Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The main temple has been restored and converted into a museum, but the other build-
ings remain in ruins. The monastery and museum are not as impressive as those in
Ulaanbaatar - it is the beautiful forest setting that makes a visit worthwhile.
As you enter from the main track from Zuunmod you'll be required to pay an admis-
sion fee of T5000 per person, which covers the T2000 museum entrance fee and the
T3000 national park fee. You'll have to buy both tickets even if you don't plan on enter-
ing the museum.
From the gate it's a couple of kilometres to the main area, where there is a car park, a
shop, a lacklustre nature museum a restaurant (that isn't always open) and several gers
offering accommodation. Look for the huge two-tonne bronze cauldron , which dates
from 1726 and was designed to boil up 10 sheep at a time.
The remains of the monastery (and monastery museum) are about 800m uphill from
the car park. The monastery museum has tsam masks, exhibits on the layout of Mand-
shir and some photos that show what it looked like before Stalin's followers turned it into
rubble. Look out for the controversial Ganlin Horn , made from human thigh bones.
If you have time, it's worth climbing up the rocks behind the main temple, where there
are some 18th-century Buddhist rock paintings . The views from the top are even more
beautiful, and you'll find yourself in the midst of a lovely pine forest.
Activities
Hiking
Bogdkhan Uul has a broad and flat summit, so many routes cross it. Most hikers get
dropped off on one side and hike to the other on a day or overnight hike. The summit,
known as Tsetseegün Uul (GPS: N 47°48.506', E 107°00.165') is 2256m and a popular destin-
ation, but including this part of the mountain requires a bit more time.
Don't underestimate the weather up here. Even in summer strong thunderstorms can
tear across the mountain without much warning. In June 2010, an American hiker died of
hypothermia after getting stranded on the mountain during a major thunderstorm. Even if
you are just doing it as a day hike, bring warm, waterproof clothing, a compass, food and
water. Yellow paint on the trees marks the trail, but it can be hard to spot.
Some scrambling over fields of granite boulders is necessary, and the chance of slip-
ping and injuring yourself should not be taken lightly. It would be wise to inform a friend
or guesthouse owner in Ulaanbaatar of your itinerary and the time of your expected re-
turn.
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