Find places in Mongolia

Must-Haves

• Gandan Monastery (Bayangol)
  The country's main Buddhist monastery, with a towering standing Buddha and morning chanting you can quietly watch.
• Chinggis Khaan National Museum (Sukhbaatar)
  A big modern museum telling Mongolia's story from the Stone Age through the empire to today.
• Choijin Lama Temple Museum (Sukhbaatar)
  A cluster of early twentieth century temples full of masks, thangkas and statues, surrounded by tower blocks.
• Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan (Khan-Uul)
  The last Mongolian king's palace and temples, with his throne, robes and a ger lined with snow leopard skins.
• Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs (Sukhbaatar)
  Home to the famous Tarbosaurus skeleton and fossils found in the Gobi.

Must-Haves

• Chinggis Khaan Square (Sukhbaatar)
  The city's grand central square, framed by the parliament building and its giant seated Chinggis Khaan statue.
• Zaisan Memorial (Khan-Uul)
  A hilltop Soviet era monument with a sweeping view over the whole city and the Tuul valley.
• Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue (Tsonjin Boldog)
  A giant stainless steel horseman you can climb, an easy trip from the capital.

Fun for Everyone

• Tumen Ekh Ensemble (Sukhbaatar)
  An evening show of throat singing, morin khuur fiddle, contortion and masked dances.
• Hustai National Park (Tuv Province)
  Watch reintroduced wild takhi horses at dusk, a short drive from the capital.

Must-Haves

• Narantuul Market (Bayanzurkh)
  The sprawling Black Market, for felt boots, ger furniture, saddles and everything in between. Watch your pockets.
• Gobi Cashmere Factory Store (Khan-Uul)
  The flagship store of Mongolia's best known cashmere brand.

Fun for Everyone

• State Department Store (Chingeltei)
  The landmark Ikh Delguur, with a top floor of cashmere, felt and souvenirs under one roof.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercury Market (Sukhbaatar)
  A busy food market for dairy, meat, dried curds and imported treats, loved by locals.

Must-Haves

• Modern Nomads (Sukhbaatar)
  A popular chain serving hearty Mongolian classics in a nomad themed setting.
• The Bull Hot Pot (Sukhbaatar)
  A popular hot pot chain where groups cook meat and vegetables at the table.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Khaan Buuz (Sukhbaatar)
  A simple chain for steamed buuz dumplings and khuushuur, just like locals eat them.

Great for Date Night

• Hazara (Sukhbaatar)
  A long running North Indian restaurant much loved by expats and locals.

Fun for Everyone

• Tom N Toms Coffee (Sukhbaatar)
  A reliable Korean cafe chain with good wifi and pastries.

Great for Date Night

• Blue Sky Lounge (Sukhbaatar)
  A high floor bar in the sail shaped Blue Sky Tower with views over the square.

Fun for Everyone

• Ikh Mongol (Sukhbaatar)
  A big beer hall with house brews, food and live bands in summer.

Must-Haves

• Naadam Festival opening ceremony (National Sports Stadium)
  The national festival's opening, with wrestling, archery and a huge parade every July.

Off the Beaten Path

• Playtime Festival (Gachuurt)
  Mongolia's long running summer rock and indie festival, held outside the city.

Fun for Everyone

• Bogd Khan Uul National Park (Zaisan)
  One of the world's oldest protected areas, with forest walks straight from the city edge.

Off the Beaten Path

• Manzushir Monastery (Tuv Province)
  Ruins of a monastery in a quiet larch valley on the far side of the Bogd Khan mountain.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sky Resort (Khan-Uul)
  A ski and summer slope on the city's edge, fun for families.

Must-Haves

• The Blue Sky Hotel and Tower (Sukhbaatar)
  A landmark central hotel with views over the main square.
• Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace (Bayanzurkh)
  A long established international hotel on Peace Avenue.

Great for Date Night

• Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar (Sukhbaatar)
  A polished high rise hotel close to the main sights.

