Mongolia, the “Land of Blue Sky”, was home to one of the largest empires the world has ever known, the Genghis Khan- ruled Mongol empire of the 13th century. Today it is undoubtedly Asia’s last undiscovered wilderness. The huge country has a little bit of everything. There are vast grasslands in the east – where the sun pops above the horizon as through it’s growing from the land. The Gobi in the south is where dinosaur fossils and two – humped Bactrian camels wander the sand dunes like ships floating in a sea of sand. In the west there is a mountain range where peaks hide in clouds and glaciers fill the valley. In the north there are some of the world’s most spectacular fresh water lakes and rivers. While in central Mongolia there are valleys full of history deer stones, petro glyphs and many more. You can enjoy the landscape in all of these places while learning about the rich traditions and lifestyle of the nomads who have been living the same way for millennia. A visit here is truly beyond imagination, from the magnificent spectacle of the country annual Naadam festival to the unspoilt, breathtaking natural beauty that awaits at every turn.
21 reasons to travel to Mongolia
Most captivating sunrises (and sunsets) in the world
Haruki Murakami, best –selling Japanese author “Dawn in Mongolia was an amazing thing. In one instant, the horizon became a faint line suspended in the darkness, and then the line was drawn upward, higher and higher. It was as if a giant hand had stretched down from the sky and slowly lifted the curtain of night from the face of the earth. It was a magnificent sight, far greater in scale … than anything that I, with my limited human faculties, could fully comprehended”
It’s the home of living nomadic culture
Stanley Stewart, British author of “In the Empire of Genghis Khan: A journey Among Nomads” “I waited half of a lifetime for Mongolia only to arrive fortuitously, at the moment I was best equipped to appreciate it. Any older, I might have found five months in the saddle too arduous. Any younger and I would not have taken such pleasure in those innocent landscapes, in the grasslands’ wonderful solitudes, or in the rich hospitality of nomads. Nor would I have understood Mongolia as a kind of homecoming.”
It’s a place everyone can explore their imagination
Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States of America “I still haven’t been to Mongolia. I want to ride a horse across the Mongolian steppes and try to imagine what it was like to be in Genghis Khan’s horde.”
It doesn’t get any wilder than Mongolian wildlife
Julia Roberts, Academy award – winning actress “For those horses to just be allowed to roam around and they don’t take off and leave … is kind of amazing. Everywhere in America you can see animals and you also see fences. Here [in Mongolia]” it’s really about the love and respect that man gives to the animal they all stay together.”
Mongolians are the most hospitable people in the world
Joe Rohde, Vice President of Creative at Walt Disney Imagineering “No matter how much one reads about the tradition by which strangers are welcomed into a random ger, it is remarkable to experience.”
For the serenity, as the vast countryside will leave you speechless
Caroline Moireaux, traveler circumnavigating the world on foot “When I arrived at Mongolia’s border there was this small hill, really small. So you across the border, go up this hill, and you see Mongolia. And I just stopped and said, ‘Wow.’ It was just like a big wave hitting me. I don’t have enough words, even in French, to explain what it is you feel when you enter Mongolia. There is a spirit here that’s so strong, it’s really amazing. The land is flat with one asphalt road and some mountains around – and you are just in this immensity.
The singing sand dunes, camels and so much more of the Gobi
Thomas B. Allen, National Geographer “Shaped by the wind into countless curves and bathed in countless shadows, the dune rose in marvellous mystery. Sand but not desert, high but not mountain, this ultimate dune towered well over 300 meters (1000 feet); its slope merged into an edge that gleamed like a blade. I climbed the knife – edge, breathing hard after a hundred yards because each step upward plunged my foot deeper into the fine sand. I felt as if I were struggling with the stuff of time in a giant hourglass. My footsteps faded away in living metaphor of human passage upon this land.”
For one of the world’s oldest festivals – Naadam festival
Carl Robinson, author of “Mongolia – Nomad Empire of Eternal Blue Sky” “In a tradition dating back thousands of years, the three – day event features wrestling, archery, and horse racing and ranks as Mongolia’s biggest public festival. Enthusiasm, rather than compulsion, now draws the crowds and everyone is in a cheery holiday mood with tourists.”
