NEVER BEEN TO... MONGOLIA

MONGOLIA IS THE MOST SPARSELY

populated nation on the planet. Covering an area six times the size of the UK, it contains only three million people, nearly half of them in the capital Ulaanbaatar. Overall, that’s fewer than five people per square mile so that, in some areas, especially the enormous Gobi Desert, you’re more likely to bump into a camel than a Mongolian.

But that’s the attraction. Head out to the vast steppes, stay in a ger (what we used to call yurts), drink yak’s milk, and gaze at more stars than you knew existed. Or for real cultural immersion, visit a Naadam festival where you’ll witness wrestling, horse racing and archery. The biggest is in Ulaanbaatar in July.

Mongolia’s most famous (or infamous) son is of course Genghis Khan, who established the Mongol Empire. After his death in 1227, the empire grew exponentially, eventually stretching from central Europe to the Sea of Japan, and from Siberia to Vietnam.