In the early 2016, Mongolia celebrated the birth of the three millionth Mongolian people.

Mongolia is placed 121st in terms of global population. It’s the country that has the lowest density of population in the world, with only 1,8 inhabitant per square kilometre, behind Namibia (2,5 inh./sq. km.).

The population growth rate is estimated at 1,2 % (2007). About 59 % of the population is under age 30, 27 % of whom are under 14. This quite young and growing population places strains on Mongolia’s economy.

In Mongolia, the voltage is 220V/50Hz, it’s the same as in Europe but different from the Canadian and American ones (120V/60Hz). The Mongolian plugs are different from the English, the American, or the Canadian ones, so think of taking an adapter. During your stays in the steppe, it will be very difficult to find electricity. But if you sleep in a yurts camp, it will be possible to charge the batteries of your electronic material. It will also be possible to charge the batteries on the vehicle’s cigar lighter. Think of taking an adapter for that. During the self-sufficient treks, there won’t be electricity at all and cars won’t be there with you, so you will have to take a solar charger or a spare of batteries.

We often hear this sentence, but it only depends on what you like to eat. We can assert that Mongolian cooking is not bad; it is only simple and little monotonous, comprising mainly meat (mutton, goat), flour (from which they make pasta, raviolis, bread, or typical recipes like khuushuur or buuz), rice, or potatoes. Regarding vegetables, we can find cabbages, carrots, and onions. At last, dairy products are also very consumed in summer.

For ur part, as far as possible we try to mix flavours, and in that purpose, we have our own kitchens in Ulaanbaatar, where Miga, the chef, prepares with his team some occidental dishes, comprising vegetables. These dishes are vacuum-packed for the needs of the tour. This system also allows us to prepare vegetarian or gluten-free meals. On the other hand, it’s obvious that the longer the tour is, or the more self-sufficient treks the tour is composed of, and the more limits this system knows, because it’s not possible, for example, to keep these dishes for the 18th day of your trip. That’s why we also use a lot of canned foods and starches, rice and pasta (children are generally very glad in Mongolia, promised, no spinaches!) Regarding fruit, it’s the same thing, we use many fruit in syrup and stewed fruit, but as soon as we pass through a village, the guide or the cook go to the market to stock up again with meat, vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes for salads, carrots, cabbages and potatoes) and fruit.

The breakfasts are classic breakfasts, with tea, coffee, pastries and biscuits, jam, honey, spread, cereals, etc.

Moreover, if you have any particular request, we can prepare almost everything (no, not oysters!).

The cook is generally here when the tour includes tent camping nights and has at least four participants, and when the tour includes only nights in yurts and has at least eight participants. In the other situations, the guide will deal with the meals.

During the hikes or treks (pedestrian and horse riding), it can soon become difficult for the guide to manage the preparation of meals, even if you’re only two or three; a help from you will be greatly liked.

For the private tours from four to six participants, you can, for reasons of cost, choose to do without a cook’s services. In that case, the guide will be only the conductor, and you will have to be actively involved in the preparation.

But please note that with six persons, if you decide to have a cook, you will have to take also a second vehicle, whose additional cost is very important.

On the other hand, you can also, for more comfort, choose to have a cook even if you’re only one, two or three participants. Miga, our chef, also goes with the travellers for the luxury tours… for exceptional meals, candlelit dinners, in the very middle of the steppe…

Restaurant in Ulan Bator

During these last few months, the supply regarding restaurant industry quickly grew in Ulan Bator. Nowadays, we can find excellent gourmet restaurants and specialities from the whole world: Italian, Indian, Mexican, Japanese, Lebanese and of course Korean. Unfortunately, some chains like KFC or Pizza Hut appeared too.

Phone. The international phone code to call Mongolia is 00976. It’s rather easy to phone foreign country from Ulan Bator; most hotels have phones directly connected to international.

Outside the capital, it’s more difficult to phone.Nobody will understand your request, unless you speak a little Mongolian or Russian, or unless your have a guide. It’s also possible that phones don’t work.

The regional code of Ulan Bator is 11.

Some international phone cards give instructions in English. International phone cards cost between 5000 and 20000 tugruks.

Mobile phone. The mobile phone net is GSM. If you bring a GSM, you can insert a Mongolian SIM card and call from your phone without any problem. If you don’t want to buy a Mongolian SIM card, note that roaming service sometimes does not work; even with an international contract, you can’t be sure to be able to use your phone via your European provider.

There are three operators in Mongolia: Mobicom, Skytel, and G-Mobile.

