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17 things to know before traveling to Mongolia

Aug 20, 2023 • 7 min read

Use these tips on health, safety and etiquette to plan your trip to Mongolia © Henn Photography / Getty Images

A land defined by boundless steppes, blue skies and roving nomads, Mongolia is perfectly set up for adventure and cultural immersion. Memorable experiences are a given, but travel in the world’s least-densely-populated country comes with its own challenges, so it pays to level-up on your Mongolia knowledge before you come.

On my own Mongolia adventures, I’ve wild-camped in a lightning storm; got queasy on fermented horse milk; broken down multiple times on epic drives ; had my pocket picked; crashed a Kazakh wedding; been thrown from two horses; and – perhaps my biggest faux pas – tried to cross part of the Gobi desert in a Toyota Prius. (Spoiler: I got stuck!)

Experience is the mother of wisdom, so here are some tips to help you make fewer mistakes on your own trip. However you choose to explore this fascinating country, remember that Mongolians are famously hospitable and predisposed to help strangers in need – even if things do go wrong, someone will eventually put you back on the right track.

1. Organize your tour well before you travel

Mongolia’s travel season is fleeting, stretching from late May to late August, so the best drivers, guides and vehicles are soon snaffled up. In the past, it was possible to rock up to Ulaanbaatar in summer and ask around at guesthouses to find space on a tour, but with the suspension of the Trans-Mongolian Railway, fewer travelers are passing through. Booking tours ahead is the way to go. 

2. Don’t be too ambitious with your Mongolia itinerary

A common mistake is to try to see too much of Mongolia in one go, which can turn your trip into a wearisome, bone-rattling driving safari. It’s better to focus on just one area of the country, or schedule a stop of at least two nights in each destination so you can slow down and enjoy the majesty and serenity of the Mongolian landscape.

3. Book domestic travel tickets through local Mongolian agencies

Schedules for domestic flights and rail travel often change at the last minute. If you book through a local travel agent in Mongolia, they’ll be able to sort you out if your flight is canceled or delayed. If you miss a connection or are running late, a good tour operator might even be able to hold the plane for you for an hour or so.

4. If you plan to drive yourself, avoid July and August

The summer travel season from July to August coincides with the time when the grassy tracks of the steppe become waterlogged and the risk of getting stuck rises exponentially. If you intend to drive yourself, it’s better to come in the shoulder season in June or September for firmer ground. If you come at the height of summer, stick to the paved roads that fan outwards from the capital, or hire a car and a local driver who knows the local driving conditions.

5. Download podcasts and audiobooks for those long road trips

Mongolia is three times the size of France , and most roads are bumpy tracks, which translates to low average speeds even in a modern 4WD. Expect to spend hours bouncing along through vast, unchanging landscapes – beautiful but somewhat repetitive. This terrain is crying out for a good soundtrack; preload your audio player with good tunes or a selection of audiobooks or podcasts to help the miles pass. 

6. Bring sanitary supplies and medication

While you can pick up most health essentials in the capital, once you’re out on the steppe you’ll find that personal sanitary supplies and medication are much harder to find. Make space in your pack and come prepared with everything you need.

7. Spice up your mutton with condiments

Ulaanbaatar has a buzzing dining scene, but out in the wilds, you’ll subsist mostly on mutton dumplings (buuz) , fried mutton pancakes (khuushuur) , mutton with pasta chunks (tsuivan) , or just plain boiled mutton (makh) . On a long expedition this can get boring, so remember to pack a bottle of sriracha, horseradish, gochujang, piri-piri sauce, or any other condiment that you like to use to zhush up your food.

8. Boil or purify water from streams and lakes

Rural Mongolia may look pristine, but even crystal clear water can contain microbes, contaminants or impurities. Boiling water for at least one minute can kill most harmful microorganisms, or you can use water purification tablets or a portable filtration system to cut down on energy use.

9. Pack camping gear to save money (and if heading out west)

In Mongolia’s most popular destinations, you can stay overnight in fixed ger (yurt) camps set up for tourists, but in remote western areas such as Bayan-Ölgii province, it’s a good idea to carry your own tent and camping gear, as ger camps are few and far between. Ulaanbaatar is full of shops selling outdoor equipment, in case you didn’t bring your own gear from home. 

10. Bring gifts when visiting nomad families

It’s customary to bring something for your hosts when staying with local people in Mongolia. Popular gifts include food, candies, cigarettes and bottles of alcohol. Taking along souvenirs or photographs from your own country is another great way to foster cultural exchange.

11. Climb a hill to get a mobile phone signal

In recent years, cell phone coverage in Mongolia has become much more widespread, with fewer dead zones, though there are still some off-grid spots. If you’re in the countryside and don’t have a signal, usually all you need to do is climb the nearest hill and you’ll be back online.

12. Think twice about riding that horse

Falling off a horse is one of the most common accidents to befall foreigners in Mongolia. If you are keen to get in the saddle, make sure your travel insurance covers it, and consider getting some practice before you leave home. Be extra careful in remote areas such as the Gobi , as horses tend to be more skittish, often a result of mixing different herds to make up the numbers for the tourist season.

13. Observe ger (yurt) etiquette

There are special rules for staying in Mongolia’s most famous form of accommodation. Inside a ger , it’s polite to wait until you’re seated and have been served tea before engaging in conversation with your hosts. It’s also disrespectful to throw trash into the central stove; instead, place it in front and your host will dispose of it. 

14. Be vigilant when walking around central Ulaanbaatar

While Mongolia is generally a safe place to travel, tourists have been known to get robbed in Ulaanbaatar. Back in 2012, I had my wallet picked from my back pocket outside the Ulaanbaatar Department Store – a rookie mistake! Also take extra care when crossing the street – Ulaanbaatar is choked with cars and pedestrians get no special treatment from motorists.

15. Use official taxis after dark

In Ulaanbaatar there are two types of taxis – official taxis and the unofficial kind, essentially regular cars prowling the streets for fares. While unlicensed cabs are generally safe by day, you should stick to official taxis at night. Two useful taxi apps are UBCab and ABA taxi Mongolia , each with their own registered drivers.

16. Use what3words to find places and points of interest

Mongolia has adopted the popular what3words navigation system, where locations are mapped using unique combinations of three words. This makes it easier to locate sites and attractions in a country with few named roads and landmarks. The current edition of the Lonely Planet Mongolia guidebook lists what3words locations next to every point of interest.

17. Get a GPS tracker device

The vehicle version of the hikers’ GPS device, a GPS tracker will provide an extra level of safety when adventuring into the great Mongolian emptiness. If you drive with a tracker, any tour company or support office in Ulaanbaatar can locate your whereabouts if you get lost or your vehicle runs into difficulties. 

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A Local’s Mongolia Itinerary for First Timers (and Why it Needs to Be on Your Bucket List)

Ever dreamed of visiting Mongolia? The thought might seem daunting or a bit out of your comfort zone, which is why I’ve enlisted Mongolia expert Breanna Wilson to share her top tips and Mongolia itinerary–3 in fact–to jumpstart your planning process. Keep reading for a deep dive into everything you need to know about exploring this vast country.

It was by accident that I visited Mongolia a few years ago. I knew nothing about the place (except for some hazy memory from high school history of a Mongol ruler named Genghis who did that one thing, that one time, 800 years ago).

But I had just quit my full-time job, had a hefty tax refund in my bank account, and had just been introduced to some guy on Instagram. “That guy” quite literally changed my life. (And not in some mushy rom-com kinda way. We’re better than that, girls. He’s now one of my dearest friends in life as well as a badass business and adventure partner. We all need an Erik Cooper in our lives.)

Today, Mongolia is my part-time home (I split my time between Ulaanbaatar and Tbilisi, Georgia) and is a place that I’ll forever have a fascination with and passion for. It’s not an easy place to live (by any means), but that’s what I love about it. 

Everything about Mongolia pushes you. Pushes you to your limits. Pushes what you thought you knew about yourself. Pushes you to open your eyes and your mind. Mother Mongolia, as I like to call her, doesn’t mess around; just when you think you have everything under control, she throws something unexpected your way.

It’s a place where you truly have to let go–let go of control, schedules, and yourself. The only way to truly experience Mongolia and everything she has to offer is to let go. Once you do, she’ll show you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about yourself, and so much more. 

After two years in the country, I still discover new things every day. From befriending reindeer riders, Kazakh eagle hunters, and Gobi Desert camel herders to uncovering unexpected street art and fashion scenes, underground jazz clubs, and experimental cuisines, I never grow tired of what this country has to offer. 

Which is exactly what led me to launch Meanwhile in Mongolia –to share my experiences of scuba diving in the world’s most landlocked country to hiking volcanic craters, and everything in-between. 

That’s why I love Mongolia and why I think it should be on everyone’s bucket list. But don’t just take it from me, it’s a place that you need to experience for yourself. And when you do, well, here’s everything you need to know about visiting Mongolia for the first time.

See you there.

Why Mongolia Should Be at the Top of Your Bucket List

From riding reindeer to hunting with eagles, swimming in color-changing lakes or cruising on camels across the Gobi Desert, visiting Mongolia puts your wanderlust into overdrive.

Some of my favorite adventures include:

• Winter Dog Sledding in Gorkhi Terelj National Park
• Motorcycling Across Mongolia in Vintage Russian Urals
• Learning to Hunt with Eagles from the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in the West
• Riding Reindeer Across the Taiga in the Northern Provinces

Is Mongolia Safe for Female Travelers?

Is Mongolia safe? It’s the number one question people have about traveling to Mongolia, especially solo female travelers like myself (it was my biggest fear about moving here as well).

Mongolia is like any other country–there are parts that are extremely safe, and parts where you’ll need to be cautious. There’s no point in sugarcoating this: foreigners absolutely stand out here. Because of this, I do not recommend females travel around the country by themselves. I say this for a few reasons.

First, you’re remote. Like, remote, remote. There’s no one around for miles and miles. So, if you’re driving solo in a rental car and get a flat tire (or worse), you’re all alone. No AAA. No 911. It’s up to you to figure out this problem, and I can almost guarantee it won’t be a little one. Mongolia is a rough and rugged place.

Second, alcoholism is very common among locals. I’m not saying this to make you think all Mongolians are alcoholics, but only to provide 100% clarity on what you’re getting into.

So, if you’re staying in a ger (also known as a yurt) with a family, be aware of both your and the family’s alcohol consumption. We all know that alcohol can increase aggression, and miscommunication without a clear understanding of cultural nuances or the language leads to increased frustrations. Create a safe experience for yourself by avoiding these situations altogether.

Overall, Mongolia is a place where guns are rare (unless you’re in the countryside protecting a herd), and although pick pockets and petty theft are common, that’s the worst of it. Wars and political unrest are practically unheard of, and natural disasters are nearly impossible.

Read More Travel Guides:

7 things you have to do on your first trip to morocco, an india bucket list for photographers, how to spend one day in abu dhabi, a 1-day north bali itinerary from ubud.

When to Go to Mongolia

Summer is the absolute best time to visit Mongolia (unless you really enjoy -40 C/F weather).

In May you still face the risk of getting stuck in a snowstorm, but by June temperatures are warm. Rain is common, but it won’t ruin your trip.

July is when Naadam, the biggest festival of the year, takes place. The entire country shuts down for about two weeks usually starting around the second weekend of the month. Horse races, wrestling matches, and archery all take place across the country during this time. It’s an incredible way to experience Mongolian culture.

August is hot and a great time to escape north to higher elevations or to Lake Khovsgol, the second largest freshwater lake in Mongolia (after Lake Baikal).

September and October are just as wonderful but be prepared for cold nights. Ger camps start to close down for the season during this time, and some nomads begin moving towards their fall and winter camps.

Summer summary: Nights are chilly. The weather is dry, and usually in the 80s F. Overall, it’s a place where layers are your friend and you can adventure freely without delays. 

How to Get There

Getting to Mongolia from the US is, well, a journey. It’s going to take at least 24 hours, and you’ll have to go through Istanbul (my preference), Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, or Moscow. ( Note : these are all pre-Coronavirus flight patterns and not all of these routes may have reopened, so research accordingly.)

The country’s main international airport is located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. Though there’s a smaller international airport in Bayan Olgii, it’s mostly for “local” international flights out of Kazakhstan and Russia.

The main airlines that fly to Ulaanbaatar include Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Aeroflot, and Air China. Turkish Airlines is my airline of choice as flying through the new Istanbul airport offers plenty of food options and quiet corners for sleeping.

Aeroflot flights typically leave from New York City through Moscow, but I know more people than I’d like to tell you about who’ve lost their baggage on this route. If you’re heading out of the city shortly after landing, I’d recommend avoiding Aeroflot since it’s a bit of a process to recover lost luggage once in Ulaanbaatar.

From the west coast, flying through Seoul, Beijing, or Hong Kong are fairly good options. Layovers in Beijing or Hong Kong can be 12 hours, but if you’re on a budget, it usually offers a good fare.  

Where to Eat, Sleep, and Play in Ulaanbaatar

If you ask me, Ulaanbaatar is one of the most misunderstood cities in the world. It’s not exactly pretty at first glance. There’s an insane amount of traffic. Things don’t open early–or even on time. It’s a place–like the rest of Mongolia–where you have to go with the flow.

Service is slow (or nonexistent). Food quality is hit or miss. And complicated orders are a recipe for disaster (sorry vegans and eaters with dietary restrictions, this is not going to be an easy place for you).

But, when it comes to things to do in Ulaanbaatar, the possibilities are endless. It’s the hidden gems that really make this place stand out. No matter where you stay, most activities are either walking distance or a short taxi ride away. Plus, you’ll have to fly in and out of Ulaanbaatar regardless, so adding it to your Mongolia itinerary is non-negotiable.

Where to Stay:

• Budget: Zaya Hostel
• Mid: Holiday Inn
• Luxe: Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

Search for more Ulaanbaatar hotels on Booking.com:

Where to Eat:

• La Rosa Tapas & Tequila Bar
• Rosewood Ulaanbaatar Kitchen + Enoteca
• ROC Caffeine Bars (Coffee)

Where to Play:

• Fat Cat Jazz Club
• MB Beer Plus
• Republik Pub

Quick Tips for Planning Your Mongolia Itinerary

Here are a few quick tips for planning your trip that will make your Mongolia itinerary run more smoothly:

Plan *almost* everything in advance

Mongolia is not a place to “wing it”. You won’t find hotels everywhere. Or water, for that matter. Wi-Fi won’t necessarily work once you leave the city. And don’t expect people to speak English.

Stock up on some solid gear

While I hate pushing gear on travelers, I’d recommend stocking up on some solid staples before leaving. You DO NOT need the best of the best to travel/hike/adventure/overland here, but it can get cold at night so a down puffer jacket is an absolute must.

A portable water purifier just might save your life. And never underestimate the power of quick-dry socks, a waterproof rain jacket and pants, and a knife.

Buy travel insurance

Just do it. Trust me. It personally saved me $3,000 when I broke my collarbone in Mongolia last summer.

[Note: For travel insurance, Live Like it’s the Weekend recommends World Nomads or SafetyWing for the best budget options with the most coverage. If you want to read more about my experience with travel insurance, click here ).

Three Bucket List Mongolia Itineraries for First Timers

Mongolia isn’t an easy place to plan for or explore on your own. Here are three ways to explore Mongolia without feeling overwhelmed, because these badasses have done the work for you.

How to Explore Mongolia by Motorcycle: Moto Trip Mongolia

Who this trip is perfect for: New and experienced motorcyclists looking to adventure in style.

I may be biased since I designed this trip with some friends, and I personally lead this adventure … but it’s good .

Along with the nomadic herders and translators we bring along who will open your eyes to Mongolian life and culture in one of the most unique ways possible, this experience will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about life, travel, and most importantly–yourself.

What to expect on a Moto Trip Mongolia itinerary :

• A vintage Ural motorcycle with sidecar (so, 2 riders per motorcycle– perfect for bringing a friend).
• A motorcycle driving experience that includes off-roading across the Mongolian steppe.
• All drivers must have a motorcycle license and proof of travel insurance. Riders in the sidecar do not need a motorcycle license but must have travel insurance. The tour is set up so that drivers and riders will switch throughout the trip, but if someone doesn’t want to drive (or doesn’t have a motorcycle license), that’s okay too–they can be the passenger the entire duration of the trip!
• While it is required that you have a motorcycle license for this trip, this is a great trip for new and beginner motorcyclists! These Urals are easy to manage since you’re on three wheels, and there isn’t much chance of a traffic accident out on the steppe–it’ll be just us out there!
• And I can’t forget to mention, this is a great trip for females since it’s led by me !
• All meals, accommodations, transportation, motorcycles, and fuel are included.
• The trip also includes a follow car for carrying luggage, a translator, and motorcycle mechanic who will repair and tune up the bikes all along the way.

Self-Drive Mongolia and Take a Photography Masterclass Along the Way: Follow the Tracks

Who this trip is perfect for: Self-sufficient explorers looking for great photos for the ‘gram.

I really, really like the Follow the Tracks model. It’s a self-driving tour plus a photography masterclass designed by Max Muench, a guy you’ve almost certainly seen (more like, stalked) on Instagram .

You can choose from a few different routes (I recommend the Gobi Desert one), all of which start and end in Ulaanbaatar. You’ll have your own rental car, car camp essentials, and an iPad loaded with everything you need to make the most of this go-at-your-own-pace adventure.

I recommend grabbing enough friends to do this trip with at least two cars so you can tow each other in case of any hairy situations. Plus, more people equal more fun.

What to expect from the Follow the Tracks experience:

• A rental car from Sixt Rent a Car will be waiting for you in Ulaanbaatar at the start of your trip.
• Each car has 4-wheel drive and is equipped with a rooftop tent for sleeping.
• The car will have a GPS system loaded onto an iPad for your use during your self-driving adventure. This iPad will also act as your photography masterclass workbook, pointing out the best spots to capture photos along the route, and the best camera settings to do so.
• Additionally, the car will have camping and kitchen equipment, but you are responsible for purchasing your own food–and fuel–for the duration of your trip. (I suggest stocking up on food in Ulaanbaatar before hitting the road. Once you reach the tiny soums (tiny villages) in the countryside, you never quite know what you’re going to find.)

Ride Reindeer and Learn the Ancient Tradition of Hunting with Eagles: Erik Cooper Adventures

Who this trip is perfect for: Equestrians looking to really embed themselves with Mongolia’s unique–and very remote–tribes.

Erik is the gateway to the Tsaatan Tribe and Kazakh eagle hunters (he’s also the reason I fell head over heels in love with Mongolia). He’s spent the last eight summers in Mongolia and his connections are truly the reason why his tours are the most immersive, unique, and bang-for-your-buck.

You are thrown into the lifestyle, into the steppe, and into everything Mongolia has (for better or worse) to offer, with a touch of boujee along the way. There isn’t anyone that I trust more in Mongolia–or with my life. You can tell him I said that.

What to expect on an Erik Cooper Adventures Mongolia itinerary:

• All meals, accommodations, and transportation included. A translator will also accompany you during the duration of the trip.
• You MUST be comfortable on a horse. Because there are no roads where you’re going, you’ll be riding semi-wild horses for two days just to get to the Tsaatan Tribe’s home on the taiga, for example. If you are inexperienced on a horse, or afraid of riding, this trip is not for you. Erik will vet you before the trip, so don’t expect to fake your way into this experience, it’s simply too dangerous to do that.
• Each of Erik’s trips is different. You never know if you’ll get to ride reindeer across a glacier, watch locals compete in a reindeer race, or watch on as Eagle Hunters battle in ancient Kazakh games. No matter which trip of Erik’s you join, each one is specially curated and pulls out all of the stops.

Hope to see you all in Mongolia. You know where to find me when you do.

Planning a trip right now don’t miss my go-to websites for booking everything from flights and tours, to accommodation and more:.

• Booking.com for the best hotel deals
• World Nomads for flexible travel insurance
• VRBO for awesome rentals
• Skyscanner for finding the best flight deals
• Hostelworld for budget accommodation
• Rentalcars.com for easy car rentals

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On the contrary, it’s very easy to eat vegan in Ulaanbaatar. There’s plenty of great vegan spots to eat there.

That’s helpful to know, Joe thank you. Can you share some of your favorite vegan spots and maybe we can update the post?

That’s an incredibly detailed and well thought out guide. Thank you

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Mongolia Travel Tips: Everything You Need to Know

This post may contain affiliate links. This just means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you for helping them promote their product or service. I don’t endorse any services I don’t personally use or recommend.

“Serene lakes, abundant wildlife, high snow-capped Altai peaks, vast verdant landscapes, and hot dusty desert. You can expect all this in Mongolia. Travel here isn’t luxurious and it’s rarely easy. But it offers adventure that will likely change the way you view the world.” 

This guide is filled with Mongolia travel tips and contains *everything* you need to know to travel in Mongolia. How to stay in a real local Ger (what is a ger?), where/how to rent your own vehicle, reputable tours for those that want them, invaluable items you should definitely bring with you, and which ATMs will actually give you cash. Think of it as a “before you go” informative guide. It doesn’t matter how you plan to visit the country — this guide is good for everyone. 

I’ve written a slew of blog posts on travel in Mongolia following our heavily researched 3-week overlanding adventure in the country. 

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What to Expect in Mongolia 

Mongolia is a rugged adventure travel destination no matter which way you tackle it. Most of the roads are unpaved and pot-holed while the environment ping-pongs from scorching hot to freezing cold. 

You’ll most likely spend your nights camping in the remote wilderness or sleeping on a very thin “mattress” inside a Ger. Amenities like hot showers are not commonly available. You should be prepared to do your business in the outdoors if need be. 

