The little sister of Russia’s better-known Lake Baikal, Mongolia’s extraordinary Lake Khovsgol has all of the beauty and none of the crowds (at least for now). At depths close to 900 ft., this astonishing ancient body holds about 70% of the nation’s fresh water. A new airport south of Ulan Bator will triple existing capacity this year, and the plan to add nonstop Mongolian Airlines flights from the U.S. is set to make the “Blue Pearl of Mongolia” more accessible than ever before. —Yulia Denisyuk
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
