Nature untouched by man: why Altai tourists go to Mongolia.

From Barnaul to the capital of Genghis Khan’s homeland - 2372.51 km. Many Altai tourists are increasingly choosing this particular direction for travel. We tell you what Mongolia attracts, how to get there, what to see and how much the trip will cost.

Why Mongolia?

Not everyone will decide to rush to Mongolia. Despite the relative proximity to Altai region, the path ahead is not the closest. This direction is mainly preferred by independent tourists.

Mongolia is located on a vast territory, so the distances between settlements are quite impressive, and the quality of the road surface cannot always be called good. Travelers are attracted by wild, untouched nature, national color, gastronomic novelties and unusual landscapes.

And also endless steppes, clear lakes, the Gobi Desert, snowy peaks, and the hospitality of the local residents. Here yurts are not entertainment for tourists, but ordinary life, food over a fire.

It’s not for nothing that Mongolia is called the land of blue skies. There are more than 260 sunny days a year, and in the Gobi Desert it may not rain for several years.

How to get there?

If you are traveling by car from Barnaul, then it is better to split the trip into several days. For example, get to the village of Aktash in the Altai Mountains, stop there for the night and relax. Moreover, the road to the Ulagansky district of the republic runs through stunning beautiful places. And it’s simply impossible to drive without stopping.

For example, you will have to overcome two passes: Seminsky and Chike-Taman, where you must take a photo as a souvenir. This also applies to the place where Katun and Chuya merge, and a few kilometers from the village of Aktash there is the famous Geyser Lake, which has become popular among tourists.

The road along the Chuysky tract is in excellent condition, however, repairs are underway in some sections, so forced stops or even traffic jams are possible. Some travelers say they had to stand for up to four hours before being allowed to pass.

The road along the Chuysky tract, although good, is not easy, you won’t be able to drive fast, and few people want to accelerate on mountain serpentines and winding descents. So you can make the next stop, for example, in the village of Tashanta, relax, gain strength and move on.

What documents are needed to travel to Mongolia?

You need a passport, driver's license, and car documents. But you don’t need to apply for a visa. More precisely: if you are going to stay in Mongolia for less than 30 days, then you won’t need it. If you expect the trip to last more than a month, then a visa is needed.

Of course, the import of drugs, psychotropic drugs and explosives, weapons and ammunition, samples of animal and plant tissue, as well as pornography is prohibited. If you intend to export furs and skins, gold, precious metals and precious stones, as well as items of cultural or artistic value from Mongolia, they must be presented to customs. The cost of each item should not exceed 500 USD; if this amount is exceeded, a duty of 10% to 100% must be paid.

These are not all restrictions, but there are not many of them. Please read them carefully before your trip.

Where to live?

As interest in Mongolia has increased in recent years, there is plenty on offer for tourists. In cities, tourists are offered accommodation in hotels, inns, and recreation centers. Prices vary; on the Internet you can find both very inexpensive offers (from 700 rubles per day) and hotel rooms for 20 thousand rubles.

But outside of Ulaanbaatar and large cities, everything is much more complicated. The only accommodation option is a yurt. Most yurt camps are owned by private individuals. There are both cheap and expensive ones. A range of services from basic camping-type accommodation to luxury options with all amenities. Meals are usually half board or full board. The cost of accommodation starts from 2000 rubles per day.

It is advisable to look for a place to spend the night in advance, having already planned the route.

What is?

National Mongolian cuisine. Everyone's attitude towards her is different. Some people recommend not hoping too much for gastronomic pleasure, so as not to be disappointed. Others fall in love once and for all with tea with cream and salt, koumiss, and lamb dishes. By the way, basically all meat dishes are prepared from sheep, and they also love goat meat. Less commonly, horse meat and beef. The food is filling and fatty. So if you are on a special diet for health reasons, it is better to take cereals with you and cook them yourself.

By the way, food in a cafe will cost very little; for example, for a plate of noodles with lamb you will have to pay about 120 rubles.

When to go?

Officially, the best season in Mongolia is from June to early September. However, travelers who traveled at other times say that Mongolia is always beautiful. The main thing is to take the right clothes. The more warm clothes, the better.

What to see?

It depends on what interests you first. Some come for fishing and scenery, others consider it necessary to visit the Gobi Desert. Mongolia is different for everyone. And this country occupies a huge territory. So you won't be able to watch it completely in one go. Or it will take a very long time.

But there are still places that are highly recommended to visit.

Natural attractions of Mongolia: Lake Khovsgol, the deepest in Central Asia. By the way, it is very popular for fishing and ecotourism. Travelers also choose to visit the valley of the Selenga River, which flows into Lake Baikal. You can also visit the sacred mountain Bogdo-Ula, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, the surrounding area of ​​which has the status of a nature conservation zone. And, of course, if you are primarily interested in nature, go to the Gobi Desert. This, of course, is a drop in the ocean from what you can see in Mongolia.

One lunch or dinner per inexpensive restaurant will cost approximately 190 rubles. In a higher class establishment - about 1200 rubles. Prices for food in supermarkets differ from those in Barnaul. It's more expensive in Mongolia. For example, a loaf of bread costs 44 rubles, a carton of milk costs approximately 62 rubles, eggs (12 pieces) cost 142 rubles. Vegetables and fruits are also more expensive than in Barnaul.

