Mongolia. Destination Inspiration.
Mongolia sits in Central Asia with Russia to the north and China to the south, and no coastline anywhere. Ulaanbaatar, the capital, spreads across a valley at about 1,350 meters, and the country's three million people are scattered over highland, semi-mountainous and steppe terrain. Grassland runs for hours in every direction, broken by forests and rivers. In the western provinces the ranges rise sharply above the open steppe, and the rolling hills in between are wonderfully empty.

The Gobi covers about 1.3 million square kilometers across southern Mongolia, which makes it one of the largest deserts on earth. Ethnic Mongols form the majority, with Turkic and Chinese communities adding to the mix, and nomadic herding traditions sit alongside Buddhist and Shamanist practice in daily life. Ulaanbaatar itself straddles the old and the new: Soviet-era apartment blocks on one street, glass towers a block over. Several protected areas reward a detour, among them Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Khustain Nuruu and Hustai. Agriculture and herding underpin the economy, with wheat, barley, oats, potatoes and millet among the main crops. Sheep, goats, cattle, yaks and horses provide income for a large share of rural families. Coal, copper, gold and other minerals round out the picture.

Tourism has grown steadily, drawn by the culture, the landscapes and the history. Visitors time a trip around the Naadam festival, walk the sites at Karakorum, or give the Gobi a week of their itinerary. Hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking fill the days for anyone who prefers to be outdoors, and there's room for both a cultural trip and an active one.

Distances are the thing to plan around. An overland tour solves most of it, since a driver and a local guide can reach the far Aimags that independent travelers struggle with. The Trans-Mongolian railway ranks among the world's great train journeys, crossing borders, time zones and continents in one continuous run. Passengers share vodka with locals in the dining car, stop to swim in icy lakes, ride horses across open steppe and sleep in traditional gers. Our guide Dorj, who has led these routes for eleven years, knows which ger camps keep the stoves lit past midnight, and the warmth of those evenings stays with you long after the trip ends.

Mongolia Highlights.
Trans-Mongolian Journeys. Few rail trips match it for scale, and the social side of the train is half the appeal. Ulaanbaatar. The capital moves at a completely different pace from the plains, a lively hybrid of new and old. Gandan Khiid, Choijin Lama Temple and the National Museum of Mongolia are the three stops worth building a day around. The Gobi Desert. Sand dunes stretch to the horizon, canyons cut through the rock and the light shifts across open plains all afternoon. A camel ride feels like stepping back a century, and a night at a traditional ger camp makes a good base for it.

Kharkhorin. The old capital of the Mongol Empire is known now for Erdene Zuu Khiid, the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in the country. Ger camps dot the surrounding land, which makes it easy to see how local families live. The town works as a base for Naiman Nuur's lakes, the foothills of the Khangai Mountains and the Orkhon Valley.

The Best Time of Year for Visiting Mongolia.
Temperatures here swing hard, which is what a central continental position does. December through February drops into the low minuses. Spring and autumn shift between freezing and about 9 degrees Celsius. June to August lands in the mid twenties, with the occasional storm rolling through. Naadam usually falls in July, a fine time to go, though transport and accommodation should be booked well ahead. The long daylight of those summer weeks leaves plenty of time for evening walks around the camp.

Travelling to Mongolia.
Overland entry is part of the appeal, and the country sits on celebrated rail routes including the Trans-Mongolian. Plenty of visitors arrive that way. By air, most flights land in Ulaanbaatar, often connecting through Frankfurt, Moscow or Beijing. A tourist visa is required for most nationalities, so it pays to confirm the requirements before booking. The final stretch into the city passes a row of roadside stalls selling dried curd in paper bags.