Must-see attractions in Western Mongolia

Covering 6362 sq km, Altai Tavan Bogd National Park takes in the Tavan Bogd massif – which includes Khuiten Uul (4374m), Mongolia's highest mountain…

The southern shore along Khoton Nuur has excellent camping spots, especially around Ulaan Tolgoi, a spit of land that juts majestically into the lake. The…

Üüreg Nuur (elevation 1425m) is 20km long and 18km wide, with an average depth of 27m. Surrounded by mountains of 3000m-plus, and almost entirely devoid…

The lake's main attraction Khetsuu Khad, an enormous rock sticking out of the water that attracts migratory cormorants. The birds arrive in April and…

This huge cave looks deceptively small from the parking area. But once you scramble up the loose rock path, you realise its true size and how it must have…

High up in the protected area of mountains north of Üüreg Nuur, a 14m waterfall cascades over black rocks. It's a 10km slog (most people drive this bit)…

Crowning a level platform of boulders atop Dayan Uul is this 30m-high sedimentary rock tower, draped with blue cloth and encircled by prayer wheels. The…

Western Mongolia's second highest mountain – the permanently snow-capped Tsambagarav Uul (4208m) – straddles the border between Khovd and Bayan-Ölgii…

This pretty alpine lake is surrounded by mountains and makes a great destination on foot or by horse from Tarialan; the trip is about 15km up Davaan…

The bleakly inviting teal expanse of Tolbo Nuur unfurls for 20km beside the paved Ölgii–Khovd City Rd. Despite being 2080m above sea level, the lightly…

Uvs Nuur Strictly Protected Area (7125 sq km) consists of four separate areas: Uvs Nuur, Türgen Uul, Tsagaan Shuvuut Uul and the Altan Els Strictly…

Spread through the mountains of the Dara region are nine freshwater lakes varying in size from 100m to 2km in length. The easternmost lake, known locally…

Several brightly painted Buddhist temples have been erected on this hilltop in Dörgön sum (district) on the northeastern shore of Khar Us Nuur; the…

This museum has the usual collection of stuffed wildlife, plus excellent ethnic costumes, Buddhist and Kazakh art and a snow leopard pelt on the wall. One…

Encompassing rivers, lakes and rocky peaks in the Khangai range, this protected area (955 sq km) wraps around Otgon Tenger Uul (meaning 'youngest sky'),…

Meaning 'Blue Goat' in Mongolian, this mountainous area (659 sq km) on the border with Khovd is a haven for snow leopards, argali sheep and ibex. This is…

The Khuiten Uul Base Camp (3092m) offers stunning views of all the five peaks as well as the 12km-long Potanii Glacier, which tumbles out of the range. It…

These two graves, plonked incongruously on the grassy plain that runs down to the shore of Üüreg Nuur from OT Tour Camp, are each marked by a balbal …

This remarkable habitat (103 sq km) straddles the Bayan-Ölgii/Uvs border and centres around Develiin Island in the Usan Khooloi and Khovd rivers. It is…

The best petroglyphs in the area, if not all of Central Asia, can be found at Tsagaan Sala, in a river valley between Ulaankhus and Tavan Bogd. The…