Hustai and Bayanzag Named in Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026
Two of Mongolia's best-known visitor sites have been selected for the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026, an international list of good practice in sustainable tourism run by the Netherlands-based organisation Green Destinations. The Mongolia Tourism Organization (MTO) reported on 30 October 2026 that Hustai National Park, home of the reintroduced takhi wild horse, and Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs in the Gobi, both made the 2026 list. Both are already on most first-time itineraries.
Key facts
What: Hustai National Park and Bayanzag selected for Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026
Announced: Reported by the Mongolia Tourism Organization on 30 October 2026
Hustai story: Herders, AI and satellite data in pasture and wildlife management (Hustai National Park Trust Fund)
Bayanzag story: "Erasing Tyre Tracks, Preserving Camel Trails" (Umnugovi, Gobi)
Visitor rule: Hustai water-point viewing 17:00–19:00 with rangers; 300 m restricted zone (as of 30 Oct 2026)
Takhi at Hustai: About 330 (Hustai National Park website, read 4 Nov 2026)
Who it affects: Day-trippers to Hustai and Gobi travellers visiting the Flaming Cliffs
Source: Mongolia Tourism Organization, Hustai National Park, Green Destinations
What did Green Destinations Top 100 2026 recognise in Mongolia?
Green Destinations selected one story from each site. According to MTO's report on Hustai, the park and the area around it were chosen for a conservation model that combines artificial intelligence, satellite data and the traditional knowledge of local herders. The story was submitted by the Hustai National Park Trust Fund and local herder groups, with technical support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Bayanzag's story is titled "Erasing Tyre Tracks, Preserving Camel Trails", MTO reported. It focuses on protecting the Gobi's natural heritage at the dinosaur-fossil site in Bulgan soum, Umnugovi province, and on developing tourism that lasts. The nomination was prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth, JICA, MTO, Umnugovi provincial bodies and two tourism associations.
What is the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories list?
It is an annual call for sustainable tourism initiatives from destinations around the world. Green Destinations explains that its Story Awards, held at the ITB Berlin travel fair since 2014, are chosen from the Top 100 nominations in six categories, from nature and scenery to thriving communities. The awards given at ITB Berlin 2026 came from the 2025 list, so the 2026 list is a new and separate selection.
What changed at Hustai National Park?
The biggest change is how grazing and visitors are managed. MTO reports that herders and researchers, including from Japan's University of Tsukuba, created a shared pasture-use calendar that helped stabilise conditions on 350,000 hectares of pasture, and that livestock numbers in Argalant soum fell by 23.4%.
Visitors feel the change most at the water points. Under the model, viewing at the places where wild animals come to drink is limited to a two-hour window, 17:00–19:00, under ranger supervision, with a 300-metre restricted zone around the water points. Unauthorised off-road driving has been stopped, according to MTO.
There is a community side too. Through the Hustai Organic Programme, 32 herder groups, about 1,700 people, have been organised into seven cooperatives, and their dairy products and handicrafts are sold at the visitor service centre without commission.
Why does Hustai matter for wild horses?
Hustai is where the takhi, or Przewalski's horse, returned to Mongolia. The Hustai National Park website says the species was declared extinct in the wild in 1969, the first 16 horses were released on 5 June 1992, and 84 have been reintroduced in total. The park now counts about 330 takhi, which it describes as the world's largest takhi population.
We wrote in October about the takhi herd at Khomiin Tal, Mongolia's other reintroduction site. Hustai remains the easiest place to see them, as a day trip from Ulaanbaatar.
What does it mean at Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs?
At Bayanzag the focus is on vehicle tracks. The Gobi's gravel plains scar easily, and the story's title sums up the aim. MTO also notes that JICA's Sustainable Tourism Development project supports local businesses and workforce skills in the area.
Our Gobi Desert travel guide covers the wider region.
What this means for your trip
Plan Hustai for late afternoon. Supervised viewing at the water points runs from 17:00 to 19:00, per MTO's 30 October 2026 report. Our 1 Day Khustai National Park Tour is timed around the takhi.
Stay on the tracks and keep your distance. Rangers enforce a 300-metre zone around water points, and off-road driving is not allowed.
Buy from the herders. Dairy and crafts at the Hustai visitor centre are sold without commission.
At Bayanzag, walk the rim. Our Discover the Gobi desert (4 days) includes Bayanzag with Yolyn Am and the Khongoryn Els dunes.
Check entry rules. Mongolia's Consular Department lists 30 days visa-free for Singapore, Malaysia and Japan and 14 days for Hong Kong SAR (read 4 November 2026). The temporary 30-day exemption for 34 countries runs to the end of 2026.
Planning from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong or Japan? Hustai is about two hours by road from Ulaanbaatar, so it fits a four- to six-day trip. Both stories have an Asian link: JICA supported both nominations, and MTO signed a memorandum with Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Hotel and Tourism Management on tourism education and research, reported on 28 October 2026. See our Hong Kong to Mongolia travel guide and Japan to Mongolia travel guide.
How Enza Tours can help
We run day trips to Hustai and Gobi routes through Bayanzag all year, and we plan them around the park rules: late-afternoon arrivals for the takhi and marked tracks only. If you would like either site on your 2027 itinerary, tell us your dates and we will suggest a route.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mongolian sites are in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026?
Hustai National Park, near Ulaanbaatar, and Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs in Umnugovi province, were both selected for the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories 2026, the Mongolia Tourism Organization reported on 30 October 2026.
When is the best time of day to see takhi at Hustai National Park?
Late afternoon to evening. In 2026, supervised viewing at Hustai's water points, where wild animals come to drink, runs from 17:00 to 19:00, according to the Mongolia Tourism Organization.
How many wild horses live in Hustai National Park?
About 330 takhi (Przewalski's horses), according to the Hustai National Park website, read on 4 November 2026. The first 16 were released there on 5 June 1992.
Do I need a visa for Mongolia from Singapore or Hong Kong?
No, for short stays. Mongolia's Consular Department lists 30 days visa-free for Singapore, Malaysia and Japan and 14 days for Hong Kong SAR (as of 4 November 2026).
Can I drive off-road at Bayanzag or Hustai?
No. Hustai has stopped unauthorised off-road driving, and Bayanzag's 2026 Green Destinations story is about erasing tyre tracks in the Gobi. Stay on established tracks at both sites.
Tours that fit this story
Hand-picked from our current programmes. See all of them on our Mongolia tours page.
1 Day Khustai National Park Tour: Przewalski's wild horses on open grassland near Ulaanbaatar.
Discover the Gobi desert (4 days): Yolyn Am, the Khongoryn Els dunes and Bayanzag.
Amazing Gobi Desert Tour (7 days): Baga Gazriin Chuluu, Yolyn Am, Khongoryn Els, Bayanzag and Tsagaan Suvarga.
Sources
About this article
Written by the Enza Tours News Desk in Ulaanbaatar and checked by our team before publishing. Every date, number and rule in this post comes from the sources listed above, which we read on 4 November 2026. Last updated: 4 November 2026.
About Enza Tours LLC. We are a Mongolian inbound tour operator, founded in 2018 by Enkhzaya (Enza), and a member of the Mongolia Tourism Organization (MTO) and the Mongolian Tourism Association (MTA). Office: Room 39, Building 33, 4th Khoroo, Baga Toiruu Street, Chingeltei District, Ulaanbaatar 15141, Mongolia. Phone +976 8911 2100 · info@mongoliantour.guide · Meet our team · Contact us