Accommodation, if you are not traveling with tents, is also a significant expense.

Just at the end of last week, I returned from the largest road trip of my life - almost 10 thousand kilometers across the territories of two countries - Russia and Mongolia. It turned out to be three thousand kilometers towards the state border and back to Khabarovsk and four thousand kilometers across the territory of Mongolia. The route through a new country for me looked like this:

As can be seen from the map on which I laid out the route I had taken, the purpose of this trip was to travel to the empty Gobi and visit the most interesting places, which are in Mongolia.

In continuation, there is an accelerated video recording from the car’s recorder, as well as my impressions of the trip, of course in a very compressed format. In the future there will be many notes with photographs and videos, where I will tell you in more detail about the country and the places I managed to visit.

If anyone has any questions about the trip, ask in the comments, I will be happy to answer.

The trip took 16 days(the first half of June 2015), it took 2-3 days in each direction to travel across Russia from Khabarovsk to the border settlement of Kyakhta, and directly across Mongolia there were 11 days of constant travel.

Everything that the car saw can be seen on the video, which is compiled from the records of the car recorder. Here is everything from the Mongolian customs to it on the way back. It is clear that there are no parking lots and other moments when the car was not working. Also in this video there is almost no city of Ulaanbaatar - I traveled there by taxi or just on foot. In general, 11 days of travel still fit into this 26-minute video, which I accompanied with modern Mongolian songs to make it more fun for you to watch.

Now a few words about Mongolia.

It was very interesting to visit the country. Mongolia is kind and simple in everything. The attitude towards tourists, especially from Russia, is very friendly and welcoming. No one refuses to help with anything, communicate, etc.

Drive, even in the capital, is not complicated - the rules and signs are similar to ours, the locals almost follow them. Local traffic police (there are very few of them and only in the center - near the capital) treat drivers normally. There are many cameras installed in cities and towns, but I didn’t see the point in them.

Roads completely different here. There is also completely new asphalt, and of very good quality. Driving along it is a pleasure! But, there are also completely roadless places or places with a huge number of roads (sometimes made by the passage of one car). All roads pass through the mountains, so sometimes the condition of those roads where there is no surface leaves much to be desired. Therefore, if you want to get somewhere, you need to go in an SUV, and if you want to drive around towns and main attractions, then you can go in a regular passenger car.

Nature Mongolia is very beautiful, although deserted. If you drive from North to South, you will notice how the vegetation becomes less and less. And as a result, in the desert itself there is sand and rocky mountains. There are a lot of mountains in general. and from the smallest to the largest - with constant snow. There is a lot of life around reservoirs; even the smallest stream can give life to an oasis in the middle of the empty steppe. We met different animals - camels, gophers, mice, hares, etc. And also a lot of birds.

We were able to see a variety of Mongol life forms - from yurts to the most modern comfortable houses. During the trip managed to visit: Altanbulag, Sukhbaatar, Darkhan, Ulaanbaatar, Terelzh, Zuunmod, Deltsertsorgt, Mandalgobi, Tsogt-Ovoo, Dalangadzad, Khurmen, Bayandalay, Saikhan, Arvaikheer, Kharkhorin, Tsetserleg, Tariat, lake. Terkhiin Tsagaan Nur, Khorgo volcano, Bayan-Khongor, Bayan-Ovoo, Zhargalant, Muren, Khatgal, lake. Khubsugul (Khevsgel Nuur), Khutag-Ender, Selenga, Bulgan, Erdenet, Barunburen. In some settlements we spent the night in hotels, in others in yurts. In the towns and villages where I stayed, I managed to take photographs, and there will definitely be separate notes. There will also be a few notes about the capital of Mongolia - the city of Ulaanbaatar. This is a very interesting and under construction city.

The language barrier- very serious. Moreover, what is interesting is that the letters are almost all from the Cyrillic alphabet, but it is absolutely impossible to understand anything. Therefore, you stare at the names and are completely stupefied. Communicating with local residents is also difficult. But what’s interesting is that some speak Russian, some speak English. And if everything is more or less good with the Russian language, then their English is very unclear, and they themselves understand it poorly. Sometimes you meet very educated people in terms of language. For example, at the museum I met a young guy who spoke excellent Russian and English. Some young people in Ulaanbaatar managed to study in Russia or Belarus, and also speak Russian simply perfectly.

Goods in Mongolia they are very poor in their choice, especially in all kinds of small towns and villages. Products mainly from Russia and the countries of the former socialist camp, and industrial goods from China. They have some of their own products from milk, meat and vodka, which is also made from local products. Yes, and the local beer there is also good, especially the dark beer. Prices for products, about the same as in Russia. And here, petrol, which is imported to Mongolia from our country, is very expensive. Here you had to pay from 50 to 60 rubles for a liter of 92nd. Almost all gas stations accept payment Visa cards. In shops and hotels you can also sometimes pay with them, but not everywhere.

mobile connection is everywhere there is settlements. And here is the mobile Internet- this is already a rarity. However, the Internet that I used in the hotel via Wi-Fi also leaves much to be desired in terms of speed. Sometimes I couldn’t even measure it. Again - in the capital and, for example, the city of Darkhan - everything with network access is excellent.

