Amarbayasgalant Monastery is serene and lovely, well worth the difficult (bumpy 5+ hour drive from UB) to get there. As we drove the last 35 kilometers (see photo of sign), the Three Dog Night song “The Road to Shambala” kept reverberating in my brain. After we passed through countless herds of cattle, goats, and sheep on the road, the monastery suddenly appeared like a shimmering vision tucked away in a hidden valley. The monastery is the real thing in a truly magical setting, not the glitz and glamor one sees, for example, in Kyoto. Because it was the end of the season, I was the only visitor and the monks seemed genuinely happy to have me explore the expansive grounds and striking buildings. Also, I and my driver were the only people staying at the IF Tour ger camp located right next to the monastery. The two Mongolian ladies who ran the ger camp were absolutely lovely. Their food is fresh off the farm, and so they cooked me two of the best meals I had in Mongolia. Their homemade bread is to die for. And to add to the dreamlike setting, the next morning I woke up to a light snowfall. “Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain, with the [snow] in Shambala.” Truly a highlight of my visit to Mongolia.

One of the few monasteries to have escaped destruction during the Russian purge the central section is well preserved. Although Chinese in style it has an unique cultural relationship with the nomadic people.