Plate 06 · 47.2°N 102.8°E
Erdene Zuu & Kharkhorin
Эрдэнэ Зуу
The old capital, a monastery in a stone box, and a town that still works as a town.
Kharkhorin sits on the site of Karakorum, Chinggis's capital. Almost nothing of the city remains — that is the point. What you get is Erdene Zuu, a 16th-century monastery inside a wall of 108 stupas, a small museum of recovered stones, and a dusty aimag centre where kids play on the basketball court. It is worth it if you treat the monastery as a morning and the Orkhon Valley as the rest of the stay, not if you treat it as 'the ruins of the Mongol Empire'.
- When and how long
- May–September, 9–11am before the UB day-trip vans. Winter is open and empty. · 90 minutes for the monastery. One night in town minimum.
- Cost
- Monastery about ₹160–₹320 (₮6,000–12,000). Town guesthouse ₹1,600–₹3,200. Ger with meals in the valley ₹4,000–₹7,500.
- Area
- Övörkhangai, on the paved western road. Sleep here to reach Orkhon waterfall, Tövkhön monastery, and Tsenkher without backtracking to UB.
- Crowd and who
- Moderate at the monastery 11–15 in July. Town itself is local. History-minded travellers and anyone heading into the Khangai.
How to arrive
Shared van from Dragon Bus Terminal, about ₹800–₹1,200 (₮30,000–45,000), 6 hours, leave early. Hired 4x4 if you continue to Orkhon the same afternoon.
Tip
Hire a local English-speaking guide at the gate for an hour rather than reading the faded boards. Climb the small hill behind for the wall from above.
Eat nearby
Town canteen near the supermarket — buuz and soup, ₹150–₹300. The 'tourist restaurants' on the main road are not better.