Zavkhan Province

In Zavkhan the wilderness comes alive. One of the remotes and sparsely populated provinces in Mongolia, Zavkhan is a land of rugged but beautiful landscapes, rich cultures, and some of the world's great wilderness areas.

Zavkhan is considered one of the undiscovered province in Mongolia for foreigners, located in the western part of Mongolia, borders with Russia in the north. Grandeur Otgontenger sacred mountain and Zavkhan’s proudest symbol is located 72km east of Uliastai, a provincial capital.

The mountain has a massive granite face on its southern side – is one of the three most sacred mountains, after Burkhan Khaldun in Khentii and Bogd Khaan in Ulaanbaatar. Otgontenger is the Hangai’s highest and also the only peak in the range with a permanent glacier on the top. Because of its sacred nature, climbing the mountain is not encouraged and it is the toughest task for the mountaineers. Established in 1992 to protect its fragile ecosystem, Otgontenger Uul Strictly Protected area accommodates rare plants, junipers, and argali, ibex, red deer, musk deer and endangered snow leopards.

Settled along the banks of the Bogd River, Uliastai is an attractive town of 20 000 with a well laid out central areas, its streets lined with trees planted by Chinese in ancient time. Surrounded by higher hills and accessed up a narrow river valley, Uliastai was a strategically important to the Qing dynasty. The town was served as checkpoint to keep an eye on the unruly eastern Mongolian tribes.

The province is famous for its beautiful wonders, Otgon, Telmen, Khar, and Kholboo lakes, sand dunes, Solongtiin and Zagastain mountain passes and historical sites. Ider, Tes, Zavkhan and Khun rivers are rich in crystal water and fish. The longest river is Zavkhan, its length being 808 km. The large Mongol and Bor Khar sand dunes are located in the territory of Zavkhan. In the forest bear, deer, boar, musk deer, may be encountered; wild sheep, ibex, lynx, and antelope in mountains; and black-tailed antelope in the steppe.