Despite increasingly cosmopolitan dining, nightlife and shopping scenes in the county’s capital Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s real draw lies in its countryside. With its rolling grasslands, crystal-clear lakes, weathered peaks, authentic nomadic lifestyle and roaming herds of sheep, goats, horses and other four-legged creatures, even the most jaded of urbanites will find it difficult not to fall for the countryside’s charms.
Ger Living
Mongolia is one of the last countries on earth where people continue to practise a nomadic lifestyle, and staying in a traditional dwelling – felt yurts known locally as gers – is for many an essential part of the countryside experience. Given that herders have historically needed to move large distances across the steppe to find new grazing lands for their livestock, they designed their dwellings with the intent of maximising portability. Despite weighing an average of 250 kg, most gers can be taken apart in less than an hour, moved to a new location with the help of just a few animals (although, now, vehicles are also used) and reassembled the same day.
The interior of the gers are similar across the country and usually consist of a few beds, a coal-fired stove for cooking and heating (imperative during the harsh winters), traditional furniture such as a family altar and, in some of the more modern variants, solar-powered lights and televisions. Mongolians are famously hospitable people and customarily welcome travellers, locals and foreigners alike, with a mix of traditional food and drink such as the ubiquitous airag, fermented mare’s milk that is somewhat of an acquired taste for most newcomers.
A Weekend Retreat
While most of Mongolia’s star attractions lie some distance outside of Ulaanbaatar, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about 55 km northeast of the capital, is an easy weekend trip for those looking to experience some of what the Mongolian countryside has to offer. With its wooded slopes and its clear, albeit cold, river, the park offers a number of outdoor activities, from hiking and rock climbing to horseback riding and white-water rafting. That said, many locals may have the same idea, and the park and its ger camps can be packed on weekends, especially during the warmer months.
South-east of Terelj, located on the main road between Nalaikh and Erdene is a newer, man-made attraction. While slightly incongruous, the recently built 40-metre-high silver statue of Chinggis Khan is no less impressive and offers visitors a museum, film and far-reaching views from the outdoor platform situated atop the head of the great conqueror’s horse.
Following in Marco’s Footsteps
Further afield is the massive Gobi Desert, the vast emptiness of which was described most famously in the 13th-century book The Travels of Marco Polo. With its giant sand dunes, double-humped camels and significance as an excavation site for dinosaur remains, the Gobi is one of the most unique – and remote – places on the planet. While the region holds a number of star attractions, three stand out as beyond the rest: the soaring dunes of Khongoryn Els, the fossil-rich (dinosaur bones and eggs) “flaming cliffs” of Bayanzag, and the ice canyon of Yolyn Am.
While a number of high-end ger camps have been established in the area over the past decade – the first, Three Camel Lodge, opened in 2002 and has set the standard for luxurious ger-based accommodation since – there is still no better place in Mongolia to escape the stresses of modern life.
Lakeside
Known as the blue pearl of Mongolia, Khovsgul Nuur’s beauty is beyond description. Located in the north of the country near the Russian border, the lake is the second largest in the country in terms of surface area (2760 sq km) and the largest in terms of volume. It reaches depths of 262 metres in some places and is the world’s 14th-largest freshwater body, containing 1-2% of the planet’s fresh water supply. As with its larger twin north of the border, Lake Baikal in Siberia, the lake is surrounded by forested peaks and is home to various marine species.
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