Customs, both Russian and Mongolian are completed normally, without any problems, although there are some peculiarities and subtleties. In particular, on our side, Russian citizens can enter without waiting in line (because very few of our cars go there), but on the Mongolian side, they asked me a thousand dollars to get through and not have to wait in line, but of course I refused. The inspection on the Mongolian side was superficial; I didn’t even take things out of the car. But on ours it’s different. They may ask you to open your bags, or they may just look into the salon. Naturally, they check the documents for the car, check the license plates at the exit and check them in different databases. There was another such moment on the way back - a lot of Mongols are now going to Russia for gasoline (you can take a car tank and 10 liters in a canister out of Russia), food, etc. And that’s why customs simply can’t cope with the flow, even though they work around the clock. I had to stand at the border for eight hours.

It seems like I told you the main thing, if you have any questions, ask. And I will be preparing new notes from this trip.

Yes, and one more thing - I have now started posting photos from the trip on , so if anyone is interested, you can follow the photo journey there.

I was in Mongolia from June 19 to July 8, 2009. Together with a Polish woman, Agnieszka, who works in Ulan-Ude, we entered the country through the border crossing in Kyakhta (Buryatia), spent two days in Ulaanbaatar, drove along the route Ulaanbaatar-Arvaikheer--Bayanhongor--Altai--Khovd-- Ulaangom - Kharkhorin - Ulaanbaatar. Then I drove alone along the route Ulaanbaatar - Underkhaan - Bayan-Ula and left for Russia through the Verkhny Ulkhun border crossing (Trans-Baikal Territory). We traveled most of the way by hitchhiking, and partly by minibuses and buses.

Advantages and disadvantages

The first plus is the nomadic population, which has preserved the traditional way of life. They say that for the Mongols, life has not changed much since the time of Genghis Khan, and this seems to be true: a large part of the country still lives in yurts, raises livestock, wanders from place to place in search of new pastures, and eats meat and milk. Except that many people now roam in UAZs and Japanese trucks, while the wealthiest people have satellite dishes next to their yurts and solar panels. But the rest is the same - right down to the national costumes, which Mongols wear not on major holidays, but in everyday life.

The second plus is the beautiful and untouched nature.

This is not the dull steppe of the south of Russia or Ukraine, which evokes boredom. Mongolian steppe landscapes are beautiful and varied and very rarely disfigured by human buildings. The plain stretching into the distance on the horizon is always framed by beautiful hills, somewhere you come across picturesque rocks or stones, somewhere the steppe turns into a rocky or sandy desert, somewhere it gives way to mountains covered with forest. And throughout these Mongolian expanses, here and there there are yurts and fat herds of large and small livestock roam: cows, goats, sheep, horses, camels, yaks.

The disadvantages of Mongolia logically follow from the advantages.

Beautiful nature and traditional way of life have been preserved due to the fact that civilization has not yet reached here. Only Ulaanbaatar can be called a civilized city, where there is everything you need for the city life to which we are all accustomed. Most other cities are more like urban-type settlements. The regional center of Mongolia resembles the last Russian regional center, Mongolian regional centers even resemble villages. And between these cities there are vast spaces where the human presence is noticeable only by lonely yurts and ruts in the steppe.

After traveling through Mongolia, Russia begins to seem like a completely civilized country, with many roads and railways, roadside cafes, toilets, shops and supermarkets. When I left Mongolia for Russia, I had a clear feeling that I was returning from Asia to Europe: the last 50 km before the border there was a dirt road with holes and puddles, along which 1-2 cars passed a day, and after the border there was smooth asphalt with good traffic. In a word, it’s nice that we are ahead of at least some country by a hundred years.

The only thing in which Mongolia is noticeably ahead of us is livestock farming.

After you see herds of several hundred animals that have occupied the green Mongolian pasture like locusts, it is not very joyful to look at three or four thin hungry cows wandering near some Transbaikal village. But otherwise, as I already said, our country is much more civilized. Despite all my passion for travel, I still love comfort, smooth roads, fast cars, a hot lunch at least once a day and a hot shower at least once every two days, so I returned to Russia after Mongolia with some relief.

Country information

There is a pretty good Lonely Planet guide to Mongolia in English and a very lousy “Le Petit Fute” in Russian. To get acquainted with the cultural and historical context, I recommend reading Isai Kalashnikov’s wonderful book “The Cruel Age” (the life story of Genghis Khan from birth to death), and also watching the excellent film “Urga - the Territory of Love” (about the relationship between Russians and Mongols).

Visas

There is an embassy in Moscow, and Mongolian consulates in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk and Kyzyl. It is usually difficult to get a visa on your own without an invitation: Mongolians immediately send you to a travel agency. Obtaining a visa from a travel agency takes on average 1-2 weeks and costs 2-3 thousand rubles (including consular fees).

How to get there

Mongolian Airlines (Miat - Mongolian Airlines) also flies directly from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar. A round-trip ticket from both companies costs 20-30 thousand rubles, but Aeroflot sometimes has special offers and sales, during which the price of the flight is halved.

Also, trains Moscow - Ulaanbaatar and Moscow - Beijing (via Ulaanbaatar) run from Yaroslavsky station every week. Travel time is more than four days. The cost of a reserved seat is 5-6 thousand rubles one way.

Another option is to fly by plane from Moscow to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, and from there travel by land. There are buses from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar, and from Irkutsk there is a train to Ulaanbaatar.

