The river receives numerous tributaries, the largest of them are right Toora-Khem, Khamsara, Systyg-Khem.

[1] The basin of the Bolshoy Yenisei is a mountainous region, which borders in the north and east are the administrative boundaries of Tuva with Buryatia, Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai.

Near the city of Kyzyl it joins the Kaa-Hem, forming the Ulug-Khem, which is actually the beginning of the Upper Yenisei.

The upper course of the river is virtually untouched virgin territory, with the Azas Plateau, including nine extinct volcanoes with unique geological features.

Almost the entire lake and the area of the river are included in the Azas Federal Reserve.