Lake Khuvsgul

Lake Khövsgöl lies at the foot of the eastern Sayan Mountains, surrounded by larch forests at the southern edge of the Siberian taiga. Its long, deep basin holds a great store of fresh water, revered locally as the “Mother Sea”. Small streams feed it, and the Egiin Gol carries its waters south to the Selenge and ultimately Lake Baikal. In winter the lake freezes beneath the mountains, including the high peak of Mönkh Saridag to the north.