Ulaanbaatar to Terelj

Terelj National Park is about 56 km by road from Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar to Turtle Rock, and about 67 km to Terelj village. There are three ways to get there: a tour that collects you in the city, a car with a driver for the day, or driving yourself. Most visitors take a tour.

The road

From the centre of Ulaanbaatar the road runs east out of the city, then turns north into the park. Turtle Rock comes first, about 56 km from Sukhbaatar Square, and Terelj village about 13 km after it. The Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex lies off to the south-east, about 54 km by road from the square and about 37 km from Turtle Rock, so a day that takes in both means some driving back and forth.

A tour that collects you

The listings’ pickup terms on GetYourGuide, checked November 2026.

A car with a driver

Two listings sell the drive without a guide. On GobiGoTour's driver day the driver waits at 9:00 AM at the Ulaanbaatar Department Store on Peace Avenue, and the entrance fees and meals are yours to pay. Terelj wonder tour LLC's non-guided transfer leaves from in front of the same department store at 9:00 AM sharp (be there by 8:50), makes timed stops at the Winter Palace, Zaisan Hill, the statue, Turtle Rock and the Meditation Temple, and brings you back to the store; late arrivals and no-shows get no refund. Neither includes tickets, a guide or lunch.

Driving yourself

It can be done, with care. The UK Foreign Office says that outside the capital only about 10% of Mongolia’s roads are tarmacked and signposting is minimal, that driving in Ulaanbaatar is hazardous because the roads are heavily congested, and that large rural areas have no network coverage (November 2026). Its travel advice, updated on 7 August 2026, also reports fuel shortages that may affect road travel and access to some remote areas: fill up in the city.

From the airport

Chinggis Khaan International Airport is about 48 km by road from Sukhbaatar Square, on the far side of the city from Terelj. None of the tours here collect you there as part of the price; Arvaintsatsal LLC arranges a private airport transfer for an extra fee. Sleeping in the centre the night before puts you at the pickup points: hotels in Ulaanbaatar has room searches for that area.

Which way suits you

If you want the park with someone who knows it, a tour with pickup is the simplest: the 3-day and 2-day tours on the homepage both sleep in a Terelj ger camp. If you want to set your own pace and are happy to pay the entrances, a car with a driver gets you there and back. Driving yourself makes sense mainly if you are already travelling Mongolia by car.