NORTHERN MONGOLIA

The northern Mongolia is the most populated and resourceful part of Mongolia. It is consisted of Selenge, Darkhan-Uul, Orkhon, Huvsgul and Bulgan provinces, borders with Russian Federation in the north. Orkhon and Selenge river basin is a productive land in this area. The highlight of northern provinces, an alpine region bordering the forests of Siberia, is the pristine Lake Hovsgol, known as Mongolia’s “Mother Sea.” Believed to be several million years old, Mongolia’s deepest freshwater lake is surrounded by dozens of small rivers and streams that empty into its waters, pristine taiga forest, and valleys and meadows rich with wildflowers.

Visit Mongolia during the summer and the lake is ideal for kayaking, camping, and birding.A visit to Northern Mongolia is also an excellent destination for horse trekking, hiking, and fishing. Darkhad, an area containing hundreds of small lakes and streams, is where anglers can catch the world’s largest salmonid, enormous taimen weighing up to 200 pounds. Travelers are unlikely to encounter the brown bears and wolves that roam the forests, but elk and moose are among the less elusive wildlife that may be seen near Lake Hovsgol, while a wide variety of bird life can be spotted throughout the region.

Northern Mongolia tours offer a chance to see a large population of reindeer. Among the nomadic peoples who inhabit Mongolia’s northern forests and steppe are the Tsaatan, members of a small Tuvinian ethnic group who have herded domesticated reindeer for centuries. The culture of these herdsmen has changed little since the Ice Age, and like many of Mongolia’s nomads, and particularly those in the north, shamanism plays an important role in their lives.