Things to do in Eastern Mongolia
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Museum
Baruun-Urt's surprisingly good Museum has a fine collection of costumes representing the three ethnic groups that inhabit the region: the majority Khalkh, Dariganga (30,000 live in the south of Sükhbaatar aimag) and Uzemchin (about 2000 live in Dornod aimag and Sükhbaatar aimag). Look out for the brass-studded Uzemchin wrestling jacket. From the square, walk 400m south and turn right. The museum is just past the theatre.
There are also beautiful examples of products from Dariganga's renowned silversmiths and blacksmiths (often these are on loan to museums elsewhere in the world), some stuffed gazelle, a map showing the locations of the 'man' and 'woman' balbal (stone fi…
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Ethnography Museum
The Ethnography Museum, next to the City Hall, is housed inside the 18th-century home of the Tsetseg Khaan, a Mongolian prince who governed most of eastern Mongolia during the Manchu reign. One building holds a portrait of the last Tsetseg Khaan, painted in 1923. Other buildings contain ethnic costumes, Mongolian toys and some religious artefacts, such as statues and thangka (scroll paintings). On the museum grounds is a ceremonial ger with delicately carved wood furnishing and ornaments. It's usually locked but you could ask the watchman to let you have a look inside.
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Stone Marker
About 3.5km north of Dadal village is a collection of hills known as Deluun Boldog. On top of one of the hills is a Stone Marker, built in 1990 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the writing of The Secret History of the Mongols. The inscription says that Chinggis Khaan was born here in 1162.
Some historians may not be entirely convinced about the exact date or location of his birth, but it's a great place to come into the world: the scenery and hiking around the valleys and forests are superb.
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Danrig Danjaalin Khiid
According to the chief monk, this monastery was built around 1840 and was once very active. It contained three northern temples and four southern temples, but less than half the 800 monks could be accommodated at one time, so most had to pray outside. It was closed in 1937. The monastery reopened in 1990 and has two small temples where about 15 monks worship. The monks are particularly friendly; we were warmly welcomed and allowed to watch a ceremony.
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Statue of Chinggis
Öndörkhaan being the capital of Chinggis Khaan's old stomping grounds, local authorities have put much effort in recent years towards elevating the conqueror's cult status. Look out for a bronze Statue of Chinggis seated on his horse; it's just outside the Ethnography Museum. The statue was commissioned as part of the celebrations to mark 800 years of statehood, in 2006. Nearby, opposite the Government House, is a stone statue of Chinggis.
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Aimag Museum & Gallery
The Aimag Museum & Gallery, in the former Government House in the old part of town, is one of the best of its kind outside of Ulaanbaatar. It contains some interesting paintings, fascinating old photos, some Choibalsan memorabilia and a giant bowl, made in 1861, which is large enough to boil mutton for 500 people (the mind boggles, the stomach churns). The aimag map marks the location of the some ruined monasteries.
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Shadavdarjaliin Khiid
Shadavdarjaliin Khiid is a lively place with a dozen or so monks. The original monastery in this area was built in 1660 and housed the first Buddhist philosophy school in Mongolia. At its peak, the monastery was home to more than 1000 monks. In the spring of 1938, the Stalinist purge reached Khentii and the monks were all arrested. The buildings remained standing until the 1950s, when they were torn down.
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Balbal
A well-preserved Turkic-era Balbal is 7km west of Öndörkhaan, past the airport. The squat-figured statue, covered in blue silk hadak (ritual scarf), has a disproportionately large head with pronounced eyebrows and deep-set eyes. His long hair is curled behind his ears, an unusual feature for this type of statue. Locals refer to the statue as 'Gelen', a religious title.
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Market
Choibalsan's proximity to China means that its Market is better stocked compared with other aimag capitals. It has lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as an interesting shop selling ger furniture, saddles, Mongolian hats and boots. The back of the market plays host to gambling stalls where locals play cards, dominoes and shagai (a dice game using anklebones).
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Chinggis Statue
The main monument in the area is the Chinggis Statue, 13km south of Delgerkhaan village. It was built in 1990 under the sponsorship of Unesco, to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the writing of The Secret History of the Mongols. The symbols on the side of the statue are the brands used by about 300 different clans in the area for marking their livestock.
