Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
Encyclopedia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. The Terelj tourist zone has a number of "tourist camps" . It is connected with Ulan Bator by a paved road (main road to the East #A0501 Baganuur
Baganuur
Baganuur is one of nine düüregs of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. It is subdivided into four khoroos .Baganuur is actually a separate city, located as an exclave of 620 km² at the border between the Töv and Khentii aimags. It was created as a Soviet military base.Later Soviet Union...
-Öndörkhaan direction, 37 km from Ulan Bator city center, left turn to the branch #A24, 5 km later road crosses Tuul River
Tuul River
Tuul River is a river in central and northern Mongolia considered sacred by the Mongols. It is 704 km long and drains an area 49,840 square km. The river is called the "Duluo river" in the Suishu, a Chinese historical work completed in 636 AD...
and the National park territory begins). The road comes to the Gorkhiin Davaa pass. Most of the tourist camps and tourist attractions are before this pass. The road then ends in Terelj settlement, which features small shops and restaurants. Terelj settlement is located in the Terelj gol river dale, approximately 66 km from Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
city center. The national park tourist zone is formally Nalaikh
Nalaikh
Nalaikh is one of nine Düüregs of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. It is subdivided into 6 Khoroos .Other than most other düüregs, Nalaikh is technically a separate city, but still under the common administration of the capital....
düüreg
Düüreg
A düüreg is a municipal district in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. Each of the nine düüregs is subdivided into khoroos.Each düüreg also serves as a constituency that elects one or more representatives into the State Great Khural, the national parliament.Although administratively part of...
(district) part of Ulaanbaatar, the rest (protected) zone begins to the North from Terelj Gol river and is located in Mongolia's Töv aimag
Töv Province
Töv is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. The national capital Ulaanbaatar is located roughly at its center, but the city itself is administrated as an independent municipality.- Geography :...
.
A small southern portion of the park is developed for tourists, with restaurants, souvenir shops, horses and camels for rent, and tourist ger
Yurt
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...
camps, many of them run by Juulchin, the former state tourism company. However, most of the park is undeveloped and difficult to access. Attractions include Khagiin Khar Lake, a 20m deep glacial lake 80km upstream from the tourist camps, and Yestii Hot Water Springs, natural hot springs 18km further upstream. The park also has a Buddhist monastery that is open to visitors. Park wildlife includes brown bears and over 250 species of birds. The Tuul River
Tuul River
Tuul River is a river in central and northern Mongolia considered sacred by the Mongols. It is 704 km long and drains an area 49,840 square km. The river is called the "Duluo river" in the Suishu, a Chinese historical work completed in 636 AD...
flows through the park.
The park has many rock formations for rock climbers, and includes two famous formations named for things they resemble: Turtle Rock (Mongolian: Melkhii Khad) and the Old Man Reading a Book (Praying Lama Rock).
Many Westerners were introduced to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park when the CBS reality television program The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race 10
The Amazing Race 10 is the tenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 10 features twelve teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world....
visited the park in the second episode of its tenth season.
External links
- Tourist review of the park
- MSNBC Travel article about the park
- USA Today Travel article about the park
- Official The Amazing Race website recapping the show's visit to Terelj