Shargaljuut Hot Springs

Shargaljuut lies in a narrow valley in the Khangai foothills where several hundred springs emerge along the slopes, some scalding at over ninety degrees and others cold, each traditionally associated with a particular ailment and with a part of the body, so that the springs have names like the stomach spring or the eye spring. A sanatorium was built here in the socialist period and continues to operate, with bathhouses piping water into private rooms, and Mongolians come for courses of treatment lasting days or weeks. Around it are simpler ger camps and bathing spots. The valley is green and steep, with steam rising from the slopes in the cool of the morning, and the setting is more attractive than the buildings. It is a working spa rather than a resort, and the atmosphere is domestic and medical.

What you actually see

• The spring slopes - hundreds of hot and cold sources with steam.
• The sanatorium - the treatment centre with piped bathhouses.
• Named springs - individual sources with traditional uses attached.
• The valley - green Khangai foothills around the settlement.

When to go

June to September, when the road is reliable; the springs work year-round and winter bathing in the snow is popular with Mongolians. Treatment courses run through the season and the sanatorium can be full.

Honest expectations

Facilities are basic and dated, closer to a provincial clinic than a spa. Some springs are hot enough to scald and are not for casual bathing. The road in is rough. Accommodation is the sanatorium or simple ger camps, and standards are modest.

Nearby

Bayankhongor city is southwest; the Khangai range rises north.