The capital and its edge
Almost every trip begins in Ulaanbaatar, the busy capital with the main airport, the great monasteries and museums, and the best food and hotels. Little more than an hour away, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park offers granite valleys, larch forest, horse riding and your first night in a ger.
The heart of the steppe
West of the capital, the Orkhon valley is where Chinggis Khaan's sons built their imperial capital at Karakorum. Today Kharkhorin, the Erdene Zuu monastery, the Orkhon waterfall and hot springs make this the classic central loop.
The south
The Gobi desert is not one sea of sand but a vast region of gravel plains, canyons, the singing dunes of Khongoryn Els and the Flaming Cliffs where dinosaur eggs were first found.
The north and the far west
Lake Khuvsgul is a deep, clear lake in the forested north, near the reindeer herders of the taiga. In the far west, the Altai around Ulgii is home to Kazakh eagle hunters, glaciers and the country's highest peaks.
How to combine them
A first trip of ten to fourteen days often runs Ulaanbaatar and Terelj, then a loop through the Orkhon valley and down to the Gobi. With three weeks, add Lake Khuvsgul, or fly to Ulgii for the Altai. Roads outside the main highways are often dirt tracks, so most visitors travel with a licensed tour company and a driver guide, and domestic flights save long days. Use the free trip planner to shape a route that fits your dates.