Fun for Everyone

• Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel (Sukhbaatar)
  A modern hotel right beside Chinggis Khaan Square.

Must-Haves

• Turtle Rock (Gorkhi-Terelj National Park)
  The park's famous rock shaped like a giant turtle, an easy stop on any visit.
• Gorkhi-Terelj National Park (Tuv Province)
  Granite tors, larch forest and alpine meadows within easy reach of the capital.

Off the Beaten Path

• Khagiin Khar Lake (Gorkhi-Terelj National Park)
  A remote glacial lake reached on a multi day horse trek.

Must-Haves

• Aryabal Meditation Temple (Gorkhi-Terelj National Park)
  A hillside temple reached by a path of Buddhist teachings, with big valley views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chinggis Khaan statue complex museum (Tsonjin Boldog)
  A small museum of Bronze Age and Xiongnu finds beneath the giant statue.

Fun for Everyone

• Horse riding in Terelj (Gorkhi-Terelj National Park)
  Short or multi day rides through larch forest and granite valleys.

Great for Date Night

• Terelj Hotel (Gorkhi-Terelj National Park)
  A comfortable lodge with a spa, for a softer landing in the park.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Family ger stays in Terelj (Gorkhi-Terelj National Park)
  Simple ger nights with herding families, often arranged through Ulaanbaatar guesthouses.

Must-Haves

• Erdene Zuu Monastery (Kharkhorin)
  Mongolia's oldest surviving monastery, ringed by a wall of 108 white stupas.
• Kharkhorum Museum (Kharkhorin)
  Finds and a scale model of the thirteenth century imperial capital.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tuvkhun Monastery (Orkhon Valley)
  A tiny hermitage on a forested peak where Zanabazar meditated.
• Ongi Monastery ruins (Saikhan-Ovoo)
  The ruins of twin monasteries on a river, on the way from the centre to the Gobi.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Zayain Gegeen Monastery (Tsetserleg)
  A temple complex housing the Arkhangai provincial museum.

Fun for Everyone

• Turtle Rock of Karakorum (Kharkhorin)
  One of the old stone turtles that once marked the boundary of the imperial city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Phallic Rock (Kharkhorin)
  A local curiosity said to keep the monks of Erdene Zuu on the straight and narrow.

Must-Haves

• Monument to the Great Empires (Kharkhorin)
  A hilltop monument with maps of three Mongolian empires and a view over the valley.

Must-Haves

• Orkhon Waterfall (Orkhon Valley)
  A thundering waterfall in a basalt gorge, best after summer rains.
• Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park (Arkhangai Province)
  A big freshwater lake beside an extinct volcano you can climb.

Fun for Everyone

• Khogno Khan Mountain (Bulgan Province)
  Granite crags beside a strip of sand dunes, with a ruined monastery to explore.
• Tsenkher Hot Springs (Arkhangai Province)
  Soak in natural hot spring pools beside a ger camp in a green valley.

Off the Beaten Path

• Elsen Tasarkhai (Bulgan Province)
  A narrow ribbon of sand dunes known as Mini Gobi, easy to reach from the main road.

Fun for Everyone

• Kharkhorin Naadam (Kharkhorin)
  A local Naadam in July, smaller and more personal than the capital's.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Family ger camps in the Orkhon Valley (Orkhon Valley)
  Simple camps and family gers beside the river, often with horse riding.

Must-Haves

• Khongoryn Els (Gurvan Saikhan National Park)
  The country's tallest dunes, which hum in the wind, with camel rides at sunset.
• Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs (Bulgan Sum)
  Red cliffs where the first dinosaur eggs were found in the 1920s, best at sunset.
• Yolyn Am (Gurvan Saikhan National Park)
  A narrow gorge that can hold ice into summer, home to vultures and ibex.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tsagaan Suvarga (Dundgobi Province)
  Eroded white and pink cliffs that look like a ruined city in the desert.
• Khermen Tsav (Umnugovi Province)
  Remote red canyons for those with time for a long detour.

