Destinations
Mongolia
The world's biggest sky, a desert of dinosaur bones, and a culture built on movement.
Season
June - September
Terrain
desert
Fly into
ULN
Missions
1
The briefing
Mongolia is one of the last places on earth where the human footprint on the landscape is still light enough to feel genuinely vast. The Gobi Desert, the northern steppe, and the Khövsgöl lake region offer three radically different landscapes within a single itinerary. The Gobi Flaming Cliffs - where Roy Chapman Andrews found the first dinosaur eggs in the 1920s - are as dramatic as they sound, particularly at the hour before sunset when the rock turns apricot and orange. Book the scarce piece first in Mongolia; everything else can wait a week.
The Gobi Flaming Cliffs - where Roy Chapman Andrews found the first dinosaur eggs in the 1920s - are as dramatic as they sound, particularly at the hour before sunset when the rock turns apricot and orange. The saxaul forest, the sand dunes, and the Bactrian camels all add to a landscape that feels prehistoric.
The real soul of Mongolia is in staying with nomadic families in their ger - the round felt tents that still house a significant portion of the population. A ger camp stay, a horse trek across summer pasture, and an evening of airag and astronomy is the experience that stays with people longest.
How to get there
Gateway airports: ULN. Build the rest of the trip around the arrival.
Book first
Flights - ULN → Stay close to the trailheads, not an hour of extra desert driving in Mongolia → Operator - 4WD, permit, or canyon outfitter after the stay
Back to destinationsOpen a mission
Missions in Mongolia