Border

There are a dozen border crossings between Russia and Mongolia. They usually work from 9.00 to 17.00. It must be borne in mind that only three crossings are international, that is, residents of third countries can cross the border there. That is, if you are not a citizen of Mongolia or Russia, you will only be able to cross the border in Kyakhta (Buryatia), Tashanta (Altai Republic) and Naushki (Buryatia). Please note that the main crossing, located in Kyakhta, is a car crossing; you cannot cross it on foot, so if you are hitchhiking, you will have to fit into some kind of car at the border.

Climate

The weather in Mongolia is changeable, with sharp temperature fluctuations. In winter it is very cold (Ulaanbaatar is even considered the coldest capital of the world) - from 25 to 30 degrees below zero; in summer it is usually hot - from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. The summer heat is softened by the winds blowing across the Mongolian plain, but they also sometimes create great difficulties. A couple of times it blew so hard that it was simply impossible to set up a tent (and on the plain it is often impossible to find any shelter from the wind). I can’t even imagine how scary it must be here in winter with such wind.

Money

1 dollar is equal to 1422 tugriks, 1 ruble is 48 tugriks. It is better to exchange money for the entire trip right away in Ulaanbaatar. In the rest of Mongolia, banks are found in numbers not exceeding the limits of statistical error.

Like Belarusian rubles, Mongolian tugriks exist exclusively in paper form, so when traveling you get the feeling that you have a lot of money.

Roads

Before traveling to Mongolia, I thought that there were no roads in Russia. Now I realized that in our country there are still roads, and even good ones, because Mongolian roads are a quiet horror. Only from north to south (from Russia to China) there is a decent asphalt road through Ulaanbaatar, plus there are sections from Ulaanbaatar to the west to Arvaikheer with a branch to Kharkhorin and from Ulaanbaatar to the east to Underkhan.

The rest of the roads, including the most important routes connecting the west and east of the country, are usually three or four well-trodden tracks in the steppe that converge and diverge and lead from one town to another.

Between populated areas there are no gas stations, no cafes, no kilometer posts, no road signs, no cell phone coverage - just a bare plain along which everyone drives as they please. However, the quality of the roads is such that it will not be possible to break the speed limit even if you want to, and the abundance of ruts reduces collisions to a minimum. The terrain is usually such that you can even leave the track and drive across the steppe in any direction.

Some people manage to drive on such roads even in simple cars, but it is still better to use Japanese SUVs or Russian UAZs. The latter, by the way, are preferable, because they are very common among the Mongols and, if something happens, you will quickly find spare parts. Mongols also drive motorcycles, Korean minibuses, Japanese trucks, and Russian KamAZ trucks. Foreign tourists They usually travel in jeeps and motorcycles. On the highway we met travelers four times: Poles on motorcycles, an Australian on a motorcycle, a group of Frenchmen in jeeps, and a group of Koreans in a minibus.

If you are traveling in your own vehicle, be sure to have a GPS navigator:

instead of roads there are directions, so it’s quite possible to get lost if you accidentally drive along a track leading to some remote village. It is better to buy a map in Mongolian - then it will be easier to find out from the nomads where you are and where you should go. If you hitchhike, you can basically do without a navigator: drivers usually know the road and drive from one city to another. The main thing is to find out exactly where the driver is going, and then trust him to find the right path.

Hitch-hiking

Mongolia is the most difficult country for hitchhiking that I have ever been to. Nevertheless, hitchhiking here is interesting and fun, and if you have time to spare, you can ride this way.

Just keep in mind some of the peculiarities of Mongolian hitchhiking.

The first and main problem is low traffic. It is very good to drive only on paved roads. The route from the border crossing in Tashanta to Ulaanbaatar (via Ulaangom and Tsetserleg) is also quite busy, although here sometimes you can wait for a ride for several hours. On other roads, cars pass extremely rarely - up to three or four cars a day. So be patient, and also have books, magazines or crossword puzzles - you can at least keep yourself occupied with something while you sit by the highway for half a day. In short, “in my backpack there is lard and matches and eight volumes of Turgenev” - this is just about Mongolia.

Sometimes we were so tired of sitting by the road that we took our backpacks and walked, so many Mongols - drivers and local residents - had the feeling that we were just walking through their country. It’s difficult to explain the essence of hitchhiking to them, so this is even better. Also keep in mind that between regional centers (if this road does not lead to Ulaanbaatar) traffic is very low. For example, it is unlikely that it will be possible to get directly from Ulaangom to Murun, because the main flow of cars to Ulaanbaatar goes further south, through Tsetserleg. And you shouldn’t even try to hitchhike on local roads if you don’t want to get stuck for about a week.

The second problem is choosing the right track for voting.

It’s easiest when leaving a large city: usually a few kilometers before and after a large settlement there is one asphalt road, so all you have to do is leave the city and start voting along this road. The situation is different in the steppe or near small towns and villages: here the ruts can diverge over a distance of up to half a kilometer and choosing the right one from them is quite difficult. Sometimes you can navigate by power lines (usually the poles are located along the main track), but this rule does not always work. It’s best to find some kind of elevation that offers a view of the surrounding area, watch which road the car will appear on, and if something happens, quickly move there. If you wave your arms and the driver sees you, he will most likely stop or even turn and come towards you.

The third problem is overcrowding of cars.