Ger is a traditional Mongolian nomad house. It’s like a yert, but made from canvas or yak hide. It usually contains several beds, a table w/ sitting area, and a wood stove. 

You’ll also probably spend a lot of time driving or sitting in a vehicle because sights in Mongolia are very spread out. We often spent 10 hours a day in the car. On rough roads. If that sounds miserable to you this might not be your destination. 

Mongolia is also not a foodie haven. It’s mostly survival food like flavorless boiled lamb and packets of instant noodles. 

Towns outside the capital of UB are rarely more than a handful of homes, a Ger camp or hotel, one mini-market for groceries, a restaurant or two, and a basketball hoop. Mongolians love basketball. 

You can also expect stunning scenery, fuzzy yaks and Bactrian camels, rolling sand dunes, and reindeer herders. 

Mongolia doesn’t get a ton of tourists but those that do come are mostly South Korean and Chinese. They almost always travel in large group tours and you’ll see lots of these in the Gobi. 

Toilets in Mongolia 

I feel this deserved its own little section. Be sure to bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer. These are some of the toilets you should expect in Mongolia. 

Sometimes they are more enclosed! But outside of cities and fancy ger camps, you should expect this kind of natural squat toilet.

Planning Your Trip 

I’ve written some sample itineraries that I recommend for a 1-week , 2-week , or 3 to 4-week Mongolia trip.   

Keep in mind you will ALWAYS need more time than you think you do in the country. Especially if you are traveling independently— leave yourself time for misadventure. 

Best Time to Visit Mongolia 

Full Travel Season: Late May-September 

Peak: Late June-August 

This is not a year-round destination for most people. Ulaanbaatar is actually the coldest capital in the world with an average temp of -1 degrees C. Up north, temperatures drop to -45 C in winter. If you plan to travel around the country plan your visit for the travel season. Peak season if you can. 

Note: Many remote attractions, businesses, and museums close outside the tourist season. But the few open hotels are usually 1/2 or 1/4 of the price they sell for in July/August. Especially the more luxurious places.

Mongolia Travel Tips for Before You Go…

Things you should definitely pack (or purchase on arrival) for mongolia .

• Warm Layers. Lots of them. It gets cold at night even in the summer months. 
• A good pillow. For camping and Gers.
• A hat and sunglasses for the desert. 
• Lifestraw water bottle . 
• Sunscreen & Bug Spray. 

I wrote a huge post about what to pack in Mongolia if you plan on driving the country yourself. 

If you’ve forgotten anything essential UB can probably help. There are camping and outdoor stores literally all over the city. 

3 Apps to Download for Mongolia 

1. Google Translate 

English is not widely spoken and menus will rarely be in English. The offline version of this app will help you communicate in a pinch. 

2. Maps.Me 

For getting around the country without the internet. 

3. UBCab 

This is Ulaanbaatar’s version of Uber and without a doubt the best way to get around the city. 

Mongolia Maps & Guidebooks 

For most travel, I think blogs have replaced guidebooks. But Mongolia is a very complicated and difficult destination to travel independently. It’s good to have a   hard copy map or guidebook on hand. I thumbed through the LP Mongolia guide and found it rather helpful. 

Lonely Planet Guidebook

Wifi & Internet in Mongolia 

Wifi is a no-go pretty much anywhere outside of Ulaanbaatar. Even then it’s not the best. Many of the fancier Gers we stayed at had power and hot water but no wifi. This is why most travelers get a SIM card in the country. Or use this time to really disconnect. We almost NEVER get a SIM while we travel but we did here. 

Mongolia has a surprisingly good network of coverage…we had service in the Gobi desert! 

Getting a Mongolian SIM Card 

If you plan on traveling in Mongolia independently at all you’ll benefit from a SIM card.

The most popular brands with good coverage are Unitell & Mobiphone. 

Note: If you’re road tripping it’s best to have one of each among your group. Maximize your coverage. 

Unlike most countries where you get your SIM at the airport— this isn’t the case for Mongolia. You can get your SIM easily at State Department Store right in the city center instead. Or just head to any of your desired provider’s offices throughout the city.

Outside of UB, you’ll have to get a “local SIM”. This means you need a kind local with an ID card to purchase the plan for you. This is possible but more difficult and why you should get this sorted in UB right away. 

Cash or Card: Money in Mongolia 

Mongolia is a mostly cash economy. You’ll want a lot of it before you head out of Ulaanbaatar. ATMs in rural areas are not usable with a foreign card. 

• Mastercard is not accepted everywhere. Have a backup. 
• Gas stations *typically* take cards but don’t count on them. 
• Basically, everything in Ulaanbaatar accepts card but don’t expect that anywhere else. 
• You might have to try several ATMs in a city to find one with cash in it. 

Note: Most ATMs only allow you to take out 800,000 tugriks at one time. 

Getting Around Mongolia 

Travelers have essentially 4 options when visiting the country. 

1. Take a Tour. 

There is no shortage of tour companies operating in Mongolia. Every single hostel/hotel in Mongolia offers them. There are also hundreds online ready to book long before your trip. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,500-$3,000 per person for a 7-day tour. This is the most popular and expensive option. 

Tips for Choosing a Tour 

• It will always be cheaper to book your tour in Ulaanbaatar from your hostel or other budget accommodation than online. 
• Tours in Mongolia are super structured and all visit basically the same places. 
• If you plan to visit the nomadic reindeer herders DO NOT book with a guide from Ulaanbaatar. There are lots of reasons for this that I outline in my full post about our visit with the Tsataan Tribe.   

Tour Companies I Recommend 

Get Your Guide Tours

This is my favorite search engine to find tours led by local guides.

Zaya (Gateway to the Reindeer Herders) 

Zaya is the only reindeer herder who speaks fluent English. She can organize your entire visit to the Tsaaganuur area. You can contact her on WhatsApp or via email to organize your visit. She doesn’t always have service because she lives in the Taiga but give her time and she will get back to you. This is important to arrange in advance if you can. 

Whatsapp: +976 9977 0480

Email: [email protected]

Note: It’s important you go through her because this is the only way your money actually makes it to the tribe you’re visiting. Read more about it here. 

2. Overland or Drive Yourself 

I may be biased but I’ll just come out and say it, this is the best way to experience the country. Mongolia’s sights are impressive but it’s the camping and vast nature in between them that make the country unique. This gives you the most control over your trip. You can expect to pay around $200 per day for a 4×4 vehicle with camping gear and rescue supplies through Drive Mongolia . Be sure to secure your car as far in advance as you can (6 months is recommended). 

Note: This is NOT the route for everyone. Before you commit to driving the country independently please read my blog post “Can You Drive Mongolia on Your Own?” 

Where to Rent Your Car 

While several major car rental companies operate in Mongolia, we chose to use Drive Mongolia for the customer service, the included gear, and the local knowledge. It was also cheaper. So really, there’s no better option. 

Mongolian Road Conditions 

This is something worth considering before you opt to rent your own car. Our group of four managed to navigate across the country on the rough (non-existent) roads but you should prepare for the worst. This is only for people looking to have a “roughing it” style adventure. Read all my blog posts on road-tripping the country to get a better idea of what it’s actually like out there.

3. Rely on Public Transportation

Despite the lack of paved (or sometimes even designated roads), Mongolia has public buses. Or more likely public Russian Vans. Utilizing these will get you to all major towns in Mongolia (even Tsagaannuur!). It won’t however, get you to all the sights and it will not be comfortable.

This is the super budget-friendly option for travelers to Mongolia. Expect a 12-hour ride to cost about $20. 

Mongolia Travel Tips for Super Budget Travelers 

• When you reach a major city like UB, Murun, or Tsagaannuur you can reach out to local guides via your homestay. This way you can see all the sights in the area. 
• Stick to cooking your own meals and small local restaurants for food. Plates at these kinds of places are usually $2.50. 

4. Hire a Driver 

If you don’t want to drive yourself in Mongolia THIS is the next best option. Rather than a structured group tour you can simply hire a driver to take you everywhere you want to go. Funnily enough, this is typically cheaper than hiring your own vehicle (due to Mongolian insurance purposes). Expect about $120 per day for driver and car. 

Where to Hire a Driver? 

• Drive Mongolia . He can also hook you up with a driver, not just a car.
• Facebook Group. This is a great option for solo travelers looking for Mongolia Travel Tips or couples because you can link up with fellow travelers and split the costs.  

Note: Mongolians are insane drivers. Hiring a driver does not mean your car won’t break down, crash, or be extraordinarily bumpy— it just means you’ll have a local there to help you solve the problem. 

Accommodation in Mongolia 

When in Mongolia you’ll likely be utilizing 3 types of accommodation. 

1. Tent Camping (if independently traveling) 

This is totally free. In Mongolia, you can essentially set up your tent anywhere in nature and wild camp 100% for free. You should do this at least once on your trip. 

The Central and Southern areas of the country centered around the Gobi are difficult to camp in because of the lack of grass and rocky soil. Keep this in mind when planning to camp. 

Note: I scoured the Internet for epic campsites recommended by other overlanders but truthfully, it’s all beautiful. Don’t bother looking online and just judge the landscape for yourself.

2. Gers 

This is one of the big attractions in Mongolia. Sleeping in a local Ger camp. These yerts are scattered all over the country and are still the main housing for farmers and nomads today. 

Camps range from small family-run single Ger to sprawling tourist camps with 30+ Gers and extra facilities like showers and toilet blocks. They are priced per person and obviously the basic ones run by families are cheaper. Expect to pay from $8 per person to $20 per person. 

Amenities varied wildly with the Gobi desert camps being most expensive. Occasionally, a basic breakfast would be included in this price. 

Eating at the Gers 

I read a lot about Ger camps offering meals and having restaurants— and while some did, it was not super common in my experience. About 50/50. This is probably because we turned up unannounced and didn’t speak Mongolian. Plan on cooking for yourself UNLESS you are on a tour in which case the Gers always prepared them food. 

Some areas had super luxurious gers that cost up to $200 per night. Obviously, these are not the real nomad Gers. We tried to stick to small ger camps and were always very happy with the experience. Here are some of our favorites. 

Do you need a reservation? 

Typically, no. The one exception was in Terelj where many owners actually live in UB so a heads-up would be nice. Just give them a call at the phone number listed on Google. 

We did run into a few instances where camps were full because of arriving tours (high season) but there was always another one just down the road. 

You will always find Ger camps near any attraction or any place you might visit in Mongolia. 

3. Guesthouse/Hostel/Hotel 

You will most likely only use these in major cities like UB. 

If you’re traveling in peak season (you should) you will want to book your accommodation in Ulaanbaatar as far in advance as you can. The cheap city center hostels and hotels book quickly. I recommend a week in advance if possible. 

Ulaanbaatar Accommodation Recs 

The budget-friendly option is in the best neighborhood BUT with a full buffet, excellent wifi, and an incredible shower that can hose off all the dirt after all your cross-country exploring the Ibis is worth an end-of-trip splurge for some.

Budget: Mongolia Vision Tours 

Luxury: Ibis Polaris

Food in Mongolia 

Boiled lamb. It’s what’s for dinner. 

And lunch and sometimes even breakfast. This is the staple of Mongolian cuisine. You’ll get so tired of boiled lamb you’ll never want to even look at it again. 

The most popular dishes are fried meat pockets called Huushuur, Tsuivan; a fried noodle dish, and Lavsha; a wheat noodle soup. There are also delicious dumplings. 

Food in UB was alright, but overall unimpressive. This is not a country to come to for the food alone. Instead, all my foodies should go to Vietnam (specifically, Ho Chi Minh City ).

Vegans or Vegetarians in Mongolia? 

Expect to cook your own meals. Often small local restaurants had no veg options. 

Mongolia (especially the rural area) is still sustenance farming and eating whatever is available to survive. Vegetarian and veganism is not prominent here.  

As it’s seen as incredibly rude to refuse a cup of tea (which is made with local milk) I would strongly reevaluate why you want to visit this country if you’re strictly vegan. 

For a full list of Mongolian etiquette & superstitions check out this blog post. *coming soon*

General Mongolia Travel Tips 

Here are the odds and ends to wrap up what you need to know for Mongolia travel. 

• Medical care is pretty good in the cities and very good in UB. But outside major cities, you’ll likely be days away from any hospital. 
• Days are long in Mongolia’s peak season! The sun doesn’t set until 8 or 9 PM in August. But obviously, the opposite can be said about traveling in the off-season.

I’m thoroughly impressed if you’re still with me. Mongolia is an incredible destination and one that requires quite a bit of pre-planning but it is so worth it. I hope this guide helps you feel more prepared to land in the country and excited to explore all the natural wonders it has to offer! 

Save Mongolia Travel Tips for Later! 

Further Reading...

EPIC Self-Drive Mongolia Itinerary: Gobi Desert, Altai Mountains, & Reindeer Tribes

Mongolia Packing List & What to Bring on a Mongolia Road Trip

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Mongolia's Flaming Cliffs: What You Need to Know

How to visit the tsaatan: mongolia's nomadic reindeer tribe, beyond_the_bucketlist.

Out of Your Comfort Zone

The art of backpacking & adventures to get out of your comfort zone – tips and advice, 25 interesting things i learned while traveling in mongolia.

Last Updated on May 22, 2024 by Talita

Mongolia is AWESOME and should be on any traveler’s bucket list. Read on to learn some interesting and surprising things like how to tour the great Gobi Desert, what nomadic life is like, and why you probably won’t shower very much. Plus, tips on accommodation, food, transportation inside the country and from China, & more!

I. Love. Mongolia.

No, really. And I’m not just saying that because that’s the sort of sh*t travel bloggers always say. It really is the most stunning, incredible, bizarre, beautiful, frustrating, fascinating, unique, unreal country I’ve ever visited.

From driving through the vast, seemingly limitless expanses of the Gobi Desert, to embracing the full uniqueness of the nomadic culture to being the only tourist around for MILES and MILES, Mongolia is a place that sticks with you, holds tight, and makes you want to go back again and again.

Seriously. I. Love. Mongolia.

Okay, that’s enough of that (I’m usually no good at that sort of “gushing” talk, anyway….). Now that I’ve finished there, there’s some things I need to get off my chest.

Sometimes, Mongolia is confusing. Frustrating. Impossible. (Though you could probably say this about any place you visit, really.) And as with any good trip, figuring these things out yourself might be all part of the adventure…but there’s still some things I definitely learned during my trip that would be great for future travelers to know beforehand.

So, I’ve prepared this schmancy list to help you out.

    1. Let’s just get this out of the way – Genghis Khan is Mongolia’s pride and joy….and you’re probably saying & spelling it wrong.

Genghis Khan is, arguably, the most famous Mongolian of all. But while the rest of the world might see him as, um, not such a friendly fellow, the people of Mongolia LOVE him.

He’s the focal point of Ulaanbaatar’s (the capital of Mongolia) main plaza as seen here:

And they even created this HUGE statue of him (I kid you not, this thing is BIG) here:

Oh, and most importantly of all….it’s Chinggis Khaan NOT Genghis Khan. (No worries, I was saying it wrong until I was briskly corrected in Mongolia.

If you want to make sure you get it right, just watch the first 10 seconds of this video.

    2. Mongolia is BIG and independent travel can be tough (unless you have lots of time).

First and foremost, just GETTING to Mongolia in the first place can be a challenge. Sure, you can fly in from wherever you are, but flights tend to be on the expensive side so most people end up crossing from either China or Russia.

We entered Mongolia by bus and train from Beijing (we wrote about how to do it in the cheapest way possible  here ) and left through western Mongolia to get to China’s Xinjiang province (which we’ll be writing about sometime soon – you can leave us a comment if you want to know when we add it!).

Anyway, beyond the challenges of just getting there, there are also some challenges of traveling in-country.

The distances between places are impressively large and public transportation isn’t all that reliable (meaning if you’re short on time, you might not want to spend hours and hours on a bus).

Plus, there are plenty of places (like areas of the Gobi Desert or the national parks surrounding Ulaanbaatar) that you just can’t get to by yourself. You’ll have to arrange a small tour or hire a driver out for the day. On which leads me to # 3…

Just look at all this space!

    3. Mongolia isn’t as cheap as you think it is….sort of.

Well, it is and it isn’t. If you just take public transportation, eat local food, and stay in budget accommodation, it can be.

However, if you want to try to get to some of the country’s most beautiful areas such as the Gobi Desert (which I really recommend you do!), you have to opt for a tour . And, though you can find pretty reasonably-priced tours, this could eat into your budget if you don’t arrive expecting to pay for one.

Mongolia Budget Travel Tip #1 : For our tour to the Gobi Desert, we arranged it through our hostel in Ulaanbaatar. The hostel is called Golden Gobi and they definitely offered some of the cheapest tours around. If you go with them, see if you can request Alma. She was our guide and she was wonderful! If you do, be sure to tell her Rodrigo and Nikki say hello (it’s been about a year, but I like to think she still remembers us).

If you can get a group together to share the cost with, the people at the hostel can also help you arrange a private driver for a day to go to attractions near Ulaanbaatar .

Plus, you’ll meet some awesome people on your tours! The groups also stay nice and small like this. Here was our entire tour group (minus Rodrigo the photographer and our driver) workin’ together to push our van out of the sand.

Mongolia Budget Travel Tip #2: But if you want to visit Karakorum, Mongolia’s ancient capital (which is relatively close to UB), you can do actually get there yourself via public transportation. We wrote a whole article about the cheapest way to get from UB to Karakorum here .

    4. Mongolia has the lowest population density in the world.

Let’s put this into perspective.

By area, Mongolia is about twice the size of Turkey or about the size of Mexico.

But by population, it’s about the size of Chicago or Madrid…and that’s for the entire country. Plus, 50% of the ENTIRE population live in the capital city. In other words, this gives you lots and lots of completely untouched landscape to explore…and you don’t have to go very far to feel like you’re the only person in the world.

Actually, there’s WAY more livestock than people. (And yes, this is a picture of Rodrigo actually shepherding these animals for a day…it’s a long story.)

      5. The relationship between Mongolia and China is complicated. For better or worse, Mongolia and China are not exactly friends.

Obviously, the two countries have a long, deep history of competing for lands and conquering each other back and forth again and again (and, you know, there was that big, relatively famous wall built).

Part of the problem is that Mongolia was a province of China until the beginning of the 20 th century…and apparently, China kept drawing their maps as if Mongolia were within their borders much longer than that.

To this day, there is an autonomous province in China alongside the border that is called “Inner Mongolia” (they call the actual country of Mongolia just “Outer Mongolia”). Interpret that as you will. Obviously, I’m neither Chinese nor Mongolian so it’s not really in my place to get way into this. The tension is noticeable, though.

Or in the words of a 16-year-old Mongolian teen, we met at a barbecue “you can’t trust the Chinese….because they make us buy their bad products.”*

Or in another instance, Rodrigo just mentioned the word “China” on a Mongolian train and some old Mongolian guy tried to start a fight with him. (Although the man didn’t speak English, apparently the word “China” upset him.)

Luckily, some other train-goers were there to calm down the situation.

Like I said, they have a long history together.

*Please note: I am NOT making fun of anyone here. I assure you these are the actual situations we encountered!*

    6. On the other hand, they love everything Korean!

When walking through the streets of Ulaanbaatar, we were quite surprised at the abundance of Korean restaurants and karaoke clubs (which, if you read my article about 22 interesting things I’ve learned living in South Korea , you’ll know are SUPER popular in Korea)! Looks like the Korean wave has landed close to home.

Apparently, Korean dramas and K-pop music are also popular here.

So, I forgot to take a picture of something Korean-ish…so here’s a random picture of Rodrigo in front of a Mongolian sign!

    7. 30-40% of the ENTIRE population is nomadic.

Mongolia has a 3,000-year-old nomadic tradition, and amazingly that lifestyle remains deeply entrenched even in modern-day Mongolia.

The livelihood of these nomadic families depend on their livestock – whether their sheep, horses, cows or even camels (if living in the Gobi)– to make a living and provide sustenance.

When they run out of good places for their animals to graze, they pack up their homes (which we’ll talk all about in #8) and move their animals to the next place.

Mongolia’s nomadic life revolves around its livestock.

    8. This is what a traditional Mongolian dwelling looks like.

Gers, the name for traditional Mongolian dwellings, are part of what make the nomadic life possible. Though plenty sturdy after they’ve been built, they can be easily taken down and transported in parts as necessary.

Now, it’s not only nomads who live in gers, but in most of the cities (including Ulaanbaatar), there are informal ‘ger districts’ that have popped up along the outskirts. In other words, you’ll find gers basically no matter where you go to Mongolia!

This is a ger, the traditional Mongolian dwelling that makes nomadic life possible.

Of course, these traditional gers haven’t been left completely untouched by modern society – many nomadic families have solar panels (the Mongolian government subsidizes these), basic cell phones, and TV antennae.

What people living in gers do lack, however, are running water or central heating. And when the winter temperatures get down to -40 F/C, this is obviously a BIG problem.

Since those living in gers burn anything and everything to try to stay warm (raw coal, rubber, plastics, etc.), during the winter, Ulaanbaatar has some of the worst air quality in the world.

Though many gers have solar panels….

…they also burn things like this dried animal dung to try to keep warm.

    10. If you want to sound like a pro, call the capital city UB.

As cool of a name as Ulaanbaatar is, if you want to fit in with the cool kids, just call it “UB” (as in, literally pronounce the name of each of those letters….not “ub”).

Ulaanbaatar as seen from The Zaisan Memorial

    11. The best parts of Mongolia lie beyond the city.

Look, I’ll be honest here – Ulaanbaatar is not the prettiest city you’ll ever see.