The GSM coverage is now getting better. During your tour, you will pass through many covered areas, essentially nearby province cities and villages.

Internet. Ulan Bator has a good connection to internet. Most hotels and guest houses have a performing free wifi. We can also find some cyber cafés, but there are less and less since development of wifi. 3G net works very well.

Outside the capital, you can connect in cyber cafés in the capitals of province. In smaller villages, this remains possible.

Fax. You can send a fax from business centres, in Ulan Bator’s great hotels, paying between 6000 and 7000 tugruks per page. The reception of a fax costs about 1000 tugruks per page. The central post is less practical but cheaper: about 4000 tugruks. Outside the capital, you can forget it.

During your stay in Mongolia, we will often propose you to take at least one domestic flight. In effects, the country is huge and the track often very hard. A flight can easily make you spare three or four days on the road, and this time can be spent hiking or sharing good moments with families. These flights have a real cost, because besides the cost of your own ticket, there’s also your guide’s one and the cost of the driver who will drive, often for two entire days, to join you in Ulan Bator or in the city where you’ll land. Of course, this cost depends on the number of participants, but it generally varies between 180 and 220 euros (133 – 162 GBP ; 204 – 249 USD) per person. If you can afford it, it’s obvious that taking one or several domestic flights will make your travel more pleasant, while travellers with a more restricted budget will prefer to make all journeys by jeep or bus.

There are only two companies left that have domestic flights in Mongolia: Hunnu Air and Aeromongolia. We principally work with Hunnu Air, and more rarely with Aeromongolia, notably to fly towards West (Khovd ans Olgii).

The two companies fly with Fokker F50 that can house up to 50 passengers (and 4 crew members). The baggage allowances is 10 kilograms (22 pounds) in the aircraft hold and 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in cabin. For the hold luggage, companies are not too strict if the weight is 1 or 2 kilograms (2,2, – 4,4, pounds) heavier, but you will systematically have to pay an extra if it’s more than 2 kilograms (4,4 pounds) heavier. But the extra is reasonable since it’s comprised between 1,20 and 1,50 euros (0,88 – 1,10 GBP ; 1,36 – 1,70 USD) per extra kilogram, according to destinations.

Local money is the tugrik. It’s composed of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 1.000, 5.000, 10.000 and 20.000-tugriks banknotes. The face of Genghis Khan or Sukhbaatar is represented on each banknote.

The exchange rate constantly varies. On the 1st of January 2015, 1 euro was 2150 MNT, 1 dollar was 1876 MNT, and one pound was 2920 MNT. You don’t need to change euros in US dollars before coming to Mongolia, euros can be changed directly in Ulan Bator.

Except Ulan Bator and a few other big cities, it’s not possible to use your internation credit card or to withdraw money. You’re adviced to have tugriks with you as soon as you’ll go far from the capital. The Visa card is accepted in more places than Master Card (that is accepted only by the Golomt Bank, Ulan Bator). You don’t need to change money at the airport or the hotel, your guide will come with you to the exchange offices whose commissions are more attractive.

Although Mongolia has a very low standard of living, it remains rather expensive regarding electronic goods, household equipment or farmproduce products. In effects, the country has a very low level of production and is very dependent from the imports.

For your stay in Mongolia, you’re recommended to bring between 50 and 100 euros per person for your personal  consumptions.  In Ulan Bator, a meal in a good restaurant costs about 10 euros and a beer (0,5 liter) costs between 1 and 1,50 euro (1,13-1,70 USD ; 0,74-1,12 GBP). Cashmere is a solid value. A pullover costs about 50 euros (56,71 USD ; 36,22 GBP), and a scarf 20 euros (22,67 USD ; 14,88 GBP).

Do you need a long stay visa? Are you part of the nationals who need a visa to come to Mongolia? Do you want information about Mongolia? You can get in touch with the nearest consulate of Mongolia. This is a non-exhaustive list of the consulates and embassies of Mongolia in the world.

