Sainshand

Overview

Sainshand, founded in 1931, is the centre of Dornogovi aimag, on the desert steppe of the eastern Gobi at about 960 metres. The Trans-Mongolian Railway passes through the city, with the station in its northern part.

The Danzanravjaa Museum is dedicated to the 19th-century poet and Nyingma lama who founded Khamar Monastery, about 45 km to the south. About 7 km west of the city are the ruins of an abandoned Soviet military base.

The climate is desert: long, very dry and very cold winters and short, hot summers, with only about 111 mm of rain and snow a year.

What to See

• The Danzanravjaa Museum
• Khamar Monastery, a short drive south in Khatanbulag soum
• The ruins of the Soviet military base west of town

Visiting

• Sainshand is on the Trans-Mongolian Railway between Ulaanbaatar and the Chinese border, so it can be reached by train.
• Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons; summers are hot and winters severe.