A little wilder, greener, and more densely forested than the usual treks around Central Mongolia; the Northern provinces are a great destination. You can see eagles bigger than your pet dog, pristine lakes and even stay in a teepee. Many of these destinations are not too far away from Ulaanbaatar, making them a little easier to plan for your travels to Mongolia.
According to the gender gap report written by WEF, Mongolia has ranked 79th out of the 153 countries that have been studied.
In 2006, we were ranked 46th.
What has happened over the decade that has worsened the country’s ranking by a whole 33 places?
There were once dozens of species of wild horses that lived on Earth. One remains, and you can find it most easily in Mongolia. It’s called the takhi, or Przewalski’s Horse. It’s named after a Polish/Russian scientist who discovered it for Western Science. Many wild horses, like mustangs, were simply domesticated horses that ran away. The takhi have never been domesticated, and managed to survive in the steppes of Central Asia.
Imagine riding a horse over the Eurasian steppe, winter’s cold embrace around you and an eagle on your arm. You feel the bird twitch, and know that it’s got something in its sights. With a flick of your arm, the bird takes off and flies toward an unlucky rabbit. Before you know it, the eagle dives down and in its talons is lunch for your family.
One of the most exciting aspects of visiting a new place is trying the food. In Mongolia, there are really only two types of food: countryside food and city food. Countryside food consists of traditional Mongolian food. Traditionally, Mongolians have been herdsmen and dairy producers. Agriculture has never been a large part of Mongolia’s history, mostly because of the country’s harsh climate. In the wintertime, most of the country drops to temperatures averaging around -30 degrees Fahrenheit, thus, meat and dairy have been the main aspects of Mongolian cuisine.
After 1990s Mongolia has been expanding its foreign relationships and currently Mongolia has diplomatic relationship with 184 countries. As a result 21 counties residents are visa free to enter Mongolia such as USA, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, Japan, Turkey, Philippines, Russia, Serbia and Thailand.
In August 2016, Office team of Selena Travel Mongolia, visited to the one of the most off-beaten track destination " Naiman nuur or known as Eight lakes" in Uyanga soum of Uvurkhangai province. Let me share with you our travel experience. We spent 2 full days at the Great Eight lakes to enjoy the pristine nature with the horse ride and some trekking. The national park is located in a high mountains area comprising alpine meadows and forests of conifers (Siberian pines and Siberian larches)
I’ve traveled through more than half of Mongolia’s 21 aimags (provinces) and while I’ve seen much, in many ways I’ve only scratched the surface of this vast and extraordinary country (19th largest in the world by area, but also the most sparsely populated). Of all the places I’ve visited there is one that I wish I had the time to return to--Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur, or the Great White Lake.
Even though wood carving is usually neglected by most of the dabblers due to its inability to last long and the way they’re much more fragile than its metal cousins, Mongolian carving art is something that simply can’t be overlooked. Quite similar to other countries, artisans have been carving decorations into their daily utensils such as their cupboard, cart, musical instruments and most commonly the place they live- “ger”. Since the shelter they spend most of their time is made out of wood, it’s no wonder why the people have started wondering how to make their home fancier and more comfortable. Since then, the simple wooden carvings have developed into much more complex, thus aesthetically pleasing art which cannot be separated from Mongolians’ daily life. That is mainly because the carving art has taken homage in almost every aspect of their life.
While it’s always a good time to visit Mongolia, if you come to catch one of the World-Famous festivals you won’t be disappointed. We’ve selected three of the best ones for tourists to visit.
These annual festivals happen mostly in early spring, so if you want to avoid peak travel times (and peak travel costs), you can do some awesome activities whenever your schedule allows!
11 20, 2011