I did enjoy wandering around UB, but if you don’t get out of the city you’ll be left disappointed and seriously missing out (I’m not really into those “must-see” lists….but seriously, if you are in Mongolia , you “must see” the country outside of Ulaanbaatar.)

Although, you can certainly try to make some friends in UB!

    12. Cars literally just drive wherever they want outside the cities….but luckily, Mongolians have a killer sense of direction.

To get to many places in Mongolia, there often any paved roads. To get to other places in Mongolia, there aren’t roads at all. (You’ll be lucky if you get some tire tracks to follow…. otherwise, zip. Nada.)

Occasionally, the driver of whatever form of wheels we were riding in would just suddenly veer off the road to take his or her own way. And a good chunk of our Gobi Desert trip was our driver just driving in the middle of the desert following landmarks as he knew them.

Fortunately, most Mongolians seem to have a killer sense of direction.

For example, on our last day in the Gobi Desert, there was a snowstorm (yes, we were in the desert and yes, it was May. That’s Mongolia for you.).

The mountains were covered as were all tire tracks or other potential landmarks. Literally, it was just white. Everywhere. By some miracle, our drive managed to find his way out DESPITE being able to see nothing but whiteness and got us back to UB safe and sound (and he didn’t even cheat with a smartphone).

This brave nomad was out on that same snowy day. 

    13. You can just walk into a ger and help yourself, whether or not the hosts are home (or whether you not you actually know them, for that matter).

Now, this isn’t something that I would necessarily recommend you do as a foreigner, but it is widely accepted as the right kind of hospitality in the Mongolian culture. If you’re out on the steppe and you need a place to rest, sleep, or eat, just head to the nearest ger.

When we were in the Gobi Desert, about half the nights we went on what our guide fondly called “ger hunting.”

In other words, we didn’t have a set place to stay that night. So, we just drove on and on in the Gobi (remember, no roads) until we found the nearest ger. We knocked on the door, and that was that.

Technically, you could try it with any of the gers here, for example.

    14. The Gobi Desert is one of the most incredible places you will ever see.

I think the Gobi Desert is one of the single most beautiful, most incredible, most surreal and unexpected places you’ll ever see in your life.

From the vast (yeah yeah, I know I already used the word ‘vast’ in the intro, but that really is the best word to describe Mongolia) landscape to the bright blue sky to the occasional nomadic family that is literally living in the middle of nowhere.

An ice canyon (complete with desert ticks). Bizarre cliff formations. Semi-wild horses running alongside your van. Herds of camels. Sand dunes that you can climb. The most clear, humbling night sky you’ll ever see. Being more crazily far away from civilization than you ever thought possible.

The Gobi Desert’s ‘Flaming Cliffs’ – famous for their color AND THEIR DINOSAUR FOSSILS (can you tell the part I’m excited about?)

    15. If staying with a nomadic family, make sure you accept (at least a little bit of) all that they offer.

If you stay with a nomadic family at any point (which you probably will do), you’ll be offered all sorts of things – arak (fermented mare’s milk), salty milk tea, vodka, weird little biscuit things, a snuff bottle, etc.

Even if you’re hesitant, at the very least give it a try. It’s the least you can do to show you appreciate their hospitality.

As far as liquor goes, if you are offered it and don’t want to drink, you can dip your right ring finger into it and flick the booze 3 times up. (Unfortunately, I can’t remember what each of the 3 flicks is supposed to represent….but I think one of them might be a thanks to the earth?)

And don’t fear the strange looking snuff bottles! They are often offered as a greeting and all they are is a mixture of herbs. If you don’t feel comfortable actually inhaling it through your nose (I really do promise you it’s not drugs inside…though it certainly will clear out your sinuses), just give the bottle a light sniff of appreciation.

Rodrigo sampling some salty milk tea from a nomadic family.

    16. You’ll probably get used to peeing along the side of the road

Outside of UB, finding a true western toilet is difficult. If you’re lucky, you’ll get an outhouse with a door. But often, when you’re driving in the middle of nowhere without any civilization in sight, you’ll have to do your business anywhere you can.

Ladies, here’s a quick warning: The worst is when the surrounding landscape is COMPLETELY FLAT and PLANT FREE. So, make sure to request a bathroom stop anytime you find some hills or shrubbery you can potentially hide yourself behind.

Seriously, where’s a lady supposed to pee around here!?

    17. Wrestling is the national sport….and there’s an entire festival to celebrate it.

The festival is called Naadam and, although we weren’t able to attend, apparently it’s a really cool experience!

I mean, just look at these guys.

If you’re interested in a tour to Naadam, be sure to check out the tour options from TourRadar ‘s festival tours around the world or our article with  The 5 Best Tour Group Companies for International Travel .

Alternatively, just click below to see what’s up. 

    18. They have eagle hunters.

Alongside Mongolia’s border with Kazakhstan in the Altai Mountains, there is a region that is populated by Kazak people. They are the last 400 people in the world that hunt in the ancient tradition of using golden eagles.

There’s also a super bada$* female eagle huntress who is only 13.

She’s the first female to take up in tradition in her family’s 12 generations of eagle hunters….and she may be the only female practicing this exact technique in the world. (PS: Alma – the tour guide we recommended above for the Gobi Desert tour – is also this girl’s aunt.)

They even made a great documentary about her and the hunting tradition as a whole. Here’s the trailer:

    19. There’s also reindeer herders in the northern Mongolia.

Not only are there eagle hunters in the west, but there are reindeer herders in the north!

The reindeer herders are made up of Mongolian’s Tsaatan minority ethnic group. The name Tsaatan itself actually means “reindeer people” in the Mongolian language.

They live up along Lake Khosgvol, Mongolia’s biggest lake. Unfortunately, there are less than 300 Tsaatan people remaining today.

Image source

    20. AND THERE’S CAMELS (which you will probably eat).

One of the most unique things about Mongolia is that they keep their animals semi-wild. In other words, it’s highly likely you’ll run into herds of horses, goats, and of course camels wandering about freely.

And in the Gobi, you’ll see camels everywhere! If you’re lucky, you’ll even get to pet some baby ones. If you’re less lucky, you’ll end up eating some of them.

So cute! … but not so tasty (at least in my book).

Most parts of Mongolia are still fairly underdeveloped and, as I mentioned above, nomads don’t have running water. Which means you may not get to shower quite as often as you’re used to. (I think we showered once over the course of our 8-day Gobi desert tour.) But it’s all part of the Mongolian experience!

After 8 days without a shower, you also won’t mind getting a little cuddly with the animals.

    22. You may encounter an animal slaughter or two.

Since animals are very much seen as sustenance in Mongolia, it’s no great surprise that an animal is slaughtered whenever the need arises.

Over the course of our month, we witnessed two animal slaughters directly in front of our eyes (well, I’m actually pretty queasy so I admit I kept my distance).

The first was in the Gobi Desert. A nomadic family we were visiting was slaughtering one of the camels for meat (actually, we ended up carrying some of the meat along with us to eat ourselves….).

The second was during a picnic for a high school English class we were invited to in Western Mongolia.

In the form of traditional Mongolian barbecue, we watched them remove the sheep (still alive) from the back of a car , kill the sheep, wash the organs in the nearby river (which people were swimming in, by the way), and cook it over in a metal jug over a fire. The meat was delicious….and we were impressed with how the students didn’t shy away from helping.

The students helping to prepare the freshly-butchered sheep.

    23. Mongolia was never part of the Soviet Union….though it was communist for a while.

Many people mistakenly believe that Mongolia was part of the Soviet Union, though it in fact remained independent the entire time.

But it did have a pretty nasty communist regime made worse by the fact it was surrounded by two other communist superpowers – China and the USSR. The regime was around until the early 90s. To this day, Mongolia is still left in kind of a tricky position, lodged between China and Russia, still two powerful countries.

You can find some lingering communist-inspired architecture in UB.

    24. If you are staying more than 30 days, you MUST register with immigration within 7 days!!!!!!!

Please, if there’s anything you get from this post, it’s this: don’t be as stupid as Rodrigo and I were. Since we were both able to enter Mongolia visa-free for 90 days, we kind of just thought that was it – we were in, nothing else to worry about.

We found out the hard way (as in, after we had already been there for more than 7 days), that you must register with immigration if you’ll be there more than 30 days.

Registering is actually kind of a pain to do – you have to go to the immigration office on the outskirts of UB, pay some sort of fee, fill out a form with your passport photos (don’t forget to bring these!), and then they’ll update your stamp.

Unfortunately, we didn’t find this out until we were on the border trying to cross from Western Mongolia to Western China after a mere 33 days in the country.

We got stopped at the border and had to sit in a little room for about 2 hours while they sorted things out (all for overstaying just for 3 days)….and we still had to pay a fine.

For goodness sakes, don’t forget to go here if you’re staying more than 30 days!!!!

    25. Mongolia has a lot of Toyota Prius.

You might not expect it in a country whose capital has some the worst air quality in the world (see #9 above), but the number of Toyota Prius in Mongolia was UNREAL. Apparently, they import them secondhand from Japan and it happens to be one of the cheaper, more reliable cars that a Mongolian can purchase….so there’s that. You do you, Mongolia!

Who knew Mongolia was such of fan of hybrid vehicles?

*BONUS: Do yourself a favor and get a solar charger. Then, no need to worry about your camera battery dying!*

Trust us, this little contraption will save your life!

Other tours, attractions and excursions in Mongolia

If you are exploring Mongolia and would like to take tours and excursions, I recommend using the Civitatis and Viator website to research the best attractions and tours in the region. There you can find day trips to full day excursions. And there are also several attraction providers to suit every budget!

As you can see, Mongolia is a country full of shocks, surprises, and just ridiculous beauty at every turn.

What do you think? Would you like to visit Mongolia yourself? Or have you already visited and have something else to add?

Let us know in the comments below….and we shall most definitely get back to you!

Don’t forget to check out our other articles about Mongolia:

How to Get From Ulaanbaatar to Karakorum (Mongolia) for 7 Dollars

How to Get from China (Beijing) to Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) for Less than 45 USD (2016 UPDATED)

Planning your next trip?

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20 Responses

Hi Rodrigo,

I am glad that I found your blog while searching for information about Mongolia. I know that you will be writing more about your Mongolia trip. However, since I will be making the trip in few weeks’ time, i wonder if you could briefly share with me about your trip itinerary, duration or expenditure.

I intend to spend at least a month there. Some friends of mine will be joining me for 2 weeks and i thought to put together a Gobi tour. Could you also tell me more about the tour you followed and the cost?

I have been reading up posts from others but its not as updated as yours. 🙂 Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Safe travel!

Regards, YJ

Thanks for the message! Hopefully, we’ll be putting up another Mongolia article this week or next week…but I’d be happy to give you some other info before then 🙂 I’ll try to send you an email once we finish the new article!

First of all, if you are going to be spending more than 30 days there, make sure you register with immigration within your first 7 days. Both Rodrigo and I entered the country visa-free but we didn’t register with immigration and when we tried to leave the country (after 33 days), we were pulled aside at the border and had to pay a fine. So definitely don’t forget this! Your hostel in Ulaanbaatar can give you some more info about what you need to do to register (since we didn’t register ourselves, it’s better to ask them).

The Gobi Desert was my absolute favorite place to visit, so I definitely recommend you go! We arranged the tour with our hostel in Ulaanbaatar called Golden Gobi. You can look at it/book it here on Booking.com . The price was pretty good and we had a great time. I think we spent 8 days in the Gobi which was plenty.

Beyond the Gobi, we also spent some time in Ulaanbaatar (I recommend you check out this free walking tour here: . While in Ulaanbaatar, we took a day trip to the giant Chinngis Khan statue and Terelj National Park. You can’t get there by public transportation, so we arranged a driver through Golden Gobi.

We also spent 10 days in a farm Workaway (which was not a good experience, so I wouldn’t recommend the place :-). We went to Karakorum (which I’m guessing is the article you already saw!), which is cool if you have the time. We then spent a bit of time in Khovd, a city in western Mongolia. The city itself wasn’t anything special, we only stayed there for a few days because we were trying to cross into western China from there.

The places we really wanted to go were: -the city of Ulgii and the Altai Mountains in the west of Mongolia -Lake Khovsgol in the north

Unfortunately, we ran out of time to visit these two places (mostly because we made the mistake of volunteering on the farm) but they are both supposed to be awesome!

Hopefully that helped 🙂

Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions….otherwise, enjoy your trip! Mongolia is one of my favorite places in the world, so I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

Thanks a lot for your email! We will keep the registration in mind, especially now that we might spend 2 months in Mongolia.

The tour is priced at the high side for us and it looks very intense (so many hours on the road!). Since we have the luxury of time, we decide to go slow and make use of the public buses to the main province. Then, we will arrange for logistic from there.

How was your crossing into China from the west? Did you guys obtain your china visa in UB? Any issues? We thought about doing it and read that the China Embassy in UB stopped issuing visa to non-Mongolian since August/Sept 2016. I am not sure if this issue is still on going though.

Glad to hear it helped 🙂

Unfortunately, you will probably expect to spend $50-60 per day for a Gobi Desert tour. We always try to do things independently, but in the case of the Gobi, we just didn’t think it’d be possible to do it ourselves.

You could take public buses to get the some of the larger ‘cities’ in the Gobi, but from there I think it’d be (almost) impossible to find transportation to some of the real highlights (which can be really isolated and far away from any sort of civilization) like the massive sand dunes, ice canyon, etc…

Of course, you are welcome to try to go at it independently…just giving some of my thoughts 🙂 If you go that way, could you let us know how you managed it/what places you were able to get to? I’d be curious to see how it goes!

I’m American so I already had a 10-year Chinese visa & I didn’t need to get another. Rodrigo did, though, and he applied in UB. It was fairly straightforward and everything went smoothly – but this was May 2016. I haven’t heard anything about them not issuing visas anymore, so I’m afraid I can’t speak on that. If you do try to get your visa there, here’s two tips:

1) make sure you arrive well before it opens….yet still be prepared to push even if you’re at the front of the line 2) if you go to a travel agency called ‘Air Market’ (you’ll find them all over UB), they can print you off a “fake” plane ticket (free of charge) for China that you’ll need to show to get the visa

The crossing from west Mongolia to west China was pretty interesting (we actually plan on writing an article about this one of these days). First, you have to get to a city called Khovd in Western Mongolia. You can take a bus from UB to get there. Then, you take a shared van leaving from the central market to a city called Bulgan on the border. For some reason, there’s a bunch of cities called Bulgan so if you just say “China,” they should make sure you get to the right place. We ended up arriving at the border too late to cross, so the van dropped us off at a hotel for the night. Then the next morning we told the hotel guy “China” and he called a taxi to take us to the border. (Warning: the border is super chaotic with tons of people trying to get through.) Once on the Chinese side, you’ll basically just find random people with cars going to Urumqi (I’m guessing that’s the city you’d want to go to). Just keep saying “Urumqi” and negotiate the price. When is your trip? I can send you our article about the trip if we finish before then.

Hope that helped! Nikki

Hi Nikki, First of all thank you so much for sharing! I’m really interested in going to Mongolia but the prices throw me off a bit… You mentioned you did a 10 day Workaway but it wasn’t a good experience, could you elaborate? I’ve done quite a few volunteering projects on farms myself and I found most to be time saving, eye opening and a great way to get into the local culture (nevermind the fact I’m a farmer and it’s my passion). Any chance you can tell me a bit more about the farm you stayed at?

Hey Victoria,

Thanks for the comment and happy to share 🙂

Usually, I agree with you – Workaways are a wonderful way to visit a place on a budget and get an insight into the local culture. And I’ve had great experiences with other ones!

It was just the particular Workaway we chose in Mongolia that wasn’t great. The “host” was a major jerk and very much exploited the volunteers (having you work 10+ hour days, not having a day off until you’ve worked 7, etc.). The most confusing thing was that the farm had a TON of positive reviews, so I’m not really sure what the deal was. Rodrigo and I are all for working hard and trying something new, but this was a whole new extreme and just wasn’t worth it.

But I just took a peek at Workaways in Mongolia, and it looks like that one isn’t listed anymore. But I do see quite a few other options that look pretty interesting, so I’d say go forth and find one that appeals to you 🙂

Feel free to reach out with any questions you have….Mongolia is one of my favorite countries, so I always like talking about it!

I hope this email finds you well.

We have ended our 10 months trip after spending the last 2 months in Mongolia. We tour the entire country (except the east) independently.

Since our last email was focusing on Gobi, am writing to share with you our experience.

We took a bus from UB to Dalanzadgad. There are 2 buses a day between these cities which share the same timing at 8am and 4pm. It costs about MNT22,000++ each way. The bus station in UB can be reached by public buses (MNT300 for trolley bus. MNT500 for normal bus). It takes 7 hours for ride between UB and Dalanzagdad.

There will be travel agents waiting at both UB and Dalanzadgad bus stations offering Gobi tour. The price starts from MNT650,000/car (all inclusive except your meals and accommodation. Usually they have free tent for guests). The car is usually the modern Toyota 7 seaters with powerful aircon and CD player. If one have 6 in the group it will be good to take this tour. But there were only 3 of us.

In Dalanzagdad, we first stayed at a ger for MNT10,000/pax. The ger is far from everything and the owner kept pestering us to sign up for her tour.

We left the ger the next day and walked to city centre. Check ourselves into Dalanzadgad Hotel which actually has dormitory for MNT10,000/bed! Our advise is to just stay in the hotel, as you could get more authentic ger experience once you are deep in Gobi.

While walking to the hotel, an old gentleman (77 y.o. ) approached us for tour. He has a Russian jeep. We settled for 3 days 2 nights gobi tour @ a total of MNT450,000 (exclusive on entrance fee of MNT3,000/pax and our own food. The rest were included). We visited Yol Valley (ice canyon), Khongor Sand Dune and Bayanzag (red cliff).

He speaks little to no English but he has 25 years of experience working as tour driver previously. He let us use his tents (he has 2) for free and also lent us his cooking gear (we advise to prepare your own as he borrowed us his personal set..and always offered to eat after we are done).

The first night we stayed in his tent. As we underestimated the Gobi summer night, we do not have sleeping bag or enough warm clothes. So the next night we asked him to bring us to a ger. We passed many tourist ger and thought he is going to bring us there. Instead, he found us a nice family with awesome authentic ger. MNT10,000/pax. The ger is facing the red cliff so we have amazing sunset view with the family camels wandering around. They offer meal for a fee but we choose to cook ourselves.

The driver is Mr. Demberel Otgon. He can be reached at 89202985. Or his daughter at 95246868/99535413. His car can take 4 guests comfortably. During our trip, we find his car to be more suitable for the terrain in Gobi.

There you go, voila! All in all, it costs us about USD20/day for our Gobi trip!

Sorry for the super long mail. 🙂

Hi WJ, it’s Rodrigo, how are you?

Nikki is a bit busy with some family issues at the moment, but she you reply to your message soon.

Thank you so much for adding so much information about your trip to Mongolia. I’m 100% sure it will help a lot of other travelers. 🙂

Keep enjoying your adventures!

All the best! Rodrigo

Oh my goodness YJ, I’m so sorry you wrote that great comment and I didn’t see it/respond to you until now….but thank you so much for the update!

I’m glad to hear that you guys found a way to do it on your own. Hopefully, your comment will help out anyone else that wants to do the same!

Just curious….do you feel that you missed on out any parts of the Gobi by not being able to communicate with the driver properly? As in, that you couldn’t make requests to visit a certain area or that he wasn’t able to tell you a bit more about where you were visiting?

Either way, it sounds like you guys had an awesome trip – and thanks again for posting about that alternative 🙂

Im so glad im found you blog ot be honest.

Just want to check with you about the tours offer by the Hostel that you mention. Are we suppose to book the room for the entire duration of the tours? of just book for one day.. then go with tour like 5 days. then continue book after the tour?

Or how you do it in term of accomodation wise?

You help is very very much appreciated.

Regards Eddy

Glad to hear you’re enjoying the blog 🙂

Nope, there’s no need to book nights at the hostel for the duration of the tour. What I would recommend is just book a hostel for a few days (or just a day) before your tour so you an explore Ulaanbaatar a bit. Then, you can book again for when you get back from your tour. Does that make things a bit more clear?

Are you planning a trip to Mongolia soon? Let me know if you have any other questions!

Holla! A quick question. The crossing from west Mongolia to west China. How much did it cost per person. I know the approx.costs for the Erlian – UB crossing. I was wondering if it costs almost the same? And I have to add This is such an amazing blog. So much useful information! Thank you guys. You are the best.

Hey CJ! Thanks for the message, happy new years’, and glad to hear you’re finding the blog useful 🙂

I have all the info about our Western crossing written in my travel journal….which is unfortunately back home in Sweden (and I’m in the U.S. now). But I’ll head back to Sweden and can grab you that info this weekend.

Until then, feel free to reach out with any other questions you have!

Thanks Nikki. That’s alright. I can wait for it. Sure .Thank you very much! Happy new year! CJ

Bad news. I got stuck in the NYC snowstorm and my flight was cancelled and then postponed until Monday. But I’ll get it for you as soon as I (finally) get home 🙂

Hi again CJ,

Okay, I’m finally home and looking at my notes now.

Here’s a quick overview of how to get from western Mongolia (Khovd) to western China (Urumqi):

1) get to the city of Khovd in western Mongolia

price: depends on how you arrive. We were running out of the 30 days we could legally stay in Mongolia and just didn’t have the time to take the bus, so we flew from Ulaanbaatar to Khovd. I believe the flight was about $90 USD per person. There’s also a bus you can take for about 65,000 MNT (about $26 USD). The bus doesn’t leave every day and the journey can take several days, so make sure you have enough time and plan in advance for this (which we didn’t do).

