Altai Tavan Bogd mountain of the Altai mountain Range is located on the west Mongolia and is the highest peak in the country. Mongolians call it “the roof of the country”. Altai Tavan Bogd has five high peaks (tavan means five in Mongolian), which have three large interconnected glaciers. The largest is the Potanin Glacier, which is 14 km long. This area’s climate is extremely unpredictable. You may observe four seasons in one day: the sun will shine, but then it may snow or rain. In 1996, this area officially became protected Natural Park. Since 2012, the mountain range has been nationally sacred and the Mongolian president visits the mountain for worship each year.

Kazakh nomads have been grazing their livestock near the Altai Mountains for many hundreds of years. After the Mongolian revolution of 1921, a permanent border was established, partitioning Mongolia from China and Russia, and so the Kazakh herdsmen were given an accidental home within Mongolia.

The Kazakhs are different people from the Mongols in many ways. They look, speak and dress differently, and they pray to different gods, the Mongols being largely Tibetan Buddhist and the Kazakhs predominantly Sunni Muslims. The isolation of the Kazakhs’ land from the rest of Mongolia only that divide. Crucially, however, the Kazakhs and Mongols share a nomadic heritage, living in extended families and moving camp several times a year in search of pasture for their livestock. The most distinguishing character of Kazakh people is their unique culture of hunting and training with eagle.

The Kharkhiraa Turgen mountains are twin mountains with impressive peaks. They are part of the Altai mountain Range. Kharkhiraa reaches 4,037 meters high, while Turgen’s peak is known as Deglii Tsagaan and has an elevation of 3,965 meters. Kharkhiraa and Turgen are divided by a passage called Kharkhiraa. There are over 10 icy mountain peaks and glaciers in the Kharkhiraa and Turgen mountains, which account for 20 per cent of the glaciated area of Mongolia. Olon Nuuriin Valley lays between these mountains and has many small lakes. In rocky areas a rare flower called Vansemberuu grows.

The walls and ceiling of Khoid Tsenheriin (Northern Blue) Cave, 25 km from Mankhan soum in Khovd province, is home to paintings by Central Asian tribes during the Paleolithic Age. Large birds, camels, mammals, buffalo, and trees are painted with deep red and beige pigment. These animals inhabited Mongolian territory in ancient times, but are now extinct. The paintings’ content and composition make them an important part of Paleolithic history and culture studies.

Eej Khairkhan is a unique formation located in Tsogt soum of Gobi-Altai province. The area has rich wildlife and rare birds such as partridges, Mongolian ground jays, and Great Bustards The blue mountain of the desert is also home to the “never seen” Gobi bear, wild Bactrian camel, and drought-resistant saxaul trees that absorb sunshine and thermal energy. Mongolia has been actively protecting leopards. Mongolia has the second largest snow leopards population in the world.

Uvs lake is a birth place of the Huns, Turks and skiffs who left unforgettable mark on world history. The lake’s basin is the largest untouched watershed in central Asia. This area is a natural wonder, treasure chest of 40,000 archaeological artifacts. In 2003, it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. Uvs lake is largest lake in Mongolia covering 3,350 sq.km.