GANGA LAKE

Lake Ganga lies some ten kilometers from the center of Sum, on the edge of the Moltsog sand dunes, which cover an area of 248 km². It takes its name from a popular legend which has it that, in the ^8th century, a Mongolian nobleman had two flasks of water from the Ganges, India's sacred river, brought here and placed them in the lake.

This large expanse of freshwater is around 4 km² in size and is fed by 21 rivers, but its surface area has been shrinking in recent years due to climate change and desertification. The lake is part of a 288 km² area that has been protected since 1993, which also includes the Moltsog sand dunes, Lake Kholboo and four other smaller bodies of water. Many birds live on the shores of these lakes, which are important nesting and stopover sites for migratory bird species such as white-crested cranes and swans. There are 198 bird species in this area, representing 40% of all bird species in Mongolia! This makes it a favorite spot for birdwatchers, who can come here to observe a wide variety of species, including large gatherings of migratory swans, which come here to rest between late September and mid-October.

There are also 39 mammal species living around Lake Ganga, including the Mongolian marmot, Mongolian gazelle, gray wolf and European badger.

The whole area marks the point where the steppes and the Gobi desert meet.