2) take a shared van from Khovd to Bulgan (you can get the van in the central market — or just walk around saying “bulgan” and “China” and people will direct you)

price: 30,000 MNT (about $12 USD) per person time: 6 ish hours

*note: the bus may not stop for lunch or anything so make sure you bring snacks

3) overnight in Bulgan (the bus driver will likely bring you directly to a hotel anyway — otherwise, just say “hotel” so he knows you need a place)

price: I don’t remember exactly, but I think we paid less than $15 USD for a private room?

3) take a taxi from Bulgan to the Chinese border (just say “China” and your taxi driver will understand — we asked/used our hotel to call a “china taxi” for us)

price: 5,000 MNT (about $2 USD) time: 30 minutes

4) walk across the border (there may be a lot of pushing and chaos, so be prepared to join in to get across)

*note: I don’t think the border is open on weekends (for foreigners, at least) and has hours around 9 AM – 6 PM on weekdays

5) take a shared “taxi” from the border to Urumqi (as soon as you exit onto the China side, you’ll see a number of cars, not official taxis, w/ drivers yelling “Urumqi” — I think the price here might be negotiable, so you can choose based on which car others are taking or who gives you the best price)

price: we paid 250 RMB (about $38.50 USD) per person time: about 7 hours

TOTALS: $12 shared van + $2 taxi + $15 hotel + $38.50 China shared taxi = $67.50 (this + whatever you spend to get to Khovd in the first place)

It’s not the cheapest nor easiest of border crossings, but it’s certainly quite the adventure and kinda fun 🙂

And just one more thing to keep in mind — this was the info we had as of May 2015. It’s possible prices and times have changed slightly. After your trip, can you let us know if you found any differences in this information? It’d be helpful for us to have the most up-to-date info for our readers.

Let me know if you have any more questions about Mongolia!

Hey Buddy! Thank you so much for the detailed description.It is very helpful!. Sure thing , if I have a question in my mind I will definitely drop by. Keep up the great blog!

Awesome, thanks CJ!

We’ll keep doing our best with the blog — feel free to let us know if there are any types of articles you’d like to see more of 🙂

thanks for sharing such a amazing info about Mongolia, and all points are superb…

Hey, thank you so much for the wonderful comment! Glad to know you enjoyed the article! Let me know if you have any questions about traveling in Mongolia. 🙂

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Next stop….The DMZ, South Korea

Mongolia Travel Guide

Your ultimate mongolia travel guide, with tips, and things to see and things to do in mongolia. great for first-time and returning travelers..

The reminders of the once great leader Genghis Khan (or Chinggis Khaan as he is referred to in Mongolia) are everywhere.

From the centre of Ulaan Baatar to the remains of his great wall to the east.

His spirit, along with the spirit of many other warriors still lingers here, probably trapped within the bodies of the golden eagles still used by Western Mongolian men to hunt for prey.

The scenery itself is breathtaking, often dotted with Gers (also known as Yurts) and overshadowed by odd cloud formations that add a different dimension to the beauty of its landscape. Mongolia, an unforgettable  travel destination.  

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• Mongolia Pictures
• Gear for the Mongol Rally
• Mongol Rally Tips

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Table of contents

Table of Contents

Fast Facts about Mongolia

• Mongolian power voltage is 220-240 V 50 Hz; Power sockets C & E
• The local currency is the Mongolian Tugrik (MNT) and is around 2,000 MNT to 1 USD
• Adopt MST (Mongolian Standard Time) – Mongolians are less aware of time and locals have a very relaxed attitude about it. So sit back and make sure to go with the flow.
• Leave some room in your suitcase for souvenirs: Monoglia is known for its cashmere blankets and sweaters
• According to  World Nomads : Mongolia is one of the least crime-ridden countries to visit. With one of the lowest crime rates in Asia, you won’t have to worry too much about getting into trouble while visiting, so long as you play it safe and use common sense.
• Be forewarned : it is almost impossible to use your credit cards in the countryside, however you can withdraw cash from any ATM or use Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB cards in all major towns. 

Things to See and Do in Mongolia

• Drive in the Mongol Rally – enter in the greatest motoring adventure on the planet. Start off in Europe and  drive to  Mongolia , 10,000 miles across the mountains,  rivers , desert and steppe. There’s no  backup , no support and no set route; just you, your fellow adventurists and a  tiny car  you bought from a scrapyard. 
• Sleep in a Ger  – also known as Yurts outside of Mongolia, these tents keep you cozy and warm for a night spent underneath the stars. 
• Visit Gobi Desert  – the region is known as the location of the first nest of dinosaur eggs and other fossils found here in the 1920s. So go dino hunting or why not learn about the Gobi nomads and hop on a camel to ride into the desert sands.
• Camel ride  – Take a camel ride out in the desert to experience a traditional way of traveling.
• Horseback ride  – This is another great way to get around and experience the culture.
• Altai Mountains  – This part of Mongolia has an impressive array of mountain ranges.
• Khovsgol Lake  – This is the biggest freshwater lake in the country.

Accommodation

Budget  – Mongolia has budget hostels for as low as $7 per night. These hostels do not offer any luxuries, but you can pay more and ask them to provide you with upgraded services such as private rooms and a TV.

Mid Range  – Mid-range hotels cost around $50 per night in Mongolia. They are located in a central area that is close to markets and restaurants. They may provide free transport to the airport.

High End  – Luxury hotels cost around $250 per night. They provide a fitness center with a gym, pool, internet access, and a bar/lounge.

Check out our favorite booking platforms  Booking.com ,  Tripadvisor  and VRBO  for the best deals on accommodation in Mongolia.

• Buzz  – This is the national food of Mongolia. It’s a steamed dumpling filled with mutton.
• Boodog  – This is one of the most popular dishes. It’s a traditional barbeque dish that is made with a goat or marmot. The meat is stuffed along with vegetables and hot stones into the animal carcass.
• Airag  – This tasty beverage is found at the Naadam Festivals over the summers. It is prepared from fermented mare milk.
• Reindeer Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese  – These products are famous in the country because of Mongolia’s authenticity in dairy items. 
• Suutei Tsai  – This is translated to the name “tea with milk”. It is served as a welcome drink to guests.
• Khorkhog  – This consists of chopped goat or lamb, potatoes, and onions steamed in a metal container.
• Khuushuur  – This is also popular in the Naadam Festival during summers. It’s a deep-fried mutton parcel.

The Best Ways to Get Around Mongolia

Getting to mongolia:.

Flights:  Many direct flights are available from Japan and South Korea to Mongolia. Chinggis Khaan International Airport is the largest airport in Mongolia, also referred to as Ulaanbaatar Airport. 

You can check for the best flights to Mongolia on  Skyscanner .

Transportation:

Buses : Buses are available all day. Private buses are scheduled and cruise non-stop until they reach a destination.

Taxis / Uber : There is no Uber service available in Mongolia yet, but you can travel via taxis by holding your hand high to book it for 50 cents per kilometer.

Car Rental:  You can rent a car at an average of $297 per week and $42 per day in Ulaanbaatar. You can also compare  prices for car rentals here .

When to go To Mongolia

• The best time to go to Mongolia is during summer, from the mid of June to the last week of August. Weather is also good for travelers spending time outside or at the Naadam Festival.

Where to Stay in Mongolia

• Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel  – This hotel is centrally located in the city. Rooms are air-conditioned, have a minibar, flat TV screen, a refrigerator, and a bath/shower. The hotel also provides facilities such as free breakfast, spa, conference facilities, business center with internet access, and much more.
• Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace  – This best-awarded hotel consists of a large number of rooms and suites and is located in the city’s metropolis district. Its buffet breakfast is most popular among the guests.
• Shangri-La Hotel, Ulaanbaatar   – This is a modern styled hotel and makes an ideal base for leisure travelers and businessmen.

Check out our favorite booking platforms Booking.com , Tripadvisor and VRBO for the best deals on accommodation.

What to Pack for Mongolia

Mongolia is known as the  Land of the Blue Skies  as it is cloudless for more than two-thirds of the year. It is also one of the highest countries in the world and thus subjected to extreme continental weather from short, sweltering summers to long, frigid winters. 

The average temperature in most of the country is below zero from November to March and close to it in April and October. During the summertime temperatures can reach as high at 40°C in the Gobi Desert and around mid 30° in the capital. 

• Layers   (Winter) – Temperatures can go down to -30°C in the wintertime. The general rule of thumb is to pack at least four layers: a base layer,  long sleeve shirts, a fleece (mid-layer) and a top layer such as a windbreaker (waterproof!). Base layers should be made of wool or synthetic fabrics – these fabrics offer superior moisture-wicking and temperature control protection than cotton. And don’t forget your head, fingers and toes!
• Layers (Summer)  – Temperatures can fluctuate during the summer time, largely depending on the time of day. During the nighttime it can be quite chilly, especially if you are camping. Pack a base layer, long sleeve shirt and a fleece/top layer – don’t forget a hat, scarf and gloves.
• Headlamp  – if you plan on going camping, there is nothing worse than stumbling in the dark as you try to go to the bathroom, which brings us to our next point…
• Toiletries  – outside of major citie s,it’s just you and the open road – expect to wash in rivers and frequent outhouses. As a result bring a good stash of toiletries from wet naps, bio-degradable travel soap, facial cleansing pads and dry shampoo.
• Hiking Boots  – pack a good pair of boots with good grip that are waterproof and insulated for spring/winter travel.
• Insect Repellent  – Along with natural beauty and hot weather, Mongolia is known for its pretty vicious mosquitos. Travellers are advised to bring a mosquito net, insect spray or a mosquito headnet.

See our packing tips:  packing tips

Mongolia Travel Guide: Best Booking Resources

Whenever we travel to we make sure to start with these companies. We have tried a lot of different ones over the years and all of these have consistently proven to be the best when it comes to offering great prices.

We have used every one of these personally and continue to do so.

• Booking.com : This is our go site to when comparing prices for accommodation. It usually has the cheapest prices, especially in Europe and we love their interface. Not to mention you get free cancellation and you are guaranteed the best price.
• Trip Advisor :  What we like about Trip Advisor is that we can look at all the reviews and then book our accommodation. TripAdvisor is where we go when we want to compare prices with multiple accommodation providers.
• VRBO : is the main search engine we use when we are looking for a home or apartment rental. It can sometimes be cheaper than hotels and it is the best way to stay in areas that offer a more local feel.
• Hostelworld :  With one of the largest databases of hostels in the world, Hostelworld is the go-to site when you are looking for budget accommodation.
• Skyscanner : This is the first place we check for flights. It consistently comes back with the cheapest and best options. It allows us to compare a lot of airlines to get the best price.
• Rome 2 Rio :  If you want to see how to get somewhere by plane, train, bus, ferry or car Rome2Rio lays it all out for you as well as related costs.I love how they show it all to you on a Google Map and it works offline.
• Get Your Guide:  For all your day trip and city guide needs, we use Get Your Guide. It has the world’s largest collection of things to do with more than 30,000 activities in 7500 destinations.
• World Nomads Insurance:  When traveling to Italy you should always have travel insurance. We have found the best bang for your buck is by far World Nomads.

Mongolia Travel Guide: Related Articles

To browse all our articles and guides about Mongolia  click here .

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Mongolia Travel Guides

The best tips and advice for visiting Mongolia in 2024 , including up-to-date travel guides, packing tips, budgeting advice, and your most common Mongolia travel questions answered.

Mongolia is one of the most fascinating places to visit in the world because it has it all. A fascinating history filled with even more fascinating stories relating to it’s ancient rulers and khans, traditions that date back thousands of years, and some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll find anywhere in the world.

This up and coming country really is a place deserving of all the travel hype surrounding it, and now is the best time to visit.

I hope that my Mongolia travel blog not only helps you plan the perfect trip to Mongolia, but I also hope that they’ll show you a different side to this incredible country. One that I love calling home.

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Adventure Travel , Mongolia

This is How to Travel to Mongolia – Overlanding the Least Densely Populated Country in the World

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Want to get to somewhere lesser-known and travel differently? This Mongolia travel guide shows how to go overlanding in the world’s least densely populated country.

Travel to Mongolia means tackling a land of extremes. Both in the landscape, from its vast desert lands and towering dunes to its lush green mountainous national parks, and in its lack of infrastructure, where you become just as frustrated as you are in awe by the country’s areas of extreme isolation.

Visiting Mongolia is to find a canvas of rugged beauty capped by a sky so blue that pollution isn’t even a word that exists here. Passing only wild horses, herds of cattle, an isolated ger in the distance, and the odd truck also on its way to the city, life here is at its purest and most beautiful.

Outside of its unkempt capital, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia exists with limited facilities, but that’s what makes it attractive. On the road, it can take hours of driving before you pass a small ger community, a Mongolian on horseback or another vehicle, and in between blessed with the most stunning views of a country so desolate that you know you’ve reached the real heart of it.

Overlanding through Mongolia, rather than flying or taking the train, is one of the best decisions I have ever made. This guide will show you how to travel Mongolia from China by land, in a vast loop that takes in some of the country’s most treasured hotspots and wilderness hideaways.  

Visit the Least Densely Populated Country in the World

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Mongolia travel changes you and makes you appreciate the beautiful patches on the earth’s surface not ruined by extreme modernisation, pollution and overpopulation.

My time in Mongolia meant experiencing everything from bush camping to ger camps, being at one with nature (and not care who sees you squatting in the process) and realising that animals like to roam and Mongolians love to chat – right outside your Ger from 5 am.

I saw a night sky so clear that I didn’t think you could ever see so many stars. I traversed a land so serene in isolation and culture so welcoming that I hope it never, ever becomes ruined by tourist traps or the tight grips of mass capitalism (currently contained to Ulaanbaatar).

Wild horses in the vast Mongolian landscape

If you want to get off the beaten track, not be on any set grid and take each day as it comes, you will love Mongolia. But this also comes with its frustrations where you need droves of patience and a good chunk of travel time to spare.

There are hardly any roads. Roads are dirt tracks or pre-made grooves in the land pointing the way, and paved highroads are very few and far between.

Mongolia is prone to unpredictable weather conditions. That means random onslaughts of rain and the likelihood that you are likely to get bogged at some point. There were countless numbers of times where we had to dig out and push the truck or find locals to come to the rescue – tractors are a saving grace here.

It’s a vast country that you could get lost in for weeks on end, and when you accept the setbacks, you start to see them as part of the big adventure – travel at its most raw. Back to basics, getting dirty and struggling with the lack of modern amenities we too often take for granted is part of what travelling in Mongolia is all about.

The Overlanding vehicle used to travel to Mongolia and around.

The summer season between May to September is said to be the best time to go to Mongolia. July and August are the hottest months, with temperatures in the Gobi Desert reaching 40°C. Rainfall is at its highest between June and September, balancing out the heat while keeping the forest and valley lands, in particular, lush and fertile. I travelled to Mongolia in July and experienced a lot of rainfall alongside high temperatures. 

Mongolia’s winter season is from November to February. While some people like to experience the landscape in this snowy season, temperatures can drop to below minus 20°C – a harsh and challenging environment to travel in. You’ll find that not many companies run tours during this time.  

Is it Safe to Travel to Mongolia Safe?

While petty crime and pickpocketing are common in the capital, Ulaanbataar, Mongolia is a relatively safe place to travel, and I never encountered any significant problems. It pays to be more streetwise and alert in the city, as you would in any other. As the landing and departure point for tourists, opportunism poses a higher risk. 

Despite the lack of infrastructure and the relative isolation when travelling through the country, the only minor issue we encountered was related to the high levels of alcoholism in the country. We saw drunk drivers on our long drives and an occasion or two when inebriated locals came to our makeshift camp out of curiosity. Even then, it never felt threatening, and we were always within the safety of our group.  

On the whole, we rarely saw other people, and when we did, we were met with kindness, invited into homes and welcomed into common spaces such as markets and small-town social spaces. 

I also travelled alongside a Mongolian guide – someone who could speak the language when we got stuck, who could walk to a nearby home and explain the need for assistance and who understood the land’s general navigation. Therefore, in Mongolia, it pays to get yourself a local guide, join a small group tour, formulate a small group of your own in Ulaanbataar or be equipped with general wilderness survival skills if going out there entirely on your own. 

Mongolia Tours

When I was planning my trip to Mongolia, Dragoman was the only company offering Mongolia tours that lasted from ten days to two weeks. The 21-day overland journey was the first trip itinerary of its kind they were running here, which included Inner Mongolia. Today the 21-day trip, called Nomads & Wilds of Mongolia, is on a loop from Ulaanbaatar and includes Khovsgol Lake in the north. Although Dragoman suspended operations during the pandemic, they are back in 2024. 

Adventure travel experts G Adventures, offer Mongolia tours that all start and end in Ulaanbaatar. 

A 14-day trip, including all the highlights at an affordable price (from €1999), this Mongolia trip includes a Gobi Desert and Mongolian Grasslands stay, alongside packing in the major historical must-sees and cultural experiences that make Mongolia an unforgettable adventure. 

This 10-day local living trip includes staying with three different families in Gers to experience life as a nomad. Mix historical monuments with cultural moments, exploring pastures, forests, lakes and national parks by foot and horseback while helping your host families prepare traditional dinners and learn the skills of their nomadic trades. 

G Adventures, in partnership with National Geographic Journeys, offers a   two-week comfort adventure through Mongolia . You get to visit   Khustai National Park,   Karakorum (the ancient capital of Mongolia),   Tsenkher Hot Springs, the Orkhon Valley and more. You will also   see a nomadic camel-herding family and dive deeper into Mongolia’s culture, as well as support the local community where tourists pass through. 

Want to experience the Naadam Festival’s horseracing, archery and wrestling tournaments? This mini adventure takes you to it and throws you right into the buzz of traditional Mongolian festivities. 

Mongolia is expensive to travel in and around due to the very nature that it is not overly touristic. Due to the lack of infrastructure, a tour with a local guide and appropriate transport can often be necessary to cover more ground.

• You will need to budget between $2400-$3600 for an extensive trip around the country.
• An average meal (if not making your own on the trip) costs around $5.
• Entrance fees to historic sites and museums average around $2 per ticket. 

For those on a budget, day trips can be taken from Ulaanbaatar, or you can try and plan some shorter 3-5 day trips from the city. However, this can often depend on having a minimum amount of people signed up for the trip to run and isn’t always guaranteed. 

Do you need a Visa for Mongolia?

If you are not a national of one of the visa-exempt countries listed below, you will need a Mongolia visa.

• A single-entry visa (valid for three months from the date of issue) for up to 30 days – £40/$50
• A double-entry visa (valid for three months from the date of issue) for up to 30 days – £55/$65

It is cheaper to apply directly at a Mongolian Embassy (either at home before you leave or in the country you are travelling in prior). You will need a valid passport, passport photos and supporting trip documents alongside a completed application. 

Allow one working week for processing. Some Embassies provide a one-day service for an extra charge.  

A 30-day tourist visa on arrival is available for tourists coming from European and other countries where there are no Mongolian Embassies present, obtained at Ulanbataar Airport or the Mongolian land borders. I got my visa in London months before my trip.  

The following countries are granted visa-free entry to Mongolia. 

Visa-free entry for 90 days: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, United States (US). Those from Ukraine require a form of invitation. 

Visa-free entry for 30 days: Canada, Cuba, Germany, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, Thailand, Uruguay. 

Visa-free entry for 21 days: Philippines.

Visa-free entry for 14 days: Hong Kong.

You can find further information on the Embassy of Mongolia website . 

Where to Go in Mongolia – Itinerary

I spent 20 days Overlanding in and across the central and western Mongolian plains. We travelled in a big clockwise circle from Ulaanbaatar, through the scorching Gobi Desert to beautiful lakes, forests, canyons and waterfalls, all the while passing vast herds of wild horses, camels, goats, yaks and cows.

Overlanding in Mongolia for Three Weeks:

Kilometres travelled:  2492

Number of significant times the truck got stuck:  2

Number of minor times the truck got stuck:  12

Number of incredible driving days:  15

We spent a full day in Ulaanbaatar exploring outside of the stark Soviet communist-style architecture and moving past the city’s general dodgy feeling. There’s plenty to see and do here, including a walk through the modern Sukhbaatar (Parliament) Square, the Gandan Monastery, the National History Museum and the shopping paradise of the Black Market . In the evening, check out the singing, dancing and contortion talent at the Cultural Show before hitting a few bars and pubs. There’s so many you won’t know where to start.

Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The golden feet outside the Gandan Monastery Ulaanbaatar

We set off in the truck from Ulaanbaatar to drive to the Baga Gazryn Chuluu rock formations in the Gobi desert. Due to heavy traffic when getting out of the city and general road conditions we got delayed and so decided to set up bush camp for the evening. Be prepared for delays in Mongolia but delight in being the only people in the area. All the space is yours.

We got to Baga Gazryn Chuluu – rock formations worshipped by locals who make pilgrimages here partly because legend states that Ghengis Khan camped here – before journeying to the Gobi Desert.

Layers of Baga Gazryn Chuluu rock formations in Mongolia

A hike to Baga Gazryn Chuluu as part of a Mongolia travel itinerary

On the way, we got to experience the famous Nadaam Festival when we passed through the local town of Mandal Govi . It was full of wrestling, horse racing, archery and fairground style fun. Nadaam means ‘games’, and the buzz was all around us as the only Westerners there. It was great to be a part of a traditional Mongolian community celebration, even if the afternoon was marred by a bogging, which resulted in the truck not being released from the soft mud until midnight.

