Things to do in Bayan Ölgii
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Kazakh Tour
Friendly guide and owner Dosjan Khabyl has tailor-made trips throughout Bayan-Ölgii and leads trekking tours around Tavan Bogd. He speaks English, Mongolian, Russian and Kazakh, and gets good reviews from travellers. The Ölgii office is next to Pamukkale restaurant.
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Altai Craft
This project employs 40 women to create traditional Kazakh handicrafts. You can visit the workshop, watch how the products are made and even take a free one-hour lesson in chain-stitch embroidery. Items available include chalk bags, yoga mats, bike bags, cushion covers and wall hangings. A book exchange is also available. The workshop is behind the market and a little hard to find so you may want to call ahead.
reviewed
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Aulum Sayajim beer garden
For a beer in a more quiet atmosphere than the disco, try the Aulum Sayajim beer garden, near the police station. The walled compound contains several cabanas and a tent. On Fridays, the beer is covered with towels so as not to offend the local Muslim population, but they will still sneak you a bottle. The gers nearby are actually for rent, but would you really want to sleep in a beer garden?
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C
Pamukkale
A welcome addition to the local restaurant scene, Pamukkale is a Turkish-run outfit that serves authentic kebabs and Turkish soups. Unfortunately the doner plate is never available (the locals don't like it) but you may be able to score a tasty chicken dish. The Turkish desserts are also excellent but portions are miniscule so you may need to order a few to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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Hot Springs
About 25km northwest of Khoton Nuur you can also visit Rashany Ikh Uul, an area of 35 Hot Springs . The springs (which are really just luke-warm) are facilitated by Aksu Rashan Suvlal (9942 2979; per person with breakfast US$10), a small ger camp run by a local entrepreneur. The springs are around 33°C to 36°C and cost US$5 to enter.
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Market
The Market has a decent selection of food supplies imported from Russia and China. Traditional Kazakh skullcaps and jackets can also be found amid the chaos. How and why the shopkeepers have 'Boots' plastic bags is a mystery to us. There's a small charge to get into the enclosed part of the market where all the food is.
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Art Shop Burkit
Local craftsman Narbek Khasim is a silversmith by trade but has recently entered the eagle-hunting accessory market, producing gauntlets, eagle hoods, belts and leather goods. He speaks English and is also a two-time tae kwon do national champion (of Kazakhstan) - one of Ölgii's more interesting characters.
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Mosque
Ölgii's Mosque and madrasah (Islamic place of learning) is worth a quick look, especially on Friday at lunchtime when weekly prayers are held, though you may not be allowed inside. The mosque holds the offices of the Islamic Centre of Mongolia. Its unusual angle is due to its orientation to Mecca.
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Khuiten Uul Base Camp
Even if you are not a climber, it's worth trekking up to the Khuiten Uul Base Camp, where you can get stunning views of all the peaks as well as the 12km-long Potanii glacier, which tumbles out of the range. It's possible to walk onto the glacier but be careful of deep snows and crevasses.
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Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park (636,161 hectares) Takes in Tavan Bogd, which includes Mongolia's highest mountain, and the stunning lakes of Khoton, Khurgan and Dayan. Fauna includes argali sheep, ibex, maral (Asiatic red deer), stone marten, deer, elk, Altai snowcock and eagles.
reviewed
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Tsagaan Sala Petroglyphs
The best petroglyphs in the area, if not all of Central Asia, can be found at Tsagaan Sala (aka Baga Oigor), on the route between Ulaankhus and Tavan Bogd. The drawings, more than 10,000 of them, are scattered over a 15km area; you'll need a guide to find the best ones.
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Toganai Shaykhana
Opposite the Bastau Hotel, this tiny café serves excellent buuz (steamed mutton dumplings; around Tug70) and greasy khuushuur (fried mutton pancakes; around Tug150) served with a delicious khaluun nogoo (chilli sauce).
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Khurgan Nuur
The shoreline of Khurgan Nuur is dry and exposed. Few people travel along its southern shore but if you are going this way there is a stupa-like construction and several burial sites. Nearby is a balbal (GPS: N 48°32.006', E 88°28.549').
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Aimag Museum Gift Shop
If you are on the hunt for Kazakh wall hangings and felt rugs, check out the gift shop in the Aimag Museum. It has antiques and new items including fox fur hats (US$70), wall hangings (US$70) and felt mats (US$40).
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Petroglyphs
Close to Tavan Bogd, Sheveed Uul (3350m) contains some fascinating Petroglyphs depicting wild animals and hunting scenes. Keep your eyes peeled (and binoculars ready) for ibex which inhabit the mountain above.
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Otau Cooperative
Sells Kazakh handbags (around Tug6000 to around Tug100), felt mats (around Tug100 to around Tug150) hats (around Tug7000) and other handicrafts made by around 30 local women. It's next to the Bastau Hotel.
reviewed
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Aimag Museum
The Aimag Museum gives an excellent overview of Kazakh culture and the geography of Bayan-Ölgii. The 2nd floor is devoted to history, and the 3rd floor has some interesting ethnographic displays.
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Mogoit Valley
Mogoit Valley contains a moustachioed balbal (GPS: N 48°44.099', E 88°38.930') and a Kazakh cemetery with an interesting beehive-shaped mausoleum about 2km to the north.
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Balbal
A Balbal can be found south of Mogoit Valley, on the way to Khurgan Nuur. More interesting Kazakh cemeteries and ancient burial mounds are easily spotted from the road.
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Blue Wolf Travel
Offers a variety of trips including winter eagle-hunting tours. The Ölgii office is about 400m south of the ochre-coloured Kazakh National Theatre.
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Nur Danesca
Popular with the local teen set, this modern disco club is behind the mosque. (The over-18 crowd tends to patronise the disco in the Duman Hotel.)
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Khökh Serkh Strictly Protected Area
Khökh Serkh Strictly Protected Area (65,920 hectares) A mountainous area on the border with Khovd, which protects argali sheep and ibex.
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Siilkhem Nuruu National Park
Siilkhem Nuruu National Park (140,080 hectares) This park has two sections, one around Ikh Türgen Uul, the other further west.
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Tsambagarav Uul National Park
Tsambagarav Uul National Park (110,960 hectares) Protects glaciers and the snow-leopard habitat; borders on Khovd.
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Sunkhar Supermarket
A convenient place to pick up food and supplies is the Sunkhar Supermarket, just west of the Tavan Bogd Hotel.
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