Khustain Nuruu National Park: Khustai National Park Travel Guide

Horses on the ridgelines

The takhi are why people make the drive. Przewalski’s horse died out in the wild in the twentieth century. In 1992 Khustai became one of the first places where captive-bred horses from European zoos and reserves were brought back to Mongolia. The herd has since grown into the hundreds, spread across the park in small family groups.

They don’t look like the domestic horses you pass on the drive. They’re stocky and dun-coloured, with pale muzzles and short manes that stand straight up. Usually you spot them as specks on a far slope first. Then a ranger’s binoculars turn them into a stallion watching over his mares.

The name means “birch ridge” in Mongolian. The hills are bare grass on their south faces with patches of birch on the north faces, the typical forest-steppe pattern. Few roads reach this far, and the park is still well off most itineraries. Some afternoons you may not see another jeep at all.

The road out of Ulaanbaatar

Head west out of the capital on the paved highway towards Kharkhorin. Leave it at the signed Khustai turn-off. A dirt track then runs south through open grassland to the park entrance and visitor centre, near the ger camp.

Most visitors come with a driver or on a tour from Ulaanbaatar. There’s no public transport you can rely on for the final stretch. The dirt section washes out after summer rain, so a high-clearance vehicle is the sensible choice.

Working around the weekday office

The hours matter more than usual here. Google currently lists the visitor centre as open Monday to Friday, 8:30am–5:30pm, and closed on Saturday and Sunday. Park hours change with the season, so check the official park website or call ahead for this month’s times.

Leave Ulaanbaatar early and you can be at the gate by late morning. That leaves the afternoon for game drives before the 5:30pm close. If you want more time on the tracks, ask the park in advance about an overnight stay at the ger camp. Don’t just turn up expecting a bed.

Summer, from June to September, is when most people visit. The grass is green and the tracks are easiest to drive, though July and August bring afternoon storms. Winter is bitterly cold, and you’ll need a lot more planning to visit then.

Rules on the tracks, manners in the ger

The rules exist to protect the horses, and rangers enforce them.

• Pay at the visitor centre. Entry and guiding are arranged there. Prices are posted on site and on the park’s official channels.
• Stay on the marked tracks. Driving off-road damages the steppe and disturbs the herds, and vehicles aren’t allowed to chase animals.
• Let the ranger set the distance. When you reach a herd, you get out and walk the last part quietly. Stop where you’re told.
• No drones, and no feeding any wildlife.

If you visit a ger, there are customs to follow. Step over the threshold, never on it, and move to the left once you’re inside. Take a bowl of milk tea or food with your right hand, supporting that elbow with your left. A small taste is polite even if you don’t finish. Don’t point your feet at the stove or lean on the central support posts.

Beyond the takhi

There’s more wildlife and history once you look past the horses.

• Red deer move through the birch patches on the northern slopes.
• Marmots sit up by their burrows across the grassland and dive underground when a vehicle gets close.
• Mongolian gazelle, argali sheep and wolves live in the park too, though you’ll be lucky to see them.
• Raptors, including steppe eagles, circle over the ridges.

The park also has old stone monuments: Turkic-era stone figures and deer stones carved with stylised running deer. Ask at the visitor centre which ones your driver can reach. On the way in from the highway you’ll often pass herders’ gers with livestock grazing outside the park boundary.

Packing for open grassland

There’s almost no shade, and the weather changes quickly. Bring:

• Binoculars, because most sightings are at a distance
• A windproof layer, even in midsummer
• Sun protection: a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses
• Water and snacks for the drive, since there are no shops along the tracks
• A camera with a zoom lens if you want horse photos that are more than dots

Budget a full day for the trip from Ulaanbaatar. Two days with an arranged overnight stay give you a much better chance of seeing several herds.