Aglag Buteel Temple tour from Ulaanbaatar: Meditation and nature

Gandantegchinlen Monastery dawn prayer, temple tour, private four-horned skulls & crocodile skin collection

A full-day guided tour from Ulaanbaatar to Gandantegchinlen Monastery and Aglag Buteel Temple, a Buddhist site built by an artist and scholar into natural granite outcrops. The morning begins with lamas at prayer. The afternoon includes a museum of unusual natural artifacts (four-horned ram skulls, single-horned ibex, full crocodile skin, a five-headed fish), and a walk around the temple grounds. Lunch and all transport from your accommodation are included. A live English-speaking guide leads throughout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit temples and museum in nature

• Visit Gandantegchinlen Monastery
• Observe lamas praying
• Ask questions at Mongolian Buddhist Centre
• Drive to Aglag Buteel Temple
• Explore temple and outdoor sites
• Visit museum on second floor
• Have lunch
• Excursion around temple and museum
• Return to Ulaanbaatar
• Transfer to accommodation

The experience

The day starts before most visitors wake. You'll arrive at Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Ulaanbaatar during morning prayer, when lamas gather in the main hall. The monks answer questions at the Mongolian Buddhist Centre afterward, so you get a sense of daily practice rather than a staged performance. Then the drive heads south to Aglag Buteel Temple, a site founded by a Buddhist artist and scholar who used the landscape itself (granite outcrops and natural settings) as part of the structure.

The temple's main building has two floors. Downstairs, you walk the outdoor exposures and the temple grounds. Upstairs, the owner's private museum holds specimens most travelers don't expect: a four-horned ram skull, a single-horned ibex skull, a full crocodile skin, a five-headed fish. The collection sits alongside the Buddhist artifacts, so the day mixes spiritual practice with natural oddities. Lunch happens midway through, and your guide stays with you the whole time to explain what you're seeing.

The return drive gets you back to Ulaanbaatar by late afternoon. Park entrance fees and all transfers from your hotel are built into the price, so there's no negotiation at the gate or hunting for a ride home.

What’s included

• Guide service in English throughout the day.
• lunch.
• park entrance fees.
• hotel pickup and return transfer.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (14 to 65 years) · Under 14: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Mongolian Vision Tours

Is this one for you?This is a shared tour with a live guide, so you move as a group and hear the guide's explanation at each stop. It suits travelers who want context and don't want to navigate alone. The early start at the monastery means you catch the lamas at prayer, which is the moment most visitors miss if they arrive later in the day.

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Top questions

What happens at Gandantegchinlen Monastery in the morning?

Lamas gather for dawn prayer in the main hall, and they answer visitor questions afterward at the Mongolian Buddhist Centre, so you see the monastery during active practice rather than as a closed site.

What is the museum at Aglag Buteel Temple like?

The museum occupies the second floor of the main building and holds the owner's private collection of natural specimens: a four-horned ram skull, single-horned ibex skull, full crocodile skin, and a five-headed fish among them.

How long is the full day, and when do we return to Ulaanbaatar?

The tour runs about eight hours from pickup to drop-off at your accommodation, with the return journey timed to get you back by late afternoon.

Is lunch included, and are there any costs at the temple entrance?

Lunch and park entrance fees are both included in the tour price. Transfers to and from your hotel are also covered, so there are no additional charges at the gate or for transport.