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Ganga Nuur
The magnificent Ganga Nuur is about 13km southeast of Dariganga. From the end of September until mid-October, the lake is home to thousands of migrating swans. Along the shore, in a fenced compound, is delicious and safe spring water. Entry to the lake is around Tug1000 per person and around Tug500 per car (but you can park your car by the gate and walk).
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Erdenemandal Khiid
According to the monks, this monastery was originally built in 1830, about 20km from the present site. At the height of its splendour, there were seven temples and 1000 monks in residence, but the Stalinist purges of 1938 had the same result as elsewhere. The new monastery, surrounded by 108 distinctive stupas, is about 400m west of the square.
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Chinggis Khaan Statue
There's an impressive Chinggis Khaan Statue in the Gurvan Nuur camp, built in 1962 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Chinggis' birth. The monument was built at the height of the communist-era and after it was complete the president purged the folks who built it. Somehow the monument itself was allowed to stand.
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Khajuu Bulag
About 2.2km west of Deluun Boldog is the Khajuu Bulag mineral water springs, where the great man once drank. Take your water bottles and fill them to the brim because this is the freshest (flowing) spring water you will ever taste. You could also hike up into the hills behind town, where there is a large ovoo.
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Nature Pub
Chinggis Khaan would feel quite at home downing pints in this rustic restaurant and pub. The red exterior leads into a dimly lit hall decorated with stretched goat skins, wolf traps, and compound bows. The kitchen is probably the best in town, offering up a variety of dishes from pork steaks to fish.
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Avarga Toson Mineral Spring
One kilometre east of the statue is the Avarga Toson Mineral Spring, from which Ögedei Khaan drank and was cured of a serious stomach ailment. The spring is covered by an ovoo (a shamanistic collection of stones), but you can fill your water bottles at a pump house near the site.
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Nunga Café
Smart and colourful, this friendly café is a popular business lunch spot. Despite the modern look of the place, the menu is a little bland, offering the usual Mongolian meat-based dishes, soups and salads. But the owner speaks English and might be able to accommodate special requests.
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Tiger Café
Owned by the former Khentii governor, this is one of the better places in town. Meals are served in sizzling iron dishes shaped like a cow, although promises of fried fish on the menu are unfounded. It's on the 2nd floor of a distinctive green building on the main street.
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Mongolian Heroes' Memorial
Choibalsan's Mongolian Heroes' Memorial is one of the more dramatic pieces of Stalinist architecture in Mongolia. It is a large arch with a soldier on horseback charging towards the enemy. A Soviet tank next to the monument adds a quaint reminder of who really was boss.
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Altan Ovoo
The skyline of Dariganga is dominated by Altan Ovoo, a wide former crater topped by a stupa, which only men are allowed to visit. The stupa was built in 1990 on top of the ruins of the original Bat Tsagaan stupa, which was built in 1820 and destroyed in 1937.
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Kharkhorin Restaurant
If you've already eaten at the Tansag, and for some reason you're still in Baruun-Urt, try this restaurant near the main square. The pictures of Mongolian pop stars, presumably those who stopped by and played here, add a little bit of character to the place.
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Onon-Balj National Park
The 415,752-hectare Onon-Balj National Park, extending north from the village towards Russia, offers enticing camping spots, fishing holes and chances for spotting wildlife. Buy your national park ticket (around Tug3000) in the Government House.
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Chinggis Khaan Garden
The omnipresence of the great khaan is complete with Chinggis Khaan Garden. The site features a monument engraved with the image of an approaching Mongol horde, and a list of the Mongol khaans with the dates that they ruled.
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Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum on the western side of the square houses a collection of stuffed wildlife from around the aimag, plus exhibits on geology and flora. It's free if you've already paid for the Aimag Museum.
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Aimag Museum
The small Aimag Museum, north of the park, contains a mastodon tusk, a protoceratops skull, some Chinggis Khaan-era armour and the usual array of stuffed animals, including a saluting bear.
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