Best of Mongolia — Curated Highlights & Regions

"Dawn in Mongolia was an amazing thing. In one instant, the horizon became a faint line 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 comprehend"

"I waited half a lifetime for Mongolia only to arrive, fortuitously, at the moment I was the 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."

"No matter how much one reads about the tradition by which strangers are welcome into a random ger, it is remarkable to experience."

"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 for a week I totally lose touch with what the moon's doing, where the stars are, or what the weather's, and I start to lose my strength."

"As I wander across the land, there is no doubt in my mind that golf must have originated here. The horses, goats, and sheep the fairways mowed down to the perfect playable height. Every day is a sunny day (perfect for golf), and the marmot holes make the perfect targets."

"To realize that Mongolia is, in many respects, unchanged from its historical period is a 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."

"I was surprised to hear that it is possible to drink straight from the lake. A place like that is rare in this world."

"From the endless Gobi desert to the slopes of the Altai Mountains covered with beautiful evergreen forests, this country provides unspoiled scenery, stunning landscapes and a mouthwatering array of species."

"Nearly half of Mongolia's million residents are nomads, and most of the rest live in Ulaanbaatar - the country's capital and the largest city. Its ten museums, close proximity to national parks, and collection of imperial palaces and Buddhist monasteries qualify Ulaanbaatar as a destination rather than a way station."

"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 need to have a happy life."