MOUNT KHARKHIRAA DESTINATIONS ADVENTURES TO DIFFERENT TERRAIN, CULTURES, AND WILDERNESS

The Kharkhiraa Turgen mountain region offers a unique combination of unspoiled paths that are ideal for the most adventurous and exciting treks, with a view over the traditional local nomadic life. The highlights of this amazing region are definitely the many lakes and waterfalls surrounding the Kharkhiraa mountain with its eternal snow-capped summit at 4040m (the 8th highest summit of the country), and the Western lifestyle that is different from Central Mongolia. This part of the Uvs Province is a strictly protected area, an amazingly untouched landscape.

Here the Kharkhiraa and Turgen mountains have eternal snow at their peaks, glaciers on their sides, display an ancient archaeological site, and unique nomadic customs of the local nomad communities that are the Dorvod and Khoton ethnic groups. This place is therefore very rich in local stories and legends that will be undoubtedly fascinating to hear about. 

The two mountains are part of the Altai mountain range - the highest places in the country, with eternal snow, glaciers, and remainings of ancient ice covers have well preserved due to the climate here: with constant wind and cold temperatures throughout the year. The area is inhabited by some of the most iconic endangered species of animals like the Argali sheep, Ibex, Snow leopard, and the Altai snowcock bird), and a beautiful alpine flora with the Dwarf Siberian Pine, Edelweisses owers, or the White Gentians. One thing to note: here the local timezone is 1 hour different from the capital city of Mongolia, named "Asia / Hovd" with a UTC offset of 7 hours (UTC+7): count -1 hour compared to Ulaanbaatar the capital city. 

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OVERVIEW

Located in Uvs province, Kharkhiraa & Turgen Mountain Massif, Khyargas Lake National Park, and Uureg Lake feature approximately 1550 square miles. It is home to an incomparable combination of natural beauty, rugged wilderness, majestic peaks, and abundant wildlife

From Ulaanbaatar city / 1500km, north-west
From Ulaangom town 3 hours drive / 100 km

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY THE DESTINTATION GALLERY!

The Kharkhiraa Turgen mountain region offers a unique combination of unspoiled paths that are ideal for the most adventurous and exciting treks, with a view over the traditional local nomadic life. The highlights of this amazing region are definitely the many lakes and waterfalls surrounding the Kharkhiraa mountain with its eternal snow-capped summit at 4040m (the 8th highest summit of the country), and the Western lifestyle that is different from Central Mongolia. This part of the Uvs Province is a strictly protected area, an amazingly untouched landscape.

MOUNT KHARKHIRAA DESTINATIONS ADVENTURES TO DIFFERENT TERRAIN, CULTURES, AND WILDERNESS

Here the Kharkhiraa and Turgen mountains have eternal snow at their peaks, glaciers on their sides, display an ancient archaeological site, and unique nomadic customs of the local nomad communities that are the Dorvod, and Khoton ethnic groups. This place is therefore very rich in local stories and legends that will be undoubtedly fascinating to hear about. 

The two mountains are part of the Altai mountain range - the highest places in the country, with eternal snow, glaciers, and remainings of ancient ice covers have well preserved due to the climate here: with constant wind and cold temperatures throughout the year. The area is inhabited by some of the most iconic endangered species of animals like the Argali sheep, Ibex, Snow leopard, and the Altai snowcock bird), and a beautiful alpine flora with the Dwarf Siberian Pine, Edelweisses owers, or the White Gentians. One thing to note: here the local timezone is 1 hour different from the capital city of Mongolia, named "Asia / Hovd" with a UTC offset of 7 hours (UTC+7): count -1 hour compared to Ulaanbaatar the capital city. 
_________
OVERVIEW

Located in Uvs province, Kharkhiraa & Turgen Mountain Massif, Khyargas Lake National Park, and Uureg Lake feature approximately 1550 square miles. It is home to an incomparable combination of natural beauty, rugged wilderness, majestic peaks, and abundant wildlife

From Ulaanbaatar city / 1500km, north-west
From Ulaangom town 3 hours drive / 100 km

CLICK HERE TO ENJOY THE DESTINATION GALLERY!

