As the UK’s leading tour operator to Mongolia (no other travel company has more clients to Mongolia than us – a fact confirmed by the Mongolian Consulate in London, who can count the visas to verify this!) we’ve visited Mongolia extensively over many years... but it still surprises each time we go.

A Buddhist kingdom? Well yes... but with wild nightclubs in Ulaanbaatar that are anything but pious... alongside still-flourishing shamanism too. A growing modern country of Asia? Yes, that too... but nearly half the population still live the life nomadic herders that Genghis Khan would immediately recognise. The land of the Gobi Desert? Well yes... but the Gobi is mostly green, it’s a scrub desert... although that doesn’t make it any less deadly for the unprepared.

A flat land of the rolling Steppes? Well yes... but then there are the Altai Mountains, Hovsgol Lake, the Flaming Cliffs, the Sand Dunes... A country of deep traditions? Well yes... but then Peace Avenue in Ulaanbaatar is lined with Internet Cafes, New-Age Cafes... you can pick-up a fresh pain-au-chocolat on your way to the Gandan Monastery.

The scorching desert? Well yes... but it’s -25C in winter in the snow-covered Gobi. Grab some cash at the ATM in the Central Dept Store, put your pics in for one-hour developing... on the way out you find a nomad tethering his horse outside, and meet a monk in red robes and fake Gucci sunglasses. Whatever you thought Mongolia was – it isn’t. Leave your pre-conceptions at home with your pot-noodles, and head for the world’s most intriguing and surprising country.

Ulaanbaatar – more than just a stop on the T-Sib

How do you build a railroad for a nomadic people? In 1927 the USSR built a railway – the Trans-Mongolian – to their newly-converted Communist neighbours, and the railway supplied a city-building program that anchored the previously nomadic capital firmly in place. It’s a fascinating city – ancient Buddhist monasteries amidst Stalin-era buildings. But for all this, the “real” Mongolia lies beyond the city – Mongolians had never been city-dwellers before the Soviets came.

Real Mongolia – life in your nomadic ger tent at Elstei

The design of the Mongolian ger (called “yurt” in Russian, but “ger” in Mongolian) hasn’t changed in a thousand years – if Genghis Khan reappeared (as legend says he will, to rescue his people) he’d be able to put one up without a moment’s thought. It’s a remarkable thing – a warm, wind-proof dwelling that stands without guy-ropes, and whose shell-like shape glues it to the ground like a limpet in the highest winds. Inside, carpets and “proper” beds” provide Khan-style comfort, and you get to try these on all our Mongolia trips, at Elstei. The only concessions to the C21st are some clean toilets (sorry to the purists who wanted fly-bitten latrines) and showers, a convenient bar, and the choice to have western (or veggie) food instead of a Mongolian meal (although there is always a Mongolian meal available too).

Steppe forwards – by jeep into the Gobi

For adventurous types who like a challenge, take a Gobi jeep trip. We go to the area of Bayan-Gobi, where you visit the location of ancient Karakorum – although there is a Buddhist monastery on the site of Genghis Khan’s famous encampment these days. Stay with real-life nomads in their ger – now you can try the local-style toilet facilities! Visit the Hogno Khaan holy mountain too, before 8 bumpy off-road hours of jeep-drive back to Ulaanbaatar.