Khövsgöl is one of the oldest and deepest lakes on Earth - about 2-3 million years old and up to 262 metres deep. In winter the entire surface freezes solid and becomes thick enough to drive trucks across it. Local people even hold ice festivals on the lake, with dog-sled races, ice-skating and ice-fishing.
The lake is home to many fish, including the enormous Siberian taimen - a type of trout that can grow as long as a person. Around the shores, reindeer herders called the Tsaatan (or Dukha) people live in tepee-like homes and herd their reindeer through the forest. Their way of life is one of the most unique in all of Asia.
Khövsgöl is so clean that local people have drunk its water straight for centuries. Today it is carefully protected, and motor boats are limited to keep the water pure. Visitors come to kayak, horse-trek along the forested shores and watch the extraordinary sunsets that turn the lake every shade of orange and pink.