Fun for Everyone

• Camel riding at Khongoryn Els (Gurvan Saikhan National Park)
  Ride Bactrian camels with herding families along the foot of the dunes.

Fun for Everyone

• South Gobi Museum (Dalanzadgad)
  A small provincial museum of dinosaur finds and Gobi wildlife.

Off the Beaten Path

• Khamariin Khiid (Sainshand)
  A revived monastery and energy centre founded by the poet monk Danzanravjaa.

Fun for Everyone

• Thousand Camel Festival (Bulgan Sum)
  A March festival of camel races and polo held by Gobi herders.

Great for Date Night

• Three Camel Lodge (Gurvan Saikhan National Park)
  A well known eco ger lodge with traditional craftsmanship and dark skies.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ger camps near Khongoryn Els (Sevrei)
  Simple tourist ger camps a short walk from the dunes.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Dalanzadgad market (Dalanzadgad)
  The place to stock up on water and snacks before heading into the park.

Must-Haves

• Lake Khuvsgul National Park (Khatgal)
  A deep, clear lake ringed by larch forest, often called Mongolia's blue pearl.

Off the Beaten Path

• Uran Togoo Tulga Uul (Bulgan Province)
  An extinct volcano with a crater walk, a good break on the road north.

Fun for Everyone

• Horse riding along the west shore (Khatgal)
  Day rides or multi day treks along the lakeshore from Khatgal.

Off the Beaten Path

• Visit to Tsaatan reindeer herders (Tsagaannuur)
  Long trips into the taiga to meet Dukha reindeer herding families, best arranged responsibly.

Must-Haves

• Khuvsgul Ice Festival (Khatgal)
  Winter games, horse sledding and ice sculptures on the frozen lake in early March.

Off the Beaten Path

• Uushigiin Uver deer stones (Moron)
  Bronze Age carved deer stones standing on the open steppe.

Great for Date Night

• Toilogt Camp (Khatgal)
  A lakeside ger and cabin camp on a forested peninsula.

Fun for Everyone

• Ger camps of Jankhai (Khuvsgul west shore)
  A string of lakeside camps up the west shore.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Moron market (Moron)
  Stock up on supplies and dried curds before the lake.

Must-Haves

• Golden Eagle Festival (Ulgii)
  Kazakh eagle hunters compete with their birds each autumn near Ulgii.

Fun for Everyone

• Nauryz celebrations (Ulgii)
  Kazakh spring new year with feasts, music and games in March.

Must-Haves

• Altai Tavan Bogd National Park (Bayan-Ulgii)
  Glaciers, high lakes and Khuiten Peak, Mongolia's highest mountain.

Off the Beaten Path

• Potanin Glacier (Altai Tavan Bogd National Park)
  Mongolia's longest glacier, reached on a trek from base camp.
• Tolbo Lake (Bayan-Ulgii)
  A broad blue lake on the road east from Ulgii.

Fun for Everyone

• Khoton and Khurgan lakes (Altai Tavan Bogd National Park)
  Two long lakes with camping, horse riding and Kazakh herding families.

Must-Haves

• Tsagaan Salaa rock art (Altai Tavan Bogd National Park)
  Thousands of ancient petroglyphs, part of a UNESCO listed rock art site.

Fun for Everyone

• Bayan-Ulgii Aimag Museum (Ulgii)
  Kazakh culture, crafts and wildlife of the far west.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ulgii Central Mosque (Ulgii)
  The heart of Kazakh Muslim life in the region.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ulgii Market (Ulgii)
  A lively Kazakh market for embroidery, felt and dried meat.

Off the Beaten Path

• Stay with a Kazakh eagle hunter family (Sagsai)
  Meet eagle hunters and their birds at home, outside the festival crowds.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Blue Wolf Ger Camp (Ulgii)
  A well known Kazakh run base for eagle and Altai trips.