Referred to as the ‘Blue Pearl’, Lake Hovsgol is a 100-mile long pristine alpine lake in the north of Mongolia, close to the Siberian border. Lying at an altitude of 1645 m the lake’s water has collected in a rift valley some 262 m deep. The water in the lake is some of the purest in the world and the outlet, the Egiin Gol, joins the Selenge River and flows onto Lake Baikal in Russia. The lake has long been sacred to the Mongolian people who inhabit the area and they call it ‘Dalai Ej’, the ‘Mother Sea’. Today it is part of a National Park area and in the Hovsgol Region where camels of the Gobi and reindeer of the taiga are often seen. Five Mongolian ethnic groups -the Buriat, Khalk, Darhat, Urianghai and Tsaatan- live in the vicinity of the lake and Shamanism has a strong influence on the local culture.