Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Minivans run daily to Ulaanbaatar (T17,000 to T20,000, seven hours), either from the
bus stand or the jeep stand by the market. The road is sealed the whole way. There are far
fewer vehicles going to Khujirt (T3000) and Arvaikheer (T6000) - maybe once a day if
at all.
For Tsetserleg (T20,000), you may need to flag down a shared minivan from the main
road as it passes by from Ulaanbaatar. Again, the road is paved all the way.
Coming here, minivans from Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin leave when full from the
Dragon Avto Vaksal (
Click here
)
bus station.
WORTH A TRIP
NAIMAN NUUR
The area of Naiman Nuur (Eight Lakes), which was created by volcanic eruptions
centuries ago, is now part of the 11,500-hectare
Khuisiin Naiman Nuur Nature
Reserve
(GPS: N 46°31.232', E 101°50.705')
. Despite the name, there are actually nine, not
eight, lakes. The lakes are about 35km southwest of Orkhon Khürkhree (waterfall),
but the roads are often virtually impassable. Locals around the waterfall can hire
horses for the two-day trip to the lakes (around T15,000 per horse per day, plus
the same again for your horse guide). Family Guesthouse (
Click here
)
in Kharkhor-
in also organises horse treks here (US$60 per day, plus US$60 each way for the
jeep transfer to the waterfall).
This area is environmentally fragile; vehicles that attempt to make the trip end
up tearing new tracks through the grasslands, so local communities are working on
ways to prevent cars from coming here. If your driver says he can make it all the
way to the lakes by car, insist on going by horse.
Ulaanbaatar-based companies such as Nomads, Nomadic Journeys and No-
madic Expeditions (
Click here
) also run tours here, including horse-riding trips.
TOP OF CHAPTER
West of Kharkhorin
Khar Balgas
The ruined citadel of
Khar Balgas
(Kara Balgasun in Turkic; GPS: N 47°25.782', E 102°39.490')
is in Khotont
sum
on the banks of the Orkhon Gol. The city was founded in AD 751 as
the capital of the Uighur Khaganate, which ruled Mongolia from 744 to 840.
