The Mongol Rally is an annual car race that ends in Ulaanbaatar. The catch? The race starts in London. The point of the race, which was born in 2001, is to raise money for charity (principally Mercy Corps Mongolia) and have a proper adventure in the process; actually finishing the race is secondary to having some really good stories to tell.

In order to ensure that participants really do have an adventure, a few rules were put in place. The cars cannot have an engine with a capacity of more than one litre, and any motorbikes can't have one over 0.125 litres - this is unless your vehicle is of substantial comedy value to exempt it from the engine size rule! The second rule is that you are completely responsible for yourself, and anything you get into, you get yourself out of by whatever means necessary. The third rule (of three) is that every team must give at least £1000 to the Mongol Rally charities.

As Mongolia's economy grows, the population has more disposable income and there are more foreigners here to have a good time, either as tourists or residents, more and more cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants open up in Ulaanbaatar.

Cafes:

One of the newest and best cafes to open up is Cafe Amsterdam, just next to the State Department Store on Peace Avenue. They serve Illy coffee, as well as a selection of freshly made baguettte sandwiches, light breakfasts, cakes and icecream. The terrace at the front is the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon watching the pickpockets in action on the street below! Another great place for breakfast, an afternoon snack or light lunch is the French Bakery, in a quiet side street of Peace Avenue. The incredibly frothy cappucinos complement the freshly made bread, cakes and pattisserie perfectly. Again, it has a wooden terrace out the front, and although there is not as much action to watch on the street, if you want peace and quiet to chat or read without the noise and fumes from busy traffic, it is ideal. The classic expat cafe, Millie's Espresso, is really more of an eaterie, but they do serve the stongest coffee in Mongolia. This is a great meeting place for doing business, or if you find yourself missing the sound of people speaking in English. Their milkshakes are legendary. They have some more substantial meals than the previous two cafes, and if you see the Marco Polo sandwich on the specials board, be sure to order it.

Restaurants:

Just next door to Millie's, opposite the Choijing Lama Temple, is Veranda, widely described as the best restaurant in Mongolia. It serves a wide range of European style food, with soups and salads if you want something light, and dishes such as lasagne and a selection of desserts if you want to fo for the full three course slap up meal. The prices are very reasonable for what you get, and the atmosphere sitting in the cool breeze on the veranda gazing over the rooftops of the temple to the high-rise glass buildings in the background is unmatched. There is a wide variety of international restaurants in Ulaanbaatar, reflecting the varied expat population, but my personal favourite is Shilla, a Korean restaurant aptly located on Seoul Street. The beef is incredible, and the little side dishes vary daily and are always all delicious. This place is great for a quick lunch of bibimbap or a long celebratory dinner with the barbeques on the table. For Mongolian food, you could go for the Americanised version with some Mongolian barbeque at BD's, but I would advise going to the very authentic Xot Booz restaurant diagonally opposite Cafe Amsterdam. It is always packed for lunch, and if you don't care about being the only foreign face in the place, you will appreciate the extremely cheap, filling and tasty food that appears on the table in minutes.

Clubs:

If you walk off Seoul Street just between Masterfoods and the CD shop, you will get to Oasis Nightclub and Lounge, which has a large and really nice outdoor seating and bar area as well as a relaxed and comfortable indoor lounge, and a small but full dancefloor. They serve a huge selction of cocktails - I would personally reccomend the 'French Kiss' - as well as burgers and pizzas from the outdoor pizza oven earliy on in the evening. You could spend all night from 6pm here, or you could move on to Metropolis - a big, modern, trance club at the back of the Chinggis Khan hotel- or to River Sounds which smaller and more centrally located near the Choijong Lama Temple.

Bars and Pubs:

One of the favourite watering holes in the city is Dave's Pub, a reasonable imitation of an English pub, in a fantastic location on the side of the Cultural Palace on Sukhbaatar Square. Every Thursday night at around 9 the hold a pub quiz, which is the perfect mix of fun and serious competition, the prize being the pot of entry fees (1000T per person) and free beer for the team. Sitting outside with your team with a glass of beer and a plate of chips is the perfect way to celebrate the almost-weekend. Another major spot for foreigners and Mongolians alike is the Grand Khaan Irish Pub. On arriving, you may be confused as to the 'Irish' part, but I assure you that inside there are Irish flags displayed and Guiness on sale! They have a good menu of light meals, such as salads, pasta, burgers and noodles, as well as a large drink and cocktail menu. You can even order your own beer dispenser for the table, and in the summer the large outdoor seating area, where they also serve barbequed food, is packed every night.