During the trip, we only traveled twice in a car with one driver. Usually, in addition to him, there are passengers in the car who, as a rule, occupy all the seats. It’s interesting that cars stop even if they’re crowded (to find out if something happened to you), but it’s not always possible to get into a stopped car. Sometimes we had to ride in a car with four or five of us in the back seat, with a Mongolian child sitting on our laps, sometimes we had to lie on luggage in the back of a truck, covered in dust and sand, sometimes we had to sit on a sleeping bag in the cab of a truck, slightly crowding out a bunch of things and distant relatives the driver he took with him. In short, don't expect comfort.

And the fourth problem is the lack of money of the local population.

In principle, everyone expects money for a ride, but most are persuaded to give a ride for free. “No money” in Mongolian is “mungo baikhgo.” It’s always worth saying these words once or twice before getting into the car. Only four times did drivers, having heard such a phrase, drive on in disappointment - and all these times it happened on a busy section of the highway, where we quickly caught the next car. In other places, drivers understand that you’ll have to wait another half a day for the next car, and after some hard thinking they still nod and say, get in. However, truck drivers and wealthy Ulaanbaatar residents in jeeps do this without much hesitation. But it’s still a little difficult - especially after Russia, where almost none of the drivers ask hitchhikers about money (for example, I no longer even warn that I’m driving for free).

If funds do not allow, but time allows, use a bicycle - it will not be much slower, and if you are an experienced biker, then maybe even faster than hitchhiking. For example, we covered the 390 km section from Bayankhongor to Altai in three days. And the section from the city of Bayan-Uul to the Verkhniy Ulkhun border crossing, 49 km long, took me a whole day (here I could have walked here in the same time).

But no matter how difficult hitchhiking in Mongolia may be, it still helps you get to know local life better and communicate with Mongols, many of whom speak Russian. So if the listed difficulties do not bother you, pack your backpack and go ahead.

Regular transport

Only in Ulaanbaatar there is some semblance of bus stations from which buses go to different regional centers according to a certain schedule and tariffs. In other cities, buses travel as best they can.

Guidebooks recommend looking for minibuses at the city market. There you can also find drivers who travel to other cities and are looking for travel companions to offset expenses. For some reason, Lonely Planet calls this exactly “hitch-hiking”, that is, it recommends going to the market and finding such a car. I don’t know, in my opinion, traditional hitchhiking is still more effective.

It was quite difficult to navigate bus prices. For example, from Ulaanbaatar to Luna (130 km) we traveled for 6 thousand tugriks, but from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan (220 km) my travel companion traveled for the same money. Although, maybe the point is that to Darkhan you need to drive along an asphalt road, and part of the way to Lun is the already described track in the steppe.

Overnight

Everyone who travels to Mongolia should definitely spend the night with nomads at least once. This is easy to do, just go to the yurt in the steppe and politely ask to visit. During our only registration in the yurt, we generally acted very delicately: we asked if it was possible to put up a tent next to the yurt, but then, while we were sitting and resting after a hot day, we were invited into the yurt itself. In general, if you find yourself in the steppe and there is a yurt nearby, feel free to ask to visit. It is better to take sweets and chocolates in advance to give to the children. Put something on the table for tea and everyone will be happy. If you're lucky, you'll get a hearty dinner.

Another a good option overnight stays - roadside cafes.

Almost everyone has one or several large beds 4-5 meters wide, where anyone who orders dinner or breakfast at this eatery can spend the night for free (usually dinner for one costs 2-3 thousand tugriks). True, several more people will sleep on the same bed, but I don’t think this will bother free travelers if they have their own sleeping bag.

IN major cities There are also hotels. We stayed there twice. In the city of Arvaikheer, a double room cost 11 thousand tugriks, in Altai 15 thousand tugriks. The first hotel did not have a shower, the second did not have hot water. But if anything, in cities you can find public baths and take a shower there for 1-2 thousand tugriks.

In places that are especially popular among tourists, there are guesthouses and hostels, including some kind of yurt camping (several yurts in which you can spend the night). However, for those who spent the night in a real yurt, this will not be particularly interesting: inside there are no attributes of a nomadic life, only a few beds and bedside tables. In Kharkhorin, such a guesthouse cost 5 thousand tugriks per person.

And, of course, there is a huge selection of overnight accommodations in Ulaanbaatar.

Firstly, this is the only city where more or less active members of Hospitalityclub and Couchsurfing live, so you can easily find free accommodation for the night. Secondly, there are hotels, hostels, guest houses for every taste and budget.

Food

Vegetarians have nothing to do in Mongolia. All vegetables and fruits are imported from China, and the Mongols themselves make and eat almost everything from meat or milk. Only in Ulaanbaatar can you find vegetable salads; in other places such luxury is rare. I have always been a meat eater and anti-vegan, but now I even began to feel nostalgia for vinaigrette or tomato-cucumber salad. So be prepared, if you can’t stand meat at all, to buy the necessary products in Ulaanbaatar and take them with you.

The most popular dish in Mongolia is buuz, known to those who have visited the Irkutsk region or Buryatia under the name “pozy”.

This is finely minced meat, wrapped in dough and steamed. A very tasty and nutritious thing. To fill up, 4-5 pieces were enough for me. They usually cost 300 tugriks per piece. Another popular food is khushuur, which resembles our cheburek and costs 300-400 tugriks apiece. Also popular is tsuiwan, noodles with pieces of meat and potatoes. It costs 2-2.5 thousand tugriks. We mainly ate these three dishes during our trip.

