Khogno Khan Mountain and Elsentasarkhai
LOCATION: 280 km southwest of Ulaanbaatar and 80 km northeast of Kharkhorin.
84390-hectare Khogno Tarni National Park was designated to protect taiga, steppe, and semi-desert plants and ecosystem. The Khogno Tarni National Park features different natural zones and sceneries such as rugged Khogno Khan Mountain with its pine and birch covered valleys, mountain steppes, hilly steppes, grasslands, and semi-desert including 80 km long Mongol sand dunes reaches 9-10 km at its width.
Ikh Mongol Mountain in the national park marks the central point of Mongolia and the first foundation of the modern capital city Ulaanbaatar was established here followed by 28 times movement until it settled the present-day location.
The Ulaanbaatar-Kharkhorin main road runs through the national park territory and divides the 80 km sand dune into south and north parts, which people call Elsentasarkhai.
The southern sand dune is called "Mongol Els/Dunes while" the northern sand dune is called "Khogno Tarni Els/Dunes".
The dunes here are relatively humid and vegetated from the Tarni River flows along the sand dunes.
Visitors may enjoy granite rock formations of Khogno Khan Mountain, go hiking, explore ruins of old temples or visit the new temple, discover ancient rock drawings and rock inscriptions, visit nomads, ride horses, and camels or discover the semi-desert not traveling to the remote Gobi desert.
