Ulaanbaatar
If Mongolia’s yin is its pristine countryside, then Ulaanbaatar (UB) conforms nicely to its yang.
If Mongolia’s yin is its pristine countryside, then Ulaanbaatar (UB) conforms nicely to its yang.
With its raw deserts, glacier-wrapped mountains, shimmering salt lakes and hardy culture of nomads, falconry and cattle rustling, western Mongolia is a timeless place that fulfils many romantic notions of the classic ‘Central Asia’.
Roll out of Ulaanbaatar in a Russian jeep and you’ll only need to put a hill or two between yourself and the city before the vast steppes of cental Mongolia begin to unfold before your eyes.
Log cabins, pine forests and monstrous fish do not conform to the classic image of Mongolia’s desolate steppes.
Be prepared to have some illusions shattered.
Eastern Mongolia is where heaven and earth fuse into one part – a blank slate of blue sky colliding with an equally empty sea of yellow grass.
Travelling to Mongolia’s westernmost province gives one the distinct feeling of reaching the end of the road, if not the end of the earth.
The ‘Central’ province surrounds Ulaanbaatar (UB) and its forested mountains offer a welcome escape from the city.
Ölgii city is a windblown frontier town that will appeal to anyone who dreams of the Wild West.
Khentii is Chinggis Khaan territory.
Tourist brochures tout it as the Switzerland of Mongolia, and this is no idle boast.
Övörkhangai contains one of Mongolia’s top attractions, the Erdene Zuu monastery in Kharkhorin.
Bulgan’s lack of major tourist sights has kept it off the beaten track.
Zavkhan aimag occupies a transitional zone between the well-watered Khangai mountain range of central Mongolia and the harsh Great Lakes Depression of western Mongolia.
Along with Khovd, Uliastai is one of Mongolia’s oldest cities, founded by the Manchus during their reign in Mongolia.
Mongolia’s breadbasket, Selenge is a fertile landscape of rolling wheat fields, apple orchards and meandering rivers.
Subscribe now and receive a 20% discount on your next guidebook purchase
© 2013 Lonely Planet. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission.