Mongolia

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Ulan Bator

Population

2,712,000

Government

Parliamentary

Religions

Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism, Islam, Shamanism, Christianity

Languages

Khalka Mongol

Calling Code

+976

Nationality

Mongolian

Local name

Mongol Uls (Монгол улс)

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Introduction

Gobi - Camels

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In the 13th century, Mongolia rose up under the wings of Genghis Khan to become the largest empire the world has ever seen. Flash forward to the 20th century and early 21st century and Mongolia's glory days are all but forgotten. Mongolians, who for the most part still live in nomadic ways, have suffered heavily from drought and poverty. As seems the case with most economically struggling nations, tourism is shaping up to be something of a solution.

Mongolia is a unique destination. Desolate Gobi Desert, massive Khövsgöl Nuur (lake) and the Four Holy Peaks around Ulaan Bataar are the most memorable geographical sites, but it is the people who make Mongolia a highlight. Their nomadic way of life creates some logistical problems for your average tour operator, but Mongolians' hospitable nature and rich culture makes for a fascinating holiday. Just wait till they start khoomi singing and you'll realize just how unique Mongolia is.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Mongolia is administratively divided into 21 Aimags (provinces); Arkhangai, Bayan-Ölgii, Bayankhongor, Bulgan, Darkhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Govi-Altai, Govisümber, Khentii, Khovd, Khövsgöl, Ömnögovi, Orkhon, Övörkhangai, Selenge, Sükhbaatar, Töv, Uvs and Zavkhan.

For travellers, it is more useful to think of the country as divided into these distinct cultural and geographic regions.

• Central Mongolia - home to the capital Ulan Bator and the popular region of Arkhangai.
• Eastern Mongolia
• Gobi - the desert region in the south of Mongolia.
• Northern Mongolia
• Western Mongolia

Cities

• Baruun-Urt
• Choibalsan
• Choir
• Dalanzadgad
• Dharkhan
• Erdenet is Mongolia's second largest city, located in the northern part of the country.
• Khovd
• Mörön
• Ulan Bator, or Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia's capital and largest city.

Sights and Activities

General Information

Khongor Sand dunes

© All Rights Reserved Lavafalls

While Ulan Bator is the heart of the nation, most visitors to Mongolia come for the opportunity to trek deep into the Gobi Desert in the south or adventure around the White Lake area to the west of the capital.

It is possible to take such a trip independently as it is permitted to camp anywhere in Mongolia unless it is specifically advised otherwise (Such as National Parks and Military Zones). However, this would require significant planning and logistic support. It is far easier and generally no more expensive to arrange the services of a guide, driver and van for your trip. There are an endless number of adventurous trips that can be found in the capital city for different prices and level of comfort. If you can imagine trip, then someone will be able to arrange support.

These trips are great value for money and easily organised through the Guesthouse or Hotel you stay in. Essentially the trips are arranged for groups of 6 people. Although it is possible to secure the services of a driver and van for individual or smaller groups, it is much cheaper for a group of six as all the costs are shared. The vans are Russian 4wd vans big enough for 6 people, a driver, a guide and all the gear you will need to seriously get out there. For solo travellers it is very easy to find groups of six on the countless notice boards at cafes and guesthouses around town.

Costs vary from Guesthouse to Guesthouse and generally reflect the standard of your accommodation choice - if you are staying in a 5 star luxury hotel, you may be quoted for a 5 start luxury adventure. Guesthouses generally provide a much cheaper service, although the level of low comfort is perfectly fine. An example is on a luxury tour the tour will use new European style saddles, while a guesthouse tour will provide used Russian saddles. No matter the expensive of the trip, the same extremely basic bumpy roads with no signs will be used that even experienced drivers get lost driving on.

Gobi Desert

When people think Mongolia they think the Gobi Desert. The Gobi desert is one of the colder deserts in the world during winter but this place still gets amazingly hot during summer. There is stunning expansive flat desert patches, great camel rides, gorges and dinosaur digs to be seen. Of all the things to see in the Gobi the ultimate must see is the beautiful Khongor Sand Dunes. These stunning sand dunes climb to amazing heights right in front of impressive mountains. Their beauty can be stared at for days as camels, horses and sheep slowly graze in front of them. The only way to reach most sights in the Gobi is by arrenging a tour in Ulan Bator.

White Lake

White Lake is a stunning lake in the central park of Mongolia. The large lake is surrounded by rolling grass hills and some scattered forests. Many nomads set up camp along the lake shores during the summer time and there yaks and sheep can be seen grazing along its shore. There are some excellent horse back riding trips around the lake including through some old lava flows. There is a very good short hike up the top of an old volcano just outside the entrance to the lake.

Terelj National Park

For those with less time Terelj National Park which is only a short distance from Ulan Bator. Accessible by public transport and taxi, Terelj makes a great weekend or overnight getaway location. There are many excellent hikes and chances to see some of the great wildlife of Mongolia. During the tourist season there are several ger camps set up in the park that are very affordable to stay in. Some budget tour companies operate some budget tourist ger camps near the park which is a great place to hang out with Mongolians and other travellers.

Khövsgöl Lake

Khövsgöl Lake near Mörön is the deepest and contains the most water of any lake in Mongolia. This massive lake is very hard to get to and is completely worth it. Known as the Small Lake Baykal this lake is one of the most beautiful places in an already beautiful country. Being so close to Russia the climate is very similar to Siberia. That means dense forests and cold nights. Winter comes very early to this part of the world so be prepared for cold even in late September. Unless you plan to go the great winter festival, which is held every January.

Other Sights and Activities

• Khongor Sand Dunes - The tallest sand dunes in the Mongolia.
• Eagle Hunts - Watch eagles attack prey for their Khazak masters in Olgiy in far western Mongolia.
• Gandan Khiid - Is the Ulan Bator's main monastery and the center of Mongolian Buddhism.
• Sükhbaatar square - Is the main government square in Ulan Bator.
• Randier Herders - Visit traditional randier herders in the far north of Mongolia and experience amazing shamanistic culture.

Events and Festivals

The Nadaam Festival is held every year from 11 to 13 July (National Holiday) in the capital of Mongolia: Ulan Bator. The National Sports Stadium is the place to be for 3 days long when military parades and sports competitions are held here, with wrestling, arching and horse racing being the most important sports. It is believed that the Nadaam Festival has been a tradition for hundreds of years and nowadays foreigners can enjoy watching traditions in the stadium in Ulan Bator.

Weather

Mongolia is characterised by a continental climate with relatively short but warm summers and long cold winters. There is a short transition period in April (spring) and October (autumn). Generally, Mongolia is also a dry country, with on average no more than 400 mm of rain during wetter years in the mountains. Most of the country receives less than half of that amount though. In winter, most of the precipitation falls in the form of snow, but mostly in the more moutainous western part of the country. Mostly though it is just too cold to have snow at all. Rain falls mostly between June and September when the influence of the Chinese monsoon can happen.
Between June and August, average daytime temperatures are between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius, dropping to around 12 degrees at night. From December to February, nights are as low as -32 degrees Celsius, but can drop way below -40 on some nights. Although it is sunny most of these times, the windchill can make things even worse.

Getting There

By Plane

MIAT Mongolian Airlines is the national airline and has flights from Chinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN) to and from Beijing, Berlin, Irkutsk, Moscow, Osaka, Seoul and Tokyo.
Aero Mongolia is an airlines based at Chinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN) near the capital Ulan Bator. Destinations include Hohhot in China and Irkutsk in Russia.
Air China (Beijing), Japan Airlines (Tokyo) and Korean Air (Seoul) all have flights as well, some are seasonal (summer only).

By Train

Trans-Mongolian railway is one of those journeys that every traveller would like to make sometime during their life. The trans-Mongolian branch takes you through Mongolia to China. For more information and details about possible trains to take check the Trans-Siberian Railway page.
There are several direct trains between Ulan Bator (Mongolia) and Beijing (China) every week. It is best to book the tickets in advance because they tend to sell out, especially in the summer time.

By Car

With your own car it's actually pretty straightfoward to cross borders when your documentation regarding car and insurance is in order. Be sure to have your visa as well before you try to cross. You don't need a special driving permit or guide like in China.

