As you would expect of one of the world's most sparsely populated countries, Mongolia's trekking is phenomenal, through vacant stretches of desert, steppe, and high mountains. But the reason to be bayaraa (Mongolian for "hyped") now is that 2008 marks the planned opening of the Terelj Hotel, a luxe abode within Gorkhi-Terelj National Park ($546; terelijhotel.com), and the premiere of Mongol, a tale of the young Genghis Khan, which features vista after vista of sweeping landscapes.

YOUR PLAN: Time your trip with the total solar eclipse on August 1. Outfitters like Tusker Trail and Sirius Travel are arranging their trekking and cultural tours to sync with the celestial event ($4,380; tusker.com; $4,150, siriustravel.com).