Nick's first encounter in Mongolia is truly awe-inspiring. Thundering towards him, the riders of the Namnaa Horse Archery Academy, in traditional dress, effortlessly galloping with bows and arrows at their sides and clouds of desert dust billowing around them, they're reminiscent of the Mongolian army that swept across Asia 800 years ago.

The lead female rider, Baaska, demonstrates her extraordinary archery skills at a gallop. Nick bravely accepts the challenge to master this ancient and highly skilled sport.

A bus carrying a miniature mobile dinosaur museum isn't the first thing you expect to see in the desert but world-renowned palaeontologist, Prof. Bolortsetseg Minjin, drives it to a local school to educate children about Mongolia's dinosaur hunting history.

Later, among the Gobi's Flaming Cliffs, one of the greatest fossil beds on earth, she brings a boyhood dream to life for Nick. Together they unearth dinosaur remains from 80 million years ago, an experience Nick finds profoundly moving.

Travelling through the empty landscape with no people, houses or signposts for miles on end, Nick is surprised to find himself suddenly in the lap of luxury. At the Three Camels Lodge he discovers how sustainable 5-star decadence is achieved in no-man's land.

The horse head fiddle, suppressed during the Soviet era, is Mongolia's most famous musical instrument. This two-stringed fiddle produces a mournful, highly melodic sound. Nick likes to try local sounds and can usually pick up a tune – but not this time!

Nick journeys deeper into the barren desert to meet Australian author and adventurer, Tim Cope who spent two years travelling alone on horseback across Mongolia. They camp, nomad style, using fragrant dung as fuel for cooking as Tim gives Nick an insight into his journey through a land where hospitality is revered above all else.

The Gobi Desert makes a huge impact on Nick in the first of his three part adventure to this wild and magical corner of the world.