Located in Mongolia’s central region is the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape. Listed as one of Mongolia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Orkhon Valley has a surprisingly rich history, is home to the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire, and has stunning natural beauty. There are archaeological sites scattered throughout the region, cultural landmarks, and beautiful nature areas that make the Orkhon Valley worth visiting. Visiting the Orkhon Valley can be done as a day trip from Ulaanbaatar or over several days. Join me and learn about some of the must-see sites around the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape: UNESCO Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was inscribed in 2004.  According to UNESCO the Orkhon Valley is listed as a World Heritage Site because of the several archaeological sites found in the area, the city of Kharkhorum, and the unique landscapes and environments.  How to Visit Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley The Orkhon Valley is located roughly 360 km from Ulaanbaatar.  There are paved roads between the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and Kharkhorum. Technically, if you have a rental car in Mongolia, it can be done on your own. But I recommend booking a tour either through Viator or Get Your Guide. The reason I recommend visiting the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape with a guide is because they take care of everything for you. The itinerary is already planned, you will have a driver, and the guide will explain so much of the area. You get a lot more out of a tour as opposed to exploring the Orkhon Valley on your own.  When I visited Mongolia, I booked a 5 Day Central Mongolia Tour and we spent full days in the Orkhon Valley.  Must-see Sites Within the Orkhon Valley I spent two full days in Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley as part of a 5 Day Central Mongolia Tour. Our Central Mongolia itinerary included the Orkhon Valley and these days were some of my favorite days and most interesting. I learned a lot about historical events that took place in Mongolia and got to see and experience amazing attractions while visiting the Orkhon Valley. The attractions and sites below were all included in my Orkhon Valley itinerary and were very much worthwhile.  Kharkhorum Museum The Kharkhorum Museum is a must when visiting the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.  This museum is a great introduction to learning about the region, seeing archaeological artifacts discovered in the area, and has a lot of additional information on Mongolia’s history.  There are over 3,000 artifacts at the museum. One of the more interesting exhibits is the tomb of an aristocrat from the 7th century.  According to the museum, the tomb was 42 meters long, 1.8 meters wide, and 7.5 meters high. 550 artifacts were discovered within the tomb.   Erdene Zuu Monastery Considered to be the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, Erdene Zuu Monastery dates back to around 1586. In its prime in 1872, Erdene Zuu Monastery had over 60 temples and over 500 structures.  Unfortunately, in 1939, most of the monastery was destroyed under communist rule. Communist leader Horloogiyn Choybalsan destroyed much of Mongolia’s religious sites.  After the fall of communism in Mongolia, the monastery was handed over to the monks and once again became a place of worship. Today, only a few temples and structures remain within the walls. Visitors can walk within the walls and enter a few of the temples. It is still a must visit site in the Orkhon Valley.  Monument for Mongol States Just outside the city of Kharkhorum is the Monument for Mongol States. Although the attraction itself isn’t particularly interesting to non-locals, the view of the valley behind the monument is worth the stop alone.  This monument is also known as the King’s Monument. It’s a cone shaped monument surrounded by a walls.   The Orkhon River below and the surrounding valley makes for a picture perfect setting.  Ulaan Tsutgalan Waterfall (Orkhon Waterfall) The Ulaan Tsutgalan Waterfall or simply Orkhon Waterfall is a 20 meter tall waterfall that is kind of in the middle of nowhere.  Visiting the Orkhon Waterfall was part of my 5 Day Central Mongolia Tour, we drove hours on an offroad trail to get here and ended up staying with a local nomadic family. We even rode Mongolian horses from the yurt camp to the waterfall.  You can view the waterfall from above or you can hike to the bottom (About 15-20 minutes). Our guide told us that people swim in the pool below during the hot summer month.  Conclusion The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape is one of Mongolia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Orkhon Valley is unique due to the beautiful landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and interesting archaeological finds. This truly is one of Mongolia’s most beautiful areas and is a must visit. An easy trip from Ulaanbaatar, the Orkhon Valley deserves at least two days to explore and will leave a lasting impression on you.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇲🇳 Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖️🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars.

