Tourist Attractions & Monuments Mongolia

Naiman Nuur is an area of eight small lakes created by volcanic eruptions and now incorporated into a nature reserve. The lakes are located at 2,200 meters above sea level and are surrounded by forests pierced by volcano craters. The place is very beautiful but difficult to access and, above all, the nights are cool, even in summer. It is possible to go there by horse in one day from the Orkhon Falls.

Specialized in horse and hiking across Mongolia, Terre Nomade also organizes 4 X 4, V.T.T., and fishing.

Born in Ulaanbaatar in 1979, Daka launched in the world of tourism so early its diplomas obtained, creating in parallel with its main activities, this site dedicated to selling yurts.

This large saltwater lake, which is about 100 km southwest of Bayankhongor, hosts many birds, which come to the stage or are settled in this landscape of volcanoes, canyons and caves, some of which are decorated with cave paintings.

It includes the highest peaks in the country. The area has been recognized as a national park since 1996.

This long strip of territory on a north-south axis allows to discover desert areas, steppes and forested mountains. The area has been a natural park since 2000.

At the border of China, this park has a fauna and flora close to those found in Manchuria. Its foundation dates back to 1992.

This saltwater lake is also a good base for bird watching. Located near the small town of Bogd, it is overlooked by Mount Ikh Bogd Uul (3 957 metres) and surrounded by the sand dunes of Ikh Els. Several interesting sites are just a few miles away.

These caves, located at a hundred kilometers in the south of Khovd and at about twenty kilometers of the national park of Khar Us Nuur, are at the foot of the mountain Chandmani. They were discovered and explored for the first time in 1967 by Soviet and Mongolian archaeologists. The Upper Paleolithic rock paintings they contain were soon placed under state protection in 1971. Dated to about 15,000 BC, the paintings depict animals including camels, ibex, sheep and bulls, and possibly even ostriches and mammoths, indicating their ancient presence in the region. The pigments were made from red and brown earth. Traces of smoke in the nearly 20-meter-high cave seem to attest that it was already used as a shelter by the Paleolithic populations.

Since 1996, the paintings have been inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage tentative list. Unfortunately, some of them have been vandalized in recent years. Nevertheless, copies of the paintings, showing them in their original appearance, are presented in the museum of theaimag in Khovd, which is worth a visit.

The caves are located near the entrance to the Mankhan Nature Reserve, which protects a vast steppe. It is one of the few places in the country where you can still observe the saiga antelope.

It is possible to sleep in a ger camp near the caves. You will also find a small restaurant.

Their curative virtues are praised by the Mongols, who claim that these waters can cure some 13 diseases. Chinggis Khaan himself is said to have been cured of a stomach disease here.

This same plain hosts the ruins of the city of Avarga. Chinggis Khaan gathered his armies here before leaving to conquer Central Asia. It is also there that Ogödeï, his son and successor, was proclaimed great khan of Mongolia. This city, always excavated, counted 9 temples in its enclosure.

About 40 kilometers east of Khovd, the "Black Water Lake" covers an area of 1,153 km². It is the second largest freshwater lake in the country. With an average depth of 4 meters, with a large island in its center, it is a favorite gathering place for many migratory birds such as wild ducks, or sedentary birds such as capercaillies or partridges.

Near this large lake, a smaller body of water, Khar Nuur, hosts many migratory pelicans. A little further on, Dorgon Nuur, a third, even smaller lake containing salt water, is surrounded by sand dunes.

The national park, 8 503 km², combines large areas of desert and semi-desert steppes, framed by snowy peaks. Its specific ecological balance and the multitude of birds that find refuge there have contributed to its classification in 1999 in the list of the Ramsar Convention (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as a habitat for waterfowl).

At the entrance to the park, along the Khovd River in Myangad sum , resides a large ethnic community, the Myangad, numbering just over 6,000 at the last census. To the south of the park, Chandmani sum is famous for being the home of the famous khoomi singers.

If you are not motorized, the only way to get there from Khovd is to rent a car and driver for the day.

Bogd Khan Mountain is located at an altitude of about 2,000 meters. Its highest peak, the Tsetsee Gun (2,257 meters), is considered a sacred site, one of the four mountains, also sacred, that surround the capital Ulaanbaatar. This is what has preserved it from any human activity for centuries. The Mongols have never used this territory to hunt or exploit the resources of the subsoil. With an area of 416 km2, the area is protected since 1778, which makes it one of the oldest national parks on the planet, if not the very first. It is also classified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1996.

It can be reached from Ulaanbaatar via the Zaisan Memorial site or via Zuunmod and the Manzushir Monastery. The park is suitable for beautiful hikes, on foot or on horseback, in dense forests of conifers, birches, larches and cedars. Climbing to the top of the mountain is not easy and will take about three hours (there are about 6 km to cover with a positive difference in altitude of 750 m), but one is rewarded with a splendid view of the park and Ulaanbaatar in the distance.

Nature lovers will really enjoy it, and the proximity of the capital makes it a must-see place in a visit of Mongolia. Larch forests, small rivers, wild animals, rich flora ... We feel in virgin land, without any human presence, and yet not so far from a polluted and morose capital.

Plant and animal species specific to the Désert desert find refuge, such as the wild camel and bear of Gobi. Founded in 1975.

This area of steppes houses many rare species, including the endangered white ridge crane. Protected area since 1992.

The verticality of this chain allows it to bring together in a reduced steppe space, forests and tundra.

Volcanic zone (Khorgoo) and basalt mountains. This national park, established in 1965, includes one of the most beautiful lakes in the country, commonly known as the white lake in the tourism community (Terkhiin Tsaggan Nuur). Tourism has developed widely in the past 10 years.

Located at about forty kilometers from the sum of Jinst, the lake presents the characteristic to contain crystals of red salt. Fossils have been found in the vicinity. It is located in the Valley of Lakes, classified as a site of international importance for its wetland, and surrounded by the Altai mountain range in the north and the Khangai mountain range in the south. It is a passageway for migratory birds, and one of the best places to see endangered or vulnerable species such as the relict gull and the Asian snipe.

The site is made up of superb rock formations eroded by the wind with pink, red or orange tints according to the sunning. They are 60 m high and about 400 m long. From afar, one could even take them for an ancient city. This natural site is magical to make a small walk and pretty photographs of course, even more at sunset. On the plateau, several viewpoints give on the steep cliffs and the desert. Some passages allow to go down to venture in the small gorges formed by the rocks.