Photo credit: Mongnolia MIR corp
Exploring Mongolia’s Vast Landscapes and Living Traditions
Steppe Silence, Nomadic Rituals, and Untamed Horizons
As NYT bestselling author Jack Weatherford once said of Mongolia, “In school we learn through our eyes and ears, but in life we learn through our feet and hands.” Mongolia is a place to move through. It is a land to feel in its vastness, its silences, and the rhythm of daily life shaped by wind, hoofbeat, and firelight – a journey defined by Mongolia’s landscapes and living traditions.
Once the center of a mighty empire, it continues to draw travelers seeking a connection with its scale, solitude, and way of life. Most come for the highlights – the steppe, the Gobi, the eagle hunters. But they leave remembering something more: the hush of horses grazing at dawn, the warmth of a shared meal in a felt-lined ger, or the rush of air as a golden eagle takes flight from a gloved arm. These moments endure.
To truly experience Mongolia – whether during the Naadam Festival, the Golden Eagle Festival, or on a tailor-made private journey – travelers turn to MIR. We’ve spent decades cultivating deep relationships across the country. This allows us to provide access to Mongolia’s most iconic experiences as well as its lesser-known corners.
1. Witness the Golden Eagle Festival in the Altai Mountains
In Mongolia’s far western frontier, Kazakh eagle hunters gather each autumn for a dazzling display of horsemanship and falconry. The Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ulgii offers a rare glimpse into a way of life carried forward through generations, framed by the jagged peaks of the Altai Mountains. Along the way, journeys include time in Ulaanbaatar, quiet nights in traditional ger camps, and explorations in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park — a chance to balance Mongolia’s living traditions with its wild landscapes.
You can learn more about this journey through the Mongolia’s Golden Eagle Festival.
2. Explore the Gobi & Celebrate Naadam
Every July, Ulaanbaatar bursts into celebration for the Naadam Festival, where locals test their strength and skill in the “Three Manly Sports”: wrestling, archery, and horse racing across the steppe. Joining the festivities offers an intimate look at Mongolia’s sense of pride and community. From there, travelers continue south to the Gobi Desert, staying at the acclaimed Three Camel Lodge. Here, the desert reveals its many faces. Visitors witness fiery sunsets at the Flaming Cliffs, ride across the shifting sands of Moltsog Els, and walk the sweeping grasslands near Karakorum, once the seat of Genghis Khan’s empire. These landscapes form part of the Great Gobi Biosphere Reserve. This UNESCO site protects rare wildlife and showcases the fragile beauty of the desert ecosystem.
For a more detailed look, see the Mongolian Explorer: The Gobi & Beyond with Naadam Festival.
3. Essential Mongolia: City, Steppe & Gobi Private Journey
Mongolia is a land of contrasts, and MIR’s privately guided journey brings them together. Begin in Ulaanbaatar, where monasteries and museums tell stories of the past and present. Then head east into the granite outcrops of Gorkhi-Terelj for hikes and open-air quiet before flying south to the Gobi. Here the days are shaped by camel rides across golden dunes, hikes through the icy gorge of Yolyn Am, and evenings that end with the cliffs glowing red in the last light. Experiencing city, steppe, and desert in one trip is a reminder of how varied and how vast Mongolia really is.
4. Design Your Own Journey to Mongolia
Want to dive deeper? Let us help you craft a tailor-made itinerary shaped to your pace and passions. Whether you hope to visit remote eagle hunter families, explore the legacy of Genghis Khan, or photograph the golden light across Gobi sands, MIR’s expert team on the ground can bring your vision to life.
For ideas and inspiration, you can check out MIR’s Custom Mongolia Journeys to get an idea of how your own adventure might take shape.
