Photo Essay: Mongolia’s National Parks and Nature Reserves

Roughly 17% of Mongolia’s landmass has some form of national environmental protection. A further 10% has  local protected area status. Every September I offer our National Park and Nature Reserves Mongolia small group tour experience – designed to bring bring our guests into contact with some of the less visited national parks and nature reserves in the country. The following images were taken by our guest Séverine Baptiste-Blanchard who joined us in September 2017.

The vast landscapes of Mongolia’s middle Gobi and the mountain forest steppe of Khentii provide  the backdrop. By visiting two contrasting regions – the Gobi and Khentii  – it provides  a better understanding of the diversity of the people and their way of life and the landscapes in Mongolia.

Ikh Nart Nature Reserve – Dorngobi Aimag

We start with a journey on the local Trans Mongolian train – travelling through steppe to desert terrain and starting to get an understanding of the diversity of Mongolia’s natural habitats as the immense landscapes start to unfold before you.

The final destination is Ikh Nart Nature Reserve – a wildlife region of rocky terrain and canyons. Ikh Nart represents one of the last strong-holds for the globally threatened Argali Sheep – the largest mountain sheep in the world (Ovis Ammon). It is also a breeding site for one of the world’s largest vultures, the Cinereous Vulture – also known as the European Black Vulture. Here we work with the protected area ranger Batbold and we always arrange an afternoon safari with him as long as his schedule permits. 

Ikh Gazriin Chuluu – Dundgobi Aimag 

Ikh Gazriin Chuluu is characterised by extensive granite rock formations and surrounded by steppe and semi-desert habitat. 

 It also has local level protection within Mongolia. The site is one of Mongolia’s 70 Important Bird Area’s – providing a good stopover habitat for many nesting and migrating raptors including the Saker Falcon and the Lesser Kestrel. 

Erdenedalai – Dundgobi Aimag

Erdenedalai is Mongolian for ‘Jewel Ocean’ and although far from the ocean this small town located in the middle of the Gobi steppe provides a genuine insight into everyday life in Mongolia. It is also the hometown of a majority of the EL team and a very tight knit and traditional community.

Even though annual precipitation in this area is low, with no permanent lakes and very few springs, roughly 5880 herder households make their home in this transition zone between steppe and desert. 

It is a beautiful region little visited by other international visitors as it’s not considered a highlight by guidebook writers or tour companies. And that’s exactly why we make it one of our bases. It’s great for slow travel experiences of a more immersive kind.

  

Khentii Aimag 

 Named for the Khentii Mountains that dominate the north west of this province. 

The region also hosts a number of cultural heritage sites demonstrating an evolving sacred cultural landscape. This includes Baldan Bereeven Khiid Monastery which would have been the centre of local life for a population whose faith and devotion more than made up for the simplicity and the challenging remote life-style. The monastery is surrounded by four mountains each said to resemble an animal: a lion on the east; a dragon on the south; a tiger on the west; and a Garuda on the north – each cardinal point is also guarded by a Protector Deity.

 

Regions of Khentii are also home to the Buriat ethnic minority. They traditionally live more in log houses and move around in the summers with a ger. They also harvest hay in preparation for winter and lead a more settled lifestyle than other Mongols. The communities at Batshireet, Binder, Dadal Bayan Uul, and Dashbalbar are mainly Buriat.

In Khentii Aimag you will also find the stunning Onon Balj National Park – the biodiversity of the national park is unique and rich due to its location situated at the juncture of two big ecosystems of central Asia, the Siberian taiga and Daurian/Manchurian dry steppe.

 

 

You also cross the mighty Onon River using the birvaz.  The what? The birvaz is one of my favourite inventions – a floating platform on a pulley system that crosses the river – used by locals with their motorbikes or in this case, by EL with our Furgon van. Tserendorj is the operator and crossing the river this way gives you time to discuss the weather, the state of the Mongolian economy and to count fish.