When we planned a trip to Mongolia, we quickly learned that it wouldn’t be a quick process of online reservations. Many local transit options require local bank accounts to purchase tickets. There isn’t a network of clearly defined trails. After surveying a few backpacking destinations in western Mongolia around Ulgii and southern Mongolia around the Gobi desert, we landed on the 8 Lakes region of the Khangai Mountains as a place that was both ground transit-accessible from Ulanbaatar and multifaceted in the terrain it offered.
The quick run-down of our 52-mile route:
Day 0 (Thursday):
- Bus from Ulanbaatar station to Arvaikheer
- Spent night at Time Hostel. We walked there from the bus station.
Day 1 (Friday):
- Jeep ride from a local from Time Hostel to 8-lakes (arranged with the help of a Mongolian friend, but the local hotels can also help you find a local driver)
- Camped at the largest of the 8 lakes
Day 2 (Saturday):
- Walked to final of the 8 lakes
Day 3 (Sunday):
- Walked to Red Waterfall and onward to the river
Day 4 (Monday):
- Walked across the plain to a viewpoint of a herding field
Day 5 (Tuesday):
- Walked across the plain to a small island on the river
Day 6 (Wednesday):
- To Tövkhön Monastery
- Camped a few hundred yards below the monestary boundary in a tucked away set of trees
Day 7: (Thursday):
- Pick up at Tövkhön Monastery (arranged with the help of the reservation contact at Gaya’s Guest House, Kharkhorin)
- Spend the night at Gaya’s Guest House, Kharkhorin
Day 8 (Friday):
- Took the bus back to Ulanbaatar
More detailed section-by-section notes
Bus from Ulanbaatar:
- The bathroom stop involved the bus driver pulling over on a nondescript, flat section of road. The passengers fanned out and took our pee on our preferred section of dirt. (Most of the local women had long skirts, which helped with privacy. I might have worn a skirt or brought a sarong or shawl to use!)
- We had planned to catch the bus from the Dragon bus terminal, but it turned out the bus station had recently moved! The correct location was about 2 miles west of where we showed up (thankfully plenty early) to catch the bus. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the right place.
Drive from Arvaikheer to 8-Lakes
- This is a crazy road! There were some very exposed sections of gravel road descending the final few hundred feet to the lake. Our driver brought his wife and daughter along to enjoy the day-trip to the lake. At one particularly steep section where the vehicle was tilted maybe 20 or 30 degrees to the side, his wife was praying the rosary. Plenty of people drive this road in Jeeps and 4-wheelers, but be prepared for a bumpy ride.
Hike from 8 Lakes to Red Waterfall
- We were very aware of water supply in this stretch
Popularity of the Area
Over the course of our trip we encountered one other solo backpacker (in 8 Lakes) and two guided groups on horseback – one of which we leapfrogged a couple of times. It did not feel crowded at all.
The “law” is that you can camp anywhere. But be respectful of gers and others’ space – keep plenty of distance!
Gear and Packing
Stove
We brought an MSR Whisperlite Universal and an empty fuel bottle. We filled the fuel with regular unleaded gasoline at a gas station in Arvaikheer.
Water filter
We had an MSR TrailShot for this trip, through we’ve used a Platypus QuickDraw more recently. A filter is definitely needed (as opposed to chlorine tablets or UV) since some of the streams are so murky with cattle around. I would recommend having a backup filter as ours got a bit clogged up with the water and had very low flow for the latter part of the trip. (Some of the flow was recovered with a proper cleaning once back home).
Tent
Nothing special – our usual tent and sleeping gear was great!
Satellite phone + cell phone
We were surprised to have cell service for nearly our entire route. Still, we had our Garmin InReach ready for any emergency.
Food
We brought 100% of our backpacking meals from the US. As vegetarians, we didn’t anticipate being able to find many non-meat sources of protein, and that broadly was the case (though Ulanbaatar had plenty of restaurant options). I’m sure you could piece things together from grocery stores in Ulanbaatar, but it was easier for us to just bring our food!
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