Lake Bayan

Bayan Lake lies west of the Tarvagatai Mountains, on the edge of the sand dunes of western Mongolia. Its name means “rich lake” in Mongolian. Along with Ulaagchiin Khar Lake farther east, it forms a freshwater refuge amid a landscape where desert sands meet mountain and steppe. The contrast between the open water and the long ridges of the Bor Khyar dunes gives this basin a distinctive appearance.