Darkhad Valley

Darkhad Basin lies 50 km west of Lake Khuvsgul. There are over 200 lakes in the area, the largest of which is Lake Tsagaan. The lake is well-known for the famous white fish that live in it. The lake is surrounded by high mountains covered with forest and extensive marshland, which are an ideal environment for reindeer breeding.

Most of the Tsaatan minority, or the reindeer breeders, live in this region. This ethnic people’s lifestyle and traditions are of special interest not only to tourists, but also to researchers and scholars from all over the world as they are very isolated in their remote and difficult to reach homeland. Shamanism, the worship of nature, is the main religion of the reindeer breeders.