Mongolia

Just think Mongolia and images of wild horses galloping across the mountain steppes immediately spring to mind. Experience the raw beauty and traditional ways of remote Mongolia. Hidden from the world for many years, it is hard to imagine that this secluded country once created the largest land empire ever known. Fantastic geographical diversity, pristine grasslands, crumbling ruins and roaming herdsmen riding tough Mongolian horses - see it all on this journey through a land that time almost forgot.

Eight hundred years after Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes exploded from the east in an orgy of violent conquest, this distant land in the heart of Asia still resonates with echoes from a different time. And even today, outside of the capital, Ulaan Baatar, you will feel as though you are travelling in another century.

If you delight in the emptiness of the unspoiled wilderness and relish the challenge of exploring what for a long period was regarded as the 'end of the earth', Mongolia is the adventure for you. In a country where 30% of the population live in nomadic tribes, sleeping in a circular felt ger - or yurt, as they are known in much of Central Asia - is just one way to experience local life. From the mountains of the north to the Gobi desert in the south, this vast, stunning country is awash with dramatic mountain scenery, spectacular deserts, a fascinating and ancient culture, and a warm and welcoming population.