There are also a lot of interesting dairy dishes in Mongolia, but, as a rule, they are not sold in canteens - we were treated to them either in yurts or in cars.

I especially remember the cheese, which tastes like cottage cheese, very tasty creamy butter and a low-alcohol milk-based drink reminiscent of kumiss. The main non-alcoholic drink is tea with milk. I didn’t like him in Ulaanbaatar, but then, for lack of a choice, I had to love him. It is usually served without sugar, lightly salted (however, I didn’t particularly feel the salt). In the capital, a little oil is also added to tea, but in the provinces this is not the case. A very nutritious thing. It costs 100-200 tugriks per cup, and sometimes it is served for free.

As in all other aspects, Ulaanbaatar and the rest of Mongolia are two very different things.

In the capital, the choice of food is large and varied. There are both cheap canteens with the dishes and prices mentioned above, and pretentious restaurants with Italian, Japanese and other cuisines for every taste and pocket. Once we even wandered into a vegetarian cafe.

A cheap eatery can usually be identified by the word "gazar" on the sign.

As for products, there is also a big difference between the capital and the province. In Ulaanbaatar there are many shops and supermarkets with a good selection of products, in other cities there are mainly small shops, the choice of which is smaller than in any Russian village store. Their usual set is soda, vodka, chocolate cookies and, if you're lucky, a huge piece of meat in the refrigerator. Even bread is rare. The store can be identified by the word "delguur" on the sign.

Cafes and large shops are found only in cities, therefore, given the quality of the roads and low traffic, it is better to always have a supply of water and food with you for at least one day.

Language

Quite a lot of people speak Russian in Mongolia. One time we were even given a ride by a graduate of the philology department. Of the drivers we met, most knew at least a few words and phrases in Russian, and with about every third it was even possible to communicate quite well.

But still, you shouldn’t specifically count on the fact that you will come across Russian-speaking Mongols.

Try to learn a little Mongolian, it will make your life much easier when traveling and help you get to know local life much better. Unfortunately, I knew only a few important phrases for a traveler, and I supplemented the rest with Russian words and gestures. But if with gestures I could still say “is it possible to put up a tent here?” or “stop here, please,” then asking more complex and interesting questions (“how do nomadic children go to school?”, “what do you use to heat the stove?”, etc.) was no longer possible.

People know English much worse than Russian. Mostly educated youth, metropolitan beggars and tourism workers can boast of this.

Internet and communications

There are several mobile operators, of which Mobicom was recommended to us. Naturally, cellular communications are not available on the road, but almost all large and small settlements have coverage. One or two Internet cafes can be found in most regional centers and are abundant in Ulaanbaatar.

As a geographer, I am interested in the natural and cultural diversity of this amazing corner of our planet. This is my first year living in Mongolia and I have already fallen in love with this country with all my heart!

Most people have at least some idea about Mongolia. This is a country of snow-white yurts, wild nomads and eternal blue skies.

Traditional nomadic dwelling - felt yurt

Along with these associations, there are a lot of moldy stereotypes that still frighten tourists from all over the world. The most common question I often hear is: “Is there even Internet in Mongolia?” Another popular stereotype: the entire population is nomadic and lives only in yurts. The list of such strange guesses can be continued endlessly. So, with this post I would like to put checkmate to those who still live in the world of stereotypes and fears regarding modern Mongolia.

View of Ulaanbaatar at night

Yes, the country of the steppes has indeed carefully preserved the culture of its ancestors. The life, clothing, food and traditions of this nomadic people, having passed through centuries, entered the modern world without losing their originality. The real Mongolia of today is an amazing mixture of traditions and technologies: yurts and skyscrapers, ancient Buddhist temples and street graffiti, traditional clothing and the world's most expensive cashmere, endless open spaces and high-speed Internet.

Genghis Khan Square was formerly called Sukhbaatar Square

Mongolia has mostly sunny days all year round, and the capital is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. So for me, Mongolia, first of all, is an incredible source of inspiration.

The spirit of Asia is everywhere here. Eastern leisurely life, youth street fashion, adherence to traditions, street vendors - all these are distinctive features of the Asian country. It is worth visiting Mongolia in order to see another life, look into the face of harsh Asia, and come into contact with nomadic exoticism. In addition, you don’t have to travel across a hundred seas for vivid impressions; they are all concentrated on the territory of the neighboring state - Mongolia.

Come to Mongolia and experience real steppe hospitality.

Visa and border crossing

Feel free to pack your bags for the land of eternal blue skies if you are planning a short trip, the duration of which will not exceed 30 days. Work has been underway between Russia and Mongolia for a long time to facilitate border crossing, and in November 2014 a visa-free regime was finally introduced.

A visa is not required in cases where the purpose of the trip is tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or a business trip. However, you will not be allowed to abuse hospitality; for example, your stay in the Mongolian steppes should not exceed 90 days within six months.

As I write this text, my day counter is also ticking, and 90 days of my stay are coming to an end. When I went through customs for the last time, the Mongolian employees politely hinted to me that it was time for me to get a visa. Since I almost moved to Mongolia for permanent residence (all that remained was to pick up my Mongolian visa from Russia), I had to actively storm the Mongolian Consulate in Russia. In general, if there are compelling circumstances (work, study, marriage), nothing complicated. For those who want to apply for a study, work or private visa for a long or short period of time - here are the addresses and cost of visas.

