Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAIN
International trains going to/from Moscow, Irkutsk or Bĕijīng stop at Sükhbaatar for two
or more hours (usually in the evening) while customs and immigration are completed.
See
Click here
for more details.
Direct, local trains travel between Ulaanbaatar and Sükhbaatar (hard seat/hard sleeper/
soft sleeper T6300/11,800/19,900, about 10 hours), with a stop at Darkhan (hard seat/
hard sleeper/soft sleeper T2300/4200/6200, about four hours). Train 272 departs for
Ulaanbaatar at 6.25am; train 264 departs Sükhbaatar at 9.05pm.
The
train station
( 02362-40124)
sells local tickets and also tickets for Ulan Ude
(T63,630), Irkutsk (T96,180) and Moscow (T259,910), to purchase them you'll need a
Russian visa. The ticket office opens up an hour or two before the train leaves.
WORTH A TRIP
DOWN ON THE RANCH
ranch where guests can get their hands dirty doing farm work. You can milk cows,
herd the sheep, make cheese and lasso a half-wild horse or two. There is also
plenty of time to relax, enjoy a barbecue, hike and fish. The price includes
everything: food, accommodation, horse riding etc. The ranch is close to the town
of Orkhon, which is 11km off the main Darkhan-Sükhbaatar road. Taking a bus to
Darkhan and then a taxi to Orkhon (T25,000) is a nicer option than taking a direct
9.10pm train from Ulaanbaatar and arriving at 4.20am. Contact the ranch ahead of
time so that someone meets you with horses.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Altanbulag
Just 24km northeast of Sükhbaatar is Altanbulag, a small, peaceful border town opposite
the Russian city of Khyakhta with an immediately noticeable golden-domed church.
Both Khyakhta and Altanbulag are of some historical importance to Mongolians. In 1915
representatives from Russia, China and Mongolia met in Khyakhta to sign a treaty grant-
ing Mongolia limited autonomy. At a meeting in Khyakhta in March 1921, the Mongoli-
an People's Party was formed by Mongolian revolutionaries in exile, and the revolution-
ary hero Sükhbaatar was named minister of war.
The surprisingly entertaining
aimag museum
(admission T3000; 9am-2pm & 3-5pm
Mon-Fri)
, in a curious building topped with giant drinking glasses behind the Altan Plaza
