A short distance northeast of Ulaanbaatar is Gorkhi Terelj National Park, an lush, beautiful area of Mongolia with dense forests and crystal-clear rivers, whilst the sweeping Orkhon Valley in central Mongolia is thought to be where nomadic pastoral traditions originated millennia ago. The magnificent Gobi Desert stretches across most of southern Mongolia, home to wind-swept sand dunes that glow like lava and the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag, where some of the most significant paleontological discoveries have been made. In the northwest you’ll find the spectacular Altai Mountains, land of the Kazakh Eagle Hunters, where arid mountains and glistening lakes provide a breath-taking backdrop for remote nomadic camps.