Are you looking for great or easy day trips from Ulaanbaatar? Or perhaps you want to stay in a yurt but only have enough time for one night. Maybe you just want to get outside the city and do some hiking and see cultural stuff. If all that sounds great, then it’s highly recommended to visit Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. Just a few hours drive from Ulaanbaatar, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park offers great hiking, horse back riding, cultural attractions, and so much more!  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! About Gorkhi-Terelj National Park Gorkhi-Terelj National Park or just Terelj National Park is a national park just outside of Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar.  Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is considered to be one of Mongolia’s most visited and popular national parks, probably because it’s one of the closest ones to Ulaanbaatar.  The park itself is 2,920 km² and is known for its pristine nature, wildlife, and unique rock formations, Turtle Rock being the most famous.  Booking a Terelj National Park Tour Technically, you can visit Terelj National Park without a tour or guide. There is a bus from Ulaanbaatar but they are infrequent and only drive to certain attractions within the park. You can also rent a car and drive yourself, but after being driven through Ulaanbaatar, I don’t recommend it.  The easiest way to visit Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is by booking a day or overnight tour. By booking a tour, you get a vehicle transfer, a guide, lunch (included with some tours), stops at main attractions, and if staying overnight, the accommodations should be included.  I booked a 5 Day Terelj National Park and Central Mongolia and a visit to Terelj National Park from Ulaanbaatar was our first day.  You don’t have to do a 5 day tour to visit Terelj National Park. Here are one to two day tours that I recommend from either Get Your Guide or Viator.  Day Trip to Terelj National Park and State of Chinggis Khan Private Jeep Tour to Chinggis Khan Statue and Terelj National Park 2 Day Tour: Terelj National Park and Chinggis Statue Horse Riding Experience in Terelj National Park Nomad Family Home Stay in Terelj National Park We ended up doing the 5 Day Terelj National Park and Central Mongolia Tour and loved our time in Terelj National Park. The Chinggis Khan Statue was impressive and Terelj National Park was just beautiful. I found that most tours offer the same packages, it is worth browsing all the tours on either Get Your Guide or Viator to see what tour best fits your itinerary.  Where to Stay in Terelj National Park If you book a tour either through Get Your Guide or Viator, chances are the tour will include an overnight stay in a yurt.  If you plan to do a solo trip to Terelj National Park, you can book yurt stays through places like Agoda or Booking.  Between Turtle Rock and Arayabal Temple, there are yurt camps everywhere that range in price from cheap to higher end.  Top Things to do in Terelj National Park Terelj National Park is an easy day trip from Ulaanbaatar. In fact, many locals come here for the weekends to escape the chaotic traffic and city life of Ulaanbaatar to enjoy the nature, secludedness, and cultural attractions.  I personally think, to fully enjoy a visit to Terelj National Park, you should stay the night in one of the yurt camps and take your time exploring the park. Below is our Terelj National Park itinerary and what was included in our tour. Genghis Khan Statue Complex The Genghis Khan Statue Complex is the biggest equestrian statue in the world and it’s on the way to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. It’s usually added on to every tour that going to Terelj National Park.  The statue itself is 40m tall or 130 ft. It’s a stainless steel statue and Genghis Khan is facing east, the direction of his place of birth.  Today, visitors can enter the statue, walk the stairs to the top, and access the museum. It’s all worth the entrance fee. There is even a cafe inside and souvenir shops.  Turtle Rock Probably the most popular attraction in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is Turtle Rock.  Why is the rock called Turtle Rock? You guessed it, it resembles a turtle. From one side, you can see the head and shell.  Turtle Rock is 24 meters tall and can be enjoyed from a distance or up close. Visitors can hike on Turtle Rock, just use caution.  Aryabal Meditation Temple Another stop and must see site in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is the Aryabal Meditation Temple.  One our day tour of Terelj National Park, this temple was the last stop before we departed back to our yurt camp.  Getting to Aryabal Temple from Turtle Rock is easy but I recommend an offroad vehicle as the road is unpaved and not in the best condition.  The temple itself was built in the early 1800’s by artists from both Mongolia and Tibet and monks came here to meditate.  In Buddhism, 108 represents the Kangyur which is the Tibetan Buddhist Canon. 108 is a favorable number in Buddhism, therefore there are a total of 108 steps that lead to Aryabal Temple.  Along the route, there are 144 Buddhist teachings written on boards. There is a structure, prior to the signs. Inside the structure you can spin a wheel, it will land on a specific number. You can find that number on one of the signs and read the teaching of Buddha. I believe I landed on number 121. “Wisdom not conjoined with skillful means is bondage, but wisdom conjoined with skillful means is liberation.” Horse or Camel Riding Horse riding is a popular activity in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. If you want to try something different, you can even ride a camel.  Many of the yurt camps offer horse riding experiences but horse riding is also offered at some of the major attractions within the national park. I saw both horses and camel tours being offered at Turtle Rock.  I had a chance to ride both horses and camels in Mongolia. Honestly, I preferred the camel. I found it to be slightly more comfortable and getting on and off the camel was an adrenaline rush.  Conclusion If planning to visit Gorkhi-Terelj National Park from Ulaanbaatar, you can easily spend a day if not two exploring the park and seeing it’s fabulous attractions. I recommend staying overnight but you can still get a good sense of rural Mongolia by just doing a day trip. After all, you get to see the famous Genghis Khan Statue, Turtle Rock, Arayabal Temple, and a few other notable attractions. A visit to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is a must when visiting Ulaanbaatar.  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇲🇳 Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖️🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars.

