1 Day Erdenezuu Monastery Coach Tour Including Lunch

Sightseeing  :  Mongolia  :  Ulaanbaatar  :  Ulaanbaatar  :  Bus & Minivan Tours

You will be amazed to see Erdene Zuu Monastery, one of the must see destinations in central Mongolia. The well preserved first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, Erdene Zuu was established on the ruin of ancient Kharkhorin City in 1586 by Avtai Sain khan, probably is the most ancient surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. The monastery is located in Kharkhorin sum/district , Uvurkhangai province. It is surrounded by fortress wall sized 1,378 feet (420 meters) tall on each side, with 108 stupas. In 1792, it housed 62 temples because Mongolian lords tried to have temples with their own names inside the wall of the monastery as it is a symbol of high regards. Also in 1658, the biggest ger consists of 35 walls, 1700 long pole, and could contain 200 people was built at the center space of monastery wall. Today, there are monks still living inside the monastery.You will be picked up from your hotel to leave the city in the early morning to have better asphalt road and can get to your destination within a couple of hours. Along the way to Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of Mongolian Empire that was destroyed by invading Chinese forces in the 15th century, you will see greatest historic and true nomadic lifestyle as soon as you leave the city limit. Stop for lunch on the half way which is 230 mi (370 km) between UB and Kharkhorin. You will see the Turtle Rock guarding the walls of the lost city and also visit the largest and first Mongolian Buddhist temple complex or Erdene Zuu which is surrounded by brick walls with 108 stupas. Although most of the monastery buildings were destroyed during the communist repression of 1937, majority of buildings survived. These big temples are quite nice and interesting because of how different deities and nomad traditions are presented as well as Buddhist chanting conducted everyday at 11am. Your guide is very knowledgeable on yellow-hat Buddhism and will provide you with thorough background and history on the site. In the evening, you will be driven back to Ulaanbaatar and dropped off at your downtown hotel.