Western Mongolia

• 🌍 Hovd in Hovd Aimag has a Manchu Fort and cave drawings outside the city. The most diverse city in Mongolia with 10 tribes.
• 🌍 Ölgii is the center of Kazakh culture in Mongolia, and starting place to see eagle hunters, Turkic Stone Men, petroglyphs, and the national parks.
• 🌍 Ulaangom home to Tuvans and Dorvod tribes, near the large salty Uvs Lake.
• 🌍 Uliastai capital of Zavkhan, one of 3 permanent settlements in Mongolia to predate the 20th century.

• 🌍 Altai Tavan Bogd National Park home of 'Five Saints' Mountains and Kazakh Eagle Hunters. Has a World Heritage Site covering ancient cave images.
• 🌍 Tsambagarav National Park has the 2nd highest mountain in Mongolia and plenty of wildlife.

Western region of Mongolia has for much of its history been on the boundary between civilizations, between Chinese dominated Asian culture to the east and European cultures to the west divided by the Altai mountains and the Tibetan plateau to the south with only a narrow gap just south of what is today Mongolia. This location near the crossroad of civilization has left the landscape littered with history of many groups either originating in these mountain valleys or passing through on their way to conquest. Over the last 10,000 years, the Blue Turks, Scythians, Tuvans, Hun, Mongols, Uighurs, and Kazakhs all spread out from or through the region to take over more settled peoples. It wasn't until the 1930s that all of the Altai mountains was firmly controlled with fixed borders by outside powers, and even then only after many years of bloody resistance. This legacy of independence can still be seen in the customs of the diverse population which can be broadly divided into Kazakhs, Tuvans, Khalkh Mongols, and Oirat Mongols (which can be divided into roughly 10 distinct tribes). These groups have adapted their cultures to handle the difficulties of living in this cold, dry, mountainous place. This region with the Altai Mountains in the west, Gobi Desert in the east and south, the Great Mongolian Lakes depression in the north and center, and forests, steppe, and deserts mixed throughout support some rare and spectacular wildlife. Large and endangered animals call the region home including snow leopards, the Govi Bear, Argali sheep, ibex, antelope, gazelle, falcons, golden eagles, wolves, foxes, and many more. Many more birds use the many lakes as rest stops on their annual migration between Siberia and Southeast Asia.

Mongolian is the official language and is spoken by almost everyone in the region, although Kazakh is the native language of most of Bayan-Ölgii and some in Hovd. In the countryside of Bayan-Ölgii, particularly near Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, Kazakh is the primary language and some people will have only limited knowledge of Mongolian (This can be a problem with Mongolian tour guides). Russian can be used occasionally among middle-aged and older people, while English is only spoken by very few people.

Flights for Ulaanbaatar to airports in Ölgii (ULG ^IATA), Hovd (HVD ^IATA), Ulaangom (ULO ^IATA), and Uliastai (at Donoi Airport ULZ ^IATA) daily or several times a week on AeroMongolia or Hunnu Air. There is also a flight to Tsontsengel in Zavkhan on Sky Horse Aviation. Direct buses from the Dragon Center in Ulaanbaatar to each Aimag Center also available daily. These buses take 36 hours to Ölgii and 30 to Hovd or Ulaangom under ideal conditions (can be much longer). It is sometimes possible to get a shared jeep ride between Aimag Centers like Altai (Govi-Altai) to Hovd or Tsetserleg to Ulaangom or Uliastai via Tosontsengel village in the northeast corner of Zavkhan.

It is often easier to get into the region than to get around it. While every provincial capital has direct flights and nonstop bus route connecting to the capital, transportation between provinces usually means spending several hours stuffed like a sardine inside an overcrowded Russian jeep or van. There is regular 'shared jeep' transit to the villages from the capitals, and between some, but not all neighboring provinces. Shared jeeps meet in the 'black market' in most cities and mostly leave in the afternoon. Drivers going between cities and surrounding villages on regular routes mostly live in the village and leave the village in the morning and return in the afternoon. If you are planning on hitchhiking or taking public transit across the region, plan on going through Hovd instead of Ulaangom to get to Bayan-Ölgii, as Hovd serves as the business and political center of the west.

The diversity of people, history, landscapes, and animals makes this remote region worth the effort to visit. The archeological history of the region dates back several thousand years, with petroglyphs, Turkic standing stone statues, various tombs, monuments, and artifacts spread throughout the deserts, mountain passes, steppe, and forests of the area. The descendents of these ancient artisans today still herd animals in a semi-nomadic lifestyle that is similar to the times of Genghis Khan with small variations depending on which of the roughly 12 tribes and nationalities live here. Though often much harder to find than the cave drawings or nomadic ger-dwellers, many rare and endangered animals inhabit the region including the snow leopard, Argali sheep, ibex, Przewalski horse, and more common animals like the grey wolf, Corsac fox, golden eagle, lynx, brown bear, and many smaller animals.

Of all the tribes living in western Mongolia, only the Kazakhs have a distinctly different style of food (at least to a more discerning observer). All the food covers the same food groups typical of Mongolia; mutton, flour, dairy, and some root vegetables. The one difference is that Kazakhs follow Islamic standards of hygiene, which means their diet differs in that meat is drained of blood, as opposed to Mongolian custom of keeping it in the meat, and food is saltier. Which will be much appreciated burst of flavor after a few weeks of eating Mongolian food. Kazakhs also serve a few different dishes in addition to Mongolian dishes like fried mutton pancakes and boiled mutton dumplings. Many of these dishes include horse meat. Kazakh food is found in Bayan-Olgii and Hovd provinces. Try to be-friend a local and go to dinner.

Even in the remote western region of Mongolia, many full-service restaurant can be found in the provincial capitals. Most are Mongolian, but there are also Korean, Turkish, Chinese, and American style restaurants. All provincial capitals and many of the larger towns will have small cafes serving greasy mutton dishes washed down with milky tea. If you wish to cook for your self instead, it is best to stock up in the provincial centers or before you go out west. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be found in the market, while canned foods, snacks, and other necessities are best to buy in the stores. If you can't find an item in the first store, try several more. No store will have everything, and each one will have something different.