Watching the wrestling at the Nadaam Festival in Mongolia

Mongolian locals enjoy the Nadaam Festival.

The plan was to get to our first ger camp, but after approximately 30 kilometres, we encountered a large ditch of water on the road. It resulted in us having to drain the water by hand and build a road and a dam for most of the afternoon to help us get across. Although this sounds horrendous, it created a great sense of camaraderie and, ultimately, an immense sense of achievement. We got to camp on a high point of the Gobi Desert instead near the town of Tsogoovi .

A Ger Camp on a hilltop in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

We began our journey without a hitch to the ger Camp called Gobi Discovery, stopping at the town of Dalanzagad on the way. Mongolian towns are typically tiny and compact settlements that are reasonably large but without the ruin of a city like Ulaanbaatar.

Market time in the town of Dalanzagad, Mongolia

We hiked in Yolin Am , a beautiful canyon in the Gobi, an ice valley, which hosts a colossal glacier all year round. The hike was spectacular, but, unfortunately for us, little of the iceberg remained, although we had lots of fun playing with what little ice there was regardless.

Hike or horseback in the Yolin Am Valley in Mongolia

Many sandy riverbed crossings eventually led us to our second Ger camp, Khongoryn Els Ger Camp. Here, you only have to open your ger door to be greeted with a breathtaking view of the Gobi and the Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes , which I later climbed, drank beer on and ran down. That was after a camel ride, of course.

The glorious Gobi Desert Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes

Bumpy mountain roads took us to the spectacular Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs , which are a Mongolian version of the Grand Canyon, but smaller. It’s a significant site that unearthed many dinosaur fossils and eggs, and it is also a stunning backdrop for bush camping.

The blazing ochre colours of Mongolia’s Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs

Marvel the mars-like landscape of Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs when you travel to Mongolia

When the communists invaded Mongolia in the 1930s (known as the Purges), nearly all Monasteries were destroyed. Ongii Monastery was one of them, and we visited the ruins here before driving to Arvaikheer, where heavy rain forced us into a hotel for the night. At times, random bad weather makes bush camping in Mongolia impossible, so it is essential to prepare for a budget recount at any given time.

The site of the Ongii Monastery in Mongolia

The scattered stone ruins of Ongii Monastery in Mongolia

We began our journey to the third ger camp but got badly bogged around midday after the truck had to swerve slightly, of course, to miss a drunk driver who came in our path (sadly, a lot of people drink and drive here). It took over five hours to get out, with the help of a small local tractor, and during that time, a few of us who remained to help with the truck (local jeeps rescued a few) lost our minds. It was a hilarious few hours that would have made an excellent documentary, probably how a Lord of the Flies scenario starts.

Tractors help pull the Overlanding truck out of the sticky mud in Mongolia’s rural landscape.

The roads were not rigid and stable enough for the truck to continue, especially with all the hills. After setting up tents and cooking dinner, two small vans came to the rescue to take us on our two-hour journey to the Ger Camp. It was a scary ride in the dark, where we stopped at the driver’s backyard and where a small boy jumped into the hold of the van for the rest of the journey. 

I highly recommend staying in a ger camp in the beautiful Orkhon Valley . There’s nothing like a pleasant hike through the beautiful forest to reach the Tuvkhon Monastery and see the surrounding area. Pure bliss.

The lush green leading to the soft peaks in the Orkhon Valley Mongolia

A rest stop in the scenic Orkhon Valley landscape

Hiking the forest trails of Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley

The rocky plateau that surrounds the Tövkhön Monastery in Mongolia

The colourful entrance to the Tövkhön Monastery

The Orkhon Valley waterfall was the next stop on our five-hour drive to the next ger camp. This camp plays host to the famous hot springs in the region, where we went skinny dipping and enjoyed a few refreshing beers. 

A Mongolian man sits in a chair peacefully enjoying the backdrop of the Orkhon Valley Waterfalls in Mongolia.

Fully clothed, of course, we took a short hike through the lush green forest to visit the source of the hot springs. When you come across your first sighting of trees after two weeks of barren land, you begin to appreciate such incredible surroundings.

Visiting a local nomadic family in their ger in Mongolia

As we had two Mongolian guides with us (invaluable support in a country where very little or no English is spoken or understood), we could visit a Mongolian ger and a local family to learn about nomadic life.

It wasn’t a tourist set up, but a traditional, local family who lived on an isolated patch of land in the valley. We tried their dairy products (their source of income), including fermented mare’s milk, curd and butter, before learning about ger rules and traditions and asking each other many questions!

READ MORE: Visiting a Mongolian Ger – Understanding the Nomadic Culture of Mongolia

We needed a quick stop in the nearby town of Tsetserleg to stock up on food supplies. It was a market day with an electric atmosphere. I get a high from moments when you don’t know where you are and what to do, and where you have to work hard to communicate and negotiate.

We later visited the most important Monastery in the country, Erdene Zuu Monastery in Kharkhorin – the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia that had up to 100 temples and 1,000 monks before the purges in 1937. Only three temples remained, alongside several statues and other items.

The exterior walls of the Erdene Zuu Monastery, Mongolia

Part of the temple complex inside Mongolia’s Erdene Zuu Monastery

The red, gold and green temple structures at Erdene Zuu Monastery

A visit to the museum we camped next to – the Kultigen Monument, housing artefacts from the Turkish empire – set us on the way to the nearby Ugii Lake, where we would relax all day and camp for one night.

Ugii lake emits a calming atmosphere and invites you to traverse it slowly. While it would take almost a day to walk around, it’s a great place to unwind and reflect. I count this as one of my most favourite spots in all of Mongolia.

Our camping set-up beside Ugii Lake in Mongolia

We arrived at Hustain National Park in the afternoon to settle into a ger camp. This National Park is known for the rare Przewalski’s horse, unique to Mongolia. When you finally track down a small group, it’s still hard to see their beauty up close as you can’t get that close to them.

Still, we got to meet the ‘Best Mongolian Folk Band in Mongolia’ called Domog in the evening after a fantastic show where they performed rock-style tunes via the famed throat singing. I guess it is the equivalent of meeting Westlife in Ireland. Seriously.

Meeting Damog, the Best Mongolian Folk Band in Mongolia

We had to journey back through the crazy, construction-overloaded, traffic-ridden Ulaanbaatar to get to Terelj National Park and the last ger camp of the trip (we were due to bush camp the weather put a stop to that). 

It’s incredible how a few hours down the road from the capital brings you to some of the country’s most spectacular landscapes.

The road that leads to the heart of Terelj National Park, Mongolia

If you love walking and hiking, you will love Terelj National Park. Here you can wander for hours, hike to a Monastery and horse ride through the forests and rocky hilltops. Make sure you check out ‘Turtle Rock’ too. You may think it looks like something else from a certain angle!

One of the layered rock formations in Terelj National Park in Mongolia

Visiting Turtle Rock in Terelj National Park Mongolia, named for its shape similar to the animal

Nothing beats the end of the wilderness journey than a visit to the giant 40-metre tall silver Ghengis Khan statue just outside of Ulaanbaatar on the banks of the Tuul River. Legend has it that it was at this spot that Ghengis Khan found his golden whip. Anyhow, a bit of a pilgrimage spot for locals, it was fascinating (if not a bit odd and imposing in the same way a colossal silver statue of Hitler in Germany would probably evoke the same feeling).

40-metre tall silver Ghengis Khan statue just outside of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Back in Ulaanbaatar, I turned my hostel room into an office and distracted myself with a pizza slice, cake and coffee at Wendy’s Bakery – worth a visit alongside the State Department Store, which is right next to the hostel area. It’s an excellent chance to rest up after adventure through the vast landscapes of Mongolia. 

The Dragoman overland truck is what we called home, except we didn’t sleep on it overnight. Instead, we went wild camping and every night, checking into a hotel once when the rains were too much to settle a tent comfortably. 

The Outside

The truck’s exterior has lots of compartments – storage for luggage and tents and a clean water supply, mealtime equipment and food supplies. It’s a travelling transformer, and everyone has to lend a hand setting up and packing down for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If you have no sense of camaraderie or hate getting dirty, then this isn’t the kind of adventure trip for you. I embraced it and loved every minute of ‘roughing it’.

Travel in Mongolia was mostly about camping.

Twenty-three seats, a fridge, a safe, a bookshelf, prominent speakers and a place to recharge equipment, this is where we spend hours at a time, or what could end up being an entire day, traversing the landscape. We filled it with our belongings like a messy bedroom and made it cosy.

Inside the Overlanding truck on the journey travelling Mongolia

Along the Way

The two drivers are the mechanics, the navigators and the troubleshooters. Everything about the truck, from where it goes and how it gets there, hangs on their decision making, alongside our Mongolian guide who knew the land better than anyone else and could speak the language when we needed to call upon locals for help. 

Overlanding in Mongolia was a real adventure.

Although the drivers would jump out to check the road, walking far ahead to determine the best track to take or check waterlogged areas (often by getting in the water) to limit the truck’s chances of getting bogged. We often stopped to help locals whose cars were stuck, knowing that karma would need to be returned one day. 

The Realities of Rural Travel in Mongolia

“Ok, guys, you have to get off. It’s not looking good.” This phrase, accompanied by the engine’s low hum and strain as it finally gave up, became a regular occurrence during the three weeks I spent in Mongolia. Getting dirty in Mongolia is a given, but I never thought on my travels that I would push a truck out of thick, stodgy mud, build a road complete with a dam or wade knee-deep through a river to get to the other side. 

In Mongolia, aside from the small handful of roads available, you will take the path less travelled, one that hasn’t been used for days or worn in by other vehicles for an easy pass. You could call it bad luck, or you could call it a reality, but travel comes with its challenges and getting stuck in Mongolia is by far the most common.  While I wasn’t expecting substantial bogging incidents on this trip, I began to embrace them when they did happen. After all, the locals have to face these situations regularly. It became a part of what Mongolia is and what it means to cross her lands.

The drivers of the truck were responsible for assessing each situation when it arose. They were the first to get dirty, walk through the water and determine the outcome. At times it put you on edge, wondering how long you would be stuck somewhere with no one passing by for hours. At other times it merely meant us having to walk a short distance to lighten the truck.

Either way, the result was a massive whoop and roar for our truck, Archie, when he made it through. It felt good, and we then knew the next stage of the journey could begin. These are the times I’ll always remember.

Our group helps find a track in the water for the truck to pass in Mongolia.

It had been raining on and off for a few days, mainly in short spurts in the evenings, and we were bumping along the wet dirt tracks just fine. When the truck stopped, and we saw that two pools of water had filled two road tracks, we knew a bogging incident was imminent. The drivers walked, pondered and walked through the water. Could we drive through it without getting stuck?

The usual scenario rested on two possibilities – drive through it or find hard enough ground around it. Except that this time it was different. We were told: “We need to empty this road of water and then let the ground dry out so we can cross over it.”

Cue the mad dash to empty our camping gear to find our plastic washing-up bowls and any other form of a plastic container to begin the removal process. The ladies rolled up their shorts to get right in there and scoop out the water as the men started digging to create a road. Everyone built a dam by hand on each side of the tyre track grooves so that the emptied water wouldn’t flow back in.

It was hard work, but we became a team, a great team. The sun was shining that day which meant we only had to wait a couple of hours while the heat dried out our creation. We ate, we played, we sang, and we marvelled at what resourceful people we were. It was a scary moment when Archie made his move to cross our road (our beautifully crafted highway that could be crushed in seconds and need rebuilding), but he made it in one unbeaten run, and our handmade route was left to the land and in nature’s control.

Happening upon grassy, muddy areas is sporadic. You can never tell exactly how hard the ground is beneath it. After bouts of rain, the ground softens, and even though there were times when the truck had to work a little harder, it made it through.

We had just had a fantastic afternoon checking out a local Nadaam festival and were in high spirits, which we needed knowing that we would be driving for the rest of the day. Except we didn’t – we were soon stuck in thick, sticky mud, and no amount of pushing and revving was going to change it.

Digging out the truck wheels from the deep, wet mud in Mongolia

Our Mongolian guide walked to the nearest ger to get help, and the locals later returned on a motorbike to check out the situation. The whole family came out – we regularly became a source of fascination or amusement en route through the country. However, they kindly decided to use their big, industrial tractor to help pull the truck out of the mud – that too got stuck.

With two vehicles out of action and night starting to fall, we decided to set up camp on a drier patch of land nearby, and the drivers worked relentlessly with the locals throughout the evening. We got bogged at 5 pm, and it took until midnight for the truck to be pulled from sludge. It was a day wasted, but another example of how unpredictable travelling here can be.

When the truck stops dead at a deep area of water, you know the situation isn’t going to be resolved quickly. Can a truck this size pass through a river without sinking or getting stuck? Although we enjoyed paddling in the freshwater, we didn’t know whether we could have to completely re-route to get around it and lose more time.

The conclusion was that there was a distinct lack of knowledge about alternative roads around the river, and somehow we would have to find a way to get through it. With a small truck already stuck right in the middle, it was a scary prospect.

The drivers identified the most shallow and hard ground area in the water to pass, although we couldn’t be on the truck, unfortunately. You can imagine the chaos – a group of locals trying to rescue their vehicle and 20 non-locals trying to navigate through the water, knee-deep and screeching, scared of falling in.

My heart skipped a beat watching our truck splash through the water and wondering whether it would stop dead in its tracks and slowly swim in a sea of mud, taking all our belongings with it. But Archie made it, and this time, he got the biggest cheer. And a giant sigh of relief.

Typical river crossings in Mongolia and helping out locals who were also stuck

With unpredictable weather conditions, a challenging landscape to navigate and a trip mostly comprised of wild camping, packing for Mongolia requires some planning. In short, you need to factor in the following:

• Items of clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty and wholly ruined.
• Clothing layers for the constant switch of hot and cold climates – thermals to moisture-wicking and waterproof items.
• Sun protection and bug spray for mosquitos and sandflies.
• All medications you need as you’ll often be far from any significant stores or aid.
• Snacks from home as the food variation can get very repetitive.

For a more extensive overview, read my full Mongolia Packing List .

About Becki

Becki Enright is a British Travel Press Award-winning writer whose work focuses on changing perceptions about misunderstood aspects of destinations. Her writing combines storytelling with insight into the social, historical, political and economic factors that shape the country or place in relation to tourism. Becki has appeared live on Sky News and CNN and has contributed to high profile media including National Geographic, Time.com, Guardian online, New York Times, Grazia and Buzzfeed.

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Mongolia Travel Guide: Rugged Landscapes and Nomadic Culture

My name is Belinda and I was born and raised in Germany. Welcome to my Mongolia travel guide. Eight years ago I moved to Switzerland for my job. I work as an Operating Room Nurse in Zurich . I’ve always needed a balance between work like and free time. So I found this balance in travelling.

The passion of getting to know different cultures, food and the diversity of this planet fascinates me. I started taking photos while travelling to keep these experiences and moments captured in the best way possible. One of the most incredible places I have ever visited was Mongolia in 2018.

Mongolia was on my list for a while. It seemed so far away though. Not just distance-wise but also in the ‘way of travelling’. I am used to travelling by myself and meeting new people in hostels, taking long bus rides, etc. But how would I do that in a country with no tourism development?

That was also the main point of why I wanted to visit. It seemed untouched, unexplored and therefore more adventurous. So I found myself a group of friends and made it happen. My first impression was just how untouched and unexplored the country was. I looked forward to the adventure ahead!

Two Incredible Weeks in Mongolia

The trip took place in August 2018. This month is the best time to go since it’s generally warmer. I went for around two weeks. We hired a van with a driver since there are hardly any proper streets outside of the cities. We wanted to be able to find our way and also support a driver.

Plus you get in touch with the locals and get recommendations this way. Along the trip we went to the western part of the country with its world renowned eagle hunters . This is the most undiscovered part of Mongolia.

After that we flew from Ulgii to Ulaanbaatar (capital of Mongolia) and drove down south until we reached the beautiful Gobi Desert. We saw the most fascinating rock formations, lush canyons, blue lakes and much more.

Highlights of my Trip to Mongolia

I found the people of Mongolia to be amazing and one of the highlights of my trip. They were so welcoming, warm and open-minded. I got the chance to stay one night in a traditional Yurt with a family of eagle hunters.

It was extraordinary to see how they live, how they go hunting with their eagles and for us to dive into nomad life (even if only for a short time). They cooked for us, showed us around and we were allowed to interact with eagles. Not many people get to experience something so unique.

Most of the time tourists stop by, take a picture with the eagle and keep going. But we spent two days and one night with them – for sunset, sunrise, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even though communication was not easy (our driver was our translator) we felt like part of their little community.

My second highlight was the sunrise above the rock formation called White Stupa . This is a beautiful cliff located in Ulziit in the Gobi Desert. The landscape here is so breathtaking that I will never forget that moment. I would recommend the White Stupa for every Mongolia travel guide.

Mongolia Travel Guide: 5 Must-Do Experiences

Mongolia is rugged and untouched. Travellers can enjoy an incredible array of different experiences here – from encounters with nomads to jaw-dropping desert landscapes and roaming wild horses and camels. My top 5 must-do experiences for this Mongolia travel guide are the following:

1. Stay a Night with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters

The Kazakh eagle hunters of Western Mongolia live in one of the most untouched regions of Asia . They have been connected with eagles for centuries in a fascinating relationship between humans and wild animals. Staying overnight with the eagle hunters is an unforgettable experience.

2. See the Flaming Cliffs of the Gobi Desert

The desert cliffs of the Gobi Desert known as the ‘Flaming Cliffs’ light up at sunset in a fiery red colour. Watching this landscape come to life as the sun sets is a magical experience. These cliffs are an example of what’s known as Djadochta Formation – an arid habitat of sand dunes with little fresh water.

3. Admire Sunset Views of the White Stupa

Tsagaan Suvarga translates to White Stupa. This scarp in the Gobi Desert looks like a white stupa, hence the name. It’s 400 metres long and 60 metres tall. The view of the White Stupa at sunrise is astonishing. There’s also a little cave to check out nearby called Hevtee Bosoo Agui.

4. Sleep in a Traditional Mongolian Yurt

The Yurt is called a ‘Ger’ by Mongols and is a traditional dwelling for nomads. Half of the Mongolian population live in these homes. Sleeping in the Yurts in the middle of nowhere really is a unique experience. There are many tour operators who can organise your stay in a Yurt.

5. Discover the Camels and Horses of the Gobi Desert

Not only are the landscapes of the Gobi Desert awe-inspiring but also the wild animals are a highlight too. You can discover the rare and endangered Przewalski’s horse and the Bactrian camel with its two large humps. Both of these animals are unique and incredible to see up close in person.

Mongolia Travel Guide: Food Scene

The food scene in Mongolia was not great to be honest. A huge part of the local cuisine is mutton. I don’t like it very much but you find this almost everywhere. The alternative is chicken and beef which was good.

There is a huge gap of vegetarian/vegan cuisine. For example, one of my friends was a vegetarian and she ordered a soup. When she asked for a vegetarian version, they just picked the mutton out and that’s it! In general, I have to say, the dishes from locals in Yurts were better than restaurants.

Mongolia Travel Guide: Female Experience

Travelling as a female in Mongolia was easy. There were three of us girls on the road and we felt safe everyday during the trip. In Ulaanbaatar you would find some sketchy spots but you find that everywhere in the world.

I recommend not staying in Ulaanbaatar for more than one night. One problem you could find along your journey is the lack of English. Since it’s not developed as a touristy country, the language could be an issue. So just bring a bit of patience and body language and you will be fine.

What you Need to Know Before you Go

I spent two weeks in Mongolia and to be honest it wasn’t enough time. I didn’t see everything I wanted to see. The perfect amount of time would be three weeks. I prefer to travel slow though. So if you are willing to travel faster and change places every night, you could see a lot in two weeks.

The way you choose to experience Mongolia is totally up to you. There are so many sights to see, people to meet and experiences to have along the way! Thanks for reading my Mongolia travel guide. I hope it has inspired you to visit this untouched and rugged Asian country. Happy travels!

BY BELINDA PHILLIP IG: @BELLA_THEGLOBETROTTER

Author:  Belinda Phillip

Belinda Phillip from the Instagram page @bella_theglobetrotter is a passionate photographer and adventurer. She is based in Switzerland and you can normally find her in the mountains or by the water.

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Mongolia Itinerary: How To Spend 2 Weeks In Mongolia

By Jessie Festa. This guide to planning a trip to Mongolia contains affiliate links to trusted partners.

Need help planning an unforgettable Mongolia itinerary ?

Then you’re in the right place!

Known as the Land of the Blue Sky, Mongolia is renowned for its natural beauty, nomadic heritage, and rich culture, all of which you will experience through the below travel plan.

As this beautiful country is remote and isn’t influenced by mass tourism, it’s possible to enjoy a truly authentic experience while having many of Mongolia’s special places all to yourself.

But, what are the best places to visit within 2 weeks in Mongolia?

The below itinerary shares exactly where to go and what to do – with suggestions for shorter and longer itineraries included. Not only that, but you’ll learn important tips for staying safe and enjoying your trip, plus must-pack essentials.

Ready to embark on an unforgettable trip to Mongolia? Grab your passport and let’s go!

Note: This Mongolia travel itinerary is based on a trip I did with WHOA Travel, a sustainable adventure travel company for women. They work with a local partner, Eternal Landscapes, who focus on immersive and sustainable experiences in Mongolia. I’ll share more below about booking tours and drivers.

