Töv

Introducing Töv

Sitting atop the pine-clad, boulder-strewn slopes of the Khan Khentii range, it’s hard to believe that Ulaanbaatar with its one million citizens lies just a mountain range or two away. The proximity of Töv to the capital has by no means spoiled its pristine landscape, ­allowing for easy access to the great outdoors.

Töv has some restored monasteries including the pretty Mandshir Khiid in Bogdkhan Uul National Park. It also has a few oddball sights; you can visit the excessively large Chinggis Khaan statue near Nalaikh, lunch at a mock-up 13th-century Mongol war camp and sleep in the bizarrely named Dresden Ger Camp.

A large portion of the aimag is made up of the Gorkhi-Terelj, Khan Khentii and Bogdkhan Uul National Parks, which mostly occupy the northern part of the aimag. The southern half of Töv is bland desert steppe and most travellers pass through quickly on their way to Dundgov aimag.

Although Töv lies close to industrial Ulaanbaatar, its economy remains almost exclusively agricultural. This way of life has come under threat as poorer nomads are giving up and moving to the city; between 2004 and 2007 the population of Töv decreased by more than 20%.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009