Ulaangom

Ulaangom is the capital of Uvs province. It is near Uvs Lake, a large saltwater lake with the largest surface area in Mongolia.

Understand

The city is located near the shores of Lake Uvs Nuur, and has a population of around 27,000. It has an extreme and harsh climate, with temperatures often dropping as low as -45°C in the winter while rising to as high as +40°C during the summer. It is considered to be the coldest province in the country. While the city does not boast an abundance of tourist attractions, it serves as a good base to explore the north-west corner of Mongolia.

History

Ulaangom is home to the last 2 Communist leaders of Mongolia, Tsedenbal (1952–1984) and Batmunkh (1984–1990). There is a large statue and a whole wing of the local museum dedicated to Tsedenbal. While the area is peaceful today, Uvs resembled the 'Wild West' during the 1990s when cattle raiding between Uvs and the neighboring Tuvan Republic in Russia made the region particularly dangerous. Things finally returned to normal after one of the few border fences on the Russian-Mongolian border was completed in the early 2000s, separating Uvs Aimag and the Tuvan Republic.

Ulaangom
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       1.8     −26 −37       1.8     −23 −35       3.4     −12 −25       3.9     7 −6       6.3     19 4       26     25 10       35     25 12       23     23 10       13     17 3       4.6     7 −5       6.8     −6 −16       4     −21 −31 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm NOAA (1961-1990)
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       0.1     −15 −34       0.1     −10 −32       0.1     11 −13       0.2     44 21       0.2     66 39       1     76 50       1.4     78 54       0.9     74 49       0.5     63 38       0.2     45 22       0.3     22 4       0.2     −6 −23 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches

Get in

There are medium-sized buses leaving from the Dragon Center in Ulaanbaatar several times a week. It is also possible to take a shared jeep or van to and from Hovd that leaves most days. This trip takes about 10 hours with a stop for dinner at a small Mongolian cafe.

By plane

• Ulaangom Airport (ULO  ^IATA) (located 13 km outside the city, meaning a long taxi ride into town). There are flights to Ulaanbaatar and Ölgii, though the Ölgii flight is only one way to Ulaangom. 
• AeroMongolia, ☎ [phone] (Ulaanbaatar), [phone] (Ulaangom), e-mail: [e-mail]. M-W, F, Sa 09:00-18:00. It is generally cheaper, but uses older planes. Charges foreigners double the local rate. Flights are Tues, Thurs, and Sat. 

Get around

See

• The museum - nice displays of local forna, wild life and Buddhist art.
• Dechinravjaalin Khiid Monastery - founded in 1757, this monastery once boasted 2,000 monks. However, after being destroyed in 1937, the monastery never recovered, and it remains a shadow of its former glory.

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

• Bayalag Od Hotel

Mid-range

• Uvs Nuur Tsogtsolbor Hotel, ☎ [phone]. The best hotel in town. 

Go next

Uvs Nuur

• Uureg Nuur - Mongolia's largest lake.
• The twin peaks of Kharkhiraa Uul (4037m) and Tiirgen Uul (3965m).
• Uvs Nuur - a gigantic inland sea in the middle of the desert. It is five times saltier than the sea, so cannot support aquatic life. The Uvs Nuur basin is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• Khyargas Nuur Natural Park
• Achit Nuur - the largest freshwater lake in Uvs
• Large coach busses for Ulaanbaatar and cities along the route depart from the old airport at the south side of the city. Tickets should be purchased in advance as busses do sell out. They can also be purchased online (with payment through certain Mongolian banks) from the dragon center ticket website at http://eticket.transdep.mn . As of May 2018, busses were departing at 11am and 3pm daily; the trip to Tsetserleg (Erdenetbugan) in Arkhangai Aimag takes about 18 hours, with another ~10 hours needed to get to UB.