Mongolia
Founded in 1586 by Altai Khaan, Erdene Zuu (Hundred Treasures) was the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. The monastery went through periods of neglect…
Must-see attractions in Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar
Around the start of the 19th century more than 100 süm (temples) and khiid (monasteries) served a population of about 50,000 in Urga (the former name of…
Ulaanbaatar
In July 1921 in the centre of Ulaanbaatar, Damdin Sükhbaatar (the ‘hero of the revolution’) declared Mongolia’s final independence from China. A square…
Mongolia
Amarbayasgalant Khiid was built between 1727 and 1737 by the Manchu emperor Yongzheng, and dedicated to the great Mongolian Buddhist and sculptor…
Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia’s wonderful National Museum sweeps visitors from the Neolithic era right to the present day. It’s UB's only genuine blockbuster sight, offering…
The Gobi
The bend in the river here marks the remains of two ruined monasteries which are today considered one vast complex known as Ongiin Khiid. Bari Lam Khiid…
Ulaanbaatar
This temple museum smack in the middle of downtown Ulaanbaatar was the home of Luvsan Haidav Choijin Lama (‘Choijin’ is an honorary title given to some…
Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve
The Gobi
This 670-sq-km nature reserve, only a four-hour drive from Ulaanbaatar, at an elevation of 2200m, is home to hundreds of ibexes (mountain goats), argali …
The Gobi
Khongoryn Els are some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. Also known as the Duut Mankhan (Singing Dunes – from the sound they…
Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan
Ulaanbaatar
Built between 1893 and 1903, this palace is where Mongolia’s eighth Living Buddha, and last king, Jebtzun Damba Hutagt VIII (often called the Bogd Khan),…
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Mongolia
Hidden deep in a pine forest in the mountainous Khangai Nuruu National Park, this scenic monastery has become a major pilgrimage centre for Mongolians…
The Gobi
A pleasant 2km path leads from the parking area to this gorge filled with blue ice, one of the park's can't-miss sights. You can hike, bike or hire a…
Mongolia
Few tourists come to Mongolia without visiting its most iconic landmark, a 40m-high glistening silver Chinggis Khaan statue. Constructed in 2008 from…
Mongolia
Situated around 100km southwest of Ulaanbaatar, this 506-sq-km reserve is most famous for its population of takhi, a Mongolian wild horse once thought…
Mongolia
Protected within the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, this scenic freshwater lake is around 16km long, east to west, and around 4km to 6km wide…
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
Western Mongolia
Covering 6362 sq km, Altai Tavan Bogd National Park takes in the Tavan Bogd massif – which includes Khuiten Uul (4374m), Mongolia's highest mountain…
Ulaanbaatar
Built by the Russians to commemorate 'unknown soldiers and heroes' from various wars, the Zaisan Memorial features stirring socialist realism imagery with…
Western Mongolia
The southern shore along Khoton Nuur has excellent camping spots, especially around Ulaan Tolgoi, a spit of land that juts majestically into the lake. The…
Western Mongolia
The lake's main attraction Khetsuu Khad, an enormous rock sticking out of the water that attracts migratory cormorants. The birds arrive in April and…
The Gobi
In 1853 Danzan Ravjaa told the local people that he would die in three years but that they could forever come to this place and speak to his spirit…
The Gobi
The so-called Flaming Cliffs are a Gobi highlight and an important palaeontology site first excavated by Roy Chapman Andrews in 1922. Even if you are not…
The Gobi
Yolyn Am was originally established to conserve the region's bird life, but it’s now more famous for its dramatic rocky cliffs and narrow, heavily shaded…
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Ulaanbaatar
This fine-arts museum has a superb collection of paintings, carvings and sculptures, including many by the revered sculptor and artist Zanabazar. It also…
The Gobi
Gurvan Saikhan National Park (20,000 sq km) offers a wealth of sand dunes, canyons, dinosaur fossils and mountainous terrain. Desert wildlife includes…
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Western Mongolia
This huge cave looks deceptively small from the parking area. But once you scramble up the loose rock path, you realise its true size and how it must have…
The Gobi
A 400m-long jigsaw of white-sand cliffs, striped pastel shades of purple, orange and red. That's the scene awaiting you at Tsagaan Suvarga, a sight…
Western Mongolia
Üüreg Nuur (elevation 1425m) is 20km long and 18km wide, with an average depth of 27m. Surrounded by mountains of 3000m-plus, and almost entirely devoid…
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Mongolia
Kharkhorin's museum is small, but highly impressive – probably the country's best museum outside Ulaanbaatar. Everything is beautifully designed and well…
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Mongolia
In a boundary zone of steppe and taiga some 3.5km north of Dadal village, you'll find a grouping of rounded hills and shallow gullies intercut with clear…
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Western Mongolia
High up in the protected area of mountains north of Üüreg Nuur, a 14m waterfall cascades over black rocks. It's a 10km slog (most people drive this bit)…
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Mongolia
This is one of the best aimag museums in the country, not least because it is housed in the charming courtyard-temple complex of Zayain Gegeenii Süm,…
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Mongolia
With its surrounding lava field, this 200m-tall extinct volcano dominates the area to the east of the lake. From its west side there are stairs leading up…
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Mongolia
Baruun-Urt’s museum has a fine collection of costumes representing the three ethnic groups that inhabit the region: the Khalkh (the majority), the…
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Western Mongolia
Crowning a level platform of boulders atop Dayan Uul is this 30m-high sedimentary rock tower, draped with blue cloth and encircled by prayer wheels. The…
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International Intellectual Museum
Ulaanbaatar
This museum contains an intriguing collection of puzzles and games made by local and international artists. One puzzle requires 56,831 movements to…
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Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery
Ulaanbaatar
Sometimes called the Fine Art Gallery, this place contains a large and impressive display of modern and uniquely Mongolian paintings and sculptures, with…
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Mongolia
Inside the former Government House, the comprehensive collections here stampede through the aimag's history, from Stone Age and Bronze Age finds to the…
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Mongolia
From the end of September until mid-October, this lake is home to thousands of migrating swans. Along the shore, in a fenced compound, is delicious spring…
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Mongolia
This excellent museum occupies the 18th-century home of the Tsetseg Khan, who governed most of eastern Mongolia during the Manchu reign. Standout exhibits…
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Mongolia
As Soviet propaganda goes, this victory monument, located just outside Khalkhgol, is a masterpiece of the genre. The sculpture features a stylised…
