Darkhad Valley

The Darkhad depression lies west of Khovsgol lake, a broad flat basin ringed by mountains and dotted with more than a hundred lakes and extensive marsh, drained by the Shishged river which flows north into Siberia rather than south. Getting in means crossing high passes on rough tracks, which keeps visitor numbers low and gives the valley a genuine sense of remoteness. The Darkhad people who live here herd cattle, yaks and horses, and the basin retains a strong shamanic tradition alongside Buddhism, with practising shamans still consulted. Winters are ferocious, among the coldest inhabited places in Mongolia, and the population moves with the seasons. North of the valley the taiga begins and the Tsaatan reindeer herders live in the forest. Horse trekking across the basin and into the taiga is the way most visitors experience it.

What you actually see

• The lake basin - a flat expanse of water, marsh and grazing.
• Mountain passes - the rough crossings that isolate the valley.
• Darkhad herding life - cattle, yak and horse camps across the floor.
• Shamanic tradition - practices that survive alongside Buddhism.

When to go

June to September; the passes are snowbound outside that and the basin is one of the coldest places in the country in winter. Midsummer brings mosquitoes in the marshes. Horse treks run through the warm months.

Honest expectations

The roads in are genuinely rough and journeys take far longer than distances suggest. There is almost no accommodation beyond homestays and camping. Mosquitoes and midges are severe. Visiting shamans requires proper arrangement and respect rather than curiosity, and payment is expected.

Nearby

Khovsgol lake lies east; the Tsaatan camps are north in the taiga.