Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia with about 1.3 million residents. It’s a fascinating city that combines old and new beautifully. Visitors will find a vibrant city brimming with modern buildings, shopping, art, a thriving nightlife scene and restaurants; a contemporary contrast to the timelessness of the country’s vast scenery outside it.
Located in eastern Mongolia, the Dornod Mongolia Steppe is a large, protected grassland ecosystem; one of the largest on earth. The vast landscape is impressive enough, but it also sees about 40,000 Mongolian white-tailed gazelles migrate through the area each year, making it a wildlife photographer’s dream.
The fifth largest desert in the world, the Gobi Desert spreads across both China and Mongolia, specifically the southern portion of the country. It is a stunning site and a great contrast to most other parts of Mongolia; be sure to visit the vast Khongor Sand Dunes while you’re here.
‘The Dark Blue Pearl’; is how Lake Khövsgöl is often described. A gorgeous fresh water lake that is frozen for almost half of the year, these deep waters are surrounded by forests of pine trees, verdant meadows, and, of course, an abundance of wildlife such as reindeer, moose, ibex and yaks.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape should definitely be on your list of beautiful places to explore when visiting Mongolia. Situated in central Mongolia, southeast of Ulaanbaatar, the area is steeped in history. The landscape is home to architectural ruins that date all the way back to the 6th century, including Kharkhorin, Genghis Khan’s capital in the 13th and 14th century.
The Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve is a smaller area of 200 square meters located approximately 80 miles southeast of the capital. Situated in the Tuv province, this landscape is full of rivers, lakes, mountains and wetlands. Because the area is made up of such diverse landscapes, it is also home to some incredible wildlife, much of which is endangered; therefore, the reserve is a protected site.