Few people travel to Mongolia for vacation probably because the destination doesn’t have any obvious tourist attractions. The statue of Genghis Khan in capital Ulaanbaatar alone isn’t a reason to plan a trip to Mongolia, but there are many other reasons. CNN reporters have discovered the beauty of the country and show it to all of us in a photo gallery.

Stephen Parliament has worked in Mongolia both in an office in Ulaanbaatar, and in the countryside with herders. He wrote a book titled Herder’s Boots about the places he visited, people he met and life in Mongolia. After reading the book, most readers expressed two things: they never realized how hard herders life could be, and how worried readers are about mining industry’s access to the resources buried in the ground. Mining prevents herders from conducting their traditional work.

Below is a photo gallery from Stephen Parliament’s Mongolia book. Take a look at CNN’s photo gallery of 18 beautiful Mongolia moments as well.