With one of the world’s lowest population densities, Mongolia’s vast areas of wilderness, desert, lakes and mountains offer plenty of scope for adventurous outdoor enthusiasts. Although independent travel is now becoming more common, travel outside the capital is usually by prior arrangement. For details, contact the Mongolian Embassy (see Contact Addresses section). The Mongolian National Tourism Board will be able to put you in touch with Mongolian tour operators that can arrange itineraries and special-interest tours, including visits with nomadic herdsmen and overnight stays in gers. Activity tours available include trekking, mountaineering, birdwatching, horse riding, rafting, camel riding, yak caravan and overland motorcycle tours. Many of these tours focus strongly on ecology and wildlife, and almost all of them include the Gobi Desert as one of their destinations; apart from its numerous native animal species (see also Resorts & Excursions section), the desert is famous for its fossilised dinosaur bones and eggs. Mongolia’s lakes (notably the huge Khuvsgul Nuur) represent another good hiking destination, as do the Four Holy Peaks surrounding Ulaanbaatar or the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, in the South Gobi. Visitors should note that the weather, although milder than expected, can vary greatly, especially in the mountains and in the Gobi Desert; it is recommended to bring a warm sweater and raincoat for any time of the year. Skiing and cross-country skiing are possible around Ulaanbaatar.

For further information about outdoor activities in Mongolia, travellers can contact the Mongolian National Tourism Board (see Contact Addresses section); or the Mongolian National Ecotourism Society, PO Box 72, Ulaanbaatar 210520 (tel/fax: (11) 318 099; e-mail: ecobund@magicnet.mn; website: www.owc.org.mn/ecobund); or Runwild, which organises ecotourism and adventure tours, 40 Miangat Street, Bldg. 68, Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar (tel/fax: (11) 315 374; email: info@outer-mongolia.com; website: www.runwild.co.uk); or the Mongolian Youth Tourism Association, BCC Company, Sukhbaatar Street, Youth Avenue 7/4, PO Box 72, Ulaanbaatar 210520 (tel: (11) 350 615; fax: (11) 325 336; e-mail: aroundworld@hotmail.com).