Things to do in Murun
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Murun
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Main season: open water, boats, kayaks and horses running, camps open, Tsaatan summer camp near the lake June to end of August.
Golden larch, empty shores and cold clear air; camps close through September, so confirm yours is open.
Shoulder and gap weeks: most of Khatgal shut, boats and ice travel unreliable, and May is the weakest window of the year.
Ice season: the lake freezes from about December or January to April or May, with temperatures of minus 20 C to minus 35 C.
What's on
- Blue Pearl Ice Festival usually early March, some editions from mid February, dates confirmed yearly
Ice sculpture, skating and sleigh races and ice games on the frozen lake at Khatgal; book Khatgal beds and flights early.
- Naadam July, following the national Naadam on 11 to 13 July
Provincial wrestling, horse racing and archery in Murun and Khatgal, closer to the action than the capital version.
- Tsagaan Sar January or February, by the lunar calendar
Mongolian Lunar New Year: a family holiday when transport and services in Murun slow or close for days.
Best things to do in Murun
Danzandarjaa Khiid
Murun's rebuilt monastery, home to a few dozen monks and a fine thangka collection on the site of a complex destroyed in 1937.
Museum of Khovsgol Province
The aimag museum in Murun, with provincial wildlife, a mammoth tusk and photographs of the Tsaatan reindeer herders.
Uushig Deer Stone Monument
About 30 Bronze Age deer stones in a row among burial mounds, 18 to 20 km west of Murun and reachable by hired car.
Chingunjav Square
Murun's central square, named for the Khovsgol hero Chingunjav, and the waymarker for the town's hotels and cafes.
Delger Murun River
The river that names Murun, best for a free evening walk along grass banks with herders, horses and wide sky.
Where to stay in Murun
Central Murun
forced overnight and early lake departure
Walkable to the museum, square, cafes and restaurants, with Murun's best hotel and its budget guesthouses nearby.
Khatgal and the southern lakeshore
the lake itself
The village at the southern tip of Lake Khovsgol and the camps on its shore, where boats, horses and kayaks are arranged.
Best restaurants in Murun
Jargalan Restaurant & Bar
Murun's best-known independent restaurant, for Mongolian meat dishes, buuz dumplings, soups and daily specials.
50100 Hotel Restaurant
The most reliable full-service dining room in Murun, inside its best hotel, with a proper breakfast on lake days.
Billy's Coffee Corner
The highest-rated coffee shop in Murun in recent listings, a cheap central cafe and informal traveller meeting point.
Arya Cafe
A small central Murun cafe for coffee, tea and light food between the museum and the monastery.
Shalom Coffee & Bakery
A Murun bakery and coffee stop for bread and pastries to take north to the lake before the Khatgal drive.
Outdoor things to do in Murun
Lake Khovsgol Shoreline Walk
Walk from Khatgal along the southern shore through larch forest and meadow, the cheapest great experience at the lake.
Lake Khovsgol Boat Trip
Motorboat trips from Khatgal port in summer for mountain views, shoreline points and longer charters toward the islands.
Horse Riding at Lake Khovsgol
Guided rides arranged by Khatgal guesthouses and camps, through forest tracks and shore meadows behind the southern shore.
Kayaking on Lake Khovsgol
Paddle Khatgal's clear southern bays in calm morning conditions, arranged through guesthouses, staying near shore.
Blue Pearl Ice Festival
Mongolia's winter festival on the frozen lake at Khatgal, with ice sculpture, skating races and horse-drawn sleigh racing.
Tsaatan Reindeer Herder Visit
Visit Tsaatan reindeer herders at their summer camp near the lake, or by multi-day horse trek into the taiga itself.
Best hotels in Murun
Ashihai Tourist Camp
The top-end camp at the lake near Khatgal, with heated gers, lodge rooms, full board and activities arranged on site.
Toilogt Camp
A long-established lakeshore camp at Toilogt with gers in a fine setting, honest camp facilities and lake silence.
50100 Hotel
Murun's best hotel, with a restaurant, sauna, laundry and breakfast, and the right base for a forced town overnight.
Mountain View Guest House
Murun's well-reviewed budget guesthouse, with a host who arranges horse treks and onward travel for guests.
Saraa's Guest House
A guesthouse run by a guide, used by independent travellers to sleep cheaply and organise lake trips in one place.
MS Guesthouse
Khatgal's year-round budget guesthouse, with gers, home cooking and a tour desk for horses, kayaks and boats.
Nature's Door
A budget ger camp on the lakeshore outside Khatgal, with clean gers, stove fires and activities arranged on site.
Is Murun expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MNT 130,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MNT 300,000 a person |
| Splurge | MNT 700,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lake Khovsgol Boat Trip: a few days ahead
- Horse Riding at Lake Khovsgol: a few days ahead
- Kayaking on Lake Khovsgol: a few days ahead
- Blue Pearl Ice Festival: weeks ahead
- Tsaatan Reindeer Herder Visit: weeks ahead
- Ashihai Tourist Camp: weeks ahead
- Toilogt Camp: weeks ahead
- 50100 Hotel: a few days ahead
- Book lakeshore camps and the 50100 Hotel well ahead for July and August.
- Book Khatgal accommodation and any domestic flight early for the Blue Pearl Ice Festival weekend.
- Reserve a private driver for the Murun to Khatgal transfer in peak season.
Is Murun safe?
- Carry tugrik cash in depth; camps, drivers, boats and park fees run on cash, not cards or apps.
- Fuel shortages were reported in Mongolia in 2026; confirm fuel for the Murun to Khatgal leg before setting off.
- Lake water is cold enough for hypothermia in every month; paddle and boat in the morning calm, in a buoyancy aid.
- Do not go on lake ice outside locally advised routes and dates, and insure for medical evacuation from Khatgal.
Murun travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Assuming a ger camp price includes transfers, park fees, activities and meals when some are usually extra.
- Agreeing a horse or boat price without confirming whether the guide, fuel and park fees are included.
- Arriving in Khatgal in October or April expecting either boats or ice, when you may get neither.
Getting around Murun: public transport and more
- Murun to Khatgal is about 100 km and 2 to 3 hours by road; never count a night in Murun as a night at the lake.
- Domestic flights to Moron Airport (MXV) from Ulaanbaatar run on seasonal schedules and take about an hour when operating.
- Inside Murun, walk the centre and use local taxis for the monastery and the airport, about 5 km away.
- There is no public transport at the lake; camps and guesthouses in Khatgal are the transport system.
Who Murun suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Murun your trip
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