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Why 2023 is the year to visit Mongolia

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3 years ago

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Why 2023 is the year to visit Mongolia


Editor’s Note: This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy.


Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
CNN
 — 

Due to its remoteness and short summer season, Mongolia has long been a destination overlooked by travelers.

But as the country moves to further open up to tourism by easing its entry conditions for international visitors and upgrading its infrastructure, 2023 might just be the best time yet to get there.

Here are 10 reasons travelers should start planning their long-dreamed-of Mongolia visit now.

With the government of Mongolia declaring 2023 through 2025 the “Years to Visit Mongolia,” citizens from an additional 34 countries can now visit the country visa-free through the end of 2025.

The addition of several European countries, including Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, and the UK, as well as Australia and New Zealand, now brings the total number of countries and territories on the visa-exempt list to 61.

The full list is here.

Mongolia's new Chinggis Khaan International Airport.

After years of delays, a pandemic and several controversies, the newly built Chinggis Khaan International Airport finally opened in the summer of 2021.

With the ability to handle approximately 3 million passengers a year (double that of the old airport), the addition of 500 new aircraft parking spaces and the infrastructure to support an increase in domestic as well as budget flights, the airport is a welcome addition to the country’s efforts to grow tourism.

Budget flights to Hong Kong from EZNIS Airways have been relaunched since the airport’s opening, and talks to resume direct flights to the United States are reportedly underway.

The recently opened Chinggis Khaan Museum offers a beautiful, fresh look at Mongolia’s tumultuous history.

With more than 10,000 artifacts spanning over 2,000 years, the museum explores the history of the Mongols and the empire they created – and eventually lost.

The museum’s artifacts are presented over eight floors, with six permanent and two temporary exhibition halls. Guided tours are offered in English every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. free of charge.

Mongolia's 2023 Spirit of Gobi festival will take place in August.

When most people think of Mongolia, music festivals and conservation-focused art installations in the heart of one of the world’s largest deserts are the last things to come to mind.

But that’s all changing thanks to festivals like Playtime, Spirit of Gobi, INTRO Electronic Music Festival and the Kharkhorum 360 Visual Art & Music Experience.

Placing international bands, DJs, and musicians from around the world alongside Mongolia’s eclectic mix of rappers, bands and folk singers, the country just might be one of the world’s most underrated places for festival lovers.

The annual Naadam event has always been a great reason to visit Mongolia, but now that the festival has just celebrated its 100 year anniversary, 2023 is as good a time as ever to attend.

While the festival’s origins are rooted in the days of Genghis Khan, when he used horse racing, wrestling and archery competitions to keep his warriors in shape between battles, Naadam only officially became a national holiday 100 years ago.

Today, the festival – held in Ulaanbaatar at the National Sports Stadium, has a few more bells and whistles than it did during the days of the Great Khan.

A seat at July 11’s opening ceremony is always one of the hardest tickets to score in town.

Try your hand at archery the Mongolian way

Mongolian archery is making a comeback.

Mounted archery is seeing a resurgence in Mongolia thanks to guys like Altankhuyag Nergui, one of the most accomplished archers in the sport and his archery academy, Namnaa.

Here, locals learn the fundamentals of Mongolian archery before mounting a horse and taking their new found skills to another level.

In the summer months, students and academy members put on weekly shows for interested spectators. The academy also offers day-long training sessions for those wanting to try this intense sport.

Speaking of giving life to Mongolia’s most ancient traditions, the resurrection of Mongol bichig, or the traditional Mongolian script written from top to bottom and read from left to right, has also seen a major resurgence in recent years.

Visit the Erdenesiin Khuree Mongolian Calligraphy Center in Karakorum to learn from master calligraphist Tamir Samandbadraa Purev about this important cultural heritage. And, while you’re there, browse the yurts filled with Tamir’s works.

A Mongolian hunter sends his golden eagle to catch prey.

Pair the release of Husqvarna’s new Norden 901 Expedition motorbike with Nomadic Off-Road’s newly announced Eagle Hunter Tour, and you have one of the fastest adventures in Mongolia.

The tour takes six riders 1,700 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar to Bayan-Ulgii, where riders eventually meet their hosts, Mongolia’s famous eagle hunters.

The only thing faster than this adventure is the rate at which Nomadic Off-Road’s tours sell out.

Professional musher Joel Rauzy has been leading dogsledding tours across the frozen Lake Khuvsgul for 18 years.

With fewer crowds, lower hotel rates and the chance to see one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world completely frozen over, winter in Mongolia is something else to see and experience.

