Gorkhi-Terelj National Park

Listen for a moment. There is wind moving through larch needles, the dry click of grasshoppers in the grass, and somewhere far off, a horse snorting. The air smells of wild thyme and woodsmoke. Under your feet, the ground is a mix of coarse sand and crumbled granite. It is pale grey, almost pink in places. Above you, the sky feels enormous. Mongolians have a reason for calling their country the land of the blue sky. Out here, you understand it with your whole body.

You are in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, northeast of Ulaanbaatar. The drive usually takes a little over an hour, depending on the capital's traffic. That short distance is part of the surprise. In under two hours, you go from apartment blocks and power stations to open valleys, wooded slopes and rivers. Very few capital cities in the world sit this close to country this wild. For many people in Ulaanbaatar, this park is their weekend escape and their family picnic ground.

The park was given national park status in 1993. That was soon after Mongolia's peaceful turn to democracy in the early 1990s. It forms part of a much larger protected landscape around the Khentii Mountains. These mountains rise to the north and east of here. They are the southern edge of the Siberian taiga, the great northern forest. So here, steppe grassland meets forest. You can often see both from the same spot.

Now look at the rocks. Across the valleys, huge granite boulders sit on the hillsides. Some are stacked, some are split, and some balance in ways that seem impossible. They were not placed here by anyone. Over many millions of years, frost, heat and wind wore the softer rock away. The harder granite stayed behind in rounded shapes. Winters here are long and very cold. Summers can be hot. That swing in temperature cracks the stone, slowly, season after season.

The most famous of these shapes is Turtle Rock. In Mongolian, it is called Melkhii Khad. Stand in the right place, and you see it clearly. There is a domed shell, a heavy body, and a head stretching forward. It is large enough that people standing at its base look tiny. Children love to spot the face. Adults usually do too. Locals have named other formations as well. One is often described as an old man reading a book. Part of the fun is deciding for yourself what you see.

Higher on a slope, you may notice a white building with a red roof, up a long flight of steps. This is the Aryabal Meditation Temple, a Buddhist retreat. The approach is part of the experience. You cross a suspension bridge, then climb past signboards. Each sign carries a short Buddhist teaching, written in Mongolian and English. It is a slow, thoughtful walk. By the top, you are breathing harder. You also have one of the best views of the valley below.

Buddhism has deep roots in Mongolia. But in the 1930s, under the communist government, almost all monasteries were destroyed or closed. Thousands of monks were killed or forced to leave religious life. Open worship returned only after 1990. So a temple like this one carries a quiet meaning. It belongs to a period of rebuilding. When you see prayer wheels turning or fresh offerings at a shrine, you are seeing a tradition that came back.

Watch the hilltops and passes for something else. You may see piles of stones with blue cloth tied around them. These are ovoo, sacred cairns. They are older than Buddhism in Mongolia and connect to beliefs about the spirits of land and sky. The blue scarves are called khadag. Travellers often walk around an ovoo three times, clockwise. They may add a stone or leave a small offering, asking for a safe journey. You are welcome to join in quietly and respectfully.

Two rivers shape this landscape. The Tuul River runs along the park's southern side. Later, it flows past Ulaanbaatar itself. The Terelj River runs through the central valleys. In summer, the riverbanks are green and full of willows. In spring, the snowmelt can make the water fast and cold. These rivers are the reason the valleys are so good for grazing. Herding families have used this land for a very long time.

That brings us to the ger. A ger is the round felt tent of Mongolian nomads. You may know the Russian word, yurt. You will see many of them here. Some belong to tourist camps. Others belong to working herding families. A ger has a wooden lattice wall, roof poles meeting at a central ring, and layers of felt covering the frame. A stove sits in the middle. Traditionally, the door faces south, toward the sun and away from the cold north wind.

If you visit a family ger, a few customs will help. Step over the threshold, not on it. Move to the left as you enter, clockwise around the stove. Accept a bowl of tea with your right hand, or with both hands. Mongolian milk tea is salty, not sweet, and that surprises many visitors. You may also be offered dried curds or fermented mare's milk, called airag. A small taste is a polite way to say thank you.

Horses are everywhere here, and they are not just for tourists. Mongolian horses are short, strong and tough. They live outdoors all year, even through winters far below freezing. Many visitors take a guided ride through the valleys. The saddles can feel hard, and the horses have strong opinions. Listen to your guide. You will soon notice how herders ride. They sit loose and relaxed, almost as if they were born on horseback. In a sense, many of them were.

The seasons change this place completely. In summer, the slopes fill with wildflowers, including edelweiss. Afternoon storms can roll in quickly, then clear just as fast. Autumn turns the larches gold before the needles fall. Winter brings snow, frozen rivers and deep silence. Each season gives a different park. The granite stays the same. The colours around it are what change.

Before you leave, stand still once more. Look at the line where the forest meets the grass. Look at the rocks warming in the light. Notice how the wind keeps moving, even when nothing else does. As you walk back toward the road, keep an eye on the ground. You may find a smooth, rounded stone, worn down over a very long time. In this valley, the land changes slowly. A visit gives you a short look at it.