Sainshand, Khamaryn Khiid, and the Black Mountain of Bayanzurkh Uul

Sainshand is another town on the Trans-Mongolian, which makes it one of the easiest places in the country to access. Unlike Sukhbaatar, however, it has a couple of really good attractions: the Khamaryn Khiid monastery about 20 km south of town, and the sacred Black Mountain or Bayanzurkh Uud a similar distance southwest of town.

Sainshand is also firmly in the Gobi. On the train ride to Sainshand you'll see sparse grasslands, but once you get out of town and on the road to Khamaryn Khiid it turns to full-on desert, full of sand and rock.

Train from UB to Sainshand

There are two trains that run daily along this route, and one that runs a few times per week. The one that runs during the day is a local train that tops at every single stop. It leaves UB at 9:15 am and is scheduled to arrive in Sainshand at 7:15 pm. There's also an evening train that leaves UB at 5:20 pm and arrives in Sainshand at 1:45 am before continuing to the border at Zamyn Uud. Finally, there an express night train that leaves UB at 8:50 pm and arrives in Sainshand at 4:49 am—but it only runs three days per week.

Taking the day train gives you a chance to soak up the scenery. If you're bored by plains and grasslands, you might find it a bit much. But if you travel platzkartny, you'll have a good chance to interact with locals, especially curious kids. I traveled on a Saturday, which meant there were some families visiting Sainshand and the nearby religious sites there over the weekend.

A station on the outskirts of UB. Even the playground is grim.

The train carriage's hot water boiler is wood-fired. The original iPhone's camera is a potato.

The train station at Choir. Apparently there's a statue of Mongolia's only cosmonaut out front.

The aftermath of a rainy morning, and a few vendors selling to passengers.

Sainshand-UB-Zuunkharaa.

Rainbows herald the end of the clouds and the advent of the sun.

The evening turns beautiful.

Passing the northbound train.

One of the kids I met on the train. She was from Selenge aimag, where Sukhbaatar city is.

The train arrived late. The platform was crowded with vendors selling food to passengers who stop here or are on their way to UB or Zamyn Uud. Soda, chocolate, biscuits, buuz dumpling, meat, and the like.