⏳ My top Mongolia travel recommendations include: ✈️ Airport Transfer: Book that here 🏨 Hotel: Puma Imperial Hotel  (in Ulaanbaatar) 🗺️ Tours: Viator 🎒 Multi-Day Tour Operator: WHOA – use code JESSIEONAJOURNEY for $100 off! 📍 Recommended Excursions: 🐎 Genghis Khan Statue with Terelj National Park & Aryabal Temple 🇲🇳 4-Day Essencence on Mongolia Tour 🛍️ Full-Day Tour of Ulaanbaatar with Museum & Black Market 🥾 Bogd Khan National Park Hiking Day Trip 🥘 Cooking Class: Cooking Class in a Traditional Ger Home in Ulaanbaatar Suburbs 🏥 Travel Insurance: SafetyWing 📞 Staying Connected: Airalo eSIM

Table of Contents

Free Mongolia Itinerary Planning Resources

But first, before we go over tips for planning a trip to Mongolia , I invite you to grab my free  Ultimate Travel Planning Kit  — which includes 40+ travel resources — from printables to quizzes to itineraries — all meant to help you explore the world beyond the guidebook!

Some highlights of the kit include:

• Free “Where Should You Travel Next?” personality quiz
• Pre-plotted Google Maps for 50+ destinations (including Mongolia)
• Printable travel journal with writing prompts
• Packing lists for different types of trips

Once you’ve grabbed your copy , keep reading for tips for traveling to Mongolia .

Is Mongolia Worth Going To?

As someone who has visited Mongolia , I think it is one of the most special places in the world.

Something really unique about Mongolia is it only receives about 66,900 tourists per year , meaning you can still have a very authentic experience that isn’t watered down to appeal to the masses.

While there are places you go and see a lot, Mongolia is a place you will go and experience a lot – including many that will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before!

Is Mongolia Safe?

According to Travel Safe-Abroad , Mongolia has one of the lowest crime rates in Asia and is one of the safest places to travel. Your main concern will be petty theft in Ulaanbaatar – so make sure you know how to avoid pickpockets .

If you’re interested in solo travel in Mongolia, also know that the country is generally safe for female travelers. As always, just make sure to use common sense and keep the usual travel safety tips in mind.

Best Time To Visit Mongolia

The best time to travel to Mongolia depends on where you plan to go, what you plan to do, and your ability to handle extreme heat and cold.

Summer (June-August) is the peak tourism season, with warm weather and important festivals in Mongolia like Naadam taking place.

If you want to enjoy nice weather while saving money on high-season prices, autumn (September to October) and spring (March to May) are also great options. Just note that the latter can still be pretty chilly.

Mongolia’s winters are harsh, though if you can handle the cold you can partake in seasonal experiences like dog sledding and ice festivals.

Getting To Mongolia

If you’re arriving from out of the country, you’ll fly into Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital.

It’s a modern airport with amenities like restaurants, shops, WiFi, and SIM cards for purchase. Additionally, many airlines service the airport, like Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, MIAT, Asiana Airlines, Air China, and more.

Getting Around Mongolia

In Ulaanbaatar, you can get around on foot and by public bus.

There are also ride-hailing apps like UBCab, though when I tried to use it it required a Mongolian phone number. Alternatively, you can hail a cab on the street by sticking your arm out or call a taxi company to order a car and ask for the driver’s license plate number and arrival time.

To explore Mongolia beyond Ulaanbaatar, it’s highly recommended to hire a driver. Do not try to rent a car, as the roads are typically unmarked, unpaved, and tough to navigate.

You’ll also want to pre-book a driver for getting to and from the airport in Ulaanbaatar, as the drive takes about 1-2 hours. You can book your driver here .

Mongolia Travel Map

To help give you a lay of the land, here is a map for visiting Mongolia. It includes most of the main points and activities mentioned in the below 2 week Mongolia itinerary pre-plotted:

Click here for the interactive version of the above map .

2 Week Mongolia Itinerary (Overview)

Now let’s discuss our recommended Mongolia travel itinerary. With 2 weeks in Mongolia, you can spend:

• 2 days in Ulaanbaatar
• 4 days in the Mongolian Gobi Desert
• 4 days in the Altai Mountains
• 2 days in Hustai National Park

Feel free to adjust the timing of this Mongolia trip based on your preferences.

2 Week Mongolia Itinerary (Full Breakdown)

Now that we’ve quickly gone over where you should go for your Mongolia 2 week itinerary, let’s break down exactly what you should do. These are some of the best places to visit in Mongolia , and the following suggestions can help you really maximize your time in each spot.

Note that this itinerary is based on my own trip to Mongolia with WHOA Travel and their local partner Eternal Landscapes Mongolia – both of which are highly recommended companies!

Stop #1) Ulaanbaatar (North Central Mongolia)

Length: 2 days Tours: Click here for a list of top-rated Ulaanbaatar tours Recommended hotels near the tourist-friendly Chinggis Square area: – Puma Imperial Hotel (my favorite) – H9 Hotel Nine – Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar – Click here for a full list of top-rated Ulaanbaatar hotels Restaurants: -Grand Khaan Irish Pub (wide variety of Mongolian and Western dishes) -Modern Nomads (mix of Mongolian and global fare) -Hazara (delicious Indian food) -Azzurro (Mongolian restaurant with amazing views) -Luna Blanca Vegan Restaurant (Mongolian food is extremely meat-heavy, so head here when you’re craving lighter and more vegetable-forward fare)

Ulaanbaatar is the capital city of Mongolia and is where you can explore the country’s rich heritage as well as its modern present.

Though much of this Mongolia itinerary takes place in the countryside, spending some time in the big city will allow you to adjust to your new surroundings while educating yourself on the local history and culture.

It’s recommended to spend the first day of your Mongolia trip taking it easy and acclimating to the time zone. Grab your camera and wander around the lively Chinggis Square (Sukhbaatar Square), which is frequently used for events, festivals, and concerts.

You’ll also be able to take in some gorgeous views of the city – particularly of the Blue Sky Tower Residence , which looks like the body of a cobra.

Here you’ll also find numerous points of interest like a statue of Chinggis Khaan (Genghis Khan) as well as the Chinggis Khaan Garden , Mongolian State Academic Theater of Opera & Ballet , and the Cultural Palace (which houses the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery ).

Beyond the square, you can leisurely peruse important institutions like the National History Museum of Mongolia , the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum of Mongolia , and the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art.

You might also consider visiting Gandantegchinlen Monastery (Gandan Monastery), Mongolia’s largest active monastery. Founded in 1838, it’s one of Mongolia’s only Buddhist monasteries to survive the Stalinist purges , a time when many Buddhist temples were destroyed. Inside, there is a towering 26.5-meter-tall Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion, glimmering in gold.

On your second day in Mongolia, you might opt to do another museum – though you should also take a trip to Zaisan Hill Memorial .

Make sure to eat a hearty breakfast, as you’ll need to walk up 600 steps. Luckily, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of the Ulaanbaatar skyline, the Tuul River, and the surrounding hills and mountains.

For a bit of background, the memorial was built between 1971 and 1974 to show gratitude to the Soviet Union (USSR) for its assistance during Mongolia’s fight against Japanese forces. It features a memorial complex honoring the Soviet soldiers who lost their lives during WWII.

Interested in Ulaanbaatar nightlife? Along with your typical bars and clubs, you can also see a local throat singing performance!

Stop #2) Mongolian Gobi Desert (Southern Mongolia)

Length: 4 days Tours: I was accompanied by Eternal Landscapes for my entire Mongolia itinerary for 2 weeks. No matter what company you go with, you will absolutely want to go with a guide and driver. The roads in the Gobi Desert are unpaved and unmarked, making them extremely hard to navigate. Plus, your guide can act as a translator when needed. Stay: When staying overnight in the Gobi you’ll be camping and/or doing ger homestays organized by your Mongolia tour operator.

No trip to Mongolia would be complete without spending some time in the world-famous Gobi Desert. Spread out over 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 square kilometers), there is a lot to do and see here.

Fun fact: did you know that only 5% of the Gobi Desert is sand dunes ? As you journey through this Mongolia itinerary highlight, you’ll see the landscape morph between grassy steppes, lush valleys, granite mountains, and even rivers and lakes – making it the perfect place for outdoor adventures like hiking and biking.

During my time in the Gobi Desert, I biked from place to place, with support vehicles always nearby.

On the first night, my group camped in Baga Gazriin Chuluu Nature Reserve , which showcases rugged rock formations and towering granite mountains begging to be climbed.

It was incredible sleeping under a sky full of stars and plants (I saw Venus!) and waking up to hike the rock formations at sunrise. There are also horses, mountain sheep, wild goats, and marmots.

Within the reserve, we also visited the ruins of Chuluun Sum (Rock Temple), believed to be part of the larger Tsorjiin Khuree Monastery. Like hundreds of other monasteries, it was destroyed during the Stalinist purges of the 1930s, though the ruins offer sacred solace as well as sweeping views of the surrounding steppe.

From there, we headed to Jargalant Cave , a striking 18-meter-long cave where you’re forced to belly crawl the deeper you go in.

Continuing on the Gobi Desert portion of the trip, the scenery continued to be stunning and the animal viewing plentiful. Keep your eyes peeled for Bactrian camels, which have two humps. Mongolia is one of the few places in the world where you can see them!

A few other highlights:

• Camping outside the ger home of a local family for a cultural twist
• Planting a tree with the Gobi Tree Planting Project and doing a homestay with the founder’s family
• Seeing a local concert in the town of Erdenedalai

Alternative Gobi Desert Itinerary

Alternatively, another option for this portion of your Mongolia itinerary is to fly from Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad Airport to begin your Gobi Desert journey at Bayanzag .

Also known as the Flaming Cliffs thanks to their bright red color, Bayanzag is a famous paleontological site where dinosaur eggs and fossils have been found.

From there, you can travel to the Khongor Sand Dunes , which are some of Mongolia’s largest white dunes. When it is windy, they make a unique sound that leads people to also call them the “Singing Dunes.” You can climb to the top of the dunes to take in gorgeous Gobi Desert views and then slide down for a unique experience.

The dunes are located within Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park – Mongolia’s largest national park; so on the final days, you can continue exploring its beauty.

This name translates to “Three Beauties of Gobi,” a nod to three beautiful subranges: Western Beauty, Middle Beauty, and Eastern Beauty.

One place of interest within the park is the Yol Valley , which narrows gradually into a stunning gorge as you move through it.

After your time in the Gobi Desert, fly back to Ulaanbaatar.

Stop #3: Altai Mountains (Western Mongolia)

Length: 4 days Tours: I was accompanied by Eternal Landscapes for my entire time traveling in Mongolia. No matter what company you go with, you will absolutely want to go with a guide and driver. The roads in the Altai Mountains are unpaved and unmarked, making them extremely hard to navigate. Plus, your guide can act as a translator when needed. Stay: When staying overnight in the Altai Mountains countryside you’ll be camping and/or doing ger homestays organized by your Mongolia tour operator.

The main reason I love Mongolia is its natural beauty, which really shines in the Altai Mountains. Personally, this was the main highlight of traveling to Mongolia, as the region is one of the most stunning I have ever seen.

Stretching across China, Kazakstan, Mongolia, and Russia, the snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, glacial lakes, and crystal rivers of the Altai region beg you to stay a while and explore the outdoors.

From Ulaanbaatar, you’ll fly into Ölgii Airport , the gateway to the Bayan-Ölgii Province . From here, you’ll journey by car for about 4-6 hours into the Mongolian countryside.

While you can camp, it’s highly recommended to spend some of your time doing a ger homestay with a local Kazakh family to learn more about their way of life as nomadic herders. Many Kazakh people fled political unrest in Kazakhstan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ending up in Mongolia.

Today, you can immerse yourself in their culture through activities like learning how they hunt with eagles, Kazakh embroidery, helping tend to the farm animals and cooking, listening to traditional Kazakh music, eating Kazakh foods, sipping milk tea, and simply spending time with them.

On the first night of my homestay, I was welcomed with a feast that included beshbarmak , a Kazakh dish of boiled meat like mutton and horse as well as thick flat noodles. The name translates to “five fingers” in Kazakh, referring to the traditional way of eating the dish with one’s hands.

While visiting the Altai Mountains , you’ll undoubtedly do a lot of hiking. One incredible place to do this is Altai Tavan Bogd National Park , which encompasses 6,362 square kilometers (2,456 square miles) of beauty.

Some highlights of the national park include:

• Khuiten Peak , the highest peak in Mongolia (the park is actually home to the five highest in the country)
• Potanin Glacier , the largest glacier in Mongolia
• Ancient rock art and petroglyphs (which are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Along with hiking, you can enjoy activities like horseback riding, mountain climbing, fishing, and spotting wildlife like ibex, argali sheep, and snow leopards.

Once you’re done with your adventure, fly back to Ulaanbaatar.

Stop #4: Hustai National Park (Central Mongolia)

Length: 2 days Tours: Click here for a list of top-rated tours to Hustai National Park from Ulaanbaatar – including a day tour of the park if you’d like to do a shorter trip. Stay: When staying overnight near Hustai National Park you’ll be camping and/or doing ger homestays organized by your Mongolia tour operator.

Located about 2-3 hours by car from Ulaanbaatar – including a mix of highway and off-roading – Hustai National Park is known for its wildlife, particularly its wild horses.

Interestingly, the park was originally created to reintroduce Takhi or Przewalski horses in 1992 – which, according to my guide, are the world’s only true wild horses.

The main activities in the park are:

• Visiting the museum and gift shop
• Doing a wild horse game drive
• Hiking to enjoy the beautiful scenery and see wildlife like red-footed falcons, red deer, eagles, and marmots
• Bird watching
• Horse riding and camel riding

It’s also a great place to stay with a local family in a ger for some cultural immersion. I stayed with the Batchuluun family just outside of the park, who taught me how to do traditional Mongolian felt-making. I even got to make my own pair of earrings!

Another highlight of the homestay was enjoying a traditional Mongolian barbecue ( khorkhog ). For this, large river stones are collected to be heated and used in the cooking process.

The meat – typically mutton, and we also had chicken – is cut into small, bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt. Additionally, my hosts added veggies like large carrots, potatoes, and cabbage.⁠

When it’s time to cook the meat, a large pot is heated using the stones – which are also added inside the pot. Basically, you layer the stones, then the meat and ingredients, and repeat this process. Thick dough is added at the top to help seal the heat.⁠

The ingredients are cooked for several hours, allowing them to tenderize.⁠ Yum!

Stop #5: Ulaanbaatar (North Central Mongolia)

Finish up your Mongolia tourism experience back in the capital enjoying some of the experiences you didn’t get to do at the beginning and adding on some new ones.

When it comes to what to see in Mongolia, one popular activity is a day tour of the giant Genghis Khan Statue, Terelj National Park, and Aryabal Temple .

The statue is the largest horse statue in the world at 40 meters tall, and you’ll be able to climb to the top.

Additionally, you’ll hike the uniquely-shaped Turtle Rock and to Ariyabal Meditation Temple , the latter of which is a peaceful place known for its beauty and panoramic views. For many, it’s an Ulaanbaatar itinerary highlight!

Shorter Mongolia Itineraries

Short on time? Here is how I would tweak the itinerary if you have less than 2 weeks in Mongolia:

5 Days In Mongolia . If your trip is only 5 days, I’d personally start and end in Ulaanbaatar and spend the middle 3 days in the stunning Altai Mountains.

Alternatively, you might choose to base out of Ulaanbaatar and do driveable trips to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park and Hustai National Park. You could also do a day trip to Elsen Tasarkhai for a Semi Gobi Experience .

7 Days In Mongolia. With one week in Mongolia, I’d stick to Ulaanbaatar as well as driveable trips from the city. Additionally, I’d include 3-4 days in the Altai Mountains.

10 Days In Mongolia. With 10 Days in Mongolia, I’d keep the above 2-week itinerary almost the same except I’d cut Hustai National Park and spend one less day in the Gobi Desert and one less day in Ulaanbaatar.

Bonus Destinations For A Mongolia Itinerary

Are you spending 3 weeks in Mongolia, or maybe you want to swap out a different destination for something else?

You can see a long list of recommended Mongolia destinations here, a few of which include:

Lake Khovsgol National Park (Northern Mongolia). Also known as Khövsgöl Nuur National Park, it showcases 8,865 square kilometers (3,423 square miles) of natural beauty, outdoor adventures, and wildlife like the Siberian ibex, argali sheep, Eurasian lynx, and the gray wolf. You can also visit Lake Khövsgöl — aka the “Blue Pearl,” one of Central Asia’s largest and deepest freshwater lakes.

Tsagaan Suvarga (Southern Mongolia). Also known as the White Stupa, this Mongolia attraction showcases huge limestone cliffs that look like a row of stacked stupas in the Gobi Desert.

Orkhon Valley (Central Mongolia). This is a popular addition to a Mongolia itinerary due to its historical, cultural, and natural significance. Take in the astounding beauty of the landscape and also make sure to see Mongolia’s largest waterfall,  Ulaan Tsutgalan  (Orkhon Waterfall).

Tips For Planning A Trip To Mongolia

The following advice can help you maximize your Mongolia itinerary:

Consider booking a tour. As I stated in the introduction, my trip to Mongolia was with WHOA Travel and their local partner organization, Eternal Landscapes . Both companies were absolutely fantastic and made traveling through Mongolia a lot easier.

Not only that, but having a local guide allowed me to have experiences I wouldn’t have been able to find on my own while also immersing myself in the local culture. For instance, I did a number of ger homestays, and would not have been able to communicate with my hosts had it not been for my local guides.

Hire a driver. While Ulaanbaatar is a typical city with clear street signs and addresses, traveling through more remote places like the Gobi Desert and the Altai Mountains isn’t as straightforward.

I was constantly amazed at how our drivers were able to figure out where we were going when there wasn’t any signage for hours. For this reason, and because the roads are rough, it’s recommended to go with a tour or at least hire a local driver when you travel to Mongolia.

Realize there will be a lot of travel time and bumpy roads. Along with spending a lot of time in the car, you’ll be going over bumpy and uneven terrain. I suggest doing some yoga or stretching before getting in the car, and having podcasts and audiobooks downloaded for entertainment.

Prepare to eat a lot of meat and dairy. During my 2 weeks in Mongolia, I was offered mutton at almost every meal. Luckily, as a vegetarian, my Eternal Landscapes guides were able to prepare special meals for me.

Additionally, dairy is a huge part of Mongolian culture since many people rely on herding livestock for their livelihoods. When you stay in a ger camp, you’ll always be offered some type of milk or milk tea, which is a sign of hospitality. It is rude to refuse, so drink up.

Always carry toilet paper. In the Mongolian countryside and at your ger homestays, you’ll be going to the bathroom in a hole in the ground. Additionally, even in the city, many bathrooms don’t have toilet paper – so make sure to carry your own.

What To Pack For A Trip To Mongolia

Along with your regular packing essentials, clothing, toiletries, and medications, a few specialty items to bring include:

Hygiene Items

• Toilet paper
• Biodegradable cleansing wipes
• Hand sanitizer

Hydration & Sun Protection

• Water bottle or hydration bladder
• Portable water filter
• Chapstick with SPF
• Polarized sunglasses

Camping & Homestay Essentials

• Sleeping pad
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping liner

Outdoor Adventure Essentials

I found these items particularly important when visiting the Altai Mountains:

• Down jacket
• Rain jacket
• Daypack with waterproof cover
• Hiking snacks
• Moisture-wicking base layer
• Hiking boots with Gore-Tex
• Moisture-wicking socks
• Sock liners
• Moleskine adhesive

Other Items To Bring

• Gifts for your host family (optional, but appreciated)
• Portable charger since there aren’t outlets
• Travel insurance — essential to make sure you’re always protected

Mongolia Travel Itinerary Planning FAQ

Here are answers to frequently asked questions about planning the perfect Mongolia itinerary:

Q: How many days are enough for Mongolia?

When it comes to how long to spend in Mongolia, realize the country is large and that travel times between places can be long. For this reason, it’s recommended to spend a minimum of 10 to 14 days in Mongolia to see some of the main highlights.

Q) Is Mongolia friendly to American tourists?

Hospitality is deeply rooted in Mongolian culture, and locals are typically friendly and welcoming to all tourists, including Americans.

Q) Is Mongolia a cheap place to visit?

In general, Mongolia is considered to be an inexpensive travel destination. Budget travelers can expect to spend around $30 to $50 per day, while mid-range travelers may spend approximately $70 to $100 per day.

Q) Is it possible to do an independent trip across Mongolia?

While it is possible, it is highly recommended to book a tour or at least a driver, as roads outside of Ulaanbaatar tend to be unmarked, unpaved, and very hard to navigate. Additionally, a guide can help you communicate with your ger homestay hosts, who most definitely won’t speak English.

Q) What are some typical Mongolian foods to try?

A few traditional Mongolian foods to try include buuz (meat dumplings), bansh (smaller dumplings typically boiled in soup or fried), and khorkhog (authentic Mongolian barbecue).

Mongolia Travel Insurance

When visiting Mongolia — or anywhere else in the world — it’s wise to get travel insurance.

One of the  best travel medical insurance for travelers  is SafetyWing as they’ve got a large network and offer both short-term and long-term coverage — including coverage if you’re traveling for months as well as limited coverage in your home country.

Additionally, SafetyWing is budget-friendly and offers $250,000 worth of coverage with just one low overall deductible of $250.

Click here to price out travel insurance for your trip in just a few clicks .

Final Thoughts On Planning A Trip To Mongolia

I hope you enjoyed this Mongolia travel blog! There are so many incredible places to visit when traveling or backpacking in Mongolia.