Rauzy’s company, Wind of Mongolia, offers tours of the lake, where each person is assigned their own sled and dogs for the journey. Following Rauzy’s lead, mushers will make a loop of the lake. Activities include ice fishing, while travelers stay in winterized yurts and spend time with nomadic families along the journey.

Scandinavian design hits Mongolia at Yeruu Lodge

Yeruu Lodge is infused with Scandinavian minimalism.

Nestled in the heart of Selenge province on the Yeruu River, Yeruu Lodge is the brainchild of Norwegian founder Eirik Gulsrud Johnsen, who first visited Mongolia in 2017.

With a minimal Scandinavian-style restaurant and dining area, a handful of fully kitted out yurts for guests to stay in, two pétanque courts, kayaks, a driving range, mountain bikes and a yoga area, the lodge is a destination for nature lovers.

Completely off-grid, the lodge runs off solar panels, uses of thermal heating, and all of the property’s water comes from an on-property well and is recycled after use.

Additionally, all glass, metal and plastic used at the lodge is also recycled, and food waste is turned into compost used to grow vegetables, berries and herbs onsite.

The lodge is set to open in April 2023.



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Law firms helping migrants pose as gay to get asylum in UK: report

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7 hours ago

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April 15, 2026

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Law firms helping migrants pose as gay to get asylum in UK: report


This representational image shows commuters cross London Bridge, in London, Britain, January 13, 2025. — Reuters
This representational image shows commuters cross London Bridge, in London, Britain, January 13, 2025. — Reuters 

LONDON: A BBC undercover investigation has alleged that a network of immigration advisers, paralegals and associated intermediaries has been helping migrants fabricate asylum claims in the UK by falsely presenting themselves as gay, charging thousands of pounds for false narratives, staged evidence and interview coaching.

At least three law firms – one of these owned by Pakistanis – have been accused by the BBC of fabricating the asylum claims through illegal means.

The law firms include Law and Justice Solicitors and Connaught Law. Law and Justice is owned by Michael Oluyemi Makinde and Connaught Law is owned by Nauman Javid, Sheryar Khan, Zehra Tamkan and Awais Javed.

According to the BBC investigation, the abuse centres on migrants, particularly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, whose student, work or tourist visas are close to expiring and who are then allegedly advised to seek asylum on the basis of sexual orientation, as being gay or lesbian.

Using undercover reporters posing as international students from Pakistan and Bangladesh, the BBC said it tested whether immigration advisers would encourage false sexuality-based asylum claims.

It reported finding multiple individuals willing to discuss fake claims, suggest supporting evidence and quote fees for handling such cases. Among the findings were allegations that Connaught Law firm quoted up to £7,000 for a fabricated claim and described the chances of refusal as “very low”, while another adviser allegedly offered to arrange fake supporting letters, photographs and even a supposed sexual partner to back up an asylum application.

The BBC undercover reporter made an appointment with Aqeel Abbasi, a senior legal adviser at Connaught Law, which has its offices in Central London on Gray’s Inn Road.

Abbasi told the BBC reporter that he could help him stay in the country and appeared to be willing to direct him on how to fabricate evidence for a fake claim. He promised that the chance of refusal by the Home Office was “very low”.

He said his fee would be £7,000 and, once that had been paid, his office would contact the undercover reporter to guide them through the process and the kind of evidence required.

This would include advising him on “where to go or what specific actions to take”.

The legal adviser also suggested the undercover reporter would need to find someone willing to pretend to be his male/gay partner. When the reporter said he had a wife in Pakistan, Abbasi was quick to suggest a cover story to explain this, by saying that things were “more open” in the UK than in Pakistan and that he now had a male partner.

“We will prepare a statement for you, and once you read it, you will understand exactly how it is,” said Abbasi.

A significant part of the investigation focused on Worcester LGBT, a support organisation for gay and lesbian asylum seekers, which holds monthly meetings attended by large numbers of migrants from across the country.

The BBC traced the undercover reporter’s route to the group through Mazedul Hasan Shakil, a paralegal at Law and Justice Solicitors, an immigration firm based in Birmingham and London, who is also described as founder and chairman of Worcester LGBT.

The reporter received a call from a woman identified as Tanisa (Shakil’s associate), who, in Urdu, allegedly became much more direct about using a “gay case” as the only realistic route to stay in Britain.

When told the reporter was not gay, Tanisa replied: “There is nobody who is real. There is only one way out in order to live here now and that is the very method everyone is adopting.” The BBC identified her as Tanisa Khan, an adviser linked to Worcester LGBT.

The broadcaster then described an initial meeting in Forest Gate, east London, which took place in Tanisa’s home.

According to the report, she laid out a plan to fabricate an asylum claim on the grounds of same-sex orientation, warning that the applicant would have to memorise a false story convincingly for Home Office interviews. The report said she offered to obtain a letter from someone claiming to have had sexual relations with the applicant and said she would fully prepare him for the Home Office process.

