Highlights:
- A cave filled with crystal rock formations where a Buddhist lama meditated for 20 years
- A fresh water spring shrine the water from which supposedly cures blindness
- A 17th century ruined Buddhist temple
- Beautiful craters, cliffs and valleys overlooking the eastern steppe
Travel from Ulaanbaatar:
Driving from Ulaanbaatar takes around 4 hours travelling on good roads to Mandalgobi and then a 2 hour drive on basic roads
Advice:
Wear good walking boots and be prepared to do a bit of scrambling to get the most out of the area.
Although there are caves we do not recommend inexperienced spelunkers entering any of them as they tend to be very deep, dark and have extremely steep floors leading down the main shafts that are easy to slip on. Bear in mind that there is no rescue infrastructure in Mongolia.
Bayan Bulag ger camp has an impressive collection of fossils, rocks and interesting things to look at.
The shrine is difficult to locate unless you have an experienced guide. There is a wooden spoon attached for you to use when you do find it.