VISIT: LATE NOVEMBER 2023

Mongolia in winter? It was not my initial plan, but when my business trip to Beijing got rescheduled from early October to late November, I had no choice. Ok, I had a choice, but I wanted to visit Mongolia. Period. Mongolia is a huge country, and visiting the various WHS in one trip would take a lot of time, so I decided to visit two in a total of 3 days (plus, of course, arrival and departure days): the Orkhon Valley and the Deer Stone Monuments. The Deer Stone Monuments were inscribed in 2023, and their locations were well documented with good maps at UNESCO. There are many more Deer Stones in Mongolia, though. From the 3 locations, the Uushigiin Övör site would be easy if driving west from Ulaanbaatar, and the other two, Jargalantyn Am (two sites) and Khoid Tamir Valley, from Tsetserleg. In summer, Jargalantyn (actually the most important for locals) would be easy, but in winter, it's too far from Tsetserleg, so I chose Khoid Tamir Valley. I didn't know what to expect as information online is very scarce.

The only way to get to the Deer Stones is by private transport. In winter, do not attempt it solo (in summer it is easy), and take a local with you. It's best to go with two cars in winter to save time if you get stuck, which happened twice to me. So really take care if you go in winter. From Ulaanbaatar to Karakorum, the highway is paved and cleared of snow, but it will take more time after fresh snowfall. The same applies from Karakorum to Tsetserleg, but it's less often cleared. It took a full day to get to Tsetserleg with a visit to Orkhon Valley. I stayed 2 nights in Tsetserleg. From Tsetserleg, one has to drive to Ikh-Tamir first, which is paved except for the mountain pass. The latter is problematic as it simply closes if there is too much fresh snow. I was lucky it opened around 10 AM to pass. In Ikh-Tamir (get to about here: 47°35'37.1"N 101°12'48.3"E), it is about 15 kilometers off-road along the river. (NOTE: the road continues, partially paved now as well, to Jargalantyn Am, which in summer could be done as a very long day trip, but in winter, it is impossible and also no real option to stay anywhere).

The first 10 kilometers were very smooth, and the last 5 could have been if I hadn’t taken the wrong turn. (at 47°40'18.3"N 101°18'41.4"E keep RIGHT, do not go left between the mountains in winter!!! In summr is OK). The road follows the valley river on the left side, and before the Deer Stones location, there is a mountain on the left. Behind that mountain is another valley. In summer, one can take a left before the mountain and just drive around. In winter, this was a bad choice. At some point, the road tracks were difficult to follow. I had to make new tracks, which ended up in a ditch, and got completely stuck with the car. After trying to get out, which didn’t work, the best option would have been to walk to the nomad camp that was just a kilometer or two away. Luckily, a car driving the same way saw me and came to the rescue. It was a police officer, and he helped get the car free.

It took another 30 minutes to finally reach the first Deer Stone (you have to get to here: 47°44'45.1"N 101°21'37.1"E). Yes, the first, as there are about two dozen at the Khoid Tamir valley (see the map on the UNESCO site; the dots and points are accurate). You cannot miss them as they are clearly visible in the landscape. These Deer Stones deserve to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are beautifully carved with amazing colors and figures, I had several wow moments there. I didn't see any actual deer, but the nomads who made this must have! There are also various burial mounds that surround the Deer Stones, these piles of rocks are clearly visible once there. Up the mountain, there must be some rock art as well but as this would be covered in snow I did not even try to find it.

After two or three hours exploring the area, it was time to leave and go back. This was easier, as I knew the way now.

I do not regret going there in winter as it made this visit to the middle of nowhere very special.