Are you traveling to Mongolia and wondering what to pack for your trip? Or how to prepare for a trip to Mongolia? I spent a week in Central Mongolia, stayed in yurts with nomadic families, rode horses, rode camels, toughed the cold autumn nights, and so much more! I feel like visiting Mongolia was much different then any other trip I’ve took in the past. I did my research prior to my trip and arrived well prepared. I’d like to share my packing tips for Mongolia, recommendations, and what to expect and how to prepare for a trip to Mongolia. **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! **As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Packing Necessities for Mongolia Mongolia is a developing country and does take some effort to plan for. The environment is harsh here, during the summer it can get extremely hot and winter months can be brutally cold. Once you are outside of Ulaanbaatar, the country gets pretty rural. That is not to say you will pass by the occasional town or supermarket, but it’s best to prepare for being away from civilization for a few hours if not days.  If planning on staying in yurt  camps or with nomadic families, resources can be minimal. After spending a week in Mongolia, here are my packing recommedations to help you better prepare for your trip to Mongolia.  Toilet Paper We found that many places in Mongolia, even places in Ulaanbaatar did not have toilet paper, including some restaurants and other establishments.  We did our research prior and have been to other countries where this was common. We simply packed two smaller rolls of toilet paper with us, put them in zip lock bags and had no issues.  The yurt camps and nomadic families had basically squatty potties, open bathrooms with a hole in the ground, and no toilet paper.  We also brought wet wipes with us. Fortunately, you can buy this stuff to at supermarkets in Ulaanbaatar. But we planned ahead and brought our own.  Plastic Bags Plastic Bags were also useful on our trip to Mongolia. We always bring plastic bags with, especially for shoes. There is nothing worse then getting mud or sand all over your suitcase from your shoes. We just place them in a plastic bag and then place them in our suitcase.  You can separate laundry as well with plastic bags. But plastic bags are multi use so you can use them to carry items, throw trash away, or just place things in them to keep dust off.  Ziploc Bags One of my most recommended packing tips for Mongolia are Ziploc bags. I always place a couple in my backpack and suitcase and have been doing this for years.  If you are traveling to a hot destination, place your valuables including documents and passports in a Ziploc bag. This will keep moisture including rain and sweat off your important items.  Headlamp Once you get outside of Ulaanbaatar, don’t expect to see many city lights. Some of our yurt camps we stayed at didn’t even have electricity. We used a car battery to power on a lamp for the inside of the yurt. We went to Mongolia in October and it got dark earlier, like around 6pm. So unless you plan on staying in the yurt until the next morning, you’ll want to pack a headlamp or flashlight with.  Or what if you have to wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. It seemed toilets were placed a bit outside the camp, so you have to walk a minute or so. You’ll definitely want a headlamp for walking to the bathroom at night.  I like Black Diamond headlamps. Some of them are waterproof and have rechargeable batteries. These can also be found on Amazon.  Camera Equipment Mongolia is a photographers paradise. There is a lot of unique wildlife species and the landscapes are beautiful. I loved just taking photos of the yurts, especially at night.  I always travel with my Nikon D7500. I use an iPhone too for certain photos but the quality between the phone and a real camera are just unmatched.  