Luxury hotels in Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar guide

Ulaanbaatar and the Mongolian steppe

The Gandan Monastery, the Naadam festival in July and a night in a ger in Terelj National Park.

The Naadam festival, held each July with wrestling, horse racing and archery, is the most cited reason to visit Ulaanbaatar; the opening ceremony fills the national stadium. Year-round, the Gandan Monastery, with its giant standing Buddha, and the Chinggis Khaan National Museum introduce Mongolian history.

The Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about ninety minutes away, offers horse riding, the Turtle Rock and nights in a traditional ger, and the giant Genghis Khan equestrian statue stands on the way. Summer, from June to August, is the season for the steppe.

The Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert, reached by a domestic flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad, is the most cited journey in Mongolia after the capital. The Khongoryn Els dunes, up to 300 metres high, hum in the wind, and camel rides at sunset are the classic experience.

Bayanzag, the Flaming Cliffs, is where the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in the 1920s, and the ice canyon of Yolyn Am keeps ice into summer. Comfortable ger camps make the desert accessible from June to September.

The Chinggis Khaan Statue and Terelj

The Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue, a stainless steel figure about 40 metres tall at Tsonjin Boldog, east of Ulaanbaatar, is one of Mongolia's most cited sights; visitors climb to a viewing platform on the horse's head for a view over the steppe.

Nearby, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park offers granite rock formations, horse riding with local herders and the Aryabal meditation temple. Staying overnight in a ger camp, with a dinner of Mongolian barbecue, is the best way to experience it.