Gorkhi-Terelj National Park Ultimate Travel Guide

Top travel tips from a local for exploring Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, including 11 of the best things to do when you visit.

As a local, I’ve visited Gorkhi-Terelj National Park dozens of times. Sometimes for the day. Other times for just one night or a long weekend. Because the national park is one of the few places with ger and tourist camps that are open year-round, that also makes it one of the most visited places in Mongolia.

Despite it’s popularity, there are still plenty of reasons to consider starting any trip to Mongolia with a drive out to see and stay at Gorkhi-Terelj National Park.

Especially considering Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is one of the closest national parks to Ulaanbaatar. It’s only 70 kilometers away and takes about 1.5 hours to reach by car. You can also easily reach the park by bus, if you don’t have a car, or want to get there as cheaply as possible.

For me, I most enjoy visiting the park when I need an escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital and I don’t want to spend hours in the car to do it.

With activities like horseback riding, kayaking, ATVs, cultural shows, star gazing, and dog sledding in the winter, there are endless reasons to travel to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park.

Table of Contents

Planning to Visit Gorkhi-Terelj National Park?

Use these quick booking links to book your trip. These are my favorite places to stay and things to do inside the National Park.

🚕 Book an English-Speaking Private Driver for the Day (best way to see the park when you’re short on time)

🛌 Best Places to Stay:

Tuul Riverside Lodge (beautiful lodge, arrive by river boat!)

Terelj Star Resort (clean, stylish yurts with bathrooms inside)

👉 Top Things to Do in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park:

Horse Riding with a Local as Your Guide (see why Mongolians are known for their horsemanship!)

Kayak Down the Tuul River + Stay Overnight on the Banks (the most scenic and peaceful way to experience the park)

Zip Line Adventure (best activity with kids!)

How do I get to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park from Ulaanbaatar?

With Gorkhi-Terelj being so close to Ulaanbaatar, you have several options on how to get there. The park is only 70 kilometers northeast of the capital and the road to get there is paved and easy to follow.

Bus

This will be the cheapest way to get to Terelj. It will also take the longest and be the most local way to get there of the three options. Depending on where you are in the city, you may need to take a taxi to the closest bus stop that will take you out to Terelj, the small town inside the national park.

To plan your bus route from Ulaanbaatar to Terelj, start by downloading the UB Smart Bus app (Apple, Android). Unfortunately, the app is only in Mongolia and you’ll need a Cyrillic keyboard to type in your route. Mapping your route this way gets very confusing very quickly, but it’s not impossible to do.

As a cheat sheet, copy these bus stops written in Mongolian below to help plot out your route.

  • State Department Store: Улсын их дэлгүүр
  • Sukhbaatar Square: Сүхбаатарын талбай
  • Terelj: Тэрэлж

Taxi

Going to the park by taxi is a great option if you want to go to one area, or hotel, and spend most of your time there. The taxi will take you directly to where you want to be and will leave you there.

I don’t recommend using the taxi apps or hailing a car off the street to get to Terelj, many drivers will refuse to make that ride. Try to hire a driver that agrees to this route, a pickup time and place, and agree on a fixed price before you go. The fare from Ulaanbaatar to Terelj by taxi should be around 150,000 MNT or less. To find a driver, ask your hotel or guest house receptionist, or Airbnb host. They should be able to easily help you arrange this.

Book your taxi from Terelj back to Ulaanbaatar in advance. The easiest way to do this is to use the same driver that dropped you off the first time. Getting a taxi in Terelj can take a long time if you don’t plan ahead.

Private Driver

To make the most of your visit to the park, you should consider hiring a private driver. A private driver will take you to all the sights, and if you book one who speaks English, can tell you more about the park’s history and Mongolian culture along the way.

Book this trusted English-speaking driver, Byambasuren, for the day →

Best Time to Visit Gorkhi-Terelj

Like most of Mongolia, the best time to visit Terelj is June, August, or September. I don’t recommend visiting in July when the park sees peak crowds and hotel prices are at their most expensive.

Visit in June if you want to avoid some of the crowds and still enjoy the start of Mongolian summer.

August still offers great weather, but with less crowds, especially later in the month as the peak tourism season starts to wind down.

September is my favorite month to visit the park because of the beautiful golden hues and fall colors. The trees start to turn bright yellow, orange, and red, and the view from the Aryapala Meditation Center is insanely beautiful at this time of year.

February and March are also stunning times to visit thanks to the snow-covered landscape and lack of other tourists!

Terelj National Park

Where to Stay

Being Mongolia’s most popular national park, Gorkhi-Terelj is also it’s most developed. Especially when it comes to yurt camps, lodges, and hotels. Travelers have tons of options when looking at where to stay within the park. Here are two of my favorite places to stay in particular.

Tuul Riverside Lodge

One of many things that sets Tuul Riverside Lodge apart is that you can arrive to the lodge by river boat! Not only that, but the rooms are beautifully decorated in traditional Kazakh style with vibrant tapestry and ornate details throughout. The lodge isn’t located inside Gorkhi-Terelj, but is in the nearby area called Gatsuurt, away from the crowds. You just walk out your yurt’s front door and into the incredible nature!

Farmhouse Retreat

This woman-owned guesthouse is a gem within the national park. The rooms are clean and well taken care of and the most delicious salads and fresh foods are served inside the restaurant, straight from the garden outside. The Retreat has one A-frame cabin available to rent nestled next to the hillside that is perfect for small groups or families (this is a great place for kids!) who want some privacy.

