Orkhon Valley

The Orkhon valley has been the political heart of the steppe for two thousand years: Turkic khaganates raised inscribed stone monuments here, the Uighurs built a capital, and Genghis Khan's empire founded Karakorum on its banks. UNESCO listed the whole valley as a cultural landscape, recognising that the pastoral nomadic life practised on these grasslands is itself the heritage, not just the ruins. Today the valley holds the Erdene Zuu monastery walls, the Orkhon waterfall dropping into a basalt gorge, hot springs, and herding families whose gers appear and disappear with the seasons.

What you actually see

• The Orkhon waterfall - the river dropping into a dark basalt gorge.
• Erdene Zuu monastery - the walled Buddhist complex at Kharkhorin.
• Turkic memorial stones - inscribed monuments from the steppe empires.
• Tuvkhun monastery - the hermitage high on a forested ridge above the valley.

When to go

The green season from June to September is when the valley is at its best and the roads are passable. July brings the Naadam festival with wrestling, archery and horse racing in local centres as well as the capital. Winter is beautiful, empty and severe.

Honest expectations

Distances are long and roads are largely unpaved tracks - a driver with a Russian van or 4x4 is the standard arrangement and worth the money. Ger camp accommodation is simple and shared. The waterfall's flow depends on rain and can be modest in dry summers. Visiting herding families is common practice through operators, and it works best when the family is genuinely hosting rather than being dropped in on.

Nearby

Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu, Tsenkher hot springs and the Khangai mountains.