests say
We appreciate your feedback about our tours and services.
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Great place to stay and experience mongolian way of living, no tv, wifi, phone. Just nature and great company of the staff and livestocks of mongolia. The toilet is a hole in the ground covered by a shed. It is clean, but can be smelly to those used to city life. Not hot water supply, inform the staff that you like to hot water half an hour earlier so that they can boil it over camel dung 🙂
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Great place to stay and experience mongolian way of living, no tv, wifi, phone. Just nature and great company of the staff and livestocks of mongolia. The toilet is a hole in the ground covered by a shed. It is clean, but can be smelly to those used to city life. Not hot water supply, inform the staff that you like to hot water half an hour earlier so that they can boil it over camel dung 🙂
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