Top 10 things to do in Mongolia

1. Walk through the streets of Ulaan Baatar, learn about Mongolian history in the city museums and set foot in Gandan Khiid – the country’s largest Buddhist monastery

2. Spend a night in a Mongolian ‘ger’ (yurt), meet nomadic herders and learn about their lifestyles, taste local cheese, boiled meats, fermented milk and salty tea

3. Watch for endangered birds as you horse-ride through Gun Galuut reserve, or look for antelope, wolves and wild horses in Hustai National Park

4. Visit in July for the Naadam Festival to watch fearless wrestlers, expert archers and heroic horse-riders compete in this annual event

5. Marvel at Lake Khuvsgul, Mongolia’s largest freshwater lake , and explore the surrounding taiga forests or visit the minority tribes and reindeer herders

6. Journey west to the Altai Mountains, where Kazah golden eagle hunters ride with trained birds to hunt foxes, marmots and wolves

7. Travel on one of the world’s greatest train routes and work your way through Russia, Siberia and Mongolia, then continue to Beijing and the Great Wall

8. Camel-ride across the dunes of Mongol Els, or drive across part of the Gobi Desert, home to vultures and eagles, wild sheep and singing sands

9. Trek up to Khuiten Uul base camp to glimpse the tallest mountain in Mongolia. If you’re an experienced climber, continue to the top (4374m) equipped with ropes, ice axes and crampons

10. Discover the remains of Genghis Khan’s capital, Karakorum, then visit the nearby ruins of Erdene Zuu Monastery.