The Best Places to Visit in Mongolia
Mongolia is a vast, landlocked country in East and Central Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It is one of the largest countries in the world by land area (about 1.56 million square kilometers), yet it has one of the lowest population densities on the planet. The population of Mongolia is roughly 3.4 million people, with over half the population living in the country’s capital. Historically, The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history, rising in the early 13th century under the leadership of Genghis Khan. You’ll see alot of structures related to this in Mongolia. Mongolia’s travel appeal is its wide open, vast landscape mixed with the local nomadic lifestyle, which almost feels like you’re in a movie. It’s best explored with a guide or with your own car, as you’ll be doing some long distance land travel whilst here, especially to more remote areas.
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Currency: Mongolian Tugrik
Language: Mongolia
When to visit: June to August
1) Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia’s unique capital city, and the gateway to entering the country. The interesting thing about Ulaanbaatar is the mix of culture which has been showing over decades of development. You’ll see soviet-style building blocks on the same street as Buddhist temples and high rise buildings. The city is surrounded by mountains and faces extreme climates throughout the year, as well as its own air pollution problem.
Things to do:
A good starting point is to visit Sükhbaatar Square, the central square of Ulaanbaatar. You’ll see a big statue of Sukhbaatar, a famous patriot. Visit the Gandan Monastery and the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, two important culturtal sites. However the coolest thing to do is see The Genghis Khan Statue Complex. Located just outside the city is the 40 meter tall stainless steel statue, complete with a viewing platform and an underground museum.
How to get there:
Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) is the main airport of the country, it has flights from big Asian cities.
2) Khovsgol Lake
Khovsgol Lake is an enormous and exceptionally clear lake in Mongolia, stretching about 136 km in length and reaching depths of over 260 meters. This makes it one of the deepest freshwater lakes in Asia. It contains nearly 70% of Mongolia’s fresh water, and is considered safe to drink out of. You can see many rare animals in surrounding areas of the lake, such as deer, moose, Siberian ibex, bears, wolves and foxes.
Where is it:
The lake is found in Northern Mongolia, close to the Russian border. It's very far from Ulaanbaatar, about 850km.
How to get there:
To get here, book your organised 4x4 / Jeep tour with a stop in Khovsgol Lake.
3) Terelj National Park
Terelj National Park is an easily accessible national park of Mongolia, located about 70km to the east of Ulaanbaatar. The park is best known for its distinctive landscapes. Massive rock outcrops rise from the grasslands, shaped by wind and erosion over thousands of years. The park is also closely tied to the nomadic lifestyle of Mongolia, with many families living in or around the park carrying on tradition and ways of historic living.
What you’ll see:
In Terelj National Park, you’ll be surrounded by wide open valleys, rolling hills, and huge granite rocks. As well as this you may see horses gaze around freely in the vast landscape across the area. There is a number of tourist camps around too.
How to get there:
To get here, book your organised 4x4 / Jeep tour with a stop in Terelj National Park.
4) Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert is one of the most famous and unique landscapes in Mongolia. Unlike the classic image of endless sand dunes, the Gobi is a vast, varied desert made up of rocky plains, dry riverbeds, cliffs, and wide open steppe, with only some areas of sand. It’s known for its extreme climate, with hot summers, freezing winters, and big temperature changes between day and night. The Gobi desert is home to home to rare wildlife like Bactrian camels, gazelles, ibex, and even snow leopards in the surrounding mountains.
Where is it:
It covers much of the southern region, lying south of Ulaanbaatar and north of the Chinese border. It spans several provinces, including Ömnögovi, Dornogovi, and Dundgovi.
How to get there:
To get here, book your organised 4x4 / Jeep tour with a stop in the Gobi Desert.