Aral Tolgoi sits on a bend of open ground in the Altai of western Mongolia, in the province of Bayan-Ulgii, where the land climbs steadily toward the borders with China and Russia. The name has the sound of a place: tolgoi means a hill or head, and aral an island, so think of a rise standing out in flat, braided ground, perhaps once surrounded by channels of the river nearby. It is part of the same ancient story as the petroglyph sites that lie along these valleys.
What is inscribed in the rock here is a record of people who passed through for thousands of years: hunters, herders, horsemen, warriors. The pictures are simple, pecked animals and humans, repeated and layered. For anyone who likes archaeology, there is a pleasure in finding them yourself, without a visitor centre or a rope. That also means it is your job to leave them as you found them, so do not touch the surface and do not park on anything that looks like old stone.
Around you the landscape is huge and nearly empty. Snow peaks shimmer to the west, the valleys are pale with dry grass, and you might see a herd of goats moving slowly up a slope, or a lone rider heading somewhere you cannot imagine. Kazakh families, who make up most of this province, live in felt tents in summer and in low houses in winter, and eagle hunters train golden eagles for the winter hunt.
The ride is gravel and dirt, with water crossings and sandy stretches, and it is not a place for a first adventure. Fuel is available in the provincial centre, Olgii, and in Khovd to the east, and not at the site. Carry extra. Mobile signal is patchy. Summer, from June to September, is the time to go, and a day with clear skies gives the best light for rock carvings and the best views of the mountains.