Naiman Nuur

Naiman Nuur sits on a high plateau in the Khangai at around 2,400 metres, where old lava flows dammed streams into a cluster of small lakes scattered across meadow and larch woodland. Getting there is the point: the vehicle track is genuinely rough and often impassable, so most people ride in on horses over two days from the Orkhon valley, camping on the way, which makes it one of the classic short treks in central Mongolia. The lakes themselves are modest individually, but the plateau with its meadows, flowers, marmots and yak herds is the reward, and there is no development beyond a few herder families and seasonal camps. Weather comes in fast at this height and snow can fall in summer. It is usually combined with the Orkhon waterfall and Tuvkhun on a Khangai loop.

What you actually see

• The lake cluster - small waters spread across the high plateau.
• Horse trekking - the two-day ride in through the Khangai.
• Alpine meadows - flowers, marmots and yak pasture at altitude.
• Larch woodland - forest patches between the lakes.

When to go

June to September; snow closes the plateau outside that and the tracks are boggy in early summer. July and August have the best weather and the flowers. Nights are cold at 2,400 metres in any month.

Honest expectations

The vehicle track is severe and frequently impassable; plan on horses. There is no accommodation beyond camping and the occasional herder ger. Weather changes fast, including summer snow. Guides and horses are arranged in the Orkhon valley and everything is carried.

Nearby

The Orkhon waterfall is downstream; Tuvkhun monastery lies north.