Geru Journey is presenting you with the top 10 places to visit in Mongolia.
- Ulaanbaatar City
Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia would be a lot different than your imagination. The city is fascinating and combines old and new beautifully. You will find an urban city with modern buildings, skyscrapers, shopping malls, art galleries, exciting nightlife scenes, and restaurants; a contemporary contrast to the timelessness of the country’s vast scenery outside it.
You can easily find people who can speak English, Korean or Japanese in Ulaanbaatar and as Mongolians are famous for being friendly, you can make a lot of friends. As young as the city is, there is a lot of fun things to do.
2. Chinggis Khan horse statue and Terelj National park
When it comes to Mongolia you would most likely think about the history of Chinggis Khan and Mongolian gorgeous nature. Terelj National Park and Chinggis Khan horse statue are great places to visit if you are only here briefly. Both of them are only 70km to the east of Ulaanbaatar and only a 1-hour drive for you to enjoy natural scenery – open fields, gorgeous mountains, and rocky hills. While the Chinggis Khan’s horse statue can lead you to the 13th century with its wax museum, paintings, Terelj National Park has an iconic turtle-shaped rock that you can easily climb up or a meditation temple that can show you the whole national park. You can ride a horse, camel, ATW bike, and if it’s wintertime, dog sledding in Terelj national park.
3. Kharkhorin City
Modern Kharkhorin is a small town located in the center of Uvurkhangai Province in Mongolia. It is located at the lower end of the upper vale of the Orkhon River. In history, on the other hand, Kharkhorin was the capital city of the Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Kharkhorin or Kharkhorum used to be a busy and well-developed city with a high civilization built but completely destroyed in battles of Mongolians. In the 15th-century building materials from ruins of Kharkhorin were used in the construction of Erdenezuu monastery which is also a big part of Mongolian history.
Now the Kharkhorin city is not that modern and advanced city as compared to Ulaanbaatar but it has many attractive and historical places to visit with around 15,000 populations and a 20.5 km2 covered area also includes UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.
4. Elsentasarkhai – Mini Gobi
80 km long 5 km wide mini Gobi called Elsen Tasarkhai has located roughly 300 km away from Ulaanbaatar city. The Elsen tasarkhai Mini Gobi is part of Khugnu Tarna national park, surrounded by beautiful sheer mountains. You can see a small forest and a river around there and it makes a great oasis altogether. If you are visiting Mongolia only in a short period of time Elsen tasarkhai is highly recommended. You can enjoy riding camels and visiting nomadic families around there.
5. Yoliin am
Eagle Valley ( Yolyn Am ) is located on the eastern side of Gurvan Saikhan mountain, only 40km from Dalanzadgad city. The Beautiful valley is surrounded by sheer rock walls rising over 2600m above sea level.
This picturesque valley is an amazing natural creation where snow and ice exist even in hot summer, which was originally established to conserve the birdlife in the region. The breathtaking, dramatic scenery makes it one of the most beautiful places in Mongolia.
You can visit a small nature museum which plenty of a collection including dinosaur eggs and bones, stuffed birds, and a snow leopard at the gate Yolyn Am. Plus, there is ger museum of ethnography.
Eagle Valley, the Eastern beauty mountain is absolutely breathtaking that every inch of the park would give you new feelings. If you visit during the low season you can easily spot ibex or argali sheep along the steep valley ridges.
6.Khongor Sand dunes or singing dunes
Khongor Sand Dunes, or the Singing Dunes of Khongoris the largest and most spectacular sand dune in Mongolia, which reaches a height of 400 meters, 20 km wide, and 100 km long located in the South Gobi province, Mongolia. The Sand dune is part of Gobi Guvsan Saikhan national park. There is Khongor river flows through the sand dunes and during summertime riverbank creates a beautiful oasis around the sand dunes.
You can ride on a two-humped Bactrian camel to explore the area. Climbing up to the Khongor sand dunes is an extreme exercise, but once you get to the top you can enjoy the whole scenery, and all hardships that you faced while climbing up to the top will be forgotten.
Tips: It is better to climb barefooted, and keep your phone and camera in a safe bag to protect from the sand. Do not forget to bring some water. The best time to climb up to the sand dunes is sunrise or sunset.
7. Altai Tavan Bogd
The Altai Tavan Bogd national park, in English the Holy Five Peaks national park is located most western part of Mongolia, in Bayan-Ulgii province. The Altai Tavan Bogd is without doubt the most beautiful and least tarnished place in Mongolia. From the beautiful valleys, majestic lakes, rivers, glaciers to archeological sights such as petroglyphs and burial mounds – Altai Tavan Bogd National park will never stop amazing you. Furthermore, you can experience the daily lives of the famous Eagle hunters – Kazakh peoples. Photographic tours, hiking or trekking, hunting, horse riding, and much more fun activities are possible only here in Altai Tavan Bogd.
8.Khuvsgul lake and Taiga
Khuvsgul Lake, the deepest and purest lake located in the northern part of Mongolia, Khuvsgul province. Mongolian call Khuvsgul lake “Mother Sea” as the lake provides locals with everything. Not only the lake, but the surroundings in Khuvsgul are also mesmerizing. Sayan mountain, Taiga and more. Not only the beautiful nature but also native Dukha people the reindeer herders live in Khuvsgul is one of the biggest reasons that you should travel to there.
9.Tsagaan suvarga
One of the most famous areas of the Mongolian Gobi, Tsagaan suvraga in other words – the White Stupas is located in DundGobi province, Mongolia. Tsagaan suvraga is a 30-meters high, abrupt, stupa-shaped cliff. The Area was the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago and today you can see red, yellow, orange, and purple layers there in the cliff. During sunrise, the cliff looks like a faraway city, or stupas so locals named this sacred place Tsagaan suvarga. You will have to drive through the ‘Never Find” steppe to reach the Tsagaan suvraga and this steppe is famous for being frustratingly hard to find what you are looking for or where you heading.
10. Khyargas lake
The Khyargas lake – one of the four lakes of Mongolia which has an area of 1000 meters square is located in Uvs province. The lake is 1023 meters above sea level. Khyargas Lake is famous for marble blue water and white rocky cliffs that make the lake beautiful and extraordinary. Not only beautiful, but the lake is also home to many species of fishes and migratory birds, which are rare, foregather.
We hope that we helped you to make your choices and will always be ready to help you to visit any of these places. Don’t shy away, just hit the bottom
