400km west of Ulaanbaaatar lies Karakorum (Harhorin), the location of  the capital of the heyday of the Mongol Empire under Ögödei Khan. It was sacked in the 1380s by the Ming armies who had put an end to the Mongol Yuan dynasty of Khubilai Khan at the court at Daidu (Beijing). Some 200 years later, in the 1580s, the remains of Karakorum were used to build the Erdenezuu monastery, www.erdenezuu.mn. The Högnö Khan Mountains are some rock formations next to the sand dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai, where the small Erdenekhombo monastery being restored.

How to travel there:

The twin destinations of Högnö Khan Mountain and Karakorum are a full days drive west of Ulaanbaatar. Eznis Airways have recently started flying three times a week to the airfield at Harhorin. If travelling overland trip length is best at 4d/3n and by flight 3d/2n.