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Dund Sayhni Nuru

hike | 2023-06-09
2830 m altitude, 1531 m prominence, 224.96 km isolation

The road from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad is paved and generally in decent condition. Approximately a hundred kilometers of the route have some potholes, but overall, the travel speed remains relatively high. We procure food supplies near the airport early in the morning and drive a couple of hundred kilometers to Mandalgobi, where we find one of the rare restaurants and enjoy a nice lunch. The restaurant is run by the owner’s children, who are shy and hide behind the bar while serving two foreigners. Later in the afternoon, we traverse the streets of Dalanzadgad, which is situated 600 kilometers away from Ulaanbaatar. This town is inhabited by around 20,000 people and functions as the capital of the Ömnögovi Aimag province. Its relative proximity to the first ultra mountain, Dund Sayhni Nuru, makes it a convenient place for us to stay overnight.

That night, we stay in local accommodation in yurts
A tourist-tuned yurt has a light bulb, power sockets, a ventilator, a table, and a few beds. It generally provides most of what a backpacker might need, but I still miss having windows. I wonder how people satisfy their curiosity without windows.

We are prepared for camping in the steppe, however, when we spot a good-looking hotel in Dalanzadgad, we stop and try our luck. Booking hotels in advance outside Ulaanbaatar is challenging or impossible for two reasons. First, there are very few hotels, and they are mainly located in larger centers like Altai, Khovd, Bayankhon, or Dalanzadgad. Second, the few that exist do not have an online presence. Regardless, a lady at the reception informs us that the hotel is fully booked for the next week and offers us local homestay accommodation, and we somehow accept it. Soon, another lady comes to the hotel, and we follow her a few kilometers to the outskirts of the city. It becomes obvious that we will be sleeping in a yurt, which provides a unique and enjoyable experience for our first night in the countryside.

We drive a few kilometers off-road towards the mountain base and simply park the car at one of the small bumps before starting to walk.

Early in the morning, we drive southwest towards Bayandalaj village, covering another fifty or more kilometers. At a certain point on the paved road, we head straight towards the summit direction. It’s not a complete off-road situation, as there are tracks to follow. We manage to drive another dozen kilometers before encountering a ravine that’s too deep to pass. This is a clear sign that we need to park the car and start walking.

Hills are bathed in the morning light
The landscape is easy to walk through
Few small ups and downs, not bad
The summit ridge lies ahead of us.

The temperature is not too cold nor too warm; walking in the morning has its advantages. The surface is also friendly, with a few minor inclines. After an hour, we reach the mountain base and start ascending the slopes. Once again, nothing too complicated, just a bit steeper than before. One slope, then another, and one more – finally, we find ourselves on the ridge, heading straight towards the summit. The ridge is easy to follow, and we move quickly.

An interesting 50×50-meter square field is adorned with a small shrine at its center, while its perimeter is marked with stones
Looking back, our car is parked somewhere behind these bumps
Finally, we reach steeper slopes
After a few kilometers of walking, we take our first short break, enjoying the nice views in front of us
We came from this valley
Iris flowers dotting the slopes
Gazing towards the flatlands to the south
Observing the ridge to the east, we ascend it from the right side
Taking in the panoramic views from the ridge

The mountain has three smaller sub-summits, each a couple of kilometers apart. The highest one is called Middle Beauty. Interestingly, while we’re not entirely certain, on the map we came across Eastern Beauty, situated approximately 30 kilometers southeast in what seems to be a different mountain range. Its altitude is slightly lower, at 2815 meters, compared to our ultra Dund Sayhni Nuru. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that somewhere northwest, one might find a range with a Western Beauty summit.

The highpoint of Middle Beauty is visible from the lower southeast sub-summit
A valley lies on the north side
Scenic views to the southwest
We came from on this southeast ridge

At the highpoint, we discovered a typical blue shrine. After a short break, we decided to visit the northwest sub-peak as well. Rob’s handheld level measured it to be lower, but anyway, since we’re here, why not visit it? Moreover, we noticed an intriguing white bar a few meters below the summit. Later on, we found it to be another shining shrine.