Whether you want to use domestic flights to get around, do day trips from Ulaanbaatar, or create more of a Mongolia road trip itinerary, you can enjoy spectacular scenery and rich culture.

And if you follow the above-mentioned Mongolia travel guide, you’ll experience some of the best the Land of the Blue Sky has to offer.

What would you add to this Mongolia itinerary?

Related posts:, about jessie festa.

Jessie Festa is an New York-based travel content creator who is passionate about empowering her audience to experience new places and live a life of adventure. She is the founder of the solo female travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and is editor-in-chief of Epicure & Culture , an online conscious tourism magazine. Along with writing, Jessie is a professional photographer and is the owner of NYC Photo Journeys , which offers New York photo tours, photo shoots, and wedding photography. Her work has appeared in publications like USA Today, CNN, Business Insider, Thrillist, and WestJet Magazine.

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Is mongolia worth visiting reasons you have to visit.

Is Mongolia worth visiting? YES, YES, and YES again! When we arrived back in Vietnam, after 4 months of backpacking through Hong Kong , Macau , China , Mongolia , South Korea and Japan, many people were curious to know where exactly was our favourite destination. Without hesitation, both of us, hands down would say Mongolia! Mongolia is a unique country that will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Here, we have compiled a list of 9 reasons why you should DEFINITELY visit Mongolia.

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Travelling to Mongolia is a path less trodden

Many people have heard of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, but how many people do you know who have been? Probably not many, right? Mongolia is one of those countries that are less travelled , but we think this is definitely going to change over the next few years. Infrastructure is rapidly improving, and the country is becoming more popular and modernized. We recommend you book a Mongolian tour fast before the culture and natural preservations are overshadowed by mass amounts of tourism and international influences. However, for now, the country is still a relatively undiscovered and untouched corner of the Earth.

Make sure to check out our ultimate  backpacking Mongolia  itinerary for more inspiration!

The incredible landscape throughout Mongolia

Is Mongolia worth visiting for its landscapes? Of course! Mongolia boasts landscapes that will blow you away! One of the most interesting things about Mongolia is that it has the lowest population density in the world, and half of Mongolia’s 3 million population lives in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Therefore, the land outside of the city is untouched and ready to take your breath away. Mongolia has a vast amount of open land that constantly changes as you venture further away from the city. From the dunes in the Gobi Desert, the glaciated snow-capped mountains in the west, to the lush green forests in central Mongolia; you are sure to discover landscapes so different, yet so close by like you have never seen before. Honestly, it is out of this world, and it somewhat reminded us of landscapes that are so unrealistic that you would see them in a cartoon.

Go for a Mongolia adventure

Amazing adventures await! A sense of adventure is certainly out there, even for the most well-organised travellers. Once you hop into your old Russian mini-van and leave the city, who knows where you will end up for the night, what you will eat, or what you will see along the way? You could go days before you get the chance to take a shower, eat a nice warm meal, or even sleep in a comfy bed free of creepy crawlies. But what we can be sure of is the amazing wildlife and animals you will see, the kind-hearted families you will meet, and the lifelong lessons you will learn along the way.

The adventure is continuous, with opportunities to watch heavenly sunsets at the top of dunes, ride on horseback through lush steppes and lakes, camel ride into the sunset in the desert, bike through an ice glacier in the summer heat, or sleep under the magical night stars.

Mongolia culture

There is nothing quite like Mongolia’s distinctive culture! Mongolian culture is unique, and you will find no other culture like it. From the fascinating nomadic lifestyle to the colourful and rich traditional dress sense; you will be intrigued to learn more about this captivating culture that has been preserved, despite living in a fast-advancing world. Immerse yourself into the culture by sleeping in a traditional ger with a local nomadic family and eating freshly made goat cheese biscuits and slabs of mutton meat. You may even get the chance to become a farmer for a day, by helping the family herd their sheep.

Go to Mongolia alone and take a break from civilization

Take a break from people! Mongolia is one of the least populated countries on Earth. Once you leave the city it’s not hard to get lost in your thoughts. The mass open landscapes, no houses, no buildings, and no people will truly make you feel like you’re the only one in the world. Find fun in the simpler things in life; like skipping stones in the lakes and chasing goats and sheep off the road. Or even hanging your head outside of a fast-moving van, to feel the wind gliding through hair.

The epic Naadam Festival

Is Mongolia worth visiting for its festivals? Absolutely! The epic annual Naadam Festival takes place around the middle of July and lasts for 3 days. We were very lucky to have had the chance to witness the festival, despite not having originally planned to be there during the festival time. The festival kicks off with a huge opening ceremony that plays out the history of Mongolia. Afterwards, you will have the chance to watch traditional Mongolian wrestling, archery and, of course, horse riding.

This festival has even been dubbed the ‘Mongolian horse racing festival’, for the number of horse races that take place; from wee babies riding horses, to fully grown adults. Aside from being astonished at children as young as 5 years old galloping around on their horses, make sure to feel the suspense as 115+ kg wrestlers take each other to the ground. If you can, we highly recommend planning your trip to Mongolia around the Naadam Festival. Make sure to buy your tickets in advance, as you don’t want to miss out on the day’s events.

The kind-hearted people of Mongolia

Of course, Mongolia is worth visiting for the welcoming people! The people of Mongolia are among the most kind-hearted people we have ever come across. They are just as much intrigued about you, as you are about them. Despite a language barrier, the people will go out of their way to help you, make you feel welcome, feed you, and make sure you are comfortable for the night. We experienced nothing but kindness from our host families across the entire country. One family even went as far as moving out of their bedroom ger to make room for us for the night.

The funky capital of Mongolia – Ulaanbaatar City

The funky, old-soviet style city of Ulaanbaatar is a great place to hang out for a few days. With half of the population in Mongolia living in the capital, you would expect the city to be relatively big. Nope! You can easily cover the city on foot, as it is quite small. Surprisingly, despite the rest of the country living on a farm with little technology, the city is built up. Ulaanbaatar has all the conveniences that you would find at home. The city has a Russian feel to it and is worth taking a few days to explore. Not only is Ulaanbaatar a nice city to spend a few days in, but it’s also the perfect place to start your trip. It’s easy to reach from both Russia and China via train. For more information on how to reach Mongolia from China the cheapest way , check out our post.

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Ulaanbaatar, make sure to check out the latest prices  HERE.

Fascinating Mongolian history

The history of Mongolia is utterly fascinating! If you’re a history sponge, then Mongolia is undoubtedly a country for you. The history of Mongolia spans way back to the 13th century when the Mongols rose to rule the world. Relive the past at the National Museum or follow in the footsteps of Genghis Khan, with a trip on horseback through Mongolian forests, steppes and lakes. The possibilities to unfold centuries worth of history are endless. But a cool place to visit is the Genghis Khan Statue , which can easily be combined with a trip to Terelj National Park .

Essential resources for travelling in Mongolia

Travel Insurance – No matter where you’re travelling to, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re covered for any accidents or losses. We spent days and weeks searching for insurance, but most insurers would not allow us to take out a policy as we were already abroad. Our personal choice is Safteywing . You can opt for automatic monthly payments, just like a subscription. More importantly, it is available in 180 countries and can be purchased whilst already travelling. There is no cap on the duration of travel.

Visa – Before you travel to any country, make sure to check if you need a visa. iVisa is a fantastic website that is super easy and quick to use. Just type in where you are from. and where you are going. to check if you need a visa. If you do, you can quickly make an application online.

Accommodation – Booking.com is our go-to when looking to pre-book accommodation online. Booking.com tend to almost always have the best rates and a FREE cancellation policy for most properties.

Tours & Activities – If you want to book tours and activities online, make sure to check out Get Your Guide . Get Your Guide takes the stress out of booking activities abroad. You will also find a range of benefits, such as skip-the-line passes, lunch included in your tours, and so much more.

Travel tips ebook -Before you head off on your adventure, make sure to download our free ebook. It has a whopping 109 budget travel tips to help you make your hard-earned cash go further. Click here to download your FREE ebook.

So, what do you think? Is Mongolia worth visiting? We hope this list of reasons to visit Mongolia has inspired you to visit this amazing country! It’s quite clear that Mongolia is the perfect retreat for nature lovers and cultural enthusiasts. Don’t hold back from visiting; book that flight, change cars for horses, houses for gers, and roads for gravel dirt paths.

If you’re inspired to visit Mongolia (which you should be), find out  how to get a Mongolian visa  here.

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9 thoughts on “ Is Mongolia Worth Visiting? Reasons You Have to Visit ”

Mongolia looks great and your information is also helpful. I am not sure how it will be to visit Mongolia with kids.

It always seems a bit strange that Mongolia is not that populous anymore, especially as it was such a great empire in the past. I have heard nothing but amazing things about Mongolia and it looks like a must-do for the travel bucket list. That said, I like your short tips on why to visit, nice heads up about the Naadam festival.

I know right ! I do think that it is going to rapidly change in the coming years though. It won’t be long before it is a tourist hot spot. Hope you get to visit one day soon.

I legitimately didn’t need any more reasons to add Mongolia to my 2018 list, but this definitely makes me want to go even more!

Glad it makes you want to go more 🙂 Do you have plans to go this year ?

Neither of us is a huge fan of roughing it, but honestly, the experience you had is almost enough to change that. Anytime you get to immerse yourself in a culture is a true gift, and it sounds like you got that. Amazing!

To be honest, we are not huge fan of roughing it either but it’s totally worth it in Mongolia. The gers are actually really cosy too, when the fire is lit.

Oh yeah! Looks great. I am planning on hitting Mongolia early next year. I have also been listening to a Mongolian band called Huun Huur Tu who are great also.

Awesome ! You are going to love it. Seems like you are getting into the Mongolian vibe already.

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The Ultimate Mongolia Travel Itinerary

Planning an independent trip to Mongolia is a challenging task. The tourist trail is not well developed and lack of information makes it hard to figure out a great Mongolia travel itinerary for first-time visitors.

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Unlike a lot of other places in Asia, you can’t just rock up in the country, pop into a travel agency and hop on a tour.

Our attempts to get information from our guest house resulted in an invitation to join their prepackaged tour. The set up didn’t sound like our cup of tea so we continued our search.

We wanted to pick our own route, set our own schedule, and explore the country on our own.

Traveling Soon?  Here is a list of our favourite travel providers and accessories to help get you ready for your upcoming trip! Book Your Accommodation HERE Search for Great Tours HERE Get a Car Rental HERE Buy Travel Insurance HERE See our Favourite Camera Bag HERE Grab a Reusable Water Bottle HERE or a Filtration Straw HERE Order an eSim HERE

It took us 3 days and many calls, messages and meetings to find a car and a driver (renting your own car in Mongolia is HIGHLY INADVISABLE) and with the help of an ex-guide and all-around wonderful local (who has now started her own company, Explore Mongolia), we finally managed to work out our own Mongolia itinerary that allowed us to see the most of the country .

To spare others the time and effort it took to pull together our Mongolia travel itinerary, we are sharing it below for others to enjoy!

3-Week Mongolia Itinerary

Ulaanbaatar: 2 days.

Start your Mongolia travel adventure by flying into Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia’s capital is an enormous fume-filled city that will excite you and shock you all at once.

UB (as the locals refer to it), is a mixed bag of old and new, of traditional and modern, of hope and despair. It’s busy, it’s chaotic, and it’s not tourist-friendly , but it’s the first stop of anyone traveling to Mongolia .

Despite the obvious lack of appeal, UB is a great place to start your Mongolia travel. It’s where you’ll want to stock up on anything you might have forgotten back home, sort out your trip arrangement, find travel buddies, and have a few last delicious meals (there won’t be too many of those once you get out into the countryside).

Don’t Miss: A visit to Chinggis Khaan Square and a meal at Namaste (UB’s best vegan restaurant).

Gorkhi-Terelj National Park: 2 days

It’s hard to believe that you can find unspoiled nature with great opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, and horseback riding just an hour outside of UB, but that’s exactly what you’ll find in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park.

The park is a favourite weekend getaway for many locals from UB and thus get very busy on weekends and during the holidays.

But plan your visit outside of the busy days and enjoy plenty of trails, side valleys and your first peek at the beauty of the Mongolian countryside. Ger camps are plentiful, so you can plan to spend a night or two inside the park or enjoy it on a day trip from UB .

Don’t Miss: The park’s biggest attraction, Turtle Rock , and a visit to the Aryapala Initiation and Meditation Centre set on a hill overlooking the park.

Baga Gazriin Chuluu: lunch stop

The road from UB to South Gobi is long and bumpy and Baga Gazriin Chuluu , a giant rock formation that seems to appear out of nowhere makes for a perfect stopover. There is a handy picnic site and plenty of space to explore this unique geological wonder.

Admire the prayer flags and views from the top of the rock formations and take a break from a bumpy ride at a convenient spot just a few hours south of UB.

Don’t Miss: Usan Bolortiin Agui Cave and a tiny fresh water spring , hidden beneath a rock. There is a ladle inside the rock to help you scoop up some water to splash on your face.

Tsagaan Suvraga (White Stupas): Sunset Spot

Located some 300 km south of Baga Gazriin Chuluu, along the highway to Dalanzadgad, Tsagaan Suvraga is another great unknown natural wonder found in the Gobi and well worth a stop on your Mongolia itinerary.

The site, also known as White Stupas , is a unique sand pinnacle formation and is another popular stop in Middle Gobi. There isn’t much to see other than the stupas themselves, but you could easily spend a few hours exploring the area.

Don’t Miss: Sunset at the White Stupas is especially beautiful. If you are traveling in your own vehicle and aren’t on someone else’s schedule, hang back and wait for the tour companies to leave (which they do shortly before sunset) so you can have the place all to yourself.

Yolin Am Valley (Ice Field): 2-3 days

Yolin Am Valley was probably one of our favourite destinations on our Mongolia travel itinerary, which is why we suggest spending a few extra days in the area. This spot is famous for its dramatic rocky cliffs and shade clad canyons that prevent ice from melting well into the summer.

The valley remains lush and green despite being located in the heart of the Gobi Desert.  Hikers and outdoor lovers from all over the world travel to Mongolia for this unique destination.

It’s possible to explore the gorge in a few hours but to walk the full length of the gorge (some 8-10kms), you’ll need to start at one end and get your driver to pick you up on the other side.

Don’t Miss: Keep your eyes peeled for ibexes that roam the gorge in the warmer months. They are tricky to spot and even harder to photograph!

Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes: 1-2 days

When you think of the Gobi Desert , you probably thinking of spectacular sand dunes and as you travel from UB to the Gobi, you’ll find yourself surprised to discover that the majority of the Gobi looks nothing like a sandy desert you have pictured.

Khongoryn Els, the largest and most well-known sand dunes in Mongolia, is the exception. At 300m high, 12 km wide and about 100km long, the sand dunes of Khongoryn Els are a force not to be reckoned with.

Climbing to the top of the dunes is possible, but the walk is not easy. The climb takes 45 minutes to 1 hour of an exhausting uphill battle.

Don’t Miss : Spectacular views of the desert from the sandy summit. Plan to start climbing the dunes 1.5-2 hours before sunset to give yourself plenty of time to reach the top before the sun kisses the horizon.

Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs): Stopover

After a night in the Khongoryn Els, the most logical route will take you through Bayangzag, an area of flaming orange sand dunes famous for dinosaur bones and eggs. It’s worth adding a stop to your Mongolia itinerary even if you are not a dinosaur fan.

There is not much to do here other than explore the sand dunes on foot or hire a camel to take you around. A few souvenir shops and drink stands are set up on the edges of the cliff, but that’s about the extent of civilization in this part of the Gobi.

Don’t Miss: A chance to help out the local community by purchasing a few handmade souvenirs.

Ongiin Khiid Buddhist Monastery: Stopover

A few centuries ago, Ongiin Khiid was one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia , but the complex was destroyed back in 1937, leaving behind a set of ruins that can be seen in the area today.

The ruins aren’t very impressive, but the area around the monastery is nice and has a number of ger camps which makes it for a nice stopover en route from the Gobi to Central Mongolia.

Don’t Miss: A chance to stay in a nice tourist ger camp! Since there aren’t too many of them in the Gobi, make sure to enjoy a hot shower (you don’t know when you might get your next one).

CENTRAL MONGOLIA

Kharkhorin: 2-3 days.

Once the capital of the Chinggis Khaan empire , Kharkhorin was completely destroyed in 1388 and rebuilt a few centuries later into what now is known Erdene Zuu Khiid (Monastery). Today, the town itself is nothing exciting, but the monastery itself is impressive and definitely worth a visit.

Don’t Miss: Kharkhorin also has a great selection of ger camps and a big supermarket which is an ideal place to restock for the next leg. If you are lucky, your ger camp might also have wifi.

Tsenkher Hot Springs: 2-3 days

Located less than 30 kms from the town of Tsetseleg, Tesnkher Hot Springs is an up and coming Mongolia travel destination for both local and international tourists.

These natural hot springs are set between rolling hills clad with pine forests and green pastures, creating a beautiful natural setting for a few relaxing days.

And while the natural springs aren’t really set up for public enjoyment, there are four tourist ger camps surrounding the springs that pump water into their own hot spring pools allowing you to enjoy the health benefits of the springs just steps away from your ger.

Don’t Miss: The forested hills of the surrounding area offer lots of opportunities for hikes and nature walks, so make sure you warm up your muscles with a hike before jumping in those hot springs.

Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (White Lake): 2 days

This freshwater lake spans 16 km and offers beautiful views from the numerous ger camps dotted along its shores.

There isn’t much to do at the lake other than exploring on foot, enjoying the peaceful beauty of the lake and sharing some yak milk with the families running the ger camps, but that’s part of the appeal.

Don’t Miss: A chance to climb to the top of Khorgo Uul , a 200m tall extinct volcano located just outside the town of Tariat en route to the lake.

Shine-Ider: 1 day

This tiny town has no reason to be a Mongolia travel highlight, but for us, the unmissable destination was a tourist ger camp , located some 5-10km outside of town.

Set in a small valley, the camp had the nicest gers and facilities we had come across on our Mongolia itinerary and the hospitality of the local family running the camp was unlike any other.

Don’t Miss: An opportunity to join the nomad family herding nearby for some early morning yak milking.

NORTHERN MONGOLIA

Khovsgol nuur (lake): 2-3 days.

Khovsgol Lake will be the most Northern stop on the Mongolian itinerary. This beautiful area is known for thick forests, rivers, mountains and a beautiful lake with crystal clear waters. While the lake never really gets warm enough for Khovsgol to become a beach destination, the area is perfect for hiking and horseback riding .

Most gers are located on the Western side of the lake, where hiking trails are limited and the only way to get around the beautiful forests is by horse, but travelers also report opportunities for a more off the beaten path hiking/horseback riding experience in the East.

Don’t Miss: A chance to explore the forest by horse , as the opportunities to hike on foot are limited.

Have More Time to Spare?

Adventurous travelers and those with lots of time on their hands may wish to continue their Mongolia travel by venturing further north, where pockets of remote ethnic communities still exist to this day.

The reindeer herders (the Tsaantan people) are gaining particular interest among those traveling to Mongolia , but an authentic low-impact trip to their region requires both time (at least 10 days), money ($1,000+/pp), and many days on horseback (there are simply no roads to get up there).

The rest may choose to end their trip in Khovsgol, returning to UB via Bulgan or Erdenet in the North. These towns have no sights or attractions and serve as mere stopping points on your Mongolia itinerary to break up the long drive back to UB, although they do offer an insight into the life of smaller towns outside of the capital.

Short on Time?

It is possible to check out all the destinations on this Mongolia itinerary in just 2 weeks , by cutting out additional days and moving to a new destination every 1-2 days.

Unfortunately, this will make for a VERY exhausting trip as roads in the Mongolian countryside are bad (and in many cases, nonexistent) and distances are much longer than they appear to be on the map.

Essential Mongolia Travel Info 

Traveling to mongolia.

Fly into Ulanbataar to start your trip and organize transport and provisions for the rest of your time in Mongolia. Direct flights to UB are available from Beijing, Seoul and Moscow and start at $150-200 each way.

Alternatively, you may consider taking a train from Beijing, which runs as a part of the Trans Mongolian Railway system. Tickets are $270USD per person and the journey from Beijing takes 36 hours.

Getting Around Mongolia

Assuming that you are looking to experience the above itinerary independently, we recommend hiring a driver to take you around the country and get you safely to all the stops on your Mongolia travel itinerary. Driving in Mongolia is tough. Very tough. The roads are bad and drives are exhausting, and even experienced drivers (like ours) can easily get lost in the vast steppe of Mongolian countryside.

A comfortable car and a driver that’s familiar with the route will make a huge difference in your Mongolia travel experience. Expect to pay anywhere between $50-75 per car, plus drivers allowance for meals/accommodation,and gas. Less experienced drivers or those that don’t speak any English will be willing to accept a lower rate and will save their accommodation allowance by sleeping in their cars.

Where to Stay

Unless you book your trip with a tour company (prepare to pay a LOT more for the convenience), you won’t be able to pre-book accommodation along the way. Most of the ger camps do not have websites or emails, and they don’t take reservations. It’s another reason why a local driver (who also speaks a bit of English) is essential for this type of trip. They’ll need to know where the ger camps are and be able to call ahead to reserve you a bed/ger on the day of your arrival.

