Dayan Uul Rock Tower

Top choice in Western Mongolia


Crowning a level platform of boulders atop Dayan Uul is this 30m-high sedimentary rock tower, draped with blue cloth and encircled by prayer wheels. The viewpoint takes in Otgon Tenger Uul, associated with the Bodhisattva Ochirvaani, making it a place of pilgrimage for Mongolian Buddhists. It's a one-hour trek uphill from the ranger station: you'll pick up the trail if you keep right of the 4WD track. You can drive part of the way, but you'll need a sturdy 4WD.

It's usually possible to hire horses from beside the tower for rambles down to Khökh Nuur.