Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, National park in Ulaanbaatar region, Mongolia.
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is a protected area in the Ulaanbaatar region of Mongolia, known for its granite rock formations, pine forests, and open meadows along the Terelj River. The landscape sits at roughly 1600 meters elevation and features the mountain terrain of the Khentii Range with river valleys and wooded slopes.
The area became a national park in 1993 and was previously part of the Khan Khentii Protected Area surrounding the sacred Burkhan Khaldun mountain. This designation marked an important step for nature conservation in Mongolia and opened the region to visitors.
The Aryabal Buddhist Monastery, constructed in 2004 on a mountain slope, contains 108 stairs leading to meditation chambers and religious instruction halls.
The park sits roughly two hours by car from Ulaanbaatar via the paved A0501 highway and is best visited from spring through autumn. Numerous ger camps across the region offer traditional accommodation and starting points for walks into the surrounding hills.
A granite formation known as Turtle Rock rises roughly 24 meters (79 feet) in the central part of the park and displays the shape of an animal through natural erosion of the stone. Visitors can walk around the rock formation and observe how the profile changes from different angles.
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