1st landing place: GOOJUUR WATERFALL ADVENTURE TREK
Local name: Goojuur Waterfall

1st landing place: GOOJUUR WATERFALL ADVENTURE TREK
Local name: Goojuur Waterfall

Venturing to the South-West side of the Kharkhiraa mountain, you will come across a terrain led by stormy waters, and the beautiful Goojuur waterfall. The main falls are 17m tall, sandwiched between the rocky formations of Olon Nuur mountains which display eternal snow, with an altitude of about 3000m. Here, the quiet surroundings mark the territory of many rare species such as the snow leopard, the largest argali sheep, ibex, and other mammals. This place is a small dream for hikers in a land filled with 108 lakes, and a succession of many waterfalls to discover going upstream of the stormy waters. The Goojuur river is very pure and fresh, and the view is also a little gem for photographers around avid landscapes and long exposure shots.
Here, the landscape itself leads the way to an amazing trek for the day, starting with a soft discovery of the main falls, with a small hike of about 1km from where we stop the vehicle. Then if you desire a little more adventure, we can venture further upstream to uncover many waterfalls all being impressive and different from one another. Be aware of the slippery rocks on the way, and with some dedication, we can hike up to reach one of the summits around, for an uncompromising view over the entire waterfalls and valleys joining back together with the river. This is a perfect warmup location before longer hikes around the region, with a top view over the higher grounds, and a first hint over the canyon of ibex and snow leopards that are awaiting. The hike itself would take almost half a day, with a beautiful little spot on the rocks alongside the water for a natural and relaxing picnic. Meditation could also be a wonderful part of the journey here, being one with the elements of water, the rocks, and the sky.

2nd landing place: THE LAND OF MANY WATERFALLS
Local name: The Land of Many Waterfalls

2nd landing place: THE LAND OF MANY WATERFALLS
Local name: The Land of Many Waterfalls

Within reach of a few kilometers from our campsite, this amazing wide landscape is a perfect little gem to start a day hiking. Not only the most beautiful peaks of the region will be visible and accompany your journey, but also your path will display a great variety of terrains: between a soft floor literally covered with edelweiss flowers, you will be led between tree lines, high mountains, and the stormy flow of the Shivert river, taking its sources from two valleys always with us during the hike.
Here you have the chance to totally change the environment depending on the path we choose: as we go down following the river up or downstream, we pass from a large Switzerland type alpine landscape to a North American West Coast sort of rocky terrain with high waterfalls and a beautiful forested area. This very particular place is unique for those reasons, and provides a very relaxing feeling, being wild yet reminding of other types of landscapes familiar to the world travelers. A good day hike is required here, for a total of 11km that is possible to walk. But be ensured the hike itself is not difficult to most, and plenty of beautiful little breaks can be provided - especially for the photographers who will be delighted by the changing scenes. If you are lucky, you could spot ibex families roaming on the top of the mountains around, clearly visible with the help of binoculars or a small telescope. If you dare to remain another additional day in this magical place, we can uncover both the upper and the lower valleys, for various sights, adventures and making it a complete experience of the region.

3d landing place: THE CANYON OF IBEX AND SNOW LEOPARD 
Local name: The Canyon of Ibex and Snow Leopard

3d landing place: THE CANYON OF IBEX AND SNOW LEOPARD
Local name: The Canyon of Ibex and Snow Leopard

If there’s a place more desirable that screams adventure and being a totally remote land, where only a few people walked onto, is this one. Not only accessing this zone is a small journey in itself with the crossing of a stormy river filled with large rocks (which occasionally floods with gigantic trunks of trees being carried away), but the nomads being very few in this area, they actually don’t venture inside the canyon itself. There is a small family owning goats and a few horses at its entrance, but you would be amazed to cross this entire canyon without sighting other human beings. And that’s the main idea here: finding a virgin land, that hosts some of the most intriguing mammal species of the country: the ibex and the snow leopards. Following the beautiful stream of water coming from the opposite mountains from where we came from, it is possible to go deeper in it, and in just about 30minutes, the mountains will narrow down the path to just about 2 people maximum width. Here, the landscape makes us feel so small and foreign to this type of wilderness, that it is possible to feel what the early men felt centuries ago: getting back to the roots of our origins, where Nature was the king and us dependent on the rare encounters with endemics species.
A land filled with a beautiful flower floor, interesting large rocks, and if we are lucky some potential wildlife spotting when dedicating some time deep into the canyon. We can start beautiful hikes around, but it would be hard to reach the mountain tops surrounding, as they climb as high as 1 kilometer above us.

MOUNT KHARKHIRAA DESTINATION GALLERY

Photos by Enguerran Zandonai

MOUNT KHARKHIRAA DESTINATION GALLERY
Photos by Enguerran Zandonai

Around the Mountains and Waterfalls to the roots of the ancient Nature, this land is the best compromise for discovery, meditation and hikes among true wilderness.