 

Australia
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Level 10, 80 Mount st.
North Sydney NSW 2060, PO Box 1731
Phone & Fax: +61- 2-9966 1922
E-mail: monconozyahoo.com
Austria
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Auhofstrasse 65
A-1130 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43-1-877 3733
Fax: +43-1-877 373 340
E-mail: mong.consulate.viennajagdstiedl.co.at
Belgium
Embassy of Mongolia
Avenue Besme 18
1190 Brussels
Phone: +32-2-3446974
Fax: +32-2-3443215
E-mail: embassy.mongoliaskynet.be
Bulgaria
Embassy of Mongolia
Federek Jolio Kuri street 52
Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
Phone: +359-2-9630765
Fax: +359-2-9630745
E-mail: mongembmbox.infoPhone.bg
Canada
Consulate General of Mongolia
1 Bedford Rd., Suite 1
Toronto, Ontario M5R 2J7
Phone: 416-921-7250
Fax: 416-960-1498
E-mail: monconattcanada.ca
China
Embassy of Mongolia
No 2, Xiushui Beijie Jian Guo, Men Wai Da Jie
Beijing
Phone: +86-10-6532-1810
Fax: +86-10-6532-5045
E-mail: monembbipublic3.bta.net.cn
China
Consulate General of Mongolia in Hoh Hot
Zhongguo Huhe Haote, Xincheng Gu Wulanxiagu, Bldg No 5, Lou Mengg u Linshiguang
Hohhot
Phone: +86-471-4953254
Fax: +86-471-4953250
Cuba
Embassy of Mongolia
Calle 66 No 505, Esguina a 5 ta-A, Miramar,
Havana, Cuba
Phone: +53-7-242763
Fax: +53-7-240639
Czech Republic
Embassy of Mongolia
Na Marne
Praha-6, 160000
Phone: +42-2-24311199
Fax: +42-2-24314827
E-mail: mongemb@bohem-net.cz
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Embassy of Mongolia
Mansu-Dong
Pyongyang
Phone: +850-2-3817322
Fax: +850-2-3817616
Denmark
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
UNISCRAP A/S, Genvindings Industry, Fiskerihavsgade 6
DK-2450 Kobennavn SV
Fax: +45-33-120373
Egypt
Embassy of Mongolia
No 14, Str. 152
MAAD, Cairo
Phone: +20-2-3506012
Fax: +20-2-3414229
E-mail: monemby@intouch.com
France
Embassy of Mongolia
5, Avenue Robert Schumann
92100 Boulogne-Billancourt
Phone: +33-1-46052318
Fax: +33-1-46053016
E-mail: 106513.2672@compuserve.com
Germany
Consulate of Mongolia
Dietzgenstrasse 31
13156 Berlin
Phone: +49-30-474 806-0
Fax: +49-30-474 806-16
E-mail: mongolbot@aol.com
E-mail: post@mongolian-embassy.de
Internet: http://www.mongolian-embassy.de/

