Forbidden territory: on horseback to the source of one of Earth’s most formidable rivers
In this extract from his new book, Colin Thubron is in Genghis Khan country, tracking the source of the mighty Amur in Mongolia
March 2021
Travel encounters
My Mongolian guide: walking with her was a joy
From crossing Ulaanbaatar’s chaotic streets to hiking sacred mountains, Oyunaa had an infectious love of her country – and a determination to succeed
October 2019
In a world made small by smartphones, we crave escape into otherness
Brigid Delaney
It’s easy to romanticise places where the thing that has you in its thrall hasn’t arrived yet – until you realise it may not have arrived for market-driven reasons
September 2019
Brigid Delaney's diary
Eagle hunters, yurts and greasy mutton: how food poisoning in Mongolia brought me closer to nature
Brigid Delaney
I didn’t eat any of the curd, so why is it me lying in the yurt with stomach pains and without a torch or toilet paper?
October 2018
Vast deserts, majestic mountains, endless plains: Mongolia – in pictures
Frédéric Lagrange travelled to every corner of Mongolia over a 17-year period, to photograph the landscapes and rural life of this east-Asian wilderness
July 2017
Instagram snapshots
Nomad games: traditional wrestling, archery and horse racing in southern Mongolia
In our weekly look at travel through three Instagram images, Robert Michael Poole attends the centuries-old Naadam summer games in the Gobi desert
January 2017
World view
World view: Winter fair in Inner Mongolia
Women ride in traditional costume to the opening ceremony of the winter Nadam fair in West Ujimqin Banner, Inner Mongolia, China
December 2016
Why I love …
'It’s like the end of the world, so vast it’s oceanic': Otto Bell on Mongolia
A new documentary about a young girl hunting with eagles in Mongolia’s Altai mountains casts fresh light on this extraordinary, sparsely populated country and its threatened rural lifestyle
September 2016
Instagram snapshots
Instagram snapshots: Ben Stanton in China and Mongolia
On the road for the past three years, Aussie Ben Stanton travels from Beijing through Mongolian desert to central Russia
August 2016
World view
World view: Two views of the Mongolian steppe
Daesung Lee’s dazzling photography shows the stark beauty of Mongolia and also the country’s nomadic ways of life that are under threat
March 2016
World view
World view: Camel lot in the Gobi desert, Mongolia
Riders line up for the start of the world’s biggest camel race – which can draw up to 1,000 participants
February 2015
Why I love …
Screenwriter and filmmaker John Fusco on Mongolia
The hit Marco Polo TV series might never have got off the ground if its writer hadn’t been inspired by a horseback trip in Silk Road territory with his son
December 2014
Real street food
Real street food: Mongolian Khuushuur
This tasty, simple and filling handheld beef or mutton pastry has its origins in the dumplings of neighbouring China, says Drinking Coffee Elsewhere: Mongolia’s Millicent Bogert
August 2013
Backpackers' diaries
Backpackers' diaries: in Mongolia, disaster strikes for Zac
Backpackers' diaries
Backpackers' diaries: a nose for reindeer people in Mongolia
July 2013
From the agencies
Sounding Sand desert in China – in pictures
The Getty photographer Feng Li tours Xiangshawan desert, also known as Sounding Sand, in Inner Mongolia
Backpackers' diaries
Backpackers' diaries: horse riding in Mongolia
Theodora and her 12-year-old son, Zac, enjoy a fantastic adventure in Mongolia, horse riding on the plains by day and camping in traditional ger tents by night
Backpackers' diaries
Backpackers' diaries: a spectacular journey in Mongolia
Theodora and son Zac, 12, are now in Mongolia. This week they meet contortionists and throat singers at a festival in Ulan Bator before an epic journey to a town called Mörön
June 2013
Backpackers' diaries
Backpackers diaries: Mongolia here we come!
Theodora Sutcliffe and her 12-year-old son, Zac, finally leave China and cross into Mongolia. And if their experience at the border is anything to go by, it's going to be quite an adventure …
November 2012
Adventure guides – following the leader
Guides from across the planet talk about the benefits and drawbacks of taking tourists around some of the world's most scenic but difficult terrain,
