Best places to visit in Mongolia

Mongolia Essentials

Mongolia’s heritage spans from the 13th-century imperial legacy of Ulaanbaatar to the ancient Turkic Tonyukuk inscriptions. This selection includes the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a center for Mongolian Buddhism, and the Bogd Khan Palace Museum. Natural landmarks feature the fossil-rich Flaming Cliffs and the Khongoryn Els dunes in the Gobi Desert. Spiritual sites like the sacred Burkhan Khaldun mountain and the ruins of Ongiin monastery offer insight into the country’s religious history and nomadic roots.

Mongolia Essentials — Map

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Ongiin

The ruins of two 17th-century Buddhist monasteries situated along the Ongi River. Once a major religious center with over 1,000 monks, the complex was destroyed in 1937. Today, a small museum and a reconstructed temple sit among the remaining foundation stones.

Stéphane Passet (1875-1942) / Public domain

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Gandantegchinlen Monastery

Gandantegchinlen Monastery, also known as Gandan Monastery, is a Buddhist monastery in Bayangol District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

//www.flickr.com/photos/yeowatzup/ / CC BY 2.0

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Bogd Khan Palace Museum

The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan, or the Bogd Khan Palace Museum, is a museum complex located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

//www.flickr.com/photos/yeowatzup/ / CC BY 2.0

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Choijin Lama Temple Museum

The Choijin Lama Temple is a Buddhist monastery in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

Zoharby / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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Flaming Cliffs

The Flaming Cliffs site, with the alternative Mongolian name of Mongolian: Улаан Эрэг, is a region of the Gobi Desert in the Ömnögovi…

Exsanguinator / CC BY 2.5

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National Museum of Mongolia

The National Museum of Mongolia formerly known as the National Museum of Mongolian History is a history museum focusing on Mongolian…

Bouette / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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Burkhan Khaldun

The Burkhan Khaldun is one of the Khentii Mountains in the Khentii Province of northeastern Mongolia.

Andre Felbrich / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Otgontenger

Otgontenger is the highest peak in the Khangai Mountains in Mongolia. Its summit is currently calculated to reach an elevation of 4,010…

Vezirtonyukuk / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Tonyukuk inscriptions

The Tonyukuk inscriptions, also called the Bain Tsokto inscriptions are Turkic inscriptions of the 8th century located in Nalaikh,…

Zoharby / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Khongoryn Els

Khongoryn Els also called Duut Mankhan is popularly known as the "Singing Sands".

Erdenee / CC BY 3.0

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Baldanbraiven hiid, Buddhist monastery

Baldan Bereeven Monastery is a Gelugpa Buddhist monastery located in the Baruun Jargalant River valley Ömnödelger district, Khentii…

alex_and_stacy / CC BY 2.0

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Zaisan Memorial

The Zaisan Memorial is a memorial in Khan Uul, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia that honors allied Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in World War…

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