Germany

Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Eschersheimer Landstrasse 62-60
D – 60322 Frankfurt am Main
Phone: +49-69-153 096 10
Fax: +49-69-153 096 66
E-mail: pfeildirkaol.com
Germany
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Schachte 39-40
D – 28195 Bremen
Phone: +49-421-176 230
Fax: +49-421-1769 315
E-mail: fischermelchers.de
Germany
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Reitmorstrasse 15
D-80538 Muenchen
Phone: +49-89-21 024 910
Fax: +49-89-21 024 919
E-mail: mongoliapitum.de
Hungary
Embassy of Mongolia
Bogar Utca 14-c
1022 Budapest
Phone: +36-1-2124579
Fax: +36-1-2125731
E-mail: mnkmail@datanet.hu
India
Embassy of Mongolia
34, Archbishop Makarious Marg
New Delhi 110003
Phone: +91-11-4631728
Fax: +91-11-4633240
E-mail: embassy.mongolia@gems.vsnl.net.in
Israel
Honorary Consul General of Mongolia
M. Gellert and Frishtik
LLP, 20 Lincoln St. Rubinstein Tower 24 Fl.
Tel Aviv
Tel: 972 3 5618484
Fax: 972 3 5617272
Cell: 972.50 5566665
E-mail: aorkaby@bezeqint.net
Italy
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Via Giulia, 10
34126 Trieste
Phone: +39-40-575422
Fax: +39-40-575 431
E-mail: consolato.mongolia@net96.it
Japan
Embassy of Mongolia
21-4 Kamiyama Cho Shibuya Ku
Tokyo 150
Phone: +81-33-469-2088/2092
Fax: +81-33-469-2216
E-mail: embmong@gol.com
Kazakhstan
Embassy of Mongolia
Aubakerova 1/1
Alma Ati
Phone: +7-3272-200865
Fax: +7-3272-293259
E-mail: monkazel@kazmail.asdc.kz
Laos
Embassy of Mongolia
Q. Wat Nak Km.3
P.O.Box 370 Ventiane
Phone: +856-21-315220
Fax: +856-21-315221
E-mail: mongemb@pan-laos.net.la
Malaysia
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
45th floor Empire Tower, City Sq. Center, 182 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala-Lumpur
Phone: +60-3-262-1933
Fax: +60-3-2620 933
E-mail: baizurapc@jaring.my
Netherlands
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Notarissen De Cuserstraat 5, 1081 CK Amsterdam-Buitenveldert, Postbus 791094
1008 88 Amsterdam
Fax: +31-20-6449638
Poland
Embassy of Mongolia
Ul. Rejtana 15 m, 16
00478 Warszawa
Phone & Fax: +48-22-849 9391
E-mal: mongambikp@atm.com.pl
Romania
Embassy of Mongolia
str. Faragas-6
Bucarest
Phone: +40-1-6387370
Fax: +40-1-3121325
Russia
Embassy of Mongolia
str. Borisoglebovskaya 11
Moscow 121069
Phone: +7-095-290 692
Fax: +7-095-2916171
E-mail: mongoliag@lasnet.ru
Russia
Consulate General of Mongolia in Irkutsk
Str. Lapina 11
Irkutsk
Phone: +7-3952-342145, 342445
Fax: +7-3952 – 342143
E-mail: irconsul@angara.ru
Russia
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia in Ulan-Ude
Erbanoba str, 12, HoPhone Baikal
Ulan Ude
Phone: +7-30122-15275/20499
Fax: +7-30122-14188
E-mail: mn@cbss.ru
Singapore
Chamber of Commerce of Mongolia
100, St. Patrick Road, St. Patrick Garden
Singapore 424191
Phone: +65-3480 745
Fax: +65-3481 753
E-mail: sukhee@singnet.com.sg
South Korea
Embassy of Mongolia
1-104 Riverside village I-Dong 300-24, Dongbuichon-Dong, Yong san-Ku
Seoul, I-104, Korea
Phone: +82-2-794-1950
Fax: +82-2-794-7605
E-mail: monemburiel.net
South Korea
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
189-17, Onchon 1-Dong Dongrae-Gu,
Pusan, 607-061, Korea
Phone: +82-51-555 81 82/5583 891
Fax: +82-51-555 4715
Sweden
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
Gotabergsgatan 34
S-411 34, Goteborg
Phone+46-31-160770
Fax: +46-31-160770
Switzerland
Permanent Representative of Mongolia
4, Chemin des Mollies
1293 Bellevue/GE
Phone: +41-22-7741974
Fax: +41-22-7743201
E-mail: mission.mongolia@itu.chor mongolia@ties.itu.int
Thailand
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
94 Rimklongprapa road Banksue
Bangkok 10800
Fax: +66-2-2590 359
Turkey
Embassy of Mongolia
Koza Sokak 109, G. O. P.
Ankara
Phone: +90-312-446 7977
Fax: +90-312-446 7791
E-mail: mogolel@cturnet.net.tr
Ukraine
Embassy of Mongolia
M. Kotsibinckogo 3
Kiev 252030
Phone: +7-44-2168639
Fax: +7-44-2168751
E-mail: postserv@monelch.kiev.ua
United Kongdom
Embassy of Mongolia
7 Kensington Court
London W8 5DL
Phone: +44-171-937 0150
Fax: +44-171-937 1117
E-mail: embmong@aol.com
USA
Embassy of Mongolia
2833 M street, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20007
Phone: +1-202-3337117/2987137
Fax: +1-202-298 9227
E-mail: monemb@aol.com or / monconsul@aol.com
USA
Consulate General of Mongolia
6 East 77th st., New York, NY 10021.
Phone: +1-212-4746 517
Fax: +1-212-8619 464
E-mail: mngun@un.int
mngun@undp.org
USA
Honorary Consulate of Mongolia
1221Lamar Suite 1201
Houston TX 77010
Phone: +1-713-759-2922
Fax: +1-713-646-6666
Vietnam
Embassy of Mongolia
39, Tran phu str.
Hanoi
Phone: +84-4-8453009
Fax: +84-4-8454954
E-mail: mondemb@hanoihn.vnn.vn

Mongolia enjoys more than 260 sunny days per year, which means it’s one of the sunniest countries in the world. In winter, the sky keeps its intense blue colour but combines with biting cold.

Spring

April and May are transitional months. It’s spring. The climate is certainly getting warmer but it’s the sandstorms period: being caught by a storm in Gobi desert can be an unforgettable experience. May is reputed to be the most unsettled month; the four seasons can pass in a single day… From which the Mongolian motto: “beware of the morning sun”.

