Khovsgol holds a few percent of the world's fresh water and behaves like a coastline: larch forest, pebble beaches, boats, and cold even in July. Stay on the western shore near Hatgal, take a boat or a horse, and do not try to 'do' the whole lake. The Tsaatan reindeer camps advertised from UB are a long extra push into the taiga and often a staged visit — go only with a company that actually works with families, or skip.

When and how long

Late June–mid-September. Ice festival in March if you want the other country. Mosquitoes in July — they are real. · Three nights. Two is a lot of travel for one walk.

Cost

Ger with meals ₹4,000–₹7,500. Boat hour ₹800–₹1,600. Horse day ₹1,060–₹1,860. Park fee ₹200–₹530.

Area

Khövsgöl aimag. Hatgal is the village at the south end. Sleep in a ger or a basic lodge outside town, not in Mörön.

Crowd and who

Hatgal shore moderate in July. Ten kilometres north, almost empty. People who like water and forest more than dunes. Families. Anyone escaping Gobi heat.