At the highpoint, there is a typical cairn and a blue-colored shrine
My selfie skills are not the best, but I’m learning. Here’s a selfie of Rob and me at the summit
The northwest sub-summit with a white shrine is slightly lower. A few white pixels are visible in the photo :).
Rob is approaching the lower northeast sub-summit
There is a shining gold-silver shrine below the northwest sub-summit, the one that appeared white from a distance
The clear skies offer impressive views in all directions
The mountain rises at the outskirts of the Gobi Desert
Ridges extending to the west from the northwest sub-summit
Birds (??) greet us at the west sub-summit

On the way down, we follow the same ridge but start descending the slope before the southeast sub-peak. Maybe half a mile away from there, we reach the ridge on the way up. The terrain is not bad, more or less the same quality and complexity as on the ascent. Soon, we are down at the flatter part. We can see car tracks coming here, so it must be possible to leave the car somewhere here, much closer to the summit. Anyway, the difference is not dramatic; we walk another half hour and decide to detour to two bumps – P60 and P40. It’s an easy scramble with very good views around. Soon, we reach the car, find a good spot for lunch consisting of sardines and noodle soup. After lunch, we continue driving, and just before the paved road, we spot one more P30 peak, and Rob tests our car’s limits. Not bad; however, the last few meters we need to walk. So, unlike us, the car has its limitations.

This camel ?? skeleton reminds me of South America, where tons of animal bones lie on the slopes
Looking back at the ridge and the car tracks in the valley below
A huge mixed herd of sheep and goats moving around, managed by motorbike-riding shepherds
Rob on P60 or P40 peak (left)
P60 and P40 peaks which we detoured on the way back (right)
Impressive blood-red-colored rocks dominate these small peaks. Richard suggested looking for and bringing home blue-colored rocks, but so far, we haven’t had any luck..
Looking back at the Dund Sayhni Nuru range from the P30 peak
Local yurts
Close to the paved road, we spotted one more cairn at the top of P30, and of course, we could not resist visiting it

Superb day and great success – we have just climbed our first Mongolian ultra and reached the Gobi Desert Ranges Highpoint. When planning the trip, we had so many questions and a lot of uncertainties. But now we have seen that everything went smoothly. We’re considering, optimistically, how we can cross the Gobi Desert on the way to Myangan Yamaat. But we end up retracing our tracks, driving back to Dalanzadgad, and visiting a few smaller peaks along the way: Peak 1156, Bulgan, Peak 1158, Bulgan, and Ich-Tevsh-Ula.


Dund Sayhni Nuru 2830 m altitude
1531 m prominence
224.96 km isolation
Ranges Mongolia Ranges - Gobi Desert Ranges
Countries/regions Mongolia - Omnogovi
Distance 6.60 km up 10.00 km down
Elevation 941 m gain 941 m loss
Time
2h50 up
0h10 other
4h00 down
7h00 total
Trailhead 2186 m altitude 43.5830550, 103.8129160
Route The initial stretch of our hike takes us through a relatively flat steppe terrain. As we make progress, we encounter steeper slopes, although they remain manageable and not excessively steep. The ground consists of a mix of stones, rocks, and grass, providing an easy path to navigate. Walking along the ridge is pleasurable, and we continue our journey towards the southeast sub-summit, then the true summit, and finally the northwest sub-summit. On our return, we follow a similar path, but this time we initiate the descent a half-mile earlier, specifically before reaching the southwest sub-peak. Although this detour doesn't benfit much, it's still a rewarding exploration. We also seize the opportunity to visit a few more smaller peaks along the route.
Difficulties Finding the right exit from the paved road to get closer to the mountain base proved to be a challenge. Numerous ravines restricted our options, allowing us to drive only in one direction, toward the ridge.
Links GPX trail
  • « Tsetseegün Uul
  • Peak 1156, Bulgan »

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TRIPS

2023
Mongolia Ranges 2023
Philippines 2023
West Africa III 2023
West Africa II 2023
Iberian Peninsula 2023
West Africa 2023
Central America 2023
2022
Andes 2022
Northwest Europe 2022
Malay Archipelago III 2022
Malay Archipelago II 2022
Anatolia Mountains 2022
Iberian Peninsula 2022
Atlas Mountains 2022
North France-West Rhine Area 2022

archaeology (3) climb (96) food (2) hike (95) p30 (9) p100 (14) p300 (10) p600 (14) p1000 (6) p1500 (46) ribu (5) sight (41) summary (13) ultra (46)

1 118 km walked, 84 987 m climbed

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