Only slightly smaller than Alaska, landlocked Mongolia is a country in east and central Asia that borders Russia to the north and China to the south, east, and west. Mongolia’s western-most point borders China, but is also only 24 miles away from Kazakhstan’s eastern tip.
 
Ulaanbaatar (or Ulan Bator) is the capital of Mongolia, and it is the largest city housing 38% of the nation’s people. The entire population of Mongolia is only 2.9 million but it is the nineteenth largest nation in the world at 1,564,116 square kilometers.
 
Mongolia is a mix of arid plains and steppes. The Gobi desert sits in the south and the cold mountains are in the north and west. The highest point in Mongolia is Khuiten Peak at 14,350 ft.

Cultural Crossroads Tours of Mongolia at a Glance

• Mongolia: Cultural Landscape and Diversity
  

  Join Cultural Crossroads for a cultural trip to Mongolia, a country with ancient Tibetan-Buddhist traditions, monasteries and friendly spiritual people. Meet lamas, hear the low tones of the horns used to call the lamas to the temple and observe their daily rituals. Our travelers have special access to the Arts Council of Mongolia and its art collection. Meet local artists and crafts people. Enjoy the Hustain Nuruu National Reserve, home to the last remaining species of wild horse, the Takhi. Learn about current conservation efforts and the status of the herds found within the reserve. We will see the Kharakhorum, site of the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire of Chinggis Khan. Take in the remote and stunning wilderness of Mongolia when we stay in South Gobi, home to Bactrian camels, Argali mountain sheep, goitered gazelle, golden eagles, saker falcons, jerboas (similar to kangaroo rats) and many endemic reptiles. The Gobi is also home to some of the Northern Hemisphere’s rarest and most elusive mammals such as the dhole, snow leopard, wild camel, and Gobi bear. Cultural Crossroads travelers will stay at the Three Camel Lodge in gers (Mongolian tents), an eco-lodge located near the Gurvansaikhan Gobi National Park. Our trip ends with a visit to a nomadic family leading a local movement to protect and preserve the Bactrian camel populations