Part 4 of the trip: Övörkhangai and Dundgov'
Orkhon valley (Övörkhangai). We continue just a few kilometers to the Orkhon valley and arrive at our next camp, Talbiun Ger Camp. A clear attraction of the area is the Red Waterfall near the Orkhon river. I don't take the opportunity to take a bath, as it is a bit difficult to climb down the walls, and my shoes were not appropriate for that.
A small breakdown: flat tyre at one of our buses. In the evening we visit a nearby yurt camp; the nomads show us around their cattle and invite us into their yurt. It is interesting to see how four people manage to live in such a yurt - and not just during a short trip. In the night, the Milky Way stretches over our heads.
Near our camp we can find prehistoric carvings in stone slabs. We cross the Övörkhangai aimag and have a short stop at some stone circles which may be prehistoric tombs.
The landscape is getting more and more barren. At noon, we have a lunch stop in the middle of nowhere, grass steppe all around. A tissue roof is unrolled from one of the buses, providing some shadow. There are herds of goats and sheep every some kilometers.
Ongiin Khiid (Dundgov'). At about 5 pm we reach the next camp, Secret of Ongi, located in the Saikhan-Ovoo sum (district) in the Dundgov' aimag. The camp is located next to a monastery ruin, the Ongiin Khiid. The camp calls itself "the gate to Gobi", and it again has a distinctive touristic focus, featuring a building complex, evening entertainment, and an opulent buffet.
Public pictures
