The map below gives you an idea of our ~1,200 mile trip...we left Ulaanbaatar, headed north into Selenge province, west to Bulgan and Huvsgal, up to the lake and then south to Arkhangai, Uvurkhangai and east through Tov to UB. A big circle of the north-central region of the country.
Day 1
We left UB and our 1st stop was the Aglag Khiid Monastery. Perched in a pine forest about 100 kms north of UB, this meditation center was built in 2014 by a Buddhist Lama for not only mediation, but to help understand human and natural linkage, to care for the earth, and to purify the spirit and mind.
Day 2
We continued on to Amarbayasgalant Monastery, referred to as the 'Monastery of Tranquil Felicity'. It is one of the 3 largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia and was built between 1727-1736 as the final resting place for the spiritual leader, Zanabazar. During one of the Stalinist purges of 1937, the center partly escaped destruction, many monks were executed and the centers artifacts looted. Today the monastery is in restoration stages (it's hard to tell as it was really in disarray in our opinions) and is still a working center for young monks. It is a long way off the main road, but the scenery of the area proved lovely.
Our nights were spent in ger camps, many, like this one, was out in the middle of nowhere...
Beautiful Mongolian scenery for miles and miles...
This is the 'road'...more of a dirt track...very slow going, for miles...
We headed to Uran Togoo Mountain, an extinct volcano which formed 20-25 thousand years ago. The hike up was short but steep and the walk around the rim of the 500 m crater gave way to lovely views of the area below--inside the crater and out...
Buddy on the rim of Uran Togoo
Our ger camp from the top of the Uran Togoo with beautiful views
The inside of the crater
Uran Togoo from our ger camp
It looks nice, but temps were a bit chilly (30s - 60s) and much of our 8 days were rain filled...
This evenings ger camp was one was one of our favorites run by a very nice family. We also met a lovely Hungarian/Australian couple on holiday in Mongolia, who we will for sure visit someday in Australia--Gabi and Maria.
Day 3
The drive to Khovsgol Lake was lovely...see for yourself...
Our 1st views of Khovsgol lake in the north--the 2nd most voluminous freshwater lake in Asia located 5,397 feet above sea level, 85 miles long, 860 feet deep and holds .4% of all the freshwater in the world. Beautifully clear, blue and fresh...
The yak loved it as well...
Looking north--can you see Russia? (joking...that's still Mongolia up there)...
An evening shot
Day 4
We stayed 2 nights at the lake, took long walks and tried to stay dry. It was raining a lot and we had a fire in our ger, which made indoor reading a delight. Unfortunately the weather prohibited any boat or horse rides (for us anyway), but our walks were peaceful and beautiful.
We were 131.4 kms from Moron and 30.4 kms from the southern tip of the lake in Khatgal.
This area is known for the Tsaatan People, a community of reindeer herders who live in northern Mongolia. Unfortunately we did not get to see where they actually live and do their herding, we only got these 'touristy shots'--gives some idea anyway...they are very colorful and live in tepee's.
Day 5
This was our longest day driving, or so it seemed...the route was mostly off road, but the scenery was absolutely stunning. Heading south now, up and over and throughout the Khangai Mountains...no road signs, no power poles and few signs of life or civilization. We had rain on and off which made for some tricky maneuvering. This was our most favorite day of the trip...
A couple of herders looking over their herds...
A local resident--golden eagle
A lone ger family
An intersection of dirt tracks...
Our 1st soum (village) all day...and our ger camp for the night was just beyond, after driving nearly 8 hours on 'roads' like the above...
Day 6
Again, another lovely ride and a much shorter one at that. We came out of the mountains down to a beautiful lake, Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur, known as 'White Lake'. Our ger camp was right on the shore and even with as busy as it was (as this is high tourist season, and Mongols appreciate nature as well), it was beautiful and peaceful.
Buddy hiked another extinct volcano, Khorgo, not far from our ger camp. Aly hiked nearby instead.
The 'grand canyon' of Mongolia not far from White Lake
Day 7
Here is where we veered from our scheduled plan to plan b. Instead of visiting a local hot springs, one of the biggest waterfalls in the country and another lovely lake, all a part of the ancient volcanic activity in the area, and because of 'hoof and mouth', we stopped for lunch at a small town on the main road and walked up to the Buddah on the hill...
...and then were re-routed to Kharkhorum where we stayed in our last ger camp. Kharkhorum was the 1st capital city of the Mongol Empire between 1235-1260. Chinggis Khaan rallied his troops near Kharkhorum around 1220, before the town became the capital. Around 1706 UB became the official capital.
Kharkhorum is the home to the Erdene Zuu Monastery, known as the earliest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia--said to have been built in 1585 after the ruler, the grandfather of Zanabazar, ordered its construction after his meeting with the 3rd Dalai Lama where it was declared that Tibetan Buddhism the state religion of Mongolia. Again, during the communist occupation, much of this area was destroyed and over 10,000 monks were killed.
After the fall of communism in 1990, Erdene Zuu Monastery was returned to the Lamas, and is once again a place of worship and is a very popular tourist area depicting the history of the area.
Locals rent costumes of their ancestors and play out history...
old and the young included...
One of the last shots we took on our journey home was this of a herd of horses gathered around, peering in the windows of an abandoned house...perfect shot for a perfect end...
