Altai Taven Bogd National Park is located in western Mongolia where it borders China and Russia. Come travel to this remote Asian destination with Binny from A Speck in Time in this Everyday Postcard.
With seven continents, nearly 200 countries, and more than 7.5 billion people in the world, there is a lot to experience. The world is so vast and amazing that even the most avid traveler with a large bank account couldn’t truly do it justice in one lifetime!
Through the Everyday Postcard series, one of the world’s everyday wanderers shares postcard-worthy photos and real-life travel experiences to bring a piece of the big wide world to you.
After exploring the remote wilderness of the Altai mountains in Altai Taven Bogd National Park in Mongolia, Binny dashed off this Everyday Postcard:
Dear Sage,
I am excited to tell you about our Mongolia visit, which I can’t compare with any other place.
We traveled around for twenty days, spending half of the time in the Altai
mountains. It was beyond my expectations – a true wilderness experience. I am sending you some photos from the highlight of our Altai adventures – Khueiten Peak expedition. Hope you will enjoy them.
Take care,
Binny.
Meet Binny Marwaha
Binny loves to travel with her family which includes her two fearless children in addition to one husband. She has traveled to 20 countries so far. Her travels revolve around hiking and backpacking, with some occasional attempts to pure culture trips. She blogs to share her wonderful stories from around the globe with other adventure-loving families to inspire them.
In addition to her blog, A Speck in Time, be sure to follow Binny’s adventures via social media:
For those of us who haven't visited yet, give us an overview of Altai Taven Bogd Park
A beautiful national park, Altai Taven Bogd is at the borders of Russia, China, and Mongolia. Taven bogd translates to five saints, and it’s named for its five high mountain peaks. Khuiten is the tallest peak in Mongolia.
Being in the remote corner of Mongolia, only a few tourists venture here, and Kazakh culture has retained its traditions so far.
What made you select Altai Taven Bogd National Park as a destination?
We are mountain lovers and are naturally attracted to less-traveled corners of the world. While planning our Mongolia trip, we watched a few videos and the decision was pretty obvious after that.
How did you travel to Altai Taven Bogd Park?
First, we reached Ölgii, the frontier town for the Altai mountains, by airplane. In our case, our plan had a little twist, you may read more in the blog post. From Ölgii we took a Russian van with a local driver to reach the entrance of Altai Taven Bogd Park.
What was your favorite moment in Altai Taven Bogd Park?
Standing on the top of Mongolia!
How did you travel around Altai Taven Bogd Park?
In a trusty fully padded Russian van.
One of the best parts of travel is experiencing the local flavors. What was your favorite meal in Mongolia?
Kazakhs, who live in this part of Mongolia, love the meat and have a common opinion that animals eat leaves and humans eat animals. I enjoyed bortzig (fried unleavened bread) and the rest of the family feasted on buuz (steamed dumplings filled with mutton). My husband quickly learned to enjoy airag (fermented mare’s milk)
Did anyone travel to Altai Taven Bogd National Park with you?
Yes, we love to travel as a family, which includes my husband, daughter, and son. We started backpacking with the kids when the little one turned five years old.
Did you learn any local expressions in Mongolia?
Yes, we learned a few basics like:
Sain baina uu – Hello
Bayarlalaa – Thank you!
Bayartai – Goodbye
What was the weather like when you visited the mountainous national park?
More than perfect! It was early July when we visited Altai Taven Bogd National Park, and with only a few exceptions, we had great weather.
We hear a lot about "smooth sailing" travel moments, but were there any rough patches during your visit to Altai Taven Bogd Park?
Mongolia is a beautiful country with amazingly helpful people. This country is also the least densely populated with basic infrastructure. We had to wait for ~16 hours at the Ulaanbaatar (capital city) airport because tiny domestic airplanes could not fly in strong winds prevailing that day.
Finally, when winds died down, it was dark and we had to fly to a different town a five hour drive from our destination. Why? Because our intended destination, Ölgii, does not have lights on its runway!
Did you meet any of the locals? What were they like?
We not only met local tribes — Tuvans and Kazakhs — but we also got to stay with them, sang with them, and ate with them. We attended a local marriage as well, and I am working on my next blog post about these unforgettable experiences.
What's one thing travelers can't forget to pack when they visit Altai Taven Bogd National Park?
Sturdy boots.
Want to explore more of the world from the comfort of home? Check out these other Everyday Postcards. If you’d like to share a postcard from your travels, please review the guidelines and contact Sage.
