Khövsgöl Province

Khövsgöl is the northernmost of Mongolia's 21 provinces and borders Russia's Buryatia and Tuva. It covers about 100,600 square kilometres and had a population of about 132,000 in 2017. The capital is Mörön, which took over from Khatgal in 1933. The province was established in 1931.

Mountains and forest

Most of the province is mountainous. Sub-ranges of the Khangai (Tarvagatai, Bulnai and Erchim) run across the south and southwest, while high ranges such as Khoridol Saridag, Ulaan Taiga and Mönkh Saridag lie north and west of the lake. The centre and east are hilly. The largest forests in Mongolia surround and lie north of the lake, extending the South Siberian taiga.

Lake Khövsgöl

The lake covers about 2,760 square kilometres at 1,645 m above sea level and is roughly 260 m deep at most. It holds almost 70% of Mongolia's fresh water. It is about 136 km long and up to 36.5 km wide, and is among the world's twenty ancient lakes, more than two million years old. The Egiin Gol drains its south end and flows via the Selenge to Lake Baikal. The shore is a national park, and in winter the whole lake freezes thickly.

See our Lake Khuvsgul tours

People

The province is home to Darkhad, Khotgoid, Uriankhai, Buryat and Tsaatan peoples, and the Darkhad and Tsaatan are known for their shamanic traditions. The Tsaatan, who live with reindeer, are a small group of 269 people in the 2000 census.

Getting there

Mörön Airport has regular flights to Ulaanbaatar, while Khatgal Airport has scheduled flights only in summer. The road from Ulaanbaatar to Mörön is about 690 km, and a paved road from Mörön to Khatgal opened in autumn 2012.