There are seventeen soums governmental divisions in Hovd province including the aimag center. Some of them are home to different ethnic groups. Please see the Hovd province page for more information on the soums and things to do in the surrounding countryside. Most of the true attractions are in the countryside not in the city.
Khar Us Nuur National Park
976 01432-22334 fax 976 01432-22334. This 850,000 hectare nature reserve is surrounded by the Altai, Khangai and Tangyn Mountain ranges, west of the three connected lakes of Khar Us Nuur, Khar Nuur, and Durgun Nuur. The park is filled with wetlands of tall reedbeds, the last of their kind in Central Asia. The park is home to a wide variety of unique bird and mammal species including the Swan Goose, the White-tailed Eagle, the Mongolian Saiga, and the Snow Leopard. Fortunately, the most sensitive areas, the habitats of these animals are off-limits to visitors. The World Wildlife Fund gives considerable support in preserving this unique landscape. Tourists can camp and hike in all but the three restricted areas of the park. Daily fee costs 3000 tugriks for foreigners and 300 tugriks for Mongolians. The Jargalant Orgil Community Group, tel. 976 9943 8855, offers guided excursions where you can stay in a ger camp on the east coast of the lake if itâs a dry summer, or up in the mountains if thereâs been a lot of rainfall. Tourists have the option of exploring several areas around the park including: