Otgontenger Mountain

Otgontenger rises to around 4,000 metres and carries the only permanent glacier in the Khangai, a broad snow-capped dome visible from a long way across the province. It is a state-worshipped mountain, one of a small number given that status by presidential decree, with ceremonies held at an ovoo on the approaches, and the summit is off limits: climbing it is prohibited on religious grounds, a restriction that is taken seriously and enforced. What visitors do instead is walk the valleys below, camp at Badarkhundaga lake on the northern side, and take part in or observe the ceremonies if the timing coincides. Traditional restrictions apply on the mountain, including in some interpretations a prohibition on women approaching certain areas, and local guides explain what is expected. The Khangai here is green, forested in the valleys and quite unlike the Altai.

What you actually see

• The glaciated dome - the snow-capped summit above the Khangai forest.
• The sacred ovoo - the ceremonial cairn on the approach.
• Badarkhundaga lake - the camping lake on the northern side.
• Khangai valleys - forest, meadow and river country below the peak.

When to go

June to September; the approaches are snowbound outside that. Ceremonies at the ovoo follow the lunar calendar and are worth asking about locally. Weather in the Khangai is wetter than in the Gobi or Altai.

Honest expectations

The summit cannot be climbed and attempts are not welcome; this is a place to walk below rather than to bag. Facilities are absent and everything is camping. Restrictions on behaviour and on who may go where are real and should be followed without debate. Tracks are rough and Uliastai is a long way from anywhere.

Nearby

Uliastai is the provincial capital; Ulaagchin Khar lake lies west.