Hustai National Park

Having a car lets us get out of Ulaanbaatar on the weekends. We decided to visit the Hustai National Park which is located about 100km out of the city. There are a lot of road works going on so after finding the correct road to travel on after the detour from hell we found the turn off we where looking for. Any roads that are off the main high ways here are usually dirt and in poor condition and once again another bad road. 

The National Park is quite big and finding our way around the park was a bit of hit and miss as there are no signs pointing to "things of interest". I am so glad Ben had his gps as we where able to find The Ongot Stone Monument. We where hoping to see the Przewalski horses and that wasn't meant to be but we did find some other wild life along the way. 

Here is some information I found on the Przewalski Horse;

"The Przewalski horse (or takhi in Mongolian) has been successfully reintroduced into the wild and has a light yellow coat and a short, stiff black mane. Each horse is approximately 250cm long, 146cm tall and weighs on average 300kg. 

Przewalski horses are the only wild horse to survive in modern times. The species were returned to Mongolia from world zoos and reserves within Hustai National Park in 100 km west of Ulaanbaatar. Takhi, like zebra and the extinct tarpan, are a wild species and have never been domesticated or ridden. Hustain Nuruu has good vegetation, springs, birch forest and rocks which are suitable for many wild animals including 46 species of mammals and 172 species of birds."

Information Ger at the Hustai Resort

Camel with a floppy hump

Large grasshopper

Seeing our first Mament

Owl in the tree

Here is some information I found about the Ongot Stone Monuments:

"The Ongot stone monuments date back to the period when Mongolia was a part of the Turkic Empire (552-742 B.C). The Ongot is the biggest collection of stone monuments in Asia, with over 30 stones carved into man and animal figures. There are 552 balbal standing stones in a line stretching from the Ongot to the south-east. Local elders repeat old legends, one of which claims that the stones represent the number of enemies killed or the number of battles won; in another version, the stones are said to point in the direction of heaven and to act as a guide for departing human souls.

Ongot stones carved into lion and sheep figures have particular symbolic and cultural significance. For instance, the lion is the symbol of safety and peace while the sheep was one of main sacrificial offerings. About 600 man stones have so far been discovered in Mongolia. There are three varieties of man stones representing sitting, crouching or standing forms. Sitting man stones represent high ranking noblemen, while standing forms represent slaves and servant girls. Next to them, in the shape of an X, decorated, rectangular stone slabs are placed for use as an altar. It is thought that offerings of food and meat were originally placed on these.

Local goat inside the fence

Ben and Paige blending in

Wheres Paige?

Dad, Mum and the kids

The national park was a good days outing with seeing the different landscapes that we drove through. The down fall is the lack of signs and people at the information ger to help us. I am sure in time this national park will be developed into something that tourists can gather information to be able to have the best experience in the park.