By Bus

Minivans shuttle between the train stations of Zamyn-Üüd, on Mongolia’s southern border, and Ereen, the Chinese border town. Mostly travellers cross by train though to China.
It is, though, very common to cross to and from Russia by bus, for example on one of the regular buses between Ulaanbaatar and Ulan Ude in Russia.

Getting Around

IMG_2672

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By Plane

Aero Mongolia has flights between Ulan Bator, Bayankhongor, Cheongju, Choibalsan, Mörön and Ulaangom, while MIAT Mongolian Airlines has domestic services between Altai, Arvaikheer, Bulgan, Dalanzadgad, Khovd, Mandalgovi, Mörön and Ulaangom.

By Train

The Trans-Mongolian runs from the northern part of the country to the Chinese border. Although it is possible to take the train to a few cities it is really not worth it unless going to the Russian or Chinese border.

By Car

Although it is possible to rent a car and drive around Mongolian, it is very easy to get lost. Most Mongolian roads are just tire tracks in the grass or desert. There are almost no signs and no mile markers. If a traveller does plan to drive his or her own car make sure to bring a GPS unit, good maps and plenty of spare parts to fix the car in case it breaks down.

By Bus

There are public buses among the major cities and the Aimag capitals. Although the buses are fine the roads they drive on are not, which can make for a very long trip. It would be wise to keep bus rides to only to places that are connected by paved highway. Remember assigned seats can be strictly enforced on many buses in Mongolia.

By Horse

Riding a horse around Mongolia sounds like a great idea! Most tours and trips people go on do include a few days of horse back riding and camel riding. Now for the more adventurous person the horse ride across Mongolia sounds great. Remember buying a good horse is really hard, most Mongolians save their best horses for themselves and don't like to sell them. The best thing to do is to "buy" a horse from a guesthouse or a travel agency. Then "sell" the horse back to them at the end of the trip.

Remember that most horse trips require two pack horses for every person riding a horse. That means three horse per person. Also horse are very moody and can be a little crazy so the riders must watch them constantly. Lastly make sure to either bring a saddle from home or buy a Russian saddle. Do not ride a wooden Mongolian saddle, they are extremely uncomfortable especially for men.

Horse theft is still common in Mongolia. Horse thieves target people not from the area and foreigners stick out big time. It is best to remember this and set up camp with nomads that will help watch the animals or set up camp not right next to a town. There are still many animals such as wolves and less often snow leopards in Mongolia that would love to turn a horse into a tasty meal. Any animal in lost to thieves or animals will have to be paid for at the end of the trip. Just remember sometimes horses just run away, one traveller lost a horse for three days then found it again after losing all hope.

Red Tape

Almost all travellers to Mongolia are required to get a visa before entering the country. Occasionally the government will allow people to get visas at the airport in Ulan Bator but this can change. There are a few exceptions though. People from the following countries to not need a visa (maximum stay is indicated): Cuba - 1 month, Hong Kong - 14 days, Israel - 30 days, Kazakhstan - 90 days, Malaysia - 1 month, Philippines - 21 days, Singapore - 14 days and USA - 90 days. If people from these countries want to stay longer, they just need to register within 15 days of their arrival, which will allow the citizens of these countries to extend their visas 3 more times for 30 days.

Money

See also: Money Matters

The Mongolian currency is the tögrög (T), which comes in notes of T5, T10, T20, T50, T100, T500, T1000, T5000, T10, 000 and T20, 000. There T1 notes but they are more like souvenirs. There are also T50 and T100 coins.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Mongolian cuisine is pretty basic. The Russia influenced has helped a bit but there is still a long way to go. Most of the food is boiled mutton in noodles with salt and is pretty bland. Mongolian hot pot can be pretty good but it is only for special occasions. This country is not vegetarian friendly and if vegetarian food is required it is best to inform the guide who is usually also the cook on most tours.

Sleep

Drink

Alcohol

Vodka is the main drink in Mongolia. Some of the vodka is cheaper then the water and tastes pretty vile. While the more higher end stuff could compete with the best vodka brands from the west.

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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