For wildlife photography, I packed my Sigma 150-600mm Cotemporary lens.  The Sigma 150-600mm lens is a telephoto zoom lens that allowed me to get beautiful shots of Przewalski’s Horses and Elk at Hustai National Park.  This lens is available on Amazon, if interested, make sure to select the appropriate mount for your brand of camera (Nikon F Camera, Canon EF Camera, Sigma SA Camera).  I also recommend a tripod, especially for shooting at night.  In Mongolia, if the weather is nice, prepare to see beautiful night skies. My goal was to photograph yurts with stars in the background and almost every night, I accomplished this.  To take photos of the starry night sky, you need a tripod. I use a SLIK tripod, these can also be purchased on Amazon.  If you are interested in the camera settings I used for night photos, just let me know!  Clothing Layers We went to Mongolia in October. Even in October, temperatures dropped to about -6°C (20°F) at night. I heard even in summer time, nights can cool off. Winter months, Mongolia can see temperatures down to -40°C (-40°F). I can’t speak for summer, but when we went in autumn, I brought thermal under layers with and very glad I had that. I wore my thermal, both pants and shirts the entire time, and had a jacket that I could take on and off.  For Mongolia, I think it’s good to pack a little extra then normal. Pack a thick pair of socks, under layers, bring a jacket, and don’t forget a beanie and gloves.  I also recommend bringing some shorts and lighter clothes. In October, during the day, temperatures were mild.  Hiking, Walking, and Shower Shoes Another packing tip for Mongolia, bring different types of shoes. I brought a pair of hiking shoes, walking shoes, and flip flops for showering.  During our Central Mongolia tour, we ended up hiking quite a bit. Even if it wasn’t planned, when we got back to our yurt camp and had time to spare, we hiked up hills and did small walks in the prairie.  I recommend bringing walking shoes for Ulaanbaatar. We ended up walking a lot here and I didn’t want to ruin my hiking shoes, so I brough a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Lastly, I recommend bringing a pair of flip flops or some type of shower shoes. Mainly because at one of the yurt camps, there were shared shower facilities.  Pepto-Bismol and Other Medication I like to stay honest and tell my readers exactly how things are. The food in Mongolia is not for everyone. I loved it, but I really enjoy eating mutton. I ended up eating a lot of mutton and meat in general in Mongolia.  That being sad, at some point on my trip, toward the end thankfully, I had some stomach issues. Thankfully, we packed enough Pepto-Bismol for a few days to keep our stomachs in order.  Jill can get car sick sometimes, she packed Dramamine (motion sickness medication). Some days, we spent hours driving off road on very bumpy roads. So, when traveling to Mongolia, bring motion sickness medication if you have problems in cars.  Conclusion My packing tips for Mongolia is all based on a week long trip I took to Central Mongolia in the month of October. All these recommendations are what I felt is necessary to bring or prepare for a trip to Mongolia. Many of these items are useful for general travel to other countries as well. Mongolia is a developing country and some items might not be as easy to come by, so do your research prior to traveling to Mongolia, especially to better prepare for the time of year and season you are visiting. I hope this helps and if you have any other recommendations on packing tips for Mongolia or things to bring, please let me know!  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇲🇳 Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖️🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars.

