Hustai National Park – Home of the Takhi Wild Horses of Mongolia

Hustai National Park – Home of the Takhi Wild Horses

Hustai National Park is located approximately 90 km west of Ulaanbaatar and easily accessed on a sealed road. The park was created as a place for the Takhi (Przewalski Horse) to be re-introduced back into Mongolia, where it had became extinct in the wild.

In Hustai Nuruu National Park the visitor has a good chance to see the Takhi, Red Deer (elk), marmot (in summer), gazelle, birds of prey and other wildlife throughout the seasons. This is the best place in Mongolia to view Takhi as well as large herds of elk.

This National Park is in typical steppe landscape, and named after the birch forests that grow on the mountain slopes. Hustai is the Mongolian word for the Birch tree. While this is one of the smaller National Parks in Mongolia, it is very well managed, with a visitor centre and headquarters from where to explore the park. There is a dedicated road on which visitors can travel in vehicles to view the wildlife, and in the summer season, biologist guides are available to accompany guests.

Besides the wildlife and landscape, Hustai National Park also protects conservation values of historic significance. There are deer stones, burial sites and stone carvings ranging in time from the bronze age to the 7th century Turkic period. This day trip depends on the weather and road conditions into the park but is well worth the visit.

Hustai National Park is managed by Hustai National Park Trust (HNPT), a non-government organization; income is derived from the ger camp, restaurant, visitor center and guided tours. Hustai National Park is a good model of sustainable tourism in Mongolia; its advantage is its relative close proximity to Ulaanbaatar city. Hustai National Park can easily be reached by travelers on the route between the capital city and the ancient capital of Kharkhorin.

Hustai National Park Trust and the preceding organizations and projects have worked closely with the local communities of livestock herders. The visitation to the park has created opportunities for local families to increase household incomes and diversify income sources, through homestays for guests, handicrafts and value added livestock products. Working closely with the local community is crucial for the success of Hustai National Park and the long term survival of the Takhi as the wild horses are competing with the pastures of domestic livestock.

Hustai National Park is the first site of Takhi re-introduction into the wild in Mongolia. The last wild Takhi were sighted around 1970. For centuries they had been hunted. However, twelve individuals had survived in captivity in zoos in Europe and captived breeding of the wild horses was successful. By 1992, the first Takhi arrived back in Mongolia to be re-introduced into the wild. The area chosen for this first re-introduction project was  the Hustai Nuruu steppe area. The area was made a Nature Reserve in 1993, and in 1998 the nature reserve was upgraded to a National Park. The re-introduction process, including the species management, park development and working with the local community and government was in the early years supported by the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse in the Netherlands, working closely with MACNE, the Mongolian Association for Conservation, Nature and the Environment, and the Ministry for Nature and Environment.

Prices:

• 1 person – $100.00
• 2 persons – $90.00 per person
• 3 or more – $75.00 per person