Foreigners and Mongolians alike have been officially warned not to go onto the ice on Lake Khuvsgul or the big rivers in the province.

At this time of year, the nightly temperature dips to the -25C (still balmy compared to the -40C bite of mid-winter). However, the ice on the lake cannot bear the weight of cars and trucks – as well as bikes.

At first glance, Lake Khuvsgul –home to 70% of Mongolia’s freshwater (and a full 1% of the planet’s reserves) – is truly mesmerising. Measuring 136km long and up to 35km wide, the blue-green lake lies at the base of the permanently snow-capped Sayan Mountains, an extension of the bolder Altai range that trails into Central Asia.