Hustai National Park (Khustain National Park)

Hustai National Park (sometimes written Khustai National Park) spans 222,395 acres (90,000 hectares). Visitors can hike, go horseback riding, go camel riding, and explore the vast grounds by vehicle. In addition to the wildlife, which includes over 40 species of mammals and over 150 species of birds, there are a number of ancient ruins and monuments, including Neolithic graves, throughout the area.

Day and overnight tours of Hustai National Park from Ulaanbaatar are available. For those with more time, multi-day tours can also include other parks in the area, such as Bogd Khan Mountain National Park or Terelj National Park. Those with a week or more can go on extended adventures covering several regions in Mongolia, such as Central Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, or the Orkhon Valley.

• Overnight visitors can stay in traditional ger camps just outside the park.

• Camping is not allowed inside the park.

• Bring binoculars if you can, to better see the wildlife.

• It’s best to rent a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with good clearance if not going as part of a tour.

Hustai National Park is located about 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of Ulaanbaatar. It’s easiest to visit as part of a guided tour. Otherwise, it’s best to rent a 4WD vehicle. Take the main highway leaving Ulaanbaatar to the west to the Khustai Mountains Road, then turn onto an unpaved road and continue for about 6 miles (10 kilometers) until you reach the main camp.

Although it’s possible to see the national park on a day trip, it’s best to stay overnight, as the best chances of seeing the takhis tend to be around dawn or dusk, when they come down from the mountains to drink from the Tuul River.

Hustai National Park is most known for the successful reintroduction of the tahki. The tahki had become extinct in the wild in the 1960s, but was reintroduced into the wild in the 1990s from two captive groups that remained. In addition to the takhi, a number of other animals call the park home, including marmots, wolves, foxes, lynxes, badgers, sheep, deer, gazelles, owls, and golden eagles, among others.

Hustai National Park is most famous for its population of wild horses, known as takhi or Przewalski’s horse, which roams free in herds. But the 220-square-mile (570-square-kilometer) park offers a wide range of wildlife across diverse landscapes, including forest, steppe, mountains, and rivers, plus fascinating cultural traditions, too.

You’ll need a 4WD to explore Hustai National Park so, unless you’re an experienced off-road navigator, your best options are to charter a driver or join a tour. Besides wildlife spotting, many tour packages include a night’s stay in a ger camp and/or cultural encounters with nomadic locals.

Unlike US national parks, it generally doesn’t matter which day you visit a Mongolian national park. Mongolia is huge and generally empty. Even on weekends, Hustai National Park feels far from crowded. However, for a more isolated experience at the ger camps, plan your visit for midweek.

It depends. Hustai National Park is convenient as it’s just 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Ulaanbaatar, making it a practical day trip. Many tours also stop by while headed south to the Gobi. If you’re traveling north or east from Ulaanbaatar, Hustai National Park may not merit the detour.

For the full wilderness experience, you should spend a night in the park, staying in a ger camp or with a nomadic family. A day and a night leaves time to drive both of the main park trails, see the wild horses, and perhaps ride a horse or a camel.

Yes. There are herds of short, stocky Mongolian wild horses, known as takhi or Przewalski’s horse, in Hustai National Park. They were reintroduced in the 1990s after going extinct in the wild. The captive-bred original horses have produced a sustainable population of wild descendants.