Where to Stay Terelj National Park

Do you want to see what other hotel and homestay options you can reserve inside the park? Check out these 13 fantastic hotels, lodges, and family homestays in Terelj →

11 Things to Do in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

Looking for the best things to do in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park? I’ve put together some of my personal favorites as someone who lives here and visits the park regularly.

11 Things to do in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
Take a Selfie with the Great Chinggis Khaan

With the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue being the largest of it’s kind in the world, it’s one of those things you have to see. Standing 40 meters (131 feet) tall, the highlight of visiting is climbing up into the horse’s head to get a selfie with the world’s most infamous Khaan. After getting your selfie, go to the bottom floor museum to learn more about Mongolian history and see some of the artifacts found in this area.

Get your selfie →

Terelj Travel Tips
Go for a Horseback Ride with a Nomadic Herder as Your Guide

When in Mongolia, do as the Mongolians do. And that means riding a horse!

Mongolians are fierce horsemen and going on an afternoon ride, with a local herder leading the way, is the coolest way to feel like one yourself.

Go horseback riding with a local nomadic guide in Terelj →

Gorkhi-Terelj National Park Travel Guide
Kayak the Tuul River

A quick 8 kilometers north of the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue, jump in the river and see the park from the water. Kayaking down the Tuul River is a fun way to explore the park, especially on a hot summer day. Beginners are encouraged to join this adventure and extend your stay to get the most out of your time in the park.

Kayak Down the Tuul River + Overnight Stay →

Look for Buried Treasure at Turtle Rock

Known as Mungut Khad in Mongolian, this rock is famous for several things, but most importantly for the buried treasure that’s supposedly beneath it! Getting its name from its undeniable shape, you can scale the backside of the rock to an entrance that leads into the heart of the turtle. Inside you’ll find offerings from locals hoping the rock will bless them to find a wealth of treasure of their own.

3 Fun Facts about Gorkhi-Terelj’s Turtle Rock
  1. According to legend, the Oirad Khan Galdanboshigt hid all his treasures here during the war with Manchu Troops in 1600. They’re said to still be buried here.
  2. To protect these buried treasures, one of the Khan’s wives is still laying here protecting them – you can see her to the northwest of the rock. When you look closely, the shape of a woman can be seen peacefully lying face up in the mountainside.
  3. Because of 1 and 2, locals believe good fortune will come to anyone who visits. (That’s also why it used to be called ‘Mungut Khad’ – which translates to Money Rock!)

Find a fortune of your own during this Terelj day tour with Olivia →

Turtle Rock Mongolia Places to See
Hike the Steps to See Some Freaky Paintings at the Aryapala Meditation Center

This is going to be controversial, but the paintings at this meditation center aren’t exactly all peace and Zen. At closer inspection you’ll see body parts being ripped off, dogs biting humans in their private parts, and much, much worse. To see them, just look up.

On the hike up to the center, be sure to spin the fortune wheel to get the number for your fortune. Numbers, although hard to see, are written on the signs that line the walkway up to the temple.

Meditation Center Terelj Visit
Learn to Make Buuz (Mongolian Dumplings) with a Local Nomadic Family

There are plenty of tours that take you to Terelj, but not many that will have you visiting a local nomadic family to have lunch with them. Which, I might add, is an opportunity you should always take when you have the chance! Especially if the mom is offering to sit beside you and teach you how to make buuz, Mongolia’s famous dumplings! Once you’ve mastered your buuz folds, you can even move onto making khuushuur!

Have lunch with a local nomadic family in Terelj during your trip →

Nomadic Family Terelj How to Book
Take Advantage of the Clear Night Sky and Gaze at the Stars

Mongolia is famous for it’s dark skies. While Terelj won’t be the best place to see Mongolia’s clear night skies, it’s still better than most places in the world. You’ll have to go deeper into the remote countryside to see the Milky Way with your naked eye, but this star gazing experience will certainly do if that isn’t an option this time around.

How to star gaze in Gorkhi-Terelj →

Listen to Mongolian Folk Music and Meet an Eagle Hunter

Only open in the summer, the Mongol Culture Park is a great way to experience nomadic living before embracing it yourself. The park is home to authentic gers (homes) where you’ll learn about cheesemaking, how horse milk is made into airag, meet an Eagle Hunter, and listen to one of the best folk music concerts in Mongolia. (Really!)

Book tickets in advance for the best price to the Mongol Culture Park →

Go Up in a Hot Air Balloon

While you’re at the Mongol Culture Park, take the opportunity to jump in their hot air balloon for the best view of Gorkhi-Terelj. If you’re looking for the Instagram shot, this is it.

Cycle Your Way Through the Park

If you’d rather combine sightseeing with an activity, renting a mountain bike or going on a guided bicycle tour is a great way to do that. Rent a mountain bike in Ulaanbaatar and ride to the park, or transport it with you, and explore at your own pace. There are plenty of hills inside the park, so make sure you’re up for a riding challenge!

Rent a mountain bike in Ulaanbaatar →

If you’d rather ride with a local guide leading the way, there’s a day ride that takes you from the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue into the nearby Khentii Mountains that’s worth booking →

Mush Your Way Over a Frozen Tuul River on a Dog Sledding Adventure

This winter-only activity is worth coming to Mongolia just to do. While you can go on a multi-day dog sledding adventure through Gorkhi-Terelj National Park with the incredible company Wind of Mongolia, you can also dip your toes in the dog sledding-snow with this afternoon experience →

Terelj Winter Dog Sled

Author: Breanna Wilson

Hi! Sain uu! I’m Breanna, an American travel writer and adventurer living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for more than 5 years. I’ve written for and been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, CNN, Forbes, and the New York Times, among others. Read more of my Mongolia travel articles here.

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