Mongolian Dornod Steppe

Dornod Aimag is the ‘far east’ of Mongolia, a land of romote grassy steppes where Mongolia, China and the Russian Federation meet together. Eastern Mongolian Plains feature a miracle of verdant grasslands that extend as far as the eye can see as well as lakes, mineral springs and gently rolling hills. The steppes are home to rich wildlife dominated by thousands of white-tailed gazelle (Mongolian gazelle). Traditional folk songs, blacksmith and silversmith skills, and handicrafts of Dariganga people, who inhabit the southern end of the plains, are famous throughout Mongolia.

Mongolia

Mongolia, a nation bordered by China and Russia, is known for vast, rugged expanses and nomadic culture. Its capital, Ulaanbaatar, centers around Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) Square, named for the notorious founder of the 13th- and 14th-century Mongol Empire. Also in Ulaanbaatar are the National Museum of Mongolia, displaying historic and ethnographic artifacts, and the restored 1830 Gandantegchinlen Monastery.

Alone in Mongolia

Nick Myers recently went to Mongolia.

Edith Zimmerman: Okay — Nick, how did you end up in Mongolia?

Nick Myers: I ended up in Mongolia after having spent a couple trips bumming around Korea with my then-boyfriend, and the prospect of hanging around in Seoul for three weeks for the third time in a calendar year was a bit depressing. So I did some research about places I could fly for the middle week or so of my trip without too much hassle (meaning direct flights or bust). I had originally narrowed down my options to Hanoi, Vietnam, Chengdu, China, or Almaty, Kazakhstan, crowdsourced on facebook for recommendations, and ultimately threw away all of my original ideas and bought a round trip ticket to Ulaanbaatar. I ended up choosing Mongolia because I have, for about as long as I can remember, been fascinated by it. Its remoteness, its history, its culture, etc. I think the pipe dream began when I was 8 or 9 and I saw a picture of Erdene Zuu Khiid Monastery.

List of museums in Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar

• National Museum of Mongolian History

Bayan-Olgii province

Geography

The aimag is located in the extreme west of the country, and shares borders with both Russia and China. The border between the two neighbouring countries is very short here, though, and ends after about 40 km at the eastern end of Kazakhstan. Within Mongolia, the neighbouring aimags are Uvs in the north east and Khovd in the south east.

About Meals

Nowadays, everyone tries to eat organic food. Mongolians are rich in five kinds of animals: horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. Nomads raise their herds on the wide-open grassy steppes. Mongolians raise more than 55 million livestock in total that is 100% organic. You can taste the quality of the meat in every bite. Basic food items for nomads are meat and dairy products.

Accommodations

All accommodation is included as per individual itinerary. The variety of our accommodations in Mongolia represents the wide breadth of cultures we encounter from luxurious international hotels, 3 star hotels, private apartments to ger camps and tents. Most Visit Mongolia tours are based on 4 or 4+ star accommodations in Ulaanbaatar and the best available ger camps in the countryside. We always look for conveniently located, comfortable, clean and friendly places, locally run with plenty of local character.