Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia with about 1.3 million residents. It’s a fascinating city that combines old and new beautifully. Visitors will find a vibrant city brimming with modern buildings, shopping, art, a thriving nightlife scene and restaurants; a contemporary contrast to the timelessness of the country’s vast scenery outside it.
Terelj National Park
The rising peaks and ochre-hued ridges of the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park shoulder their way above the horizon just north of Ulaanbaatar’s concrete sprawl. The reserve represents one of the most accessible examples of Mongolia’s backcountry (thanks to the proximity to the capital), with pine-studded mountain valleys and sculpted rock formations all peppering the vistas.
Khuvsgul Lake
Locally known as the Blue Pearl and Mother Sea, the Lake Khusgul is a worth seeing sight surrounded with lush greenery landscapes and Alpine-like mountains. Almost 100 rivers and streams culminate in these waters that were first formed almost 3 million years ago due to tectonic actions.
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
The mighty Altai Tavan Bogd National Park rises like a bulwark against the tristate join of China, Russia, and Kazakhstan. It bars the way to Siberia and snow-dusted Xinjiang with a series of more than five rugged peaks that rise to a whopping 4,000 meters above sea level or more. Hardy creatures make their home here, in the form of hoofed ibexes and Tuvan nomad tribespeople.
The latter’s yurts pepper the banks of pretty Dayan Nuur by summertime, and it’s possible to watch the legendary eagle hunters do their thing in the low-lying plains. The reserve is also known for its ancient petroglyphs and mysterious Turkic sculptures.
Gobi Desert
One of the most unusual desert landscapes in the world, the Gobi Desert has spectacular singing dunes - Khongoryn Els. Gravel plains and rocky outcrops cover much of this area, which is the home of the last two-humped camels in the world and the Gobi bears estimated less than 50 in the world, the only bears you can find in the Mongolian desert. Visit the Eagle Valley, a protected site that narrows into a gorge. Bayanzag is another must-see place especially for those keen on history. It was an ancient seafloor and the site of several remarkable paleontological finds. The first-ever full dinosaur skeleton was found in Khermen Tsav which is a canyon with an oasis.
Orkhon Valley
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape should definitely be on your list of beautiful places to explore when visiting Mongolia. Situated in central Mongolia, southeast of Ulaanbaatar, the area is steeped in history. The landscape is home to architectural ruins that date all the way back to the 6th century, including Kharkhorin, Genghis Khan’s capital in the 13th and 14th century.