The reward for the traveller is that spring is the period when the livestock gives birth, which entails a great activity in the countryside (shearing-time). If you want to be alone in the steppes and to live at the pace of nomad (transhumance, birth, combing out, cashmere, this is certainly the best period

Summer and autumn

Then come the four most pleasant months for a trip to Mongolia: June, July, August, and September.

From June, temperatures are higher than 20°C (68°F) and it’s pleasant to visit Mongolia. June and July are the most humid months and showers in the end of the afternoons are frequent, notably in Khovsgol.

June and September are the most favourable months to visit Gobi.

In July, the steppe takes her nice green colour and keeps it for about two months.

From the 15th of August, night temperatures significantly drop with frost risk, but the days remain pleasant with temperatures varying between 15°C and 25°C (59-77°F), and this lasts until mid-September. From mid-September, the forests of larches take the colours of autumn, which gives the country a breath-taking beauty. Weather is still dry and sunny, but temperatures begin to drop. It remains possible to visit Mongolia until the end of October, but think of bringing warm clothes, because temperatures may drop under 0°C (32°F).

Snow risk in altitude from mid-August, and in plains from mid-September.

Winter


From November to March, temperatures remain negative, with averages fluctuating around -25°C (-13°F) during the coldest months of the year (December and January). Cold remains dry and there is very little snow in that period (besides, snow is a sign of mild spell). If you have fitted equipment, it remains possible to visit Mongolia. A stay among breeder in that period is a magical moment; the reception is as warm as it’s cold outside. In that period, some activities get possible: hunting with falconers, dog sledge, or attending the Ice Festival.

Coming to Mongolia can turn out to be an adventure. From Europa, five airlines serve Mongolia: MIAT from Frankfurt or Moscow, Aeroflot with a transit in Moscow, Korean Air with a transit in Seoul, Air China with a transit in Beijing, and Turkish Airlines with a transit in Istanbul.

You’re recommended to book quite early to get a better price, flights being quickly full in July and August.

If you have enough time, you’re recommended to travel from Moscow, Irkutsk and Beijing via the Trans-Mongolian. It’s a cheaper solution and a nice opportunity to travel in this legendary train. The journey to Ulan Bator takes six days from Moscow, about thirty hours from Beijing, and a bit less from Irkutsk.

Here is a small non exhaustive list of the things you shouldn’t forget:

  • You should rather take a small limp bag or a travel backpack, because it’s easier to shove them in the cars, on the horses or yaks’ back
  • A small backpack for your dairy stuff
  • Fast drying underwear
  • One urban outfit (optional)
  • Light clothes and warm clothes because the temperatures range is sometimes very important from one place to the next, according to the climate and the moment of the day
  • Fleece jacket, wind-cheater, Polartec-type or Windpro-type
  • Comfortable trousers for hikes, treks and pony treks
  • High socks and thermic tights, just in case, if you travel in May or September
  • Waterproof trekking shoes with grip soles and high ankle. You must feel good inside your shoes, don’t bring new shoes, they could give you a lot of blisters
  • A bonnet and a scarf in case of big drop in temperature (except from the 10th of June to the 20th of August)
  • Gloves, especially if you will ride a horse
  • A raincoat, K-way-type or Goretex-type. Please don’t bring ponchos or other loose rain clothes, because they could frighten the horses if you ride
  • A foulard, bandana-type, a hat or a cap to protect yourself from sun and dust
  • Sunglasses with a protection factor 3 minimum
  • A sleeping bag sheet you will place inside your sleeping bag
  • Biodegradable soap, shampoo and washing powder
  • Towelettes and antibacterial gel
  • Notebook and pencil
  • Batteries for camera or solar batteries
  • A protection bag for your camera: dust is everywhere
  • Paper handkerchieves
  • Knife Opinel-type or Swiss army knife-type, lighter, sewing accessories are always useful
  • Bin liners you can place inside your travel bag to protect your personal stuff from the rain
  • Head lamp (easier to use)
  • A flask for the pony treks

For the pony treks, you may want to add:

  • Equitation boots
  • Equitation pants
  • Sheep’s skin to put on the saddle (optional)

Please note that’s not uncommon that luggage arrive lately the day after your arrival, if not, but rarely, two or three days after. To protect yourself against any troubles, we recommend you to bring a change outfit and to keep it with you in cabin. Also when you travel with your spouse or your family, we recommend you to share your belongings between the different bags. Doing this way, if a bag doesn’t arrive, it’s not all the belongings of one person that will lack, but some belongings of each person.

Please don’t bring new cases, or brand cases. Mongolia is a dusty country and your bags are sometimes manhandled.