Ice Festival

One of Mongolia's largest and most scenic lakes, Lake Khuvsgul is located in northern Mongolia at the far southern edge of the Siberian forest near the border with Russia. Aged over two million years, this ancient lake is 260 metres deep, 130 kilometres long and holds 70 per cent of Mongolia's fresh water. Ice festival organized yearly on frozen Khuvsgul Lake. Each February, residents of the Khuvsgul Lake area gather for the festival, which is organized by the Governor's Office of Khuvsgul, the Office of Khatgal, and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Besides Mongolians, foreign tourists also travel to see and enjoy the festival. The event involves ice-skating and horse sleigh races, displays of ice sculptures, shaman ceremonies and visits by reindeer herders who make their way south to the festival from their northern camps.