So you can stay in a handmade ger with a local family
Brigita Ferencak, fashion designer and traveler “Is it too cold for us? We turn the heater on. Is it too hot? We bump up the air conditioning. If we need food, we go to the supermarket. If we need help, we ring all sorts of customer services. Out here you belong to the landscape. You must know how to manoeuvre it, when and how to move with the seasons and what to do with them. Helping each other out, neighbourly support and community, means being embedded in this merciless nature with the precious gift of belonging – something that has been long lost in western cultures. ”
To hear Mongolian monks chant at one of the surviving Buddhist monasteries
Suzanne Robert’s travel writer “The walls are printed red and gold, and elaborate dragons wrap around each column. Some monks chant, while others play drums or blow into seashells. Devoted Mongolians bow their heads in reference and clasp their hands in prayer. A high – ranking monk in the middle distributes the holy water by shaking a small amount into the air. The drum’s echo and incense mingled with sweat create a trance like atmosphere. I, too bow my head I reverence to this amazing scene. ”
The vast untouched steppe
Michael Kohn, Lonely Planet contributor “Mongolia is unspoiled wonder, a land where sand dunes sing, horses roam wild and nomadic herders greet strangers with open doors. Keep your itinerary flexible and expect the unexpected”
The birthplace of Chinggis khan
Jack Weatherford, author of “Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World” “Chinggis Khaan did not leave a monument to himself. Temple, pyramid, palace, castle or canal, and even his grave were left unmarked in the remote area where he grew up and hunted as a boy. As he himself wished, his body could wither away so long as his great Mongol nation lived – it is that nation today that is his monument.”
You can reconnect with nature while crossing the country on horseback
Tim Cope, author of “On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey through the Land of the Nomads” about his 10000 km solo odyssey that took over three years of travelling from Mongolia to Hungary on horseback “Feeling the air, in touch with the way the world works, aware of everything around you. In the wintertime you even realize when the days shorten by one by two minutes. If I’m in an apartment for a week I totally lose touch with what the moon’s doing, where the starts are, or what the weather’s doing, and I start lose my strength.”
It is full of unexpected adventures
Andre Tolme, author of “I Golfed Across Mongolia” about the 12170 shots it took to cover 1200 miles in 90 days “As I wander across this land, there is no doubt in my mind that golf must have originated here. The horses, goats, and sheep keep the fairways mowed down to the perfect playable height. Every day is a sunny day (perfect for golf) , and the marmot holes make perfect targets.”
For the traces of Ancient History – that still exist!
Ian Johnson, traveler “To realize that Mongolia is, in many respects, unchanged from its historical period is fascinating draw. How many other periods of history can you find reflected in an existing society? Mongolia, to me, offers a picture of Living History.”
Pristine lake Khusvgul: The Blue pearl of Mongolia and one of the World’s largest
Lubomir Svoboda, scuba diving expert “I was surprised to hear that it is possible to drink straight from the lake. A place like that is rare in this world.”
For the ultimate in wildlife watching – no matter if you’re a bird or a bear lover
Balazs Szigeti, birdwatcher “From the endless Gobi desert to the slopes of the Altai Mountains covered with beautiful evergreen forests, this country provides unspoilt scenery, stunning landscapes and a mountaineering array of species.”
To meet living Eagle hunters
Craig Smith, photographer “It isn’t a circus or a professional event. This is their tradition. They are proud of what they do, their culture and their heritage.”
To see modernity meet ancient history in the capital city Ulaanbaatar
National Geographic Traveller “Nearly half of Mongolia’s three million residents are nomads, and most of the rest live in Ulaanbaatar – the country’s capital and largest city. Its ten museums, close proximity to national parks, and collection of imperial palaces and Buddhist monasteries quality Ulaanbaatar as a destination rather than way station. ”
To try the sour taste of homemade Airag (fermented mare’s milk, a Mongolian delicacy)
Adrienne Mayor, research scholar in Classics and History of Science, Stanford University “The early European traveller William of Rubrick, who trekked across the steppes ca AD 1250, watched the same process; ‘ As the nomads churn the milk it begins to ferment and bubble up like new wine.’ He sampled the effervescent beverage and found it pungent and intoxicating. Koumiss makes the inner man most joyful!”
Because it will change you – forever
Liza F. Carter, author of “Moving with the Seasons: Portrait of Mongolian Family” “While in Mongolia, I certainly explored new landscapes, but more importantly, I discovered new ways of seeing and being. Spending time with my Mongolian family recalibrated my internal scale to what I needed to have a happy life.”
Source for 21 reasons to travel to Mongolia: Mongolia brochure by Ministry of Environment, Green Development and Tourism of Mongolia