The Uvs Nuur Basin is one of those places on the map that looks like a mistake. A huge salt lake, a ring of mountains, a dry steppe, a patch of desert and a snowfield, all within a few hours of each other. The basin straddles the border between Mongolia and Russia, and the Russian part lies in Tuva, a republic of throat singers, shamans and horse herders in the heart of Siberia. Oroku-Shinaa, in the northern part, is one of the clusters protected as part of the UNESCO site listed in 2003.
The point of the basin is variety. Within a modest distance you pass from alpine tundra at the top of the Tannu-Ola mountains down through larch forest, steppe and semi-desert to the shores of Uvs Nuur, which is a saline lake with a fringe of reedbeds. It is a refuge for snow leopards and argali sheep in the high country, for birds on the lake, and for the animals of the steppe. Tuva is also an old centre of nomadic culture, and the burial mounds and standing stones of the Scythian era are scattered across the landscape.
Riding in Tuva means a mix of asphalt on the main route from Kyzyl, the capital, and dirt tracks that turn dusty in summer and boggy after rain. The weather is continental, with hot short summers and savage winters. July and August are warm, although a thunderstorm can arrive quickly on the open plain.
Carry fuel and water, check your route for border zone restrictions, since this is near an international frontier, and expect curiosity from herders you meet. Tuvans are known for khoomei, a throat-singing style that produces two notes at once, and if you hear it live you will not forget it. The best light is early or late, when the mountains turn blue and the steppe goes gold.