Khar Us Nuur

Western Mongolia


Khar Us Nuur (15,800 sq km, average depth 4m) is a vast marshy delta and Mongolia's third biggest lake by area, home to wild ducks, geese, wood grouse, partridges and rare sea birds. Twitchers, however, may be disappointed: the lake is difficult to reach because of the marshes, and locals know little about the birdlife. Best to go with a national park worker in May or late August and head for the delta where the Khovd Gol enters the lake.

The outflow from Khar Us Nuur goes into a short river called Chono Khairkhan, which flows into another freshwater lake, Khar Nuur (Black Lake), home to migratory pelicans. The southern end of Khar Nuur flows into Dörgön Nuur, a large alkaline lake that's good for swimming; its eastern side is an area of bone-dry desert and extensive sand dunes.

For day trippers (or if you're just passing through and fancy a peek), a convenient place to see the Khar Us Nuur is off the paved Khovd–Altai Rd near the southwest corner of the shore, where a metal watchtower has been set up to view the nearby reed islands. Better still, travel around the southern tip, where the going is less marshy and the road (a sandy track, What3words: enthralling.punks.stem) closes to within 200m of the shore for about 15km northwards towards the end of the Jargalant Khairkhan Uul massif.

The lake is plagued by mosquitoes in summer.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Western Mongolia attractions

1. Watchtower

8.8 MILES

This metal watchtower on the western shore of Khar Us Nuur has been set up for viewing birdlife in the surrounding reed islands.

2. Chinggis Khaan's Wall

14.71 MILES

This barely discernible hump running along the southwestern edge of Khar Us Nuur is thought to date back to the Kublai Khaan period, when it may have…

3. Mankhan Nature Reserve

23.04 MILES

South of Khar Us Nuur National Park, most of this reserve (300 sq km) lies in Mankhan sum (district) and protects the endangered Mongolian saiga antelope.

4. Khovd Aimag Museum

24.49 MILES

This museum has the usual collection of stuffed wildlife, plus excellent ethnic costumes, Buddhist and Kazakh art and a snow leopard pelt on the wall. One…

5. Sangiin Kherem

24.55 MILES

At the northern end of the city are these crumbling ruins, built around 1762 by the Manchu (Qing dynasty) warlords who once brutally governed Mongolia…

6. Gandan Puntsag Choilon Khiid

24.76 MILES

Officially opened in 2010, this is the largest monastery in western Mongolia. The compound is surrounded by a wall (with a path on top) and 108 stupas…

7. Jargalant Khairkhan Uul

26.46 MILES

At 3796m above sea level, this mountain crowns a teardrop-shaped massif encircled by Khar Us, Khar and Dörgön lakes. Dara Tour can organise trekking in…

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