Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is well located on the
altitude of 4000m above the sea level, making it the westernmost and highest
region of Mongolia. Along with natural wonders, the park is also famous for
historical and cultural attractions, such as UNESCO World Heritage ancient rock
carvings, burial mounds, mysterious stone men, and nomadic cultures of Tuva and
Kazakh dynasties. Here are some of the main reasons to get here –
The Altai Mountains
The Altai Mountains are the largest in Mongolia which
stretch from the Tavan Bogd mountain group till southeast with several ridges
located closely to one another. On average, they are located above 3500m above
sea level.
The highest peak is Mt. Khuiten, i.e. 4374m high, and the
Chinese, Russian and Mongolian borders meet at Nairamdal, which means
friendship. Other peaks here are Burged, Malchin, and Ulgii. Established in
1996, the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is the remotest and highest park in
Mongolia and stretches over 6,362 sq. km.
Spot the Endangered Fauna
The national park houses several large mammals, such as
brown bears, red deer, marmots, foxes, and gray wolves. It also houses the
endangered snow leopard, snow lynx, Argali wild sheep and several beautiful
birds like Eurasian eagle owl, golden eagles, snowcock and various falcon
species.
Thousands of migratory birds also fly through the mountains
in fall and spring, such as relict, Eurasian spoonbill, gull, Black Kite hawk,
and six species of crane. Mongolian Altai also attracts fishers to catch
Mongolian Grayling, which is found in western Mongolia only, Potanian Osman,
and various species like Lenok Trout, and Taimen in the lakes and rivers here.
Come closer to rich flora
The ecoregion of the Altai Mountain of Mongolia houses a lot
of endangered and endemic species of plants like Juniperus, Rhodiola Rosea, and
Altai onion. Some of them are used as food and medicine by the locals. You can
find half of the flora from Siberia here.
Largest Lakes
There are several beautiful lakes in Altai Tavan Bogd
National Park and the largest ones are Khurgan, Khoton, and Dayan. Khurgan and
Khoton lakes are well covered by snow-capped mountains and stunning scenery and
lakes connected with huge channel. The lake is also the source of Khovd River falling
through the Altai Mountain and the island is covered by the jungle in the heart
of Khoton Lake.
These lakes also have a lot of fish species and some of them
are found just in the basin of western Mongolia. You can also visit several
locals across the lakes and explore a different culture.
Visit the Glaciers
Altai Tavan Mountains have around 10 glaciers and three of
them are spotted en-route to the park. Potanin is the 14km long glacier, which
is largest in here. This glacier was first discovered by a Russian explorer,
Grigory Potanin. Hence, it is named as PotaninGlacier. But its size is eventually decreasing over the years like other
glaciers across the world. You can have an expert guide to hike on the glacier
and enjoy peaceful views.
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