Khoid Tsenkher Cave

The cave at Khoid Tsenkher opens in a limestone hillside and its walls carry paintings in red ochre that are among the oldest known art in Mongolia, generally attributed to the Upper Palaeolithic: animals recognisable as mammoth, ostrich, ibex, camel and antelope, along with abstract marks, painted when the climate and fauna of this region were quite different from today. The images are faint, smoke-darkened and in places damaged by later graffiti, which is a real problem at an unguarded site. The cave itself is a chamber and passages extending some distance into the rock, entered by scrambling up to the mouth. There is no protection or interpretation on site, and finding both the cave and the panels requires local direction. It sits in dry hill country a long rough drive from Khovd city.

What you actually see

• Ochre paintings - mammoths, ostriches, ibex and abstract marks.
• The cave chambers - passages running back into the limestone.
• The hill setting - dry rock country in southern Khovd province.
• Graffiti damage - modern marks over some of the ancient panels.

When to go

June to September for the tracks. A strong torch is essential and the paintings show best under raking light rather than direct beam. Morning is cooler for the scramble up to the entrance.

Honest expectations

The paintings are faint and hard to make out, and visitors expecting bold clear images will be disappointed. The site is entirely unprotected, with graffiti and litter. There is no signage and no facilities; a local guide is effectively required. The drive is long and rough.

Nearby

Khovd city is northwest; Khar Us lake lies north.