She charged £2,500, with additional costs if the claim failed and went to appeal. The BBC also said she suggested that if the reporter later brought his wife from Pakistan to Britain, she too could make a false asylum claim by pretending to be lesbian.

The BBC showed its footage to immigration lawyer Ana Gonzalez, who has 30 years of experience. She said Tanisa appeared to be “committing fraud by manufacturing a claim” and warned that such conduct makes life harder for genuine asylum seekers, especially LGBT claimants whose cases are often difficult to prove objectively.

The report said precise figures for fabricated claims are impossible to establish, but Home Office data suggests a disproportionate number of sexuality-based asylum claims come from Pakistani nationals.

In 2023, there were 3,430 initial decisions on LGBT asylum claims and nearly 1,400 new claims based on sexual orientation. Of these, 42% were lodged by Pakistani nationals, who also accounted for the highest number in each of the previous five years. The article noted that Pakistanis were only the fourth most common nationality across all asylum applications and made up just 6% of total claims overall.

Nearly two-thirds of asylum seekers claiming persecution on grounds of sexual orientation had their claims granted at initial decision stage in 2023.

The Home Office told the BBC that making an asylum claim through deception is a criminal offence and that anyone convicted can face prison and deportation.

It said misuse of protections designed for people fleeing genuine persecution because of their sexuality was deplorable, but insisted that the asylum system includes safeguards and that claims are rigorously assessed.

The department added that abuse is actively investigated and procedures are continually reviewed.





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Iran says to host Pakistani delegation as exchanges continue with US

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8 hours ago

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April 15, 2026

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Iran says to host Pakistani delegation as exchanges continue with US



Iran will be hosting a high-ranking political and security delegation from Pakistan on Wednesday, as indirect exchanges of messages between Tehran and Washington continue, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman announced.

Esmail Baghaei, speaking in response to a question from IRNA, confirmed that Tehran is expected to receive the Pakistani delegation today.

“Today, we are most likely hosting a delegation from Pakistan,” Baghaei said.

“Following the talks that took place in Islamabad, and also the discussions that the Pakistani side has had with the United States, our views have been conveyed and heard,” he said.

He added, “Naturally, during this visit, the two sides are expected to discuss their viewpoints in detail.”

Meanwhile, informed sources in Pakistan confirmed that a high-level security-political delegation, comprising prominent Pakistani figures, left Islamabad for Tehran a short while ago, IRIB news reported.

According to the sources, the delegation is carrying a new message from Washington for Tehran.

The delegation is scheduled to meet with Iranian officials to discuss future negotiations, the sources said.

The development comes as a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States will expire on April 22.

The United States and Israel launched their unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and striking nuclear facilities, schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure.



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Israel must not be allowed to sabotage US-Iran ceasefire: Turkey’s Erdogan

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8 hours ago

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April 15, 2026

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Israel must not be allowed to sabotage US-Iran ceasefire: Turkey’s Erdogan



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Israeli regime’s attempts to sabotage a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, saying that Ankara will push for an extension of the truce and ensure peace talks continue in Pakistan.

Addressing a parliament session on Wednesday, Erdogan said that the Israeli prime minister’s cabinet, “which is known to be unhappy with the ceasefire process, must not be allowed to sabotage it.”

The Turkish leader said that his government is making the “necessary appeals and initiatives” to ease tensions and extend the ceasefire, which is set to expire on April 20.

The two-week ceasefire, announced last week, 40 days after the US and the Israeli regime launched their war of aggression against Iran, provided a fragile window for diplomacy. It will expire on April 22.

Over the weekend, high-level peace talks between US and Iranian officials took place in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. While the talks ended without an agreement, regional governments are urging both sides to return to the negotiating table.

Erdogan also urged the two sides to utilize “the window of opportunity opened by the ceasefire” before its expiration.

“If there is to be peace in our region, it will be despite the Zionist regime,” Erdogan said. “If stability is achieved, it will again be despite the Israeli government.”

The Turkish president also condemned the aggression against Lebanon, warning that continued airstrikes are harming hopes for peace.

He said that Turkey will continue “to be the follower of the cause of children killed in their sleep in Lebanon,” referring to Israel’s airstrikes that have killed more than 2,000 people—including many women and children—since early March, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Despite the fact that the ceasefire between the US and Iran explicitly covered Lebanon, the Israeli regime continues its military aggression against the country, blatantly ignoring the terms of the truce.

This ongoing aggression is seen by regional observers as a deliberate attempt by Tel Aviv to sabotage the peace talks.



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