My last adventure into the Gobi Desert of Mongolia was such a blast, I returned 3 weeks later for another round. This time, I spent a total of 14 days in the central and northern regions of Mongolia.
See Also: Part 2 – In Pictures: 14 Days in Central & Northern Mongolia
Day 1
The first day was pretty uneventful and consisted of a long drive from the capital Ulaanbaatar to the town of Khujirt where I met my new tour mates. They were midway through their tour having just finished spending time in the Gobi Desert.
After having lunch with my new tour mates in Khujirt, it was officially the start of my 14 days adventure!
Drive to Ger camp inside Orkhon Valley National Park
Mongolian Ger camp
After arriving at our Mongolian Ger camp and meeting its host, we went around to meet their various 4 legged residents.
Day 2
We started off the second day gearing up and being introduced to the horse we would be riding for the next two days. We rode to another Ger camp and made the return trip the following day, travelling ~50 km in total.
Short video of the horse riding trek
Sights along the way
Arrival at Ger camp
By the time we arrived 6 hours later, most of us were exhausted and suffering from muscle aches all over. Hence, after a short while of exploring, we called it a night.
Day 3
Started off the day with our 25 km return journey. We galloped most of the way this time around.
Orkhon Waterfalls
After arriving at our Ger camp and getting some much needed rest, we walked to the nearby Orkhon waterfalls for a splash.
Picnic by the Ger
Ended the day having dinner together outside our Ger, chatting away and being entertained by the playful puppy till sunset.
Day 4
Woke up before everyone with hopes of catching the sunrise. Unfortunately, a fog blanketed the entire valley. Ended up playing with the goats and dogs instead.
Drive to Tsenkher Hot Spring
After saying our farewells to our wonderful host for the last 3 days, we began the drive to Tsenkher hot spring.
Tsenkher Hot Spring
Upon arriving at Tsenkher hot spring Ger camp, the first thing most of us did was to use the toilets as it had been a couple of days since we had access to a modern sitting version.
The camp that we stayed at had a restaurant, showers and outdoor spa filled with mineral rich water pumped in via pipes from the nearby hot spring.
We decided to check out the source of the spa before spending the rest of the day soaking ourselves till dusk.
Day 5
Reluctant to part with the camp’s facilities and spa, we woke up right after sunrise to soak ourselves silly again before having breakfast and departing to our next destination.
A short drive after leaving the hot springs, our convoy of two vans stopped by a river where we bid our farewells to one another as that was the end of the tour for them. The vans headed off in separate directions thereafter with ours heading further up north and theirs back towards Ulaanbaatar.
Taikhar Rock
We stopped by the town of Tsetserleg for lunch. Following which, a pit stop by Taikhar Rock, a 20 m tall granite rock filled with writings from ages past and also recent graffitis.
Legend has it, once upon a time, a giant snake came out of a hole and started swallowing local people and animals. A strong and brave man fought with the snake; pushed it into a hole and had Taikhar rock placed on top of it.
The locals believe if one makes a wish and then successfully hurl a stone over the rock, it will come true. It took us a couple of tries but all of us managed to get one over eventually!
Chuluut River Canyon
Arrived at our Ger camp for the day by Chuluut River Canyon around 5 pm. Went to check out the canyon and decided to make our way down. It was quite a challenging climb. Not to mentioned the many icky rock spiders encountered along the way.
Back to the Ger camp
Day 6
Had an early morning hike up a hill right behind our Ger camp overlooking Chuluut River Canyon. The view from the top was breathtaking but due to an approaching thunderstorm, we didn’t stay long.
Despite our attempt to outrun the thunderstorm, we were still caught in it, pelted by hail and drenched. After changing and warming ourselves up by the fire for sometime, it was time to head off onto the road again.
After having lunch at the town of Khorgo, we stopped by “yellow dog’s cave”. The cave, formed from volcanic activity has yet another legend behind its name.
Once upon a time, a hunter had a yellow dog and they were inseparable. One day, the hunter had an accident and fell into a frozen cave. Being seriously wounded, he couldn’t extricate himself. His dog jumped into the 20 m deep cave to help him and in turn saved his life.
We climbed down into the cave and observed that the inside of the cave was indeed covered with ice despite it being Summer.
White Lake (Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake)
A short drive from yellow dog’s cave, we arrived at our Ger camp along the beautiful and vast White Lake where we stayed at for the next two nights. It’s the second biggest lake in Mongolia, stretching over 16 km. As it was almost the end of Summer, the water was too cold for comfort for a swim so we only dipped our feet in them.
Climbing up Frog Rock
A short distrance away from our Ger was a huge rock shaped like a frog facing the White Lake. It turned out to be a really challenging and scary of a climb up this particular rock. Being the shortest one among them, I needed a helping hand occasionally.
