Things to Do in Mongolia

About Mongolia

Mongolia slaps you awake with the smell of dry grass and horse sweat riding a wind that never quits. Outside Ulaanbaatar's Soviet-era apartment blocks, the capital ends without warning, one minute you pass the State Department Store, the next you're bouncing on a dirt track where ger districts spill across hills like white polka dots on brown earth.

In Narantuul market, old women peddle fermented mare's milk in two-liter Coke bottles while teenagers haggle over knockoff North Face jackets. The contrast slaps you again: three hours south at Terelj National Park, you bed down in a family ger for budget-friendly rates, listening to horses snort while the Milky Way hangs close enough to snag with a lasso.

Mongolia refuses to pamper, bathroom breaks mean squatting behind the nearest rock, and distances are counted in hours, not kilometers. Yet the addiction grows. You drive for days without a fence in sight. Mongolian hospitality insists you sip fermented mare's milk even when families own little else. Silence between hoofbeats stretches so wide your thoughts echo back like canyon walls.

This is not comfortable travel. Still, it rewires how you measure space, time, and what matters.

Travel Tips

Transportation: Skip taxis for long hauls in Mongolia, they quote inflated prices compared to shared minivans. Download the UB Cab app before you land; it's the only reliable ride-hailing in Ulaanbaatar. For countryside runs, hire a Russian van through your guesthouse, typically mid-range daily rates including driver. The Trans-Mongolian train to Beijing departs nightly from Ulaanbaatar station. Soft sleeper costs more than budget but less than splurge levels.

Money: ATMs vanish once you leave Mongolia's capital, stock up on tugrik at Khan Bank ATMs in Ulaanbaatar with no foreign transaction fee. Carry cash for everything. Even mid-range hotels prefer it. The black market rate at Narantuul market beats banks. Look for guys whispering 'change money' near the north entrance. Credit cards work at major hotels and some restaurants. But expect a surcharge. Keep small bills, breaking larger notes in rural Mongolia is impossible.

Cultural Respect: Never plant a foot on a ger threshold in Mongolia, it divides the human world from the spirit world. Accept offered tea or fermented mare's milk with your right hand, palm up. When greeting Mongolian elders, brace your right elbow with your left hand. Don't whistle inside gers. Locals believe it calls wind spirits. Ask before photographing people, nomads, the older generation still links cameras to Soviet-era surveillance. Bring small gifts (cigarettes, candy) when visiting nomadic families. Refusing hospitality offends in Mongolia.

Food Safety: Street food in Ulaanbaatar is safer than you expect, grab buuz (steamed dumplings) from vendors with high turnover, typically budget-friendly per piece. Skip raw vegetables outside Mongolia's capital; they're rinsed in dubious water. Fermented mare's milk tastes like sour, fizzy yogurt, never refuse it. But sip slowly; it's mildly alcoholic. Out in the countryside, you'll live on boiled mutton and rice. Pack Imodium and antibiotics, rural medical facilities are basic at best. Golden rule in Mongolia: if locals eat there, it's probably fine.

When to Visit

Mongolia's weather punishes bad timing. July delivers perfect days for the Naadam Festival (July 11-15), yet hotel prices triple and ger camps sell out months ahead. June and August flirt with occasional rain, the steppe glows emerald. But horseflies swarm. September brings crisp nights, golden grass, and empty landscapes.

Hotel rates plummet after Naadam. October starts with pleasant days and cold nights, gorgeous, but pack layers. Winter is brutal: January slams Ulaanbaatar with extreme cold, worse in the countryside. Still, the Ice Festival at Khövsgöl Lake in March serves dog-sledding and reindeer herders, with flights far cheaper than summer.

May hurls dust storms that paint the sky orange. April is fickle, t-shirt one day, snow the next. First-timers should aim for mid-June to early September. Budget travelers save big in May or October. But brace for cold. Families should dodge winter, roads turn impassable and ger heating is basic. The Gobi Desert hits extreme highs in July. Yet night temps plunge. Book Naadam lodging by March, or pay July's premium markup.