Dadal

Dadal sits in the forested northern corner of Khentii province where the steppe gives way to Siberian taiga, and the landscape is unlike most of Mongolia: log cabins rather than gers, larch and birch forest, rivers and berry-picking. The village is associated with the birth of Temujin around 1162 at a site on the Onon river, and a monument raised in 1962 for the eight hundredth anniversary stands on a nearby hill, along with an ovoo and a stone marker at the traditional birthplace. Whether the exact spot is right is debated, but the general area fits the Secret History account. Around the village are Deluun Boldog hill, mineral springs, and lakes used for swimming in the short summer. It is a long way from anywhere, with rough roads, and the reward is a quiet forest village in the region where the story begins.

What you actually see

• The birthplace monument - the 1962 memorial and the marked site.
• Deluun Boldog - the hill associated with the birth story.
• Log cabin village - taiga building quite unlike the ger country.
• Forest and rivers - the Onon valley with berries, fishing and swimming.

When to go

June to September; the roads are impassable in spring melt and the winter is among the coldest in the country. Berries ripen in late summer. Mosquitoes in the forest are severe in July.

Honest expectations

Getting there is a very long drive on poor roads from any direction. Accommodation is basic guesthouses and ger camps. The birthplace claim is traditional rather than proven, and the monuments are modest. Mosquitoes and midges can be punishing.

Nearby

Khokh Nuur lies south; the Onon river country runs through the area.