What to see in Mongolia: 8 must-sees

Pause in the Gobi Desert, which covers 1,300,000 km2 of sand, dunes and rocky steppe across southern Mongolia. Explore its geological formations by camel or on foot, watch gazelles, vultures and foxes among saxaul shrubs, and sleep in a ger beside nomad families. Clear nights reveal the Milky Way without light pollution, and at dawn the dunes change color with the first light.

Discover Lake Khövsgöl, the deepest in Asia, ringed by mountains and larch forests in northern Mongolia. Walk its pebble shores, watch cormorants and ospreys, and meet the nomad herders who camp beside the water in summer. In winter the surface freezes over completely and locals cross it by sledge or by car. Its transparent waters feed the Eg River and flow on to Lake Baikal.

Admire the underground galleries of this cave in Arkhangai Province, where water has sculpted stalactites and stalagmites over time. Walk its passages with a torch and watch the light sketch shadows on the limestone rock. Around it you can hike between hills and meadows typical of central Mongolia, with sightings of birds and marmots. Wear proper footwear: the ground inside is damp and slippery, and the temperature drops even in summer. The visit combines basic caving with the nomad life of the area.

Navigate Ulaanbaatar, the coldest capital on Earth, where 1,500,000 people live through 24-hour cold ringed by steppe. Cross Sükhbaatar Square to the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, try steaming buuz at Naran Tuul market, and watch felt gers coexist with glass towers. Between the smoke of the traditional districts and the heavy traffic, you will grasp how Mongolian nomadism adapts to a metropolis in full transformation.

Follow the trails of Great Khan National Park, in Bulgan, to the mausoleum of the Great Khan, where stone keeps the memory of an empire. Walk open valleys with nomad-bred horses in sight, watch eagles and cranes over the steppes, and follow forest and river stretches the rangers patrol to curb poaching. Camp beside herder families and try their salted milk tea.

Visit Mongolia's Naadam Festival — an intangible heritage — and follow the three traditional contests closely: Mongolian wrestling, archery and the horse races where child jockeys compete. Live the opening ceremonies in traditional dress, try kumis and buuz, and then explore the surroundings in Ulaanbaatar or the host province. Among parades, throat singing and competitions lasting several days in July, you will get to know a celebration that gathers the country's nomad families every summer.