Mongolia Travel Blog & News

Since the establishment of Gun Galuut Nature Reserve in 2003, Selena Travel has been profoundly engaged in conservation efforts of the Nature Reserve. During the last weekend, in collaboration with the local conservation team and Steppe Nomads Ger camp, Selena Travel team visited the Gun Galuut Nature Reserve and distributed salt blocks at the mineral lick of Mountain Sheep population in the area. Providing essential minerals for the Mountain Sheep will help them to survive the harsh winter and get into the spring in a better health. On this day, we were lucky enough to sight 67 Mountain sheep!

They can ride like the wind but the galloping hooves of time threatened to dilute, perhaps obliterate, their nomadic traditions. Meta Mertens calls it her horse heaven…the sweeping plains of Mongolia, where she is proud to play a part maintaining centuries of equine history. She has witnessed the country's primary nomadic lifestyle resist a drift into the cities for work.

Karakorum was the capital of the Mongolian Empire at its height. From this city, Chinggis Khan’s son Ogedei Khan ruled one of the largest empires the world has ever known. Today, you can visit this historic site and see where history was made.

You will find no shortage of restaurants to enjoy in Ulaanbaatar. There are some well-established eateries around the city, both local chains and stand alones, but also plenty of new places popping up all the time. I am NOT a food critic nor a master chef; however, I like to eat--and prefer to eat good food--and have visited numerous restaurants in the capital.

Mr. Narkhuu Tulga became Mongolia’s ambassador to the UK in Jun 2013; presented his Letters of Credence in traditional dress including his dazzling deel in royal blue – a traditional Mongolian double-breasted overcoat – was complemented by a matching hat and leather boots when he met the Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace on 13th November 2013. A Queen of United Kingdom said “How do you do… have you come far?” The Queen is used to being the most stylish person in the room. But when she met the Mongolian ambassador, she may have felt a little under-dressed.

Khoomei or Throat singing is one of the most representative traditional arts of Mongolia. Khoomei was originated when people started imitating the voice of nature and animals many thousand years ago, and around 19th century, Khoomei was first developed as an art. Mongolian throat singing was registered in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, as an art native to Mongolia in 2010. At its meeting in Nairobi, the UNESCO Council inscribed Mongolian Khoomii in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of mankind.

Capturing many peoples’ imaginations, the Dukha, Tsaatan or reindeer people, live in the beautiful area North of Lake Khuvsgul in Mongolia. They are an enigmatic group; being relatively unknown because of the remoteness of the lives they live in the boreal forest. Read on to learn 15 facts about this group of people living as they have for centuries. 

Surviving two destructions and centuries of rejection, Erdene Zuu is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Mongolia, probably in East Asia. The building of the temple was ordered by the Abtai Sain Khan- grandfather of Zanabazar the Great when the Tibetan Buddhism was declared as the main religion of Mongolia in 1586. For Mongolians, who employed nomadic lifestyle, this kind of building or generally anything that stays in one place was not that common. So, the temple has naturally become the religious center, thus the heart of the Mongolia. The geographical situation was carefully thought out too, it’s built in Kharkhorin- near the old city of Karakorum.

Dinosaur fossils. Traditional Mongolian houses. Incredible landscapes. Welcome to the Gobi Desert. If ever you find yourself in Mongolia and on the prowl for adventure and a one of a kind experience, then look no further than the Gobi Desert. It’s about 1.2 million square kilometers of dusty terrain, extending from Mongolia into northern China. This famous attraction comes equipped with history, outdoor activities, and plenty more for every type of traveler in every season, and it’s easily accessible from Mongolia’s capital city and main tourist hub, Ulaanbaatar. The top things to do in the Gobi Desert are quite numerous, so let’s get started and take a look at our absolute top 5 favourites!

If you are a big fan of dairy products, then Mongolia is for you! For over thousands of years, Mongolian nomads have developed many different ways to process the milk into very unique dairy products. It is estimated that Mongolian nomads make about 150 different types of dairy products, including cheese, yogurt, curd, fermented drinks and many more. Cows, yaks, and mares are the main source of dairy products but depending on the region, goat, sheep and camel milks are used as well. Dairy production can last from mid-April till October as the livestock usually dry off by October when food becomes scarce.