The rivers of Mongolia originate high in the mountains. And most of them are the upper reaches of the largest rivers in Siberia and the Far East.
River Zheltura
The river bed passes through the territory of Buryatia (Russia) and Mongolia. Zheltura is a right tributary of the Dzhida River. The source of the river is in the lands of Mongolia. The total length of the river channel is 202 kilometers, and almost all of them pass through the territory of the country. Russia accounts for only 18 kilometers of river flow.
The river receives the bulk of the water during the rains. High water occurs in the summer when Mongolia receives a lot of rainfall. At the mouth of the river are the villages of Zheltura and Tengerek (Buryatia). The waters of the river are actively used as a source of drinking water.
Menza river
Local residents call the river Minzhiyn-Gol. Geographically, the channel passes through Mongolia and Russia, being the left tributary of the Chikoy River. Menza takes its source on the Baga-Khentai ridge (Mongolia). Descending from the mountains, it passes through the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory and again returns from Mongolia. The total length of the river channel is 337 kilometers.
The river is covered with ice around the second half of November. Ice breaking starts at the end of April. The total duration of freeze-up is from 145 to 180 days. In winter, the river freezes over 130 centimeters. The river is inhabited by: lenok, taimen, perch, burbot, grayling and catfish.
Orkhon river
The river bed runs entirely through Mongolia and has a length of 1,124 kilometers. Orkhon is the second longest river in Mongolia.
The source of the river is located in the Khangai Mountains. The upper reaches of the river run along a narrow canyon-like valley. The upper reaches of the Orkhon form a fairly high (20 meters) and wide (10 meters) waterfall. The middle course of the river passes through a deep meandering valley and only when it leaves the mountains does the river expand to 150 meters. Orkhon is covered with ice from November to April.
There are many interesting places to visit in the river valley: Khara-Balgas - an ancient city that was the capital of the Uighur state; Karakorum is the main city of the Mongol Empire. In addition, several Hunnic burial tombs were found in the river valley.
Egiin-Gol river
The river passes through the territory of Mongolia. Its total length is 475 kilometers. The source of the river is the waters of Lake Khubsugul. Then Egiin-Gol slowly carries its waters to the distant Selenga. From about October until the end of April, the river is covered with ice and becomes an attractive destination for winter fishing enthusiasts. Here are found - grayling, lenok, taimen. In its middle course, the river splits into many branches.
