“Times are not always the same, the grass is not always green…” - Mongolian proverb
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| (Sunrise at the edge of Gobi Desert) |
Day-05: Thursday 05/09/2019
Destination: Elsen Tasarkhai & Khugnu Khan Mountain
Lodging: Bayan Gobi Ger Camp
This morning we had vegetarian fried rice for breakfast before we checked-out and drove into the wilderness of Hustai Natonal Park.
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| (Sunrise paints the sky over the horizon) |
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| (Sprawling grasslands and rolling mountains) |
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| (The history of famous people of Mongolia) |
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| (Vegetarian fried rice with fried eggs for breakfast) |
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| (Our shadow reflections against the morning sun) |
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| (Incredible landscape, as far as the eyes can see) |
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| (Ready to explore the Steppes) |
Hustai National Park is home to the Mongolian wild horses known as Perzevalski horse or Takhi. The Mongolian wild horse is a rare and endangered horse native to the steppes. Along the way to look for Takhi horses, we could also sight the Mongolian marmots, a species of rodent and were also classified as endangered species.
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| (High mountains and rolling plateaus) |
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| (Colourful crop fields along the route to Hustai National Park) |
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| (A lone caravan in the open grassland) |
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| (The mountains are covered with mist) |
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| (The mist is disappearing slowly) |
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| (The start of rough driving to Hustai National Park) |
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| (Bumpy road full of pot holes) |
The park is a large conservation area in central Mongolia’s Töv Province. There are trails leading across the steppe to the remote Moilt camp. Southwest of the park are the Ungut monuments, a collection of ancient Turkic stone figures and Bronze Age rock carvings. There are more than 300 wild horses found in the park.
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| (Untarmac road in the National Park) |
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| (A long and winding off-roading) |
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| (A playful marmot sun-bathing on a rock) |
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| (Looking for endangered horses native to the steppes) |
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| (Hiking for quite a distance to watch the Takhis) |
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| (The Przewalski's horses or Takhi, the Mongolian wild horses) |
It was a nice cool weather and the mountain air was so refreshing. While the younger ones went for hiking to the top of the hill for a better view of the wild horses, the rest of us spent time having a picnic in the open and had hot coffee and biscuits.
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| (A road leading to nowhere) |
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| (Peaceful and tranquil surrounding) |
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| (Basking in the sun and enjoying the scenery) |
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| (Having a picnic of hot coffee and biscuits) |
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| (The vibrant coloured ladies in a row) |
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| (The gentlemen having a good time too) |
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| (A jet plane soaring over Mongolian sky) |
After Takhi and Marmot sightings, we stopped at the Hustai National Park Information Centre and watched a short documentary video and later visited the souvenir shop where I bought a beautiful shawl made of yak and baby camel furs to add to my collection of shawls.
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| (Entrance ticket to Hustai National Park) |
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| (Visiting the Information Centre and souvenir shop) |
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| (The many attractions in Hustai National Park) |
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| (Conservation area for the wild horses) |
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| (A beautiful day to be out and about) |
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| (The Hustai National Park Resort) |
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| (The reception area for the Ger Camp) |
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| (One of the resorts in the National Park) |
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| (Waiting for a video show in the Conference Room) |
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| (Hustai National Park Information Centre) |
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| (Books on Hustai National Park) |
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| (A stuffed Golden Eagle on display) |
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| (The Mongolian ferocious grey wolf) |
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| (Space debris of Delta-2 of USA) |
Khögno Tarna National Park better known as Khögno Khan is located about 250 km from Ulaanbaatar, on the road to Kharkhorin. This park contains many historical monuments, forests of silver birches and poplar trees. The ecosystem of this park is particularly interesting because the Steppe and the Taiga meet here. We can find fauna and flora that have characteristic of these two ecosystems, and also some wonderful landscapes, with the granite formations of Khögno Khan. The sacred mountain of Khögno Khan is a venerated mountain located along the edge of the borders of Övörkhangai, Bulgan and Töv aimags.
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| (Buying provision at a R&R) |
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| (The R&R is complete with amenities) |
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| (Beautiful clear sky above a Ger Camp) |
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| (A 4x4 vehicle roaming the Steppes) |
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| (A field of wild buck wheat) |
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| (A stream meandering in the field) |
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| (A drinking hole for the horses) |
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| (A cool rock formation of Khogno Khaan) |
Our onward journey was towards Burd, stopping for comfort break at Lun. It was still early when we reached the Bayan Gobi Ger Camp at Khogno Khan Mountain. Situated at the edge of the Mongol Els Dune Formations, the ger camp is a well-placed oasis for exploring the area around Khogno Khaan and Kharakorum. The location of the Gobi Ger Camp makes it totally different and unique from others. It is an extraordinary place with many different forms of natural landscape, combination of a Gobi sand dunes, wide open steppe, beautiful lush oasis and rocky high mountains. Architecture and design of the tourist camp truly presents authentic nomadic tradition, culture and civilization.
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| (A different form of natural landscape) |
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| (A Ger Camp at the edge of Gobi Desert) |
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| (Bayan Gobi Ger Camp) |
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| (Our lodging for the night) |
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| (Another bigger ger for the local guides) |
It was raining heavily, complete with thunder and lightning when we checked in our ger. The heavy rain had cleared the gloomy cloudy sky. After the rain, the weather was nice and cool for a long energetic hike to the sand dunes for sand boarding or just lay back and watch the beautiful sunset at the horizon.
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| (A huge ger converted into a dining hall) |
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| (Dark clouds looming over Gobi Desert) |
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| (Our sumptuous dinner for tonight) |
Gobi Ger Camp provides a comfortable traditional Mongolian ger accommodation and its restaurant serves delicious traditional and European cuisines to their guests.
Later at night we spent time outside the ger, star gazing before we retired for the night.
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