Have you ever wondered what staying in a yurt is like? I grew up dreaming about it. Staying the night in a yurt has always been a travel bucket list dream of mine. I just love the idea of being in rural Mongolia living a nomadic lifestyle even if its only for a day or two. I finally got the chance to stay in not one but four different yurts while visiting Mongolia and want to share my experiences of staying in yurts, what its like, and what to expect.  **This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the links or banners throughout the page, whether it be TripAdvisor, Booking.com. Agoda.com, or any other affiliate, I might receive commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, you can visit my affiliate link page here. Thanks for the support! What is a Yurt (Ger) A Yurt or Ger in the Mongolian language is a circular structure that is portable yet durable to withstand harsh environmental elements.  Yurts have been around for thousands of years and are still to this day, the primary homes for many nomadic people of Mongolia and surrounding countries.  A yurt generally consists of a wooden frame, a type of insulator usually felt or some type of fabric, and support beams.  In most cases, yurts are white in color and the doors are orange or brown. To keep the yurt warm during the colder months, a wood burning stove is placed in the center of the yurt with a chimney that extents outside the yurt.  Yurts can be relatively easy and quick to assemble and disassemble, taking anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours.  In simple terms, a yurt is basically a portable shelter used primarily by nomads in Mongolia and Central Asia as a means of protection and comfort. Families use yurts for cooking, protection, sleep, and many other daily tasks.  What is it Like Staying in a Yurt In October, I toured around Central Mongolia and had the chance to stay in four separate yurts in four different locations. Two locations, I stayed in yurts in tourist camps while the other two night I stayed with nomadic families.  I stayed in a tourist camp at Terelj National Park and in Kharkhorin. I stayed with nomadic families at the Orkhon Waterfall and near the Elsen Tasarkhai Sand Dunes. The yurts were all similar in many ways but each night was a completely different experience. I want to share my experiences of staying in a yurt and what I learned.  The Inside The inside of a yurt is surprisingly spacious. It’s much bigger then what it looks like on the outside.  Each yurt we stayed in had 4-5 beds. Some beds were cushy while others were hard, so I am not 100% sure if they are all for sleeping on. We traveled in the offseason, so Jill and myself had a yurt to ourselves and got to sleep in whichever bed we wanted.  In each yurt we stayed in, the beds were pushed up against the wall. We also had a table and small stools.  Each yurt had a wood burning stove inside with a tall chimney sticking outside the middle of the roof.  We got to enjoy dinner one night with the nomadic family inside their yurt. It was pretty minimalistic for the most part. There were two beds, a table, kitchen area full of pots and pans, and a Buddhist shrine.  Heating the Yurt It gets cold in Mongolia. I visited in October and it would get down to -6°C or about 20°F. Our guide told us it can get down to -40°C or -40°F. Although yurts are well insulated, a heating source is needed. Therefore, a wood burning stove is the primary heat source used. The stove is attached to a chimney that extends outside the top of the yurt.  To survive the winter, you need a lot of wood to keep the stove burning, especially at night. The nomadic families we stayed with had a bin full of wood next to the stove to keep fueling the fire, keeping the yurt nice and warm.  Bathroom Situation Depending on who you are, the bathroom situations can be less then ideal. At this point, you are basically camping. Nomadic families don’t have time to figure out plumbing and running water. Instead, they dig a hole and place a shelter over it. Basically, it’s a squatty potty.  But not all yurt experiences are like that. Our second night, we stayed at a camp called Monkhshuuri Ger Camp Guesthouse in Kharkhorin where they remodeled the bathroom facilities. The bathrooms had new toilets and even showers!  The other three camps I stayed at had squatty potties though. Honestly, I don’t mind it. There was a certain charm to it, waking up at 2 in the morning, the moon shined bright, it was slightly chilly outside, as I made my way to the bathroom shelter, and well you get the point.  Please note, most places in Mongolia, not just the yurt camps, did not have toilet paper. So plan ahead and bring your own toilet paper and wet wipes. Conclusion Staying in a yurt is a wonderful experience. It’s like camping but with a larger and sturdier tent. It’s always been a dream of mine to stay in a yurt. I was always curious about nomadic families in Mongolia and what their lives were like. It was a once in a lifetime experience traveling to Mongolia and staying with nomadic families with yurts. To be honest, they were more spacious and comfortable then I had imagined. If you can’t make it to Mongolia, I hope this post at least gives you an idea of what it is like to stay in a yurt and you learned something new.  Looking to travel to Mongolia and staying in different locations? Here is a review of nine specific yurt camps in Mongolia, consider reading this post, Yurt Camps in Mongolia: Where to Stay, What to Expect by Two Passports Packed. Thanks!  Enjoying my photos and want to see more? Check out my Picfair Store. 📸   Plan Your Trip: 🗺️✈️🇲🇳 Booking Accommodations ⛺️🛖  For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com Activities and Tours  🏖️🚁  Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.  In need of a car rental? 🚗🚘  I recommend checking with Rental Cars.