Why Mongolia Belongs on Every Serious Traveller's List

The last frontier of terrestrial wildness that is also politically stable, safe, and reasonably accessible. The case for Mongolia, briefly.

Nomin G.

There are about 20 countries left on earth that still feel genuinely wild. That is, 95% or more of the land is un-urbanised, the population density is below 5 people per square kilometre, and mobile coverage drops out within an hour of the capital. Mongolia is one of them. And unlike most of the others, Mongolia is also democratic, stable, safe for women travelling solo, and visa-free for most Western passports.

The Numbers

Area: 1.56 million km² (about the size of Alaska).

Population: 3.4 million.

Density: 2.1 people / km², the lowest in the world.

Forest cover: 7.9%.

Nomadic population: approximately 30%.

What That Means

Drive 90 minutes out of Ulaanbaatar and you will not see a building for hours. Spend a week in the Khangai and you will not meet another foreign traveller unless you are in Erdene Zuu or on the Eagle Festival weekend. There is no mass tourism to speak of. There may be in 20 years. There is not now.

Why Now

New international terminal opened 2021. Direct flights expanding. A domestic infrastructure that is improving but still unpaved in the majority. The window between undiscovered and comfortable is closing. We are in the golden 15 years.

What Travellers Return For

Guests who come once, come back. 31% of our bookings in 2026 are returning travellers. The specific pull: sky, silence, horses, and a hospitality culture that treats the guest as sacred. Zochin in Mongolian, the word we use for ourselves as a brand.