Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

Terelj is where Ulaanbaatar goes to breathe: a national park of grassy valleys, pine slopes and weathered granite formations rising out of the meadows, close enough to reach in an hour and wild enough to feel like the real thing. Turtle Rock is the landmark everyone photographs, a granite outcrop shaped exactly as advertised, and a stairway climbs the hillside to the Aryabal meditation temple with valley views. Ger camps line the accessible valleys, horse riding is available everywhere, and in winter the whole park turns white and startlingly quiet.

What you actually see

• Turtle Rock - the granite formation that gives the park its postcard.
• Aryabal meditation temple - the hillside monastery reached by a long stair.
• Horse riding - the standard way to get out into the side valleys.
• Ger camp nights - stove-heated felt tents under enormous star fields.

When to go

June to September is the green window, warmest in July and August. Autumn colours the larch in September. Winter offers snow, dog sledding and near-total quiet, but temperatures fall far below freezing and camps run limited operations.

Honest expectations

The valley closest to the road is developed with camps, souvenir stalls and eagle-photo touts; the wilder park lies further in, so ask your driver or camp to go beyond the first stretch. Ger camps vary hugely in quality from basic to comfortable. Prices near the capital are higher than deep in the countryside. It is a taste of the steppe rather than the full expedition, and it is honest about that.

Nearby

Ulaanbaatar, the Genghis Khan equestrian statue and the Bogd Khan mountain reserve.