Terelj National Park

Alpine Scenery and Turtle Rock, Just an Hour From the Capital

Roughly 55 to 60 kilometres northeast of Ulaanbaatar, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is the closest and most visited of Mongolia’s protected wilderness areas — a landscape of granite peaks, alpine meadows and pine forest that has earned it the nickname “the Switzerland of Mongolia.” Established in 1993 and covering nearly 2,920 square kilometres, it offers an accessible first taste of the mountains and steppe that define the rest of the country.

Turtle Rock and Its Legend

The park’s best-known landmark, Turtle Rock (Melkhii Khad), is a 24-metre granite formation shaped by centuries of wind and rain. Historically called Silver Rock, local legend ties it to Galdan Boshigt Khan of the Oirats, who is said to have hidden treasure here after a crushing defeat by Manchu forces in the 1690s — a story that still draws visitors hoping to spot the hidden cache.

A Landscape of Granite and Forest

The park sits within the southern Khentii Mountains, its granite massifs riddled with pegmatite formations that first drew Russian geochemist A.E. Fersman here in 1924, who catalogued 22 distinct crystal types in the area. Beyond Turtle Rock, the park holds the meditative Ariyabal Temple, the ruined Gunjiin Temple, Khagiin Khar Lake, and the Yestii hot springs further upstream.

Wildlife and Wide-Open Access

Terelj shelters brown bear, red deer, roe deer and wolves, along with more than 250 recorded bird species, all within reach of Ulaanbaatar via a paved road. The area has hosted tourism since 1964 and offers everything from simple ger camps to higher-end lodges, making it an easy overnight or day trip from the capital.

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• Photograph and climb around the famous Turtle Rock
• Hike or ride horseback through granite peaks and pine forest
• Visit the peaceful Ariyabal meditation temple
• Stay overnight in a traditional ger camp under dark mountain skies