Kharkhorin & Orkhon Valley

The Orkhon Valley, home of the Mongol Empire's ancient capital, with the World Heritage-listed Erdene Zuu Monastery, the Orkhon Waterfall and a landscape of nomadic steppe culture.

Kharkhorin lies at the northern tip of Övörkhangai Province in central Mongolia, on the banks of the Orkhon River, about 360 km from Ulaanbaatar. It stands on the site of Karakorum, the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire, and even earlier the Xiongnu, Turkic and Uyghur khaganates all built capitals in the Orkhon Valley; in 2004 the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Today the town is small, but the wall of 108 white stupas around Erdene Zuu Monastery is one of Mongolia's most iconic sights. The best season is June–Sep, when the steppe is lush and green, with Naadam in July; days and nights differ greatly in temperature, so bring a jacket. From October to April it is bitterly cold and many ger camps close. Sightseeing falls into three areas: in town, Erdene Zuu Monastery, the Kharkhorum Museum, the ruins of the ancient city, the stone turtles and the Mongol Empire Monument on the hill; in the valley to the north, the Khoshoo Tsaidam Museum of Turkic inscriptions and the Uyghur capital Khar Balgas; and to the southwest, along the valley via the Khujirt hot springs and Tövkhön Monastery to the Orkhon Waterfall, which usually requires an overnight stay. On the way from Ulaanbaatar, travelers often stop at the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dunes and Khögnö Khan Mountain for camel rides. Getting there: long-distance buses run from Ulaanbaatar in about 6–7 hours, but it is more common to hire a 4WD with driver and guide for a 3–6 day loop. Allow at least 2 days, or 4–5 days to include the waterfall. Accommodation is mostly in ger camps and with nomad families; in remote areas bring cash, sun protection and insect repellent.

Top sights

• Erdene Zuu Monastery – Built in 1585 with stones from the ancient city of Kharkhorin, this is Mongolia’s oldest surviving Tibetan Buddhist monastery, enclosed by…
• Orkhon Waterfall (Ulaan Tsutgalan) – A basalt gorge waterfall on the upper Orkhon River Valley, with a drop of about 20 metres, surrounded by volcanic landscapes and grassland…
• Orkhon River Valley – The wide grassland valley cradle of Mongolian civilisation, where herds, gers and river bends form the classic nomadic landscape.
• Kharkhorum Museum – An archaeological museum opened in 2011, displaying porcelain, coins and palace architectural fragments from the Mongol Empire's capital
• Mongol Empire Monument – A three-sided map monument on a hillside south of town, showing the territories of the Xiongnu, the Turks and the Mongol Empire, overlookin…
• Ruins of Karakorum – The Mongol Empire's capital founded by Ögedei in 1235; few ruins remain above ground, but it witnessed the centre of Eurasia
• Turtle Rock – A 13th-century granite stone turtle on the grassland outside Erdene Zuu Monastery, originally the base of a boundary stele for Kharkhorin
• Phallic Rock – A carved stone phallus in a valley southeast of town, said to keep the monks of Erdene Zuu Monastery in line, now a quirky photo stop
• Tövkhön Monastery – A meditation monastery built by Zanabazar on a clifftop, a small temple amid forest that is a pilgrimage site in the Orkhon Valley
• Elsen Tasarkhai Sand Dunes – A narrow sand belt about 80 km long in the steppe, where you can ride camels and climb dunes at sunset without going deep into the Gobi
• Khögnö Khan Mountain & Övgön Monastery – A granite mountain nature reserve beside the dunes, hiding the ruins of 17th-century Övgön Monastery and a rebuilt small temple in its vall…
• Shankh Monastery – An old monastery founded by Zanabazar, said to have housed Genghis Khan's battle banner, and one of the few monasteries to survive the Sovi…
• Khöshöö Tsaidam Monuments & Museum – The original site of the 8th-century Turkic steles for Kul Tigin and Bilge Khagan, inscribed with some of the earliest Old Turkic and Chine…
• Kharbalgas (Ordu-Baliq) – The capital of the 8th-century Uyghur Khaganate, whose massive rammed-earth walls survive as the most impressive ruined city in the Orkhon…
• Khujirt Hot Springs – A mineral spa town built in the Soviet era, where you can soak and rest on the way to the Orkhon Waterfall
• Tsenkher Hot Springs – A high-temperature sulphur spring in a Khangai valley, piped into open-air pools at ger camps, and the most popular overnight soak on the c…

Where to eat

• Kharkhorin Hostel Restaurant – A hostel restaurant located between Erdene Zuu Monastery and the town center, where Korean dishes and pizza offer a nic…
• King Restaurant – An established restaurant on the town's main street, serving mostly Mongolian dishes alongside Korean options, often fr…
• Ikh Khorum Hotel Restaurant – A restaurant inside one of the town's newer hotels, serving both Mongolian dishes and Western options like pizzas and b…
• Ortoo Coffee Shop – A small coffee shop next to Erdene Zuu Monastery, highly rated for its cakes and coffee, making it a convenient spot to…

Itineraries

• Central Mongolia to Lake Khuvsgul – Traverse the Orkhon Valley, Khangai Mountains, and Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (White Lake) north to Khuvsgul, flying back fr…