Would you like to experience the Bedouin spirit at least once in your life? Then your destination is Mongolia. In the heart of Asia, between the Gobi Desert in the south and Siberia in the north, there are still nomadic tribes. Where the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire, Karakorum, is located, there is a landscape filled with lakes and volcanoes where the lifestyle of the world’s few remaining nomads can still be glimpsed.
Mongolia has a history of nomadism in its roots. Already in the Bronze Age there are records of this lifestyle being practiced. From the Huns to the great Genghis Khan, who in the thirteenth century managed to unite all the tribes and create a nomadic state, conquering lands from Europe to the Pacific, and creating the largest continuous empire known.
“There are many countries that still maintain the nomadic lifestyle, because we must take into account that in the last 5,000 years of world history humans have not settled. With the appearance of the first cities, around 3,000 BC, the abandonment of nomads began. In addition to Mongolia, the nomadic country par excellence, there are other places where nomadic communities still exist. Especially in Africa, where there are the largest. Tuareg They are one of the main tribes. “And also in the Amazon region, in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, where Bedouins live,” explains Alvaro Blanchuelo, architect and one of the experts at EL PAÍS Viajes.
It will be him, specifically, who will accompany a group of adventurers through Mongolia on August 15, 2026 for 13 days. The journey Natural and cultural treasures of Mongolia It is proposed to get acquainted with the country’s nomadic life and its most authentic enclaves: the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and ancient Karakorum; Lake Khovsgol, surrounded by mountains and deep greenery; Magnificent steppe landscapes and first-hand insight into the life of a Bedouin family. There is no doubt that this country is any traveler’s dream.
Where to Find Mongolian Nomads: Best Locations
Mongolia is three times larger than Spain and has a population of only three and a half million people, most of whom are in the major cities. About one million people live in Ulaanbaatar, then they are distributed among the rest of the cities, such as Morun, Darkhan, and Erdenit. “This means that it is a wild and completely uninhabited area where four million heads of livestock live, mainly horses, oxen and camels. It is an enormous wildlife area. The nomads are in charge of the livestock and take them out to pasture. They move around in yurt camps, which in Mongolia are called not. This means that there is a nomadic spirit in almost all parts of the country,” confirms Álvaro Blanchuelo.
Among the main tribes that can be known today in Mongolia are the Tsaataninhabitants of the north known as the “reindeer men” – there are currently only about 200 left. Meanwhile, in the west we find KazakhsHunters who go with their eagles. The EL PAÍS Viajes route will cover the central steppes and other places where nomadism is still practiced.
The first stop on this trip is the Elsen Tasarkhai Dunes located in Khojno-Khan National Park, which covers an area of about 47 thousand hectares and is home to magnificent sand dunes that extend about 80 kilometers to the south. The mountains of the national park are considered sacred, with this small desert known as the “Little Gobi”. The Tarna River provides water for grazing livestock and the nomadic tribes that frequently inhabit it.
The next stop to see nomadic Mongolia is Karakorum, the former capital of the great Mongol Empire in the 13th century. There is the country’s first Buddhist monastery called Erdene Zuo, built in 1586 and later destroyed during the purges of 1937, and little of its splendor remains today, only the walls and three important temples. Also preserved is the statue of Buffon Khad, an 18th-century phallic symbol made by the monastery’s monks to shame young monks who did not follow the rules; And the turtle rock that was in Karakorum.
The third visit of the tour will take you to Tsingheer Hot Springs, a sulfur spring that bubbles with a temperature of 85 degrees Celsius at 1,860 meters above sea level. Many people come to undergo traditional medical treatment. From the hot springs, you’ll head towards Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake National Park, crossing several mountain ranges in a northerly direction. It is a rugged volcanic complex, currently inactive, and includes one of the most attractive lakes in Mongolia, famous for its rich bird fauna and protected under the Ramsar Convention. “On the way we will stop at Zyen Khuri Khed, which was an ancient Buddhist monastery and is currently the local museum of Arkhangay Province. After the road, we will stop at the Cholot River Valley and the giant Taikhar rock associated with local mythological beliefs,” says Alvaro Blanchuelo, who designed this trip to the millimeter.
The Zon Nor salt lake is another place where Mongolian nomadic families usually settle. It is a truly virgin landscape surrounded by green mountains and forests. Did you know that it is the second deepest lake in Central Asia and that it contains 1% of the world’s fresh water resources? It is also 134 kilometers long and 39 kilometers wide.
Finally, Lake Khovsgul is another essential visit to follow the trail of nomads. It is the second largest lake in the country and a place full of life with more than 200 species. In front of the lake where the shepherds live TsaatanWe finished this wonderful journey.
*If you want more information about this trip and other similar trips, consult our website Travel to the country.
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