Fun things to do in Tov Aymag

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After spending over an hour waiting on a dirt track where they were meant to come near after grazing on the hills during the day, we eventually spotted two young males galloping down the hill and got in the car to chase after them. They then stopped when they saw us which was nice of them and I got some photos of them. Other Przewalski horse spotters in other vehicles came past us and in doing so set the young males galloping off again. The reason why they come down off the high hills during the evening is that the hills are cooler during the day but cold at night so they come down to the valleys for shelter.

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We set off in the evening into the park on a quest to spot some illusive Przewalski horses. We parked up on a dirt track where they were meant to come near after grazing on the hills during the day. We waited for over an hour and during that time visited two enclosed female Przewalski horses in a large pen nearby. Now we knew exactly what they looked like, we went back to see if we could spot some proper wild ones.

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These 'everyday' horses were hanging around just outside the ger camp when we arrived and are fairly tame. You can see them drinking from a ditch and then making their way up the hill away from us. More photo's can be found on one of my travelogues.

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The Hustai National Park has an information centre with photos and info on the Przewalski horses (there's a stuffed youngster on display), along with info on the parks flora and fauna. We then watched a short film about the horses and the park in the conference centre. There are many other videos to watch in a library including one when Julia Roberts visited the park.

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The history of Hustai National Park, about 100km south-west of Ulaanbaatar, starts with the extinction of the Mongolian Wild Horse, known as the Przewalski horse or Takhi horse in Mongolian. The species were first discovered by a Russian general and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky in the 19th century. The horses lived off the grass on the vast Mongolian steppes within this area. But the population declined dramatically in the 20th century for a number of reasons. First of all, the horse was wanted for its chloroplasts. In a chemical process, which is unique to the Przewalski horse, the animal produces certain chloroplasts in the back of their throat as a result of a chemical process after eating steppe grass. The very same chloroplasts were used as an anti-viral drug to conquer an outbreak of a disease in the early 20th century. Secondly, the horse was simply hunted for its meat. It was an easy target as it lived on the open steppes and was never used to be hunted (Przewalski horses had no natural enemies).

The last Przewalski horse was seen in 1967. A special expedition to track the animal in 1969 had no result. In order to bring the Mongolian Wild Horse back to its native land, the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse was founded in 1977. They used Przewalski horses from zoos all over Europe to start a special breeding program. In 1992, the foundation reintroduced the first 16 horses to the Mongolian steppes. The horses bred successfully and more of them were released in the years to follow.

I came here on the third day of my 12-day Mongolian tour and stayed overnight at a ger camp by the park’s entrance. After arriving, we had lunch and rested before driving into the park where we eventually spotted a two young male Przewalski horses coming down the hill from where they graze during the day.

After lunch we had a little rest before walking along to a nomadic family living in a couple of gers nearby. They had a few horses tied up and we took them out for a short walk past our camp and up a slight hill. A storm was coming and then it rained so we headed back again and took shelter in our ger. After the rain had gone we went out riding again. This was the first time I'd ever ridden a horse before and I would certainly do again as I enjoyed it.

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After stopping off and photographing the Turtle Rock, we made our way through a small wood on a dirt track until we came to a large gate. Beyond the gate we could just make out this monastery, built in 2005, on the slope of the hill with a rocky outcrop behind it. Perfect setting. We made our way to it up the hill and along a rather rickety old wooden foot bridge and then up 108 steps - 1 for every Buddha incarnation, to the door. We were met by an elderly guy who showed us around inside whilst our tour guide translated what he said for us. No lamas or priests are based here but instead come by every now and again.

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We left UB on a tarmaced road heading east out of the city past some pretty shabby looking houses with gers surrounded by wooden fences. After about any hour or so's drive, we stopped at a pile of stones with some sort of flag sticking out of the top. This is known as an ovoo - a type of shamanistic cairn. It was located on a slight rise and a group of horses were gathered nearby, beside a few gers, one of which was a souvenir shop. We stopped to take a few photos of the horses and also of the view below us which was a small settlement beside the Tuul River. The settlement marks the entrance into the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. If anyone knows the name of this place then let me know.