Uran Togoo Volcano

Uran Togoo is an extinct volcano rising a few hundred metres from the surrounding steppe, and its appeal is its shape: an almost perfectly circular crater some five hundred metres across and around fifty deep, with the rim forested in larch and birch and a path climbing to the top in twenty minutes or so. From the rim the crater floor is a green bowl, and the view outward runs over rolling steppe and the Selenge river country. Two smaller cones, Togoo and Jalavch, stand nearby in the same protected area, which was designated in 1965. The site is a popular stop for Mongolian travellers heading west from Ulaanbaatar, with ger camps in the area, and it makes an easy break on a long drive rather than a destination in itself. Wildflowers cover the slopes in early summer.

What you actually see

• The circular crater - a wooded bowl seen from the rim path.
• The rim walk - a short climb with views over the steppe.
• Neighbouring cones - two smaller volcanoes in the same reserve.
• Larch and birch - woodland unusual in this open landscape.

When to go

May to September; the climb is easy but the path is muddy after rain and snowbound in winter. Early summer brings wildflowers on the slopes. Autumn colour in the larch is good.

Honest expectations

It is a short stop, an hour or two at most, and visitors expecting a dramatic volcano will find a modest wooded hill. Facilities are ger camps nearby rather than at the site. The access road is unsurfaced. Litter at the parking area is a recurring problem.

Nearby

Bulgan town lies east; Amarbayasgalant is northeast.