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dogs (one for every two residents of the whole island) are a vital, if pungent, form of transport in the winter; dog sleds always have the right of way. A number of tour outfitters, including Greenland Holiday (see below) also go on rip-roaring journeys over the ice and snow. Greenland sled dogs, which usually work in teams of 12 to 15 dogs per sled, are a unique breed descended from wolves and cannot bark; they howl instead.

Getting into the local way of life in Greenland represents some challenges; first and foremost of course are the harsh territory and weather. Then there’s the Inuit food: The national dish of Greenland is boiled seal meat with rice and onions (suaassat), while a local gourmet deli item is mattak (raw whale skin with a thin layer of blubber).

So why is it called “Greenland” when it’s mostly covered by white? The etymology of the island’s name is a matter of debate: Some chalk it up to the Viking explorer Erik the Red, who might have given it this name as a sort of tongue-in-cheek way of attracting settlers from Iceland. More likely, Greenland is a corruption of Hronland, which meant “Land of the Whales” in ancient Norse. —SM

www.greenland.com.

Tour: Greenland Explored ( 44/2921/251515;www.greenlandholiday.com).

Kangerlussuaq, flights from Reykjavik, Iceland, and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Where you stay will depend on where your dog-sled tour takes you.

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Camel Trekking in Mongolia

One Hump or Two?

Mongolia

Genghis Khan had it all wrong. Thundering across the steppes of Mongolia on horseback makes for an impressive Hollywood spectacle, but camel riding is traveling in style. With their loping gait and comfortable, furry humps, camels are to horses what a new Lexus is to a hand-cranked Model T. And camel trekking is the best way to see the farthest, most isolated reaches of Mongolia, a mysterious kingdom that was closed to Westerners from the 1920s until the fall of the Soviet Union.

Adventures to this landlocked nation begin and end in Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city. From there, you’ll be in the capable hands of your tour guide, who will introduce you to the nuances of world-famous Mongolian hospitality: No stranger, according to tradition, can ever be turned away, and charging for a meal or a visit is unthinkable. Most camel treks use a combination of trucks and camels to get visitors around this dry, rugged land, twice the size of Texas with a tiny fraction of its population.

You’ll be traveling in the footsteps of famed American archaeologist Roy Chapman Andrews, allegedly the inspiration for Indiana Jones, who uncovered a treasure trove of prehistoric dinosaur fossils in the arid sands around the Flaming Cliffs, one of Mongolia’s most renowned attractions. It’s not unusual for even casual hikers to find fossilized remains of dinosaur eggs and bones scattered on the ground. For a thrill from more recent times, check out the Bronze-age cave paintings at Mount Ikh Bayan. In the heart of the Gobi Desert lies Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park and the famous Three Beauties, towering peaks that mark the eastern edge of the Altai Mountains.

When it comes to trekking Mongolia, camels are the beast of burden of choice.

Throughout your trip, you can expect to stay in gers, round tentlike structures that are similar to the yurts of Siberia. You may fall asleep to the ethereal sounds of throat singing, the Mongolian warbling that has captured the imagination of music lovers worldwide. And throughout it all you’ll be surrounded by the serene beauty of the Gobi Desert and the incomparable hospitality of the Mongolian people. —ML

Tours: Black Ibex Expeditions ( 976/11-318-848;www.discovermongolia.mn). Muir’s Tours ( 44/0118-950-2281;www.nkf-mt.org.uk). Nomadic Expeditions ( 800/998-6634 or 609/860-9008; www.nomadicexpeditions.com).

When to Go: June or Sept.

Ulaanbaatar.

$$ Ulaanbaatar Hotel, 14, Sukhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar ( 976/70-116-688;www.ubhotel.mn). $$ Narantuul Hotel, 2 khoroo, Baruun Durvun zam, Ulaanbaatar ( 976/11-330-565;www.narantuulhotel.com).

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Emperor Penguins