Khövsgöl is a province in northern Mongolia, named after the enormous alpine lake at its heart. Lake Khövsgöl — often called the "Blue Pearl of Mongolia" — is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in Asia: 136 kilometres long, sitting at 1,645 metres above sea level, and holding nearly 70 percent of Mongolia's fresh water. It is so clear you can see the bottom several metres down in calm weather, and the surrounding mountains are covered in pine and larch forest that stretches unbroken to the Siberian border.
The main access point is Khatgal, a small village at the lake's southern tip where most guesthouses and horse trek operators are based. From Khatgal, the classic journey is a multi-day horseback trip along the western lakeshore and into the Darhad Valley to the north, home to the Tsaatan (Dukha) people — one of the last communities of nomadic reindeer herders in the world, who live in traditional teepees and move with their herds through the taiga. These trips have been running since the early 1990s and remain one of Mongolia's most distinctive and memorable travel experiences.
The lake freezes solid in winter — solid enough for truck traffic — and a completely different set of activities takes over: ice fishing, dog sledding, and the extraordinary experience of driving across a surface that groans and cracks underfoot. Summer brings wildflowers and abundant birdlife; the Khövsgöl region has recorded over 430 species. The provincial capital, Mörön, lies about 100 kilometres south of Khatgal and has flights connecting it to Ulaanbaatar.