Road to the Western part of Mongolia

Every time I go to Mongolia's western provinces and meet the local herders, I admire the beautiful nature of my native country. From the capital close to 1000 kilometers are crossed by car in 2 days full. However, during my childhood I travelled this route in 15 days - at a time when the modern paved roads of today were not developed. Not so long ago, all vehicles travelled on dirt roads and drove very slowly through snow and mud. For me, I draw my inspiration and energy from mother nature and go about my work and life with enthusiasm. This is why I like going out to the countryside to meet and interact with herders to get acquainted with their unique life experiences. Therefore, I would like to share Mongolia's beautiful nature and ancient sites with you along my travels across my home country.

Elsen Tasarkhai is a part of the Mongol Els sand dunes, that continues 80 km long 5 km wide across Burd, Bulgan and Gurvanbulag soums of Uvurkhangai province. It is located 280 km west of Ulaanbaatar. The area is surrounded by sand dunes, hills covered with rare bushes and a small forest near a river. Together this presents a unique combination of Mongolian mountains, forests and Gobi-type landscape in one location. Local people call this sand dunes Duut mankhan. 

After the Elsen tasarkhai you will reach the ancient capital of Mongolia called Karakorum.  It was a place where different religious practices were accepted, with at least 12 different pagan temples, two mosques, a church and at least one Buddhist temple located inside the city’s walls in 13th century. The city’s glory was, however, short lived. Kublai Khan eventually moved the empire’s capital to Beijing only 50 years after development first began. With harsh temperatures and a vulnerability to attacks, the city’s inhabitants didn’t stay around for long after that, and Karakorum quickly turned into a pile of rubble.