Terelj Tour
The closest the steppe gets to Ulaanbaatar. Turtle Rock, a walk up to the Ariyapala meditation centre, and the forty-metre Chinggis Khaan statue — out after breakfast, back before dinner.
One park, one day, no camping
Terelj is one of the most beautiful national parks in Mongolia and is very close to Ulaanbaatar. It is part of the Khentii mountain range, and its highest peak, Avkhaan, is 2,664 metres above sea level. Terelj has been protected by the Mongolian government since the 1960s, and about 100 different kinds of plants grow there. This tour lets you hike to the Ariyapala meditation centre, see the largest equestrian statue in the world and ride Mongolian horses.
Day by Day
Terelj is one of the most popular destinations around Ulaanbaatar. It has been protected since the 1960s and became a national park in 1993, and it is connected to the city by a paved road. Wildlife in the park includes brown bears, grey wolves, foxes and more than 200 species of birds, and the Tuul river flows through it. Gorkhi-Terelj National Park also has many rock formations popular with climbers, and many Westerners first saw it when the American reality show The Amazing Race visited in the second episode of its tenth season. Turtle Rock was shaped naturally by wind and water. It is 24 metres high and surrounded by the Khan Khentii mountains, and in Mongolian culture the turtle is a symbol of peace and long life. The Ariyapala meditation centre was founded by Gandantegchinlen monastery, the centre of Mongolian Buddhism, and built between 1998 and 2004. A hundred and eight prayer wheels surround the temple, and a mantra is carved into the mountainside. The Chinggis Khaan statue at Tsonjin Boldog, on the bank of the Tuul river, is 40 metres tall and shows Chinggis Khaan on horseback, facing east towards his birthplace. It stands on top of a 10-metre visitor centre with 36 columns, one for each khan from Chinggis to Ligdan Khan. It was designed by the sculptor Erdenebileg and the architect Enkhjargal and opened in 2008. Visitors walk up through the horse's chest and neck to its head for a panoramic view, and inside the complex there are two museums.
