Khustain Nuruu National Park

The takhi, Przewalski's horse, has long been regarded as the last genuinely wild horse, never brought into domestication, with a different chromosome count from domestic horses; genetic work since 2018 has complicated that picture, but it remains a distinct wild population, and it was extinct in the wild by the 1960s. Reintroduction from zoo stock began at Khustai in 1992, and the population here now runs to several hundred animals in harem groups across the hills, one of three reintroduction sites in Mongolia. Seeing them means driving into the park in the evening or early morning when the groups come down to the valleys and water, and rangers know where the harems are; sightings are common though the animals are wild and can be distant. The park also holds red deer, marmots, wolves and a good bird list, and there are Turkic period graves and deer stones in the valleys. Ger camps at the gate provide accommodation.

History

The government declared the area a specially protected area in 1993, a year after the reintroduction of the takhi, Przewalski's horse, began here; UNESCO added it to its world network of biosphere reserves in 2002 (Wikipedia, Hustai National Park).

Highlights

• Takhi harems - wild Przewalski's horses in family groups.
• Red deer and marmots - the other large mammals of the hills.
• Archaeological remains - Turkic graves and deer stones in the valleys.
• The reintroduction story - explained at the visitor centre.

When to go

May to September; horses are most visible at dawn and dusk when they come to water. Summer is the calving season. The park is close enough to Ulaanbaatar for a long day trip but staying overnight gives the good hours.

Good to know

Horses are wild and sightings can be at distance, so binoculars help. Vehicles must stay on tracks and approaching the animals is not permitted. Ger camps at the gate are the only accommodation and fill in summer. The park gets busy with day trips from the capital at weekends.

Nearby

Ulaanbaatar is east; Kharkhorin lies further west on the same road.

Key facts