Ulaanbaatar has quite a few museums and historical sites to visit, and there are monasteries and the imperial capital Kharakhorum to visit elsewhere in the country. Depending on the season, there are also many cultural events to attend, where you can see traditional Mongolian music, dancing and sport.

Museums:

The Natural History Museum in Ulaanbaatar on the whole is not that great, but the dinosaur exhibit alone is worth the entrance fee. There are some totally unique fossils, such as the gigantic pair of arms, which, creepily, are the only piece ever found of that species, and the nest of baby protoceratops. The National Museum of Mongolian History contains artifacts dating from ancient times to the modern day, and offers a good overall view of Mongolian cultural history.   There are several smaller museums worth visiting, such as the Costume Museum, the Theatre Museum, and the Ulaanbaatar Museum of History, as well as quite a few art and calligraphy galleries.

Historical Sites:

The Bogd Khan Winter Palace in the south of the city is really worth visiting, with some buildings and artifacts dating from the 17th century. The actual living area contains some objects that really transport you back to the days of the Bogd Khan, such as some of the toys he played with as a child, his bed, clothes, and his taxidermy collection. The Choijing Lama Temple in the city centre is an amazing survival from the turn of the 20th century, its wooden beams and sloping tiles now surrounded by high-rises and cafes. It contains some rare paintings and sculptures, as well as a mummy. The Gandan Monastery is the largest monastery and temple complex in use in Mongolia, and contains a 26m high standing Buddha. There are a few newer, smaller monasteries dotted around that would be worth visiting if you are interested in Buddhism.

Kharakhorum:

Only a few traces remain of the 13th Century Mongol capital, founded by Chinggis as a yurt town, then built on by Ogedei. The archaeological remains excavated there are possibly from Ogedei's palace, but it seems more likely they are from the great stupa erected by Mongke. Adjacent to the site is Mongolia's biggest monastery, Edrene Zuu, built in 1585 using materials taken from the ruin of Kharakhorum. The nearby town of Kharkorin is a district centre, and has a small airport with flights to and from Ulaanbaatar.

Cultural Events:

The main cultural event of Mongolia is the annual Naadam festival, which takes place in Ulaanbaatar from 11th - 13th July, and around the countryside for about a month leading up to then. It is mainly a sporting event, with horse-racing, archery and wrestling, but it is also a general time of celebration. The horse races take place about 70km from the city, and are definitely worth the drive to soak up the atmosphere among the gers and horse-breeders, and to see the iconic scene of the horses with their child jockeys galloping from a cloud of dust. In the National Drama Theatre in Ulaanbaatar there is a cultural show featuring traditional instruments, dances, songs and throat singing every day at 6pm during the summer. The Opera House also puts on a show every night - if you are interested in hearing Carmen translated into Mongolian, this is probably your only chance. There are often various events in the provinces put on mainly for tourists, such as battle re-enactments or horsemanship displays.

Mongolia's landscape and culture mean there is a wide variety of outdoor adventures you could have, but no need to go it alone, as Mongolian Resorts can help you plan an itinerary to suit your interests and your budget.

Horse Riding:

Get in the saddle and relive the times of Chinggis Khan's horde. Whether you are a beginner and just want to ride around for a few hours, or a seasoned rider interested in riding across the country, you can take the opportunity to see the countryside the way it was meant to be seen.

Boating:

There are rivers for rafting and lakes for fishing in Mongolia. Lake Hovsgol in the north of the country is the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia, and the second largest lake overall by surface area. The largest is Uvs, a saltwater lake which is the remains of a large sea which covered the area thousands of years ago. On Hovsgol, one can kayak or fish, or just camp and hike on the shores in an area where several Mongolian ethnic groups meet and Shamanism is still strong. In the rivers around Lake Hovsgol, one can have a fishing experience unique to Mongolia, as this is the only place where the Taimen fish still survives. These are huge ancestors of the modern salmon, which are usually fished using rats as bait. Rafting or canoeing down the Orkhon river will take you through the cradle of Mongolian and Turkish civilisation.

Hunting:

In the mountains and on the plains of Mongolia, there are many animals both large and small that can be sustainably hunted for food and sport. Get back to man's nature stalking through the forest after a deer or hiding behind crags to ambush wild sheep. While the original inhabitants of the land used arrows or birds of prey for hunting on horseback, nowadays from your seat in a 4x4 you can catch your prey in the sights of a rifle. For information on hunting tours of Mongolia, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Hiking and Camping:

There are so many beautiful places to hike in Mongolia that you will definitely find a route to suit your ability, time frame and budget. As for camping, you can rough it by carrying your own tents and equipment on your back, or you can do things the Mongolian way, staying in ger camps en route. Whether you want to trek through the desert, climb up moutains, or stroll by a river, Mongolia is the perfect place.