Baga Gazriin Chuluu

Baga Gazriin Chuluu

Find out everything you need to know about visiting Baga Gazriin Chuluu in Gobi- places to visit, top attractions, geological facts, tourist Ger camp and nomad Gers.

Baga Gazriin Chuluu pluton (the name means ‘Stones of small land’) is located in area of Delgertsogt soum, Dundgobi province. It’s about 15km long and 10km wide granite stone zone. What makes this place one of the main attractions of Mongolia is that these whole massif granite hide many historical and archaeological evidences in it. Apart from the sites, this is a place for hiking and wandering randomly on the granite rocks which eroded in flat layers of towers and columns by strong wind. This place is quite windy in every season.

The Baga Gazriin Chuluu pluton forms a sub-elliptical elevation with a maximum height of 1768m above sea level, surrounded by flat topography of volcano-sedimentary complex. It is considered to be Permian (which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous period 298.9 million years ago, to the beginning of the Triassic period 252 million years ago) in age. The highest mountain is called Takhilgyn Khavtsal 1768m above sea level and worshiped by local people for years.

The pluton is accompanied by numerous greisen veins. Sedimentary part of the pluton is built by sandstone, in part with intraclasts and locally muddy, whereas volcanogenis rocks of the complex are represented by ignimbrites. The mineral composition of the Baga Gazriin Chuluu granites is generally monotonous. They contain intergrown K-feldspar, quartz, plagioclase, biotite and muscovite.

Places to Visit in Baga Gazriin Chuluu

You cannot just go there and see things since they are not an open display like a monastery or a museum. You’re going to drive from place to place through complicated rough roads. Dedicated places to visit in Baga Gazriin Chuluu are

• the Sudutiin Am where a ruin of small temple situates,
• the Ger Chuluu where you’re going to see number of rock paintings dated back to the late Bronze Age,
• the eye spring – locals believe that it is good for treating eyes
• Jargalant cave which is 18m long
• 64 Hunnu Graves discovered by a joint expedition of Mongol-Hungaria-Russia in 1989

In the middle of aspen trees, surrounded by high cliffs of granite stones, there is the ruin of temple. Also there were two pilgrims used to live and meditate here about 300 years ago. According to a legend, they built their home (ger) on a small spring so that they didn’t need to go out of their Ger for fetching water. Later, a high ranked and renowned monk Zava Damdin lived here for a short time to create his works in early 20^th century.

Along with the main sites, you might see wild animals like ibexes, wild sheep, gazelles, foxes, rare rodents and birds such as cinereous vulture, rock sparrows, horned larks since this place is both their home and stopover. It is quite rare to see any tree in the Gobi desert except saxauls. However you’ll see aspen trees now and then, grown beautifully in between of granite rocks.

Accommodation – Tourist Ger camps & Nomad families

There are a few tourist camps and few nomadic families are running their business in regard with the tourism. One of tourist camps is ‘Bayanbulag’ tourist camp, locates in eastern part of the Baga Gazriin Chuluu. Another one is ‘Baga Gazriin Chuluu’ tourist camp. Nomadic families provide tourists with extra Ger and food. You will get to know about the nomadic way of life and interact with nomads.

When you do hiking, try not to lose the sight of your guide or a fellow tourist.

If you don’t mind strong wind you can visit here any time of year, staying at a nomadic family. But the most favorable months would be warm August and September.

Tours to Baga Gazriin Chuluu & Gobi Desert from Ulaanbaatar

1. Big Loop Tour – 13 days overland tour through the Gobi desert, Central Mongolia and Lake Khuvsgul
2. Gobi Desert & National Parks tour – 8 days small group tours