People think there is not much to do or see in Mongolia during winter because it is freezing cold. Yes, it is cold. But hey, how do horse sleighing or skating on a crystal clear lake where you can even see the stones at the bottom sound like? or dog sledding and enjoying the view of forested mountains covered in snow.
The Ice festival has become one of the main attractions during the cold winter of Mongolia.
It is annually organized at the southern end of the frozen lake Khuvsgul.
Khuvsgul lake is the freshest lake in Mongolia covering 2760 square km in area(1070sq.mi), 136 km(85 mi) in length, and 267 m (876ft) in depth. It is the second-most voluminous freshwater lake in Asia, and holds almost 70% of Mongolia's fresh water and 0.4% of all the fresh water in the world.
The interesting sight is definitely the ice sculptures made on the shore of the lake which depict the lifestyle of northern Mongolian people especially the Tsaatans who live in tepees and herd reindeer.
Several programs and competitions are held such as ice skating, dog sledding, horse sleigh race, shagai naadam (traditional game similar to curling) and etc. The participants are mostly the local Mongolians and also people from the close ethnic tribes in Russia.
If you happen to come to Mongolia around March and interested in experiencing this festival, please contact us at info@magnificent-mongolia.com