Mongolia’s Next Chapter in Travel Is Unfolding, From Ulaanbaatar to the Steppe
When I arrived in Mongolia in 2009, there was exactly one baggage carousel at the international airport. During my entire 10-day stay there, I saw barely a handful of other tourists.
During my trip, I explored what’s considered Genghis Khan’s homeland in the Khan Khentii Mountain National Park. We traversed never-ending verdant plains by Russian minivan and on horseback, setting up camp near pristine rivers flowing from the surrounding snow-capped mountains. The remoteness and lack of cellular connectivity allowed for a genuine immersion into the landscape, eliciting the feeling of being the only people on earth.
Days went by without seeing other people, but when we did, the interactions were memorable. One day, a nomadic family waved us down while on horseback to sip a glass of Mongolia’s national beverage, airag (fermented mare’s milk), a rather unique drink my taste buds will never forget. On another day, a local octogenarian woman, unimpressed by our late afternoon arrival, refused our request to open a gated bridge of which she was the only keyholder, forcing us to set up tents on a nearby field with innumerable mosquitoes. Even after acquiring a barrage of bites, I couldn’t help but be impressed by her steadfast denial, especially since we were likely the only travelers she had seen in days.
Tourism to Mongolia has grown immensely since my time there. In 2025, 850,000 people visited Mongolia, a five percent increase from 2024, with travel trending upward this year. The airport now services 15 cities (with multiple carousels), and the first five-star luxury hotel just opened in the capital, Ulaanbaatar.
What was once a logistically complex destination for outdoorsy, adventure-traveler types is now a place that can entice city and luxury travelers too—those looking to enjoy spa time, Mongolian musical performances like throat singing and shopping for luxurious materials like camel wool and cashmere, the latter of which Mongolia is the world’s number one exporter.
Getting to Mongolia from the U.S. is also easier than ever. On April 30 this year, United will become the only U.S. airline to fly to Ulaanbaatar, via Tokyo Narita (NRT), joining international carriers that already service the country, like Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul) and Korean Air (via Seoul).
When Breanna Wilson arrived from Los Angeles for the first time, she was in awe of how different life looked in Mongolia, as if she had entered the Wild West. “Roads disappeared, yurts (or gers, as they’re called here) started to appear across the landscape, and animals were roaming freely everywhere we looked,” she says. “It was surreal to see that people still lived this way—off the land and their animals without all the modern comforts I had become so used to.”
She returned the following year for a Ural motorcycle adventure across the steppe, and has come back every year since, spending six to 10 months annually in Mongolia. In 2022, she and local Agarmaa Batjargal founded Meanwhile in Mongolia, a small-group adventure tour operator focused on experiences with locals, offering a wide variety of tours that allow guests to stay in gers and tent camps with racehorse, camel and reindeer herder families. “Getting to live this way with the locals is always such a memorable experience,” says Wilson. “It’s one of the things that makes Mongolia so unique—people aren’t just doing this for tourism; they’re really living this way. Through the good and the bad, which we often don’t get to even see.”
Days are spent exploring the outdoors, traversing alpine valleys, snowy steppes, or the arid vastness of the Gobi Desert. Mongolia, the 18th-largest country in the world, also has one of the widest temperature ranges on the planet, from icy −40°F in winter to scorching +100°F in summer. With one of the most extreme continental climates, wearing layers is important year-round, as days can start cold and end hot. However, while the climate may be harsh at times, Mongolia is also nicknamed the “Land of Eternal Blue Skies,” with 260 cloudless days per year illuminating the expansive terrain.
When Jalsa Urubshurow launched Nomadic Expeditions in 1992, the country’s tourism sector was still in its infancy—it was a mere year after the fall of the Soviet Union, of which Mongolia had been a satellite state. Subsequently, tourism transitioned from government control to the private sector. Hundreds of travel companies and resorts have been launched in the last few decades, with massive infrastructure growth in the last few years. “Mongolia has invested in roads, accommodations and conservation, and the travel community has increasingly embraced experiential journeys that focus on culture, adventure, and remote landscapes,” says Urubshurow.
One of Nomadic Expeditions’ most popular tours is the Golden Eagle Festival in western Mongolia, which focuses on the ancient tradition of eagle falconry. In a lesser-visited region, access and infrastructure can be challenging, which is why Nomadic Expeditions operates Three Eagle Camp, an intimate temporary camp of 12 gers in the foothills. In the shadow of Tsambagarav Mountain, one of Mongolia‘s perpetually snowcapped mountains, visitors can experience extraordinary hikes, trekking, horse rides, overland drives, and intimate visits with local families from the region’s diverse ethnic communities, including the Uuld, Uriankhai archers, and Kazakh Eagle falconers. “Mongolia offers not just beautiful landscapes, but a sense of discovery and cultural depth that is increasingly rare in today’s world,” says Urubshurow.
For those who want a less outdoorsy trip or prefer to bookend their adventure with some luxury, the newly opened Ayan Zalaat offers a new level of hospitality in Mongolia. The property is located in a protected valley just outside the capital, Ulaanbaatar, near the Bogd Khan Uul Biosphere Reserve, with sweeping mountain views and a comprehensive spa. “Our vision was to create a property that feels both contemporary and authentically Mongolian for guests to engage with local traditions, the country’s creative and culinary culture, and world-class hospitality,” says Tselmuun Nyamtaishir, founder and CEO of Ayan Hotels and Resorts Mongolia.
Guests can listen to live performances of traditional Mongolian throat singing, learn folk dance, meditate with a resident Buddhist monk or immerse themselves in the surrounding area, learning about the region’s history and nomadic traditions. On-site restaurants include Lost in China, which serves refined Chinese cuisine, and 8 Ounce Steakhouse. Cap off the night with a cigar in The Smokey Room or a glass of wine in the private cellar.
There aren’t many places that remain as untouched as Mongolia, which is why it’s so rewarding to experience its windswept lands and nomadic culture before the rest of the world catches on. This vast country is still relatively under the radar, offering a huge range of experiences, culture and history you cannot find elsewhere. In the past, you typically braved the elements to explore, but now, the country is becoming more appealing to all types of travelers. A sense of adventure is still a must, but alongside the eagle herders, spectacular steppe and remote gers, there’s now also a more indulgent option to add to the country’s marvel. Yes, you can still ride a reindeer with the last tribe on earth to do so, but now you can also relax on a massage bed after a day of cashmere shopping, as the extraordinary and luxurious come together in Mongolia’s newest chapter.