Altai Tavan Bogd Tour

Otgontenger is one of the highest snow capped mountains in Mongolia. Its altitude is 4008 meters above the sea level. It is the highest peak of Khangai Mountain range. It has been strictly protected area of Mongolian government since 1992. Just below the border of the permanent snow of Otgontenger, there is a beautiful Badarkhundaga Lake. Khangai mountain range is the biggest mountain range in Mongolia. It was formed by the movement of tectonic plates 900 million years ago. In 1955, Mongolian mountain climbers climbed to the mountain for the first time. Many wild and rare animals live there. We will hike on this mountain.

Khar Nuur(black lake), is a scenic lake that is surrounded with high mountains and sand dunes. The sceneries from Khar Nuur to Mukhart Gol are indescribable. The varied landscapes change continuously from mountains, lakes, sand dunes, unique rock formations, plains, plateaus, grassland etc. An interesting highlight on this part of the overland journey is the Senjit Khad – a natural stone arch.

Mukhart River is part of the huge Mongol Els (sand dune) and is uniquely shaped to look like a dam, in particular Hoover Dam in Nevada. A river runs from the foot of the dam and meanders through the sand dunes forming an oasis which is a great view.

Khyargas Lake is situated in Uvs province. There is Airag Lake next to it. Khyargas is one of the biggest lakes in Mongolia and its length is 75km, width 31 km, average depth is 47 meters and maximum depth is 80 meters. Water volume is 66034〖km〗^3. The most beautiful part of the lake is Khetsuu khad (Difficult rocks) which are piles of huge rock white rocks and water birds make their nests on it. Several of fish including the rare Mongolian grayling lives in Khyargas Lake

Uvs is a highly saline lake in an endorheic basin – Uvs Nuur Basin in Mongolia with a small part in Russia. It is the largest lake in Mongolia by surface area, covering 3,350 km² at 1759 m above the sea level. The northeastern tip of the lake is situated in the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation. The largest city near the lake is Ulaangom. This shallow and very saline body of water is a remainder of a huge saline sea which covered a much larger area several thousand years ago. Uvs Lake has a length of 84 km and a width of 79 km, with an average depth of 6 m. Its basin is separated from the rest of the Great Lakes Depression by the Khan Khukhii Mountain.

Achit Lake is a freshwater lake in the Uvs province, Mongolia, in the west of the country. At an elevation of 1,435 m above sea level it covers an area of 290 km². It is 28 km long, 16 km wide, and 10 m deep. The coast is covered with steppes, mostly hilly but swampy on the northwest and northeast. Several rivers flow into the lake.

Tsambagarav Mountain National Park is situated along the border of Khovd Province. This Park has many snow -capped peaks and glaciers. It is houses of a number of wild animals on the southern slope there are small patches of larch which are coniferous trees. This Park is filled with beautiful valleys and gorges making it a very spectacular destination.

From Tsambagarav Mountain we will drive to Ulaankhus where we will stay with Kazakh family and experience their culture and tradition. Their life is completely different than Mongolians. Bayan-Ulgii is a home of the Kazakh ethnic group. The Kazakhs have a rich culture, close extended families, and many traditions that are still practiced today that are centuries old. The Kazakhs are the second largest ethnic group in Mongolia after the Khalkhs, with 101,000 people comprising 5% of the population. Most live in Bayan-Ulgii province, where they make up 90% of the inhabitants. The province was established in 1939 as a semi-autonomous homeland for Kazakhs living in Mongolia. Today, Bayan-Ulgii has a distinctly Kazakh culture. Kazakh is the language of everyday communication, with Mongolian used for inter-ethnic interactions and official communication. Islam is the primary religion of the Kazakhs.

Altai Tavan Bogd is near the triple border with China and Russia. Its highest peak, the Khuiten Peak is the highest point of Mongolia at 4374 meters above the sea level. The Tavan Bogd massif is located mostly within the Bayan-Ulgii Province of Mongolia; its northern slopes are in Russia’s Altai Republic, and western, in China’s Burqin County. There are 3 big glaciers on it. The Altai Tavan Bogd national park covers 6,362 km². The protected area offers a home for many species of alpine animal, such as the wild sheep, Ibex, deer, beech marten, moose, snow cock, snow leopard and Golden eagle. We will hike to the Glaciers, visit Kazakh families and see all highlights of Altai Mountain.

Tolbo Lake is a freshwater lake in Mongolia. The lake is located about 50 kilometres south of Bayan-Ulgii. The elevation is 2080 meters high above the sea level. The shoreline is treeless with few mosquitoes and a lot of people and families camp here every summer.Most of the people go there in mid July because the water at that time is the warmest. Also the Tolbo lake has become the place that most people go to camp or just to swim. The lake covers 185 square kilometers of land. From Tolbo Lake we will drive to the Murat Mountain and stay with eagle hunters.

The journey continues further west. Scientists believe that the drawings in the GurvanTsenkher cave belong to 40000-35000 years ago. Many figures of different animals such as lions, elephants, argali sheep, ibexes, ostriches, antelopes, camels as well as symbols were painted with mineral-based paints (red and brown lead) on the ceilings and walls of the caves. Explore twin chambers of the cave. If we are lucky, we may spot some taiga antelopes near the cave.

We will drive to Hovd town, the most modern provincial center among Mongolian 21 provincial centers. As well as it is a birthplace of many different ethnic groups. While touring, your eyes will be fascinated by beautiful sceneries of Khar-Us lake, wide river valley and snow capped mountains. Also we will watch unique Mongolian throat singing concert (Khuumii) and then fly back to Ulaanbaatar.