Khyargas Nuur National Park

Introducing Khyargas Nuur National Park

Khyargas Nuur, a salt lake amid desert and scrub grass, provides an attractive summer home for birds but sees little tourist traffic. Some travellers visit the lake when travelling between Uvs and Zavkhan aimags.

On the northwestern side of Khyargas Nuur, there is a cold spring (GPS: N 49°20.153’, E 093°09.355’) that dribbles out of the mountain – locals say drinking some has health benefits. Near the spring is Khar Temis (9945 6796; r T5000, half-lux T10, 000), an old Soviet holiday camp that has seen some renovations. It has lake views and a sandy beach.

The main attraction of the lake, and possibly the weirdest sight in western Mongolia, is Khetsuu Khad, an enormous rock sticking out of the water that attracts migratory cormorant birds. The birds arrive in April and hatch their young in large nests built on the rock. When the chicks hatch, their squawking is constant and deafening. The aura created by the white cliffs and shrill birds makes you feel as if you’ve arrived at the ocean. By October the cormorants are off again, migrating back to their breeding grounds in southern China.

The water around the rock is a bit slimy and the beach is rocky, so the swimming isn’t so great here. This habitat, however, ideal for fish and you’ll spot plenty swimming idly in the shallow waters. There are no laws against fishing although given the sensitivity of this unique ecosystem, it’s probably best to leave them alone, tempting though they may be.

Adding to the surreal nature of the place is the Khetsuu Khad Ger Camp (11-310 158; 9919 6966; GPS: N 49°01.968’, E 093°28.783’; with/without meals US$33/15) set down here in the middle of absolutely nowhere. It has hot showers, flush toilets, a restaurant (meals T5000 to T6000) and lonely staff.

The last 15km of the road to Khetsuu Khad are very sandy and it’s easy to get stuck – don’t attempt it without a reliable 4WD vehicle and confident driver. The drive is easier in July and August when rains harden the sand. (The rain also stirs up waves on the lake, which can make for spectacular viewing.)

A national park fee of T3000 applies around the lake, though you’d be lucky (or unlucky) to find a ranger to pay it to.

South of Khyargas Nuur but still in the national park is the freshwater lake Airag Nuur (GPS: N 48°57.126’, E 093°22.011’), at the end of the mighty Zavkhan Gol. Despite the name, the lake is not full of fermented mare milk, but it does have about 10 breeding pairs of migratory Dalmatian pelican. There were about 400 pelican in the 1960s, but the numbers are tragically decreasing because poachers kill them for their beaks, which are used to make a traditional implement for cleaning horses, called a khusuur (currycomb), which you may see in use at the Naadam Festival.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009