Taikhar Rock: Tsetserleg Travel Guide (4.3★)

A boulder with nothing else around it

A single grey granite block, a few storeys high, sits on a flat green valley floor with no other rock near it. The Khoid Tamir River runs past one side. On the other side, grassland reaches all the way to the forested ridges of the Khangai foothills. Because the land around it is so flat, the rock looks like it was dropped there. Local legend says it was.

Mongolians call it Taikhar Chuluu (Тайхар чулуу). It’s on the map at Zaankhushuu in Ikh Tamir district, west of the Arkhangai capital, Tsetserleg. Few international visitors come compared with the big Mongolian circuits, so you may find nobody here except herders’ horses grazing at the riverbank.

The legend and the writing on the stone

The story most people tell goes like this. A strong man (a bukh, or wrestler) killed a giant serpent that was terrorising the valley. He did it by hurling this boulder down on top of it, so the snake is said to lie under the rock to this day. The tale is told across Arkhangai, and it explains the rock’s lonely position better than geology does for most visitors.

Look closely at the lower faces. You’ll see inscriptions in several scripts, and some of the older ones are thought to date back centuries. Mixed in with them is a lot of modern graffiti: names, dates and hearts painted over the historic marks. It’s a little sad. It also shows how long people have treated this rock as a place to leave something behind.

Getting out from Tsetserleg

Taikhar Rock is a short drive west of Tsetserleg, on the main route toward Tariat and Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake. That makes it an easy break on a longer driving day. Most people get here one of these ways:

• With a driver or tour. This is the usual way to travel in central Mongolia, and almost every western Arkhangai itinerary stops here.
• By taxi from Tsetserleg. Agree on the round trip and the waiting time before you set off.
• Self-drive. The last stretch goes over grassland tracks, so put the coordinates or the plus code J723+5FJ into your map before you lose signal.

Allow 45 minutes to look around. Make it 90 if you want to walk along the river or eat a picnic here.

At the ovoo: what people do here

There is an ovoo next to the rock. It’s a cairn of stones wrapped in blue khadag silk scarves, and Mongolians treat it with real respect. The visit has a simple set of customs:

• Walk around the ovoo clockwise three times. Add a stone from the ground on each circuit if you like.
• Drivers often stop and honk or walk around it before going on. Join in if your driver does.
• Don’t take anything from the ovoo: no stones, scarves or offerings.
• Leave the rock unmarked. Adding your name puts you alongside the vandals, not the old inscriptions.
• Ask before photographing herders or their animals. Most will say yes, and asking is the polite thing to do.

You’ll see some people scramble partway up the rock. Some local families also tie scarves to the ovoo or leave milk offerings. Watching quietly is fine, and stepping out of their way is better.

When to come

Summer is the practical season. From June to September the valley is green, the river runs full, and the roads are passable without much worry. July brings Naadam festivities to towns across Arkhangai, so expect more traffic on the road west in that month.

From late autumn into spring the steppe turns brown and then white, and the temperatures can be severe. The rock is still there in winter. Getting to it, and standing around outside once you arrive, is a much harder job. Long summer evenings bring low, side-on light that picks out the texture of the granite.

Making a day of it

Most travellers fit Taikhar Rock into a bigger loop. Good pairings:

• Zayain Gegeenii Süm in Tsetserleg, a monastery complex that houses the Arkhangai aimag museum.
• Bulgan Uul, the hill above Tsetserleg. Walk up it for views over the town.
• Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake and the Khorgo volcano further west, which most people treat as an overnight trip.
• Ger camps along the Tamir valley, where many tours stay the night.

Bring whatever you’ll need for an hour on open ground: water, a layer against the wind, and sun protection. Don’t count on finding shops or other facilities at the rock.