Tuvkhun Monastery

Zanabazar, the first Bogd Gegeen of Mongolia and its greatest sculptor, founded a retreat here in 1653 on a rocky forested ridge at around 2,300 metres, and it was where he worked and meditated rather than a monastery in the institutional sense. The buildings are small temples fitted between boulders on the crest, reached by a steep path from the parking area below, and the setting of pine forest and rock is as much the point as the architecture. Behind the temples is the cave where he meditated, entered by squeezing through a gap, and a rock formation described as his throne. The monastery was destroyed in the 1930s and rebuilt from the 1990s, with monks resident again. It falls within the Orkhon Valley World Heritage area and is one of the most atmospheric religious sites in the country.

What you actually see

• The ridge temples - small buildings fitted among the boulders.
• Zanabazar's cave - the meditation cave entered through a narrow gap.
• The forest setting - pine and rock on the Khangai crest.
• Views over the Orkhon - the valley country from the ridge.

When to go

June to September; the track and the climb are difficult in snow or heavy rain. Mornings are quieter. The climb takes about half an hour and is steep but short.

Honest expectations

The final track needs 4x4 and the climb is steep. Buildings are small and mostly modern rebuilds. Monastic rules apply, including walking clockwise and restrictions on photography inside. Facilities are a ger camp below. Some visitors find the cave squeeze impossible.

Nearby

Kharkhorin and Erdene Zuu lie east; the Orkhon waterfall is south.