Western Mongolia – Altai Mountains Three great ranges—the mongol Altai (including the Gobi Altai), the hangai and the Hentii dominate mongolia’s mountainous regions. Of these the mongol Altai mountaiin range is the largest and most picturesque. It has many summits reaching 4,000 meters level and stretcches for 900 kilometers (from the northwestern part of the country to the south) through the Bayan-Ulgii and Hovd provinces aimags. Eternal snow caps over 20 of the Mongol Altai's peaks, including Tavan Bogd—Mongolian’s highest peak, measuring 4,374 meters above the sea level—Munkh khairhan (4.204 m), Sutai (4,226m) and Tsambagarav (4,195 m).stretching southwards, the mountains get smaller and the range turns into the Gobi Altai chain of mountains extend through the Gobi-Altai and South Gobi provinces. The Altai is mainly composed of rocky mountains , topped with glaciers along the high ridges. A number of sapphire blue lakes grace the range, which also generates numerous streams in its valleys some of Mongolia s largest rivers, including the Hovd , Buyant and Bulgan rivers, trace their sources back to the Altai range's hundreds of small springs . These mountains provide a habitat for rare argali sheep ibex and a variety of cats (including endangered species of snow leopard and lynx), as well as popular animals like wolves, fox, and elk. The Altai is an ideal destination for adventurous mountain tours: hik¬ing, climbing and horse riding. Nu¬merous local and foreign mountaineers come to the range to climb Mt Tavan Bogd and other peaks such as Munkh Khairkhan, Tsambagarav and Sutai. Virtually the most remote destination within the country, travelers can only access the Altai by air. Hovd Distance: 1,425 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar Duration: 4 hours by air Accommodation: hotels The town of Hovd, situated in the basin of the Buyant River, is the largest settlement in western Mongolia. Despite its distance from the capital, it serves as the main gateway to most destinations in the high Altai Moun¬tain region because of the flights which connect it to Ulaanbaatar. It is a rec¬ognizable town, in part due to the large poplar trees, planted during the 1800s, that line its streets. Hovd is also the name of the western province where its eponymous population center is found. The Sangiin Herem, ruins of a fort built by Manchurians in 1792, lies in the northern outskirts of the town and holds special interest for those history buffs. The Hovd Aimag Museum displays inter¬esting exhibits and artifacts that reveal the unique attributes of the various ethnic groups and which make the province so extraordinary. Huh Serh-Blue Ibex protected area Distance: 40 kilometers from the town of Hovd Duration: 1 and one half hours by road from Hovd Accommodation: camping Activities: desert expeditions, wildlife viewing, hiking,photography and video graphy tours Occupying 65900 hectares of land belonging to the territories Hovd and Bayan-Ulgii aimags, the Mt Hun serh Protected Area acts as a refuge for rare argali sheep, ibex, snow leopards,Altai snow cocks and stone matens. Gurvan tsenkher cave Distance: 92 kilometers from the town of Huwd Duration: 2-3 hours by road from Hovd Accommodation: Ger camping or camping Activities: caving, historical tours, climbing, hiking It takes three hours to reach the famous Gurvan Senkher Cave from the center of Hovd town, traveling south across the arid grassland of the Mankhanii Steppe. There are two separate entrances to the cave, both facing the northern slope of a small rocky mountain, which stands. On the bank of the Senkher River. About 20 meters deep, the cave was inhabited by humans 40,000 - 12,000 years ago during the Paleolithic Era; rock paintings believed to have been made during that time cover the walls of the its entrance chamber. Among the paintings a visitor can recognize the images of various animals still living in Mongolia, including ibex, and moun¬tain goats; however, some of the crea¬tures, such as buffalo, ostriches and elephants, have long been extinct in Mongolia. Here you can see cave drawings from Mongolia's Stone Age found in the South Blue Cave, which is locat¬ed 25km from the Manhan region of Hovd province. The South Blue Cave is the biggest cave in the country at 220 meters long. Munh-Hairkhan Distance: 165 kilometers from the town of Hovd Duration: 4-6 hours by road from Hovd Accommodation: camping Activities: mountain climbing, hiking, horse riding and wildlife view¬ing Rising to 4,204 meters above sea level, Munkh-Hairhan, in the center of High Altai Mountain Range, is one of Mongolia's most beautiful mountains. Zealous explorers can trek up to the show capped peak from its northern side to see exquisite streams, lakes and colorful slopes of flowers, the likes of which can rarely be found elsewhere. Bulgan river Distance: 325 kilometers from the town of Hovel Duration: 45 minutes by air or 8-12 hours by road from Hovd Accommodation: camping Activities: river rafting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing Bulgan River—one of the coun-try's most beautiful waterways—starts on the western slope of the Altai and flows through the aimags of Bayan-Ul-gii and Hovd, and finally drains into Ulangar Lake in neighboring China. Mongolian officials have dedicated 77 square kilometers of the river to the Bulgan River Natural Reserve, created specifically to protect rare beaver habi¬tats. Wild boars are found along the river near the Chinese border, while ibex and argali sheep are common sights where the river runs past the Altai Mountains. Nomads living near Bulgan River, one of the most remote areas in the country, have kept their ancient customs and traditional way of life. Travelers can witness nomads mov¬ing en masse with their gers loaded on the backs of camels, and their herds marching alongside, heading to the higher slopes of the Altai in early summer and back down to the Bulgan River Basin in early autumn. Some¬times these nomads travel for about 80-100 kilometers between the higher slopes of the Altai Mountain Range, near the peak of Mt Munkh Khairkhan and Dzungarian Gobi.
|