You can apply for a visa in the following cities:

1. Consular Section of the Mongolian Embassy in Moscow (Spasopeskovsky Lane, 7/1);
2. Consulate General of Mongolia in Irkutsk (Lapina St., 11);
3. Consulate General of Mongolia in (Profsoyuznaya str., 6);
4. Consulate General of Mongolia in Kyzyl (Internatsionalnaya St., 9);
5. Honorary Consulate of Mongolia in Yekaterinburg (Marshal Zhukov St., 3).

According to the official price list of the Mongolian government duty rates are:

• Entry - exit visa (one time / two times) - 18 USD / 34 USD;
• Multiple-entry visa - 40 USD;
• Long-term visa (6 months / 6–12 months) - 53 USD / 106 USD.

Crossing the Mongolian border is a simple and hassle-free task. In my case, the bus to Ulaanbaatar goes through an international 24-hour checkpoint in the city of Kyakhta. It should be noted that this point is intended only for motorists; it will not be possible to go on foot; you will have to look for a car to cross the border (dedicated to lovers of hitchhiking).

In order to cross the border, you only need a valid passport. Upon entry, you are asked to fill out a customs declaration if you have goods and products with you that require declaration.

What is prohibited to transport (import and export) across the Mongolian border:

• explosives and radioactive substances;
• narcotic substances;
• materials containing pornography;
• materials directed against Mongolia (publications, photos, videos);
• paleontological and archaeological finds;
• meat and fish without permission from the Mongolian side;
• metal detectors (in order to prevent illegal excavations and looting of cultural and historical monuments of Mongolia);
• any type of weapon (I took with me my favorite switchblade, which is classified as a bladed weapon. After going through an unpleasant 50 minutes of conversation with a customs officer, I returned to the bus full of passengers dissatisfied with the delay).

Here are the rules for transporting alcohol and tobacco products:

• Alcohol - no more than 3 liters, moreover, vodka no more than 1 liter, wine 2 liters, and beer 3 liters.
• Tobacco - no more than 200 cigarettes and 250 grams of tobacco.

My advice to lovers of traveling with pets is to take an international veterinary certificate. My cat, for example, was vaccinated and had documents from a private veterinary clinic, but they did not correspond to the established standards, and I had to postpone transporting the pet.

Another little life hack for those who don’t like to wait: keep a regular ballpoint pen nearby. At customs they let you fill it out migration card and, as often happens, there are many tourists, but only one handle. There are serious queues and battles for possession of it, and customs officers cheerfully look at this performance, assuring that they have no more pens.

So, having overcome an average of 1-2 hours of customs control, my bus stops in the Mongolian border town of Altanbulag (translated from Mongolian as “golden spring”), where you can have a very good meal in the cafe of the Altan Plaza Hotel. My average bill was 200 rubles.

Those who cross the air border will be pleasantly surprised by the modern and convenient Chinggis Khan International Airport, where Newest technologies customs inspection. From here you can get to the most remote corners of Mongolia.

How to get there

In my childhood they often said: “A chicken is not a bird, Mongolia is not a foreign country.” I understood this phrase as a hint about the accessibility of the nearby country. Indeed, getting to this neighboring Asian country will not be difficult. The direct distance between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar is 4,645 km.

In general, there are two route options from Moscow. The first one is quite easy, but at the same time very boring: board a plane at Sheremetyevo and after 6 hours of flight end up in Ulaanbaatar. The second is more exciting and educational: fly to the sunny Republic of Buryatia, look around the friendly place and then take the bus to Ulaanbaatar. In the latter case, you will be able to get acquainted with the Buryat culture, whose roots go back to Mongolia. There is a third option for the development of events: he will land in the city of Irkutsk, visit Lake Baikal, and then get comfortable on the Irkutsk-Ulaanbaatar train.

By plane

From Moscow you can get to Ulaanbaatar direct flight by airplanes of Aeroflot and MIAT Mongolian Airlines.

Aeroflot operates daily non-stop flights, the average flight duration is 6 hours. The cost of a one-way ticket starts from 300 USD (20,000 RUR) and goes up to 3,000 USD.

I would say that the prices are quite affordable for an international flight, because flights such as Moscow - Irkutsk on average reach the same 300 USD.

The s7 company operates interesting flights with two transfers: - - - Ulaanbaatar or - - - Ulaanbaatar. Such a “fun” one-way trip will cost about 800 USD. There are transit options from Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk - Ulgii), as well as from China (- Ulaanbaatar). The Chinese option costs 350 USD, and this is only one way from Beijing.

Direct flights to Ulaanbaatar are also available from the nearby Russian cities of Irkutsk and. As a rule, planes of the Mongolian airlines Eznis Aairways and Aeromongolia fly.

In any of the options, the traveler will fly to the main airport of the country Genghis Khan.

It is located 15 km from the city. It is better to get to the center by public transport, for example, a bus; the ticket price is less than 0.2 USD, which will be much cheaper than by taxi (5–10 USD).

You can find out more accurate information about ticket prices and flight options for your dates.

By train

You can also come to Mongolia by train. The train to Ulaanbaatar departs from Yaroslavsky Station every Wednesday and Thursday and arrives in Ulaanbaatar after 98 hours on Monday and Tuesday. By train the distance will be approximately 6,200 km. The railway checkpoint is located in Naushki. The cost of a ticket in economy class is 300 USD, in first class - 450 USD.

There is also another daily train that runs along the route -. It passes through the Mongolian cities of Suhebaatar, Darkhan, Ulaanbaatar, Choir, Erlian and goes to. The cost is approximately the same, but there is a possibility that the carriages will be much more full than on the train to Ulaanbaatar.

Please note that tickets for international flights cannot be purchased online, you will have to buy only through international ticket offices.

As I wrote above, you can fly from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Irkutsk or take the train. Train Station Irkutsk Passazhirsky is located on the street. Chelnokova, 1. The daily train Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar departs from Irkutsk at 16:32 Moscow time and covers 1,114 km in 32 hours.

Cheap accommodation options (hostels) are concentrated everywhere near the station. Please note that the social network Facebook is incredibly popular in Mongolia. The hotel or hostel may not have its own website, but you can definitely find their Facebook page and be able to book online. You can find a suitable hostel for yourself, for example, on, and it’s convenient to search for apartments here.

By bus

The easiest way to get to Mongolia by bus is again from. International bus transportation between Ulaanbaatar and Ulaanbaatar is carried out by a Mongolian transportation company Juulchin World Tours. All the buses in their fleet are Korean, so they are quite comfortable: large reclining seats, air conditioning, a warm stove in the winter, but without WiFi and a dry closet. Buses depart daily at 07:00 am from the Yuzhny bus station, which is located in the very center of Ulan-Ude.

Travel time depends on the time of customs clearance, road conditions, and weather conditions. On average it takes about 12–13 hours. The bus stops 5 times along the way, only once for lunch break. The price for a one-way ticket is quite attractive - 1,500 rubles.

In Ulaanbaatar, the bus arrives at the Dragon bus station, which is 7 km from main square. You can get from the bus station to the center by anything: buses, trolleybuses and taxis. Choose what is more comfortable for you, but I choose the trolleybus, which is the cheapest public transport.

And now attention, another life hack for those who like to save money! I strongly recommend that you immediately buy a return ticket to Ulan-Ude at the bus station, that is, purchase round-trip tickets right away. This will save you a significant amount, since at the Mongolian bus station Ulaanbaatar tickets are more expensive than Ulan-Ude - Ulaanbaatar tickets. The difference sometimes reaches 1,000 rubles and is connected, as they explained to me at the ticket office of the Mongolian bus station, with the difference in gasoline prices.

By car

Many people prefer to travel on their wheels. Traveling to Mongolia with your own car is not particularly difficult. At the border they give you standard forms for drivers to fill out. Customs inspection takes place quite quickly.

The only thing that needs to be taken into account is the qualitative difference between Russian and Mongolian roads. Example: a bus from Ulaanbaatar travels at an average speed of 90 km/h, or even 100 km/h to the border post in Kyakhta, after crossing the border, on the Mongolian side the average speed does not exceed 60 km/h. Draw your own conclusions, I’m not a driver, but I can say with confidence that the quality of roads in Mongolia leaves much to be desired.

Here is the road route from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, passing through the Chuisky tract and Altai. You can create any route yourself, depending on your location.

By ferry

Unfortunately, the country is landlocked. Although the Mongolian authorities are now vigorously discussing options for leasing Chinese ports for long periods. Let's hope that one day Mongolia will take control of the sea routes too.

Tourist regions

The homeland of Genghis Khan is known throughout the world for its rich cultural and historical heritage of nomads, as well as its amazing open spaces untouched nature. That is why a stream of tourists, travelers, and researchers come to Mongolia every year, arriving here with completely different goals and interests. Consequently, I would carry out the tourist zoning of Mongolia based on areas of tourism such as: environmental, scientific, sports, religious, etc. But speaking in general, the following regions are considered especially attractive for the majority of tourists:

CENTRAL AIMAK AND THE CAPITAL

The capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, is located as an enclave in the central aimag of Tuv. All tourists who travel around Mongolia end up here. Despite all the stereotypes, Ulaanbaatar is quite an advanced capital, perfectly combining the ancient and the modern. I recommend starting your trip to museums with the ancient temple complex, and now the Choyjin Lamyn Sum Museum.

What to do: visit the capital's museums and temples, go to the Mongolian "Jurassic Park", climb Mount Bogd-Uul.

For lovers active rest I will really like the location of the capital among the mountain peaks. In the vicinity of the city there are two significant national parks: Gorkhi-Terelzh is the most famous and beloved among tourists, a kind of “Jurassic Park” in Mongolian, as well as Bogd Khan Uul, the patron mountain of the capital, protected since the time of Genghis Khan, which is on the preliminary UNESCO World Heritage List.

GOBI

This largest desert in Asia is one of the main attractions of the country. Gobi is pronounced "gov" in Mongolian and is applied to any desert/semi-desert landscape. Only 2% of the territory of this desert is represented by sand dunes and dunes familiar to us, the rest is different kinds rocky semi-desert landscapes.

What to do: ride camels, “loaves” (UAZ), look for dinosaur eggs, study endemic Gobi animals, visit the energy center - