25 October 2023 , 04:05
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The world's least densely populated country is the place to visit in 2024, according to Lonely Planet.
The travel pros at the guide book firm have today released their destination hotlists for next year, as the publication marks its 50 year anniversary. A vote taken by its network of experts has put Mongolia on top as 2024's best country for a holiday.
"For seekers of wide-open spaces, adventures and culture, the capital is teeming with people and unique attractions. Squeezed between Russia and China, Mongolia seems hard to reach given recent geopolitical events in its two large neighbours. But Mongolia’s doors are open and a tourism campaign has eased visa restrictions through 2025," Lonely Planet writes in its rankings.
Sitting beneath Russia and to the east of Kazakhstan, Mongolia is both massive and a long schlep away for European travellers. At 603,909 square miles and with a population of just 3.3million - less than the number of people living in Berlin - it is comfortably the least densely populated nation in the world.
Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia (Getty Images)Most flights from the UK stop off in Istanbul and take around 15 hours to get to capital Ulaanbaatar. A return economy is likely to cost you around £1,000, so it's far from cheap break material. But that certainly doesn't mean that you shouldn't go.
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The enormous Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is one of the most breathtaking and almost alarmingly big places you can visit, stretching thousands of square miles as it does and containing dizzingly large plains and towering mountains. If you are looking for somewhere to put everything into a little context, this is probably it.
If you sign up to a tour of the country or visit as part of a holiday package, you might have the chance to experience some delights very specific to Mongolia, such as spending a night in a ger with a nomad family, cheering on Mongolian wrestlers in the open fields, or witnessing double-humped camels racing across the desert sands. If the countryside is massive and sprawling, then Ulaanbaatar is intense and tightly packed, "an industrialised city of pulsating commerce, wild traffic, sinful nightlife and bohemian counterculture," according to Lonely Planet.
The country is the least densely populated in the world (Getty Images)Of course Mongolia isn't the easiest or closest destination for Brits - but the good news is that a European hotspot also made the cut, and can make for a more budget-friendly break. Croatia took the ninth spot in the rankings. The Lonely Planet team describe the country as being full of "sun-kissed coastline, myriad islands, dramatic mountains, and historic walled cities", not to mention a new highway that makes it easier to travel directly between Split and Dubrovnik. It's not surprising that Croatia is a hit considering how many amazing places there are to visit, from the ethereal national parks and picturesque beaches to the incredible islands.
You can check out Lonely Planet's full top 10 picks below.
Lonely Planet's top 10 countries for 2024
- Mongolia
- India
- Morocco
- Mexico
- Chile
- Benin
- Uzbekistan
- Pakistan
- Croatia
- St Lucia