What to Pack/Bring for your Mongolia Travel

Aside from the usual clothing, camera equipment and other travel accessories, it is advised to bring a sleeping bag (as some gers do not provide any bedding or blankets), a gas stove (which you can buy at a supermarket in UB along with propane canisters),  a solar charger (electricity isn’t always available), and to always carry a supply of food to last you a few days (canned food, bread, peanut butter/jam, muesli and fruits/veggies work great and can be easily restocked in any small town along the way). Food will be available for sale at ger camps, but if you plan on staying at any family gers, it’s best not to rely on their provisions for meals .

Ready for 3 weeks in Mongolia? Let us know your thoughts on traveling to Mongolia in the comment section below!

About the author.

Oksana & Max St John

16 thoughts on “the ultimate mongolia travel itinerary”.

Thank you for your blog on Mongolia. I need your help since I am planning a 2 weeks in Mongolia in July this year. Since your iternary was for 3 weeks can you help me with places I can avoid and reduce it to 2 weeks. Please also let me know how did you make the booking for car and driver. Please provide me contact number if you have and also help provide me cost. Since I am backpacking and cost is major concern for me.

Thanks in advance

If you only have 2 weeks, we would suggest cutting out the North (Khovsgol Lake), as it takes a long time to get to the lake and back to the city. In terms of hiring a driver, we have yet to write a post about the process as it was a bit complicated, but in short, we suggest reaching out to our friend Shine ( https://www.facebook.com/ExploreMongolians/ ) who helped us organize the trip. We paid $35/person, which included a car with a driver and ger accommodation along the way. However, there was 4 of us in the car, so the cost will likely be higher if you are traveling on your own.

Thank you for this great post. Can you clarify the cost of $35 / person for 4 people was for how many days? Thank you in advance for your help!

It was $35/person per day for 4 people and a 2-week itinerary. You might find prices per car per day or if you are organizing a tour similar to ours, the price will be per person per day.

Thank you so much. Very helpful. Happy new year!

Hi, Great content! I was wondering if you can share more about the car rental and why it took so long (3 days)? Also, please share about the accommodations, you say it is impossible to book in advance? So does this mean your itinerary is somewhat a private tour? Also, if possible, the cost? Thank you so much Monch

The reason the planning took so long was because we wanted a very custom and budget-friendly tour. We met with a couple of drivers to discuss potential routes and prices. Some had unreliable cars, some asked for too much money, some didn’t want to take on the route. We eventually ended up with a private tour for 4 people (us another couple) and we paid $35/pp/day each. The budget included transport and accommodation. The gers were impossible to book in advance because we stayed in very local, small family run gers. They had no websites and often no phone number that could be used to reserve a stay. We simply drove up to the camp and stayed if they had room. If they didn’t have room, we would drive to the next camp and try there.

Hi Oksana and Max.

Thanks so much for your time and effort. You really have given me some great steps and things to think about.

I am researching for myself and 2 mates for next June to August -max 3 weeks. I’ve been talking to a few people with advise on when Nadaam is and yo decide whether that is a priorirty of if another less busy time of year woud be better. Ive been adbised Aug is a great time as well. What are yiur thoughts? I defo had plans to do alot of what is in your itinerary but a driver for the entire journey sounds like a plan – esp if between 3 of us. We were gonna get a driver for the Gobi but it makes more sense for the long term. Tganjs for your time and hope to speak soon.

Regards -Jeff

Traveling to Mongolia during Nadaam is meant to be a great experience. We missed it, unfortunately, so we can’t comment on how that would impact the trip, but do keep in mind that it is the busiest time in Mongolia and will bring its own challenges with accommodation. If you do end up going for Nadaam, we would strongly recommend booking your accommodation in advance.

Why is it ‘highly unrecommended’ to rent your own car in Mongolia?

Well, first of all, we didn’t come across an option to rent a car. And after seeing how much our local driver struggled with driving off road without any signs or directions, we wouldn’t even dare to try that ourselves.

Hello, thank you for your reply. I thought you’d write that your car would be broken into or stolen, or roadside criminals / robbers could hit on you. Have you heard any of such incidents? I looked on Priceline and there are many options to rent cars from Ulanbataar airport but that’s only how far I’ve gotten so far in looking into rentals. Prices are way better than renting in the US for sure so that didn’t scare me but if a guide would be recommended otherwise to be protected from criminal incidents that’s a different story… do you have any insights on that please?

Hi Bela, No, we have not heard of any incidents involving robberies or criminals. Mongolia is a very safe and friendly country and we did not experience locals treating visitors with anything but incredible hospitality and kindness. The reason why it is not a good idea to drive yourself in Mongolia is because navigating the Mongolian countryside is VERY VERY challenging. In the Gobi desert, there are literally no roads and even our local driver had a tough time navigating from one attraction to another. You would also want a local on board to help arrange your stays in ger camps along the way, as there is no way to book these online and no way for you to successfully communicate with local hosts in English. If you need help with arranging a tour or driver/car while in Mongolia, we recommend that you reach out to Shinechimeg from Explore Mongolia ( https://www.facebook.com/ExploreMongolians/ ). She helped us arrange our trip and will be able to help you with yours.

Hi Guys, Do you know the correct contact details for Explore Mongolia? There are two website operating with this name, so I am not sure which is the one you have referenced in the post above. Thankyou 🙂

Yes, you can contact Shinshemeg through https://www.facebook.com/ExploreMongolians/

yes, you did a great adventure travelling in Mongolia. I organize budget tours around Mongolia too.

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World News | Ballot box binge: Votes loom in coming days…

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World News | Ballot box binge: Votes loom in coming days from Mongolia to Iran to Britain in a busy election year

FILE – Residents look at candidates posters two days before polls open in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on June 26, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

FILE- Workers remove publicity poster two days before polls open in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on June 26, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

FILE – A man carries a child near candidates’ posters two days before polls open in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, June 26, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

FILE – Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, center, the most prominent hard-line candidate for the presidential election, leaves after speaking in his campaign gathering in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

FILE – In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, presidential candidates for June 28, election from left, Masoud Pezeshkian, Alireza Zakani, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Saeed Jalili pose for a photo after the conclusion of their debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, June 25, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP, File)

FILE – In this picture made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, reformist presidential candidate for the June 28 election Masoud Pezeshkian, right, speaks as another candidate Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, listen to him in a debate of the candidates at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, June 25, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP, File)

FILE – An electoral campaign board is set up in the countryside for the upcoming parliamentary elections, in Lachassagne, central France, June 25, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)

FILE – An electoral campaign board is set up in the countryside for the upcoming parliamentary elections, in Ville-sur-Jarnioux, central France, June 25, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)

FILE – Leaders of France left-wing coalition for the upcoming election attend a media conference in Paris, on June 14, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla, File)

FILE – Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, left, take part for the BBC’s Prime Ministerial Debate, in Nottingham, England, on June 26, 2024. Even in a busy year of elections, the next few days stand out. Voters go to the polls over the next week in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the stalwart democracies of Britain and France. (Phil Noble/Pool via AP, File)

Even in a busy year of elections around the world, the next few days stand out.

Over the next week, voters go to the polls in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and in stalwart democracies — former imperial powers — Britain and France.

While U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump were set Thursday to hold the first of two TV debates before their expected November standoff, other countries are facing hard choices.

The votes could reorient the world at a time of war in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; mutual suspicion among some big powers; and growing public anxiety over things like jobs, climate change, taxes , inflation and the rise of AI.

National elections are taking place in more than 50 countries this year. India , Mexico and South Africa ushered in political change or ballot-box surprises. Russia did not.

Here’s a look at the flurry of balloting over the next few days in countries that collectively hold some 225 million people in Europe, Africa and Asia:

In Iran on Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is looking for a successor for his hard-line protégé, President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash .

Two hard-liners — former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf — are among candidates that include Masoud Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon seen as a reformist who has lined up with supporters of relatively moderate former President Hassan Rouhani.

Amid signs of widespread voter apathy, Khamenei has called for maximum turnout and has issued a veiled warning to Pezeshkian and his allies about relying on the U.S.

Iran has faced economic woes in part due to international sanctions after Trump in 2018 shredded Iran’s nuclear accord struck three earlier with world powers. Iran has since ramped up enrichment of uranium and now has enough to be able to produce several nuclear weapons .

The Islamic Republic has sought to position itself as a leader of Muslim-world resentment against the West and Israel, which Iran directly attacked for the first time this year. For years, Iran has backed an array of militant groups, including the Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

France wasn’t supposed to be holding national elections this year.

The result could send the nuclear-armed nation into uncharted political territory at a turbulent time for Europe: A victory of the anti-immigration National Rally party could produce France’s first far-right government since the Nazi occupation in World War II.

National Rally placed first among French parties in the EU vote, and polls suggest it could reap the single largest bloc of seats in the Assembly. If it wins an outright majority, it could name 28-year-old party President Jordan Bardella as prime minister .

Macron, whose term ends in 2027, would retain his job but have to share power with a party with historical links to racism and antisemitism that is firmly opposed to many of his positions, including on military support for Ukraine.

The outcome of the French vote remains very uncertain because of the complex two-round system and alliances that parties could form between the two rounds.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Western Europe’s other nuclear-armed power, Britain, will hold parliamentary elections on Thursday.

Like their cross-Channel neighbors in France, Britons appear ready to oust the ruling party: Polls suggest the Conservatives are headed for a historic defeat in the House of Commons after 14 years in power.

On Wednesday, Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer struggled to get their messages across protesters drowned out their answers at the start of a heated TV debate. They traded zingers and barbs on issues of ethics, tax and migration.

Britain, under the Tories, has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in its national defense against Russia and a possible Labour government isn’t expected to waver on such backing for Kyiv.

Starmer may be inclined to mend Britain’s relationship with the EU after Brexit more than four years ago, but he has been adamant that a Labour government would not seek to reverse the will of the people in the referendum.

Nearly 2 million people go to the polls Saturday in Mauritania, a vast desert nation in West Africa that positions itself as a strategic ally of the West but has been denounced for rights abuses.

President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a former army chief who rose to power in the country’s first democratic transition in 2019, faces seven rivals. Among them are Biram Dah Abeid, an anti-slavery activist and third-time candidate, and several opposition party leaders as well as a neurosurgeon.

One of the most stable countries in Africa’s arid Sahel region, Mauritania has seen some of its neighbors shaken by military coups and jihadist violence.

The European Union this year announced funding to help Mauritania crack down on people smugglers and deter migrants from embarking on dangerous Atlantic crossings from West Africa to Europe — the number of which has been rising sharply — and patrol its border with restive Mali .

In the 1980s, Mauritania became the world’s last country to outlaw slavery. But nearly 150,000 people — in a country of under 5 million — remain affected by modern slavery, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index.

Also on Friday is the vote for parliament in Mongolia , a country of 3.4 million people that emerged from some six decades of communist rule to become a democracy in 1990, and is wedged between two much larger authoritarian states: Russia and China.

Voters will choose representatives to a body that has been expanded to 126 seats, 50 more than in the current legislature.

The ruling Mongolian People’s Party, which ran the country during the communist era but has transformed into a left-leaning centrist one, is favored to win.

But other parties could make gains, possibly even enough to force the People’s Party to form a coalition government with the Democratic Party or the HUN Party, an emerging player in Mongolian politics.

Discontent with the government has been fueled by accusations of corruption and l arge protests broke out two years ago.

The Mongolian government has sought to maintain ties with China and Russia while also building new ones with the U.S. and its democratic allies — a delicate task since the two sides are increasingly at odds.

Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal; Angela Charlton in Paris and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

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World news | sjfd extinguishes 45-acre blaze near communications hill, world news | julian assange is now free to do or say whatever he likes. what does his future hold.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gestures after landing at RAAF air base Fairbairn in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26 2024. Assange has returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves the federal court in Saipan, Mariana Islands, Wednesday, June 26 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange waves after landing at RAAF air base Fairbairn in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26 2024. Assange has returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange embraces his wife Stella after landing at RAAF air base Fairbairn in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, June 26 2024. Assange has returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand  — He has run for office, published hundreds of thousands of leaked government documents online, and once lobbied to save his local swimming pool. One of the most polarizing and influential figures of the information age, Julian Assange is now free after five years in a British prison and seven years in self-imposed exile in a London embassy.

What’s next for the WikiLeaks founder remains unclear.

Assange, 52, landed in his homeland of Australia this week after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that put an end to an attempt to extradite him to the United States. That could have resulted in a lengthy prison sentence in the event of conviction.

“Julian plans to swim in the ocean every day. He plans to sleep in a real bed. He plans to taste real food, and he plans to enjoy his freedom,” his wife, Stella Assange, told reporters Thursday at a news conference that Assange did not attend.

Her husband and the father of her two children would continue to “defend human rights and speak out against injustice,” she said. “He can choose how he does that because he is a free man.”

Assange himself has given no clues.

Will he “switch off”?

All friends and acquaintances of Assange interviewed by The Associated Press this week emphasized that they did not know his future plans and underscored the toll taken by his ordeal — in prison he spent 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, following years in self-exile inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

“I just want him to survive this ordeal and be happy. I don’t care what Julian does next,” said Andrew Wilkie, an Independent Australian lawmaker who met Assange before the hacker launched WikiLeaks — and was one of the first politicians to lobby for Australia to intervene in his case.

But some also found it hard to imagine Assange wouldn’t eventually return to the preoccupations that have long captured him.

“I suspect though that he doesn’t switch off, and it’s hard to see him just disappearing to a beach shack forever,” added Wilkie.

Assange was “unable to walk past injustice” said Suelette Dreyfus, a lecturer in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne who has known Assange since he was a teenager, hacking secure networks for the fun of it. Dreyfus, who once lobbied alongside Assange to save a swimming pool in Melbourne, said her friend’s health had worsened during his years in a British jail.

“But I suspect he will not sit on a beach for the rest of his life,” she said.

What is next for WikiLeaks?

It is unclear what will happen to WikiLeaks, the site Assange founded in 2006 as a place to post confidential documents exposing corruption and revealing secret government workings behind warfare and spying. That work led him to be celebrated by supporters as a transparency crusader but lambasted by national security hawks who insisted that his conduct put lives at risk and strayed far beyond the bounds of traditional journalism.

The site remains online, although Assange told The Nation in 2023 that it had ceased publishing because of his imprisonment, and because state surveillance and the freezing of WikiLeaks funds had deterred whistleblowers. Assange’s plea deal with the U.S. included an agreement to destroy any unpublished U.S. documents.

“Will he go back to WikiLeaks and, if he does, will he do it differently? I don’t know,” said Wilkie, the lawmaker.

Could he receive a pardon?

One matter where Assange’s views are known is his hope for a pardon from a current or future U.S. president on the charge he pleaded guilty to as part of his deal.

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said President Joe Biden is not considering one.

Media analysts worry the conviction threatened to cast a chilling effect on public interest journalism. Assange has always insisted he is a journalist and the case could lead to the prosecution of other reporters, said Peter Greste, a professor at the University of Queensland and a former foreign correspondent who was jailed in Egypt for his reporting.

Could he run for office?

In the past, Assange had designs on elected office, making an unsuccessful bid for the Australian senate with his WikiLeaks party in 2013, although he has not suggested he will contest an election again.

“When you turn a bright light on, the cockroaches scuttle away. That’s what we need to do to Canberra,” he told the news program “60 Minutes” the same year, when asked why he wanted to enter politics.

But where the government of the day had despised Assange — a mutual feeling, he said — he was met in his homeland on Wednesday with a hero’s welcome, including from some politicians and a public who had not supported him before.

Analysts said that case and others, along with the renewed focus on Assange, drew attention to a fraught national culture of information secrecy that has been endorsed even by some of the politicians who celebrated Assange’s freedom.

“We have some of the most restrictive legislation on access to public information in the world, and we have no constitutional protection for press freedom or freedom of speech,” said Greste. “I hope that Julian does also get involved in campaigning to support press freedom, and transparency and accountability of information in Australia.”

Even when Assange did address the idea of what he may do next — in a 2018 interview for the World Ethical Digital Forum, credited as his last public appearance before he was jailed — he was typically enigmatic.

“I don’t know,” he said. “No, I mean I do know. But I don’t know what I should answer in response to that question.”

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.

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World | Israel lets 19 kids leave Gaza who are sick or wounded, first medical evacuation in nearly 2 months

Palestinian parents say goodbye to their sick son before leaving the Gaza Strip to get treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. Twenty one patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An amputee Palestinian child sits in an ambulance with his relatives as he waits to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. 21 patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man reacts as he says goodbye to his sick daughter before leaving the Gaza Strip to get treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. 21 patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian children with chronic diseases stand next to their mother as they wait to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. 21 patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian children with chronic diseases sit with their relatives before they leave the Gaza Strip for treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. 21 patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian woman says goodbye to her sick son before leaving the Gaza Strip to get treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. 21 patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinian children with chronic diseases say goodbye to their relatives as they leave the Gaza Strip for treatment abroad through the Kerem Shalom crossing, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 27, 2024. 21 patients in the Gaza Strip evacuated the war-torn enclave in an initiative led by the World Health Organization for the children to receive life-saving treatment elsewhere. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli army tanks are seen in Wadi Gaza, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli authorities say 68 people — 19 sick or wounded children plus their companions — have been allowed out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt in the first medical evacuation since early May, when the territory’s sole travel crossing was shut down after Israel captured it.

The nearly nine-month Israel-Hamas war has devastated Gaza’s health sector and forced most of its hospitals to shut down. Health officials say thousands of people need medical treatment abroad, including hundreds of urgent cases.

The Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, known by its acronym COGAT, said Thursday that the evacuation was carried out in coordination with officials from the United States, Egypt and the international community.

The children and their companions left Gaza via the Kerem Shalom cargo crossing, and the patients were to travel to Egypt and farther abroad for medical treatment.

Family members bade a tearful goodbye to the kids at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. Many of the families appeared anxious — most relatives had to stay behind, and even those allowed to accompany the patients did not know their final destination.

Nour Abu Zahri wept as he kissed his young daughter goodbye. The girl has severe burns on her head from an Israeli airstrike. He said he didn’t get clearance to leave Gaza with her, although her mother did.

“It’s been almost 10 months, and there is no solution for the hospitals here,” he said.

Kamela Abukweik burst into tears after her son got on the bus heading to the crossing with her mother. Neither she nor her husband were cleared to leave.

“He has tumors spread all over his body and we don’t know what the reason is. And he constantly has a fever,” she said. “I still don’t know where he is going.”

The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the only one available for people to travel in or out, shut down after Israeli forces captured it during their operation in the city early last month. Egypt has refused to reopen its side of the crossing until the Gaza side is returned to Palestinian control.

Six of the children were transferred to Nasser Hospital from Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City earlier this week. Five have cancer and one suffers from metabolic syndrome. That evacuation was organized by the World Health Organization, which could not immediately be reached for comment.

At a press conference at Nasser Hospital on Thursday, Dr. Mohammed Zaqout, the head of Gaza’s hospitals, said the evacuation was being conducted in coordination with the WHO and three American charities.

Zaqout said over 25,000 patients in Gaza require treatment abroad, including some 980 children with cancer, a quarter of whom need “urgent and immediate evacuation.”

He said the cases included in Thursday’s evacuation are “a drop in the ocean” and that the complicated route through Kerem Shalom and into Egypt cannot serve as an alternative to the Rafah crossing.

Zaqout said 21 children had originally been scheduled to leave Thursday, but one arrived at the hospital too late to make the departure. It was not immediately clear what prevented the other child from joining the evacuation.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel and Gisha, an Israeli human rights organization, petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court to create a “permanent mechanism” to allow people needing medical treatment to evacuate Gaza.

Adi Lustigman, an attorney with Physicians for Human Rights Israel, said that before May 7, when the Israeli military launched their ground operation in Rafah and took control of the crossing, approximately 50 Palestinian patients per day crossed into Egypt for medical treatment abroad.

The fact that fewer than 70 people left the territory Thursday “after two months the crossing has been closed is beyond tragic,” said Tania Hary executive director of Gisha. “Our sense of it is that it’s just unsustainable in terms of a response.”

She called on the Israeli military to reopen Rafah Crossing and allow patients to exit the Erez Crossing in the northern part of the territory, which had previously been the main crossing for Palestinians entering Israel.

Israel’s Supreme Court will hold a hearing on the petition Monday.

In a post on the social media platform X, the World Health Organization regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hanan Balkhy, welcomed news of the children’s evacuation, but noted that “more than 10,000 patients still require medical care outside the Strip. Of the 13,872 people who have applied for medical evacuation since 7 October, only 35% have been evacuated.”

“Medical evacuation corridors must be urgently established for the sustained, organized, safe, and timely passage of critically ill patients from Gaza via all possible routes,” she said.

Israel’s offensive against Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has killed over 37,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its count. Thousands of women and children are among the dead.

The war began with Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7 , in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, and European Union.

On Thursday, the Israeli military ordered new evacuations from Gaza City neighborhoods that were heavily bombed and largely emptied early in the war. The latest orders apply to Shijaiyah and other neighborhoods where residents reported heavy bombing on Thursday.

First responders with Gaza’s Civil Defense said airstrikes hit five homes, killing at least three people and wounding another six. It said rescuers were still digging through the rubble for survivors.

Gaza City was heavily bombed in the opening weeks of the war. Israel ordered the evacuation of all of northern Gaza, including the territory’s largest city, later that month. Hundreds of thousands of people have remained in the north, even as Israeli troops have surrounded and largely isolated it.

Shijaiyah residents in a messaging group shared video showing large numbers of people fleeing the neighborhood on foot with their belongings in their arms.

International criticism has been growing over Israel’s campaign against Hamas as Palestinians face severe and widespread hunger . The eight-month war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and basic goods to Gaza, and people there are now totally dependent on aid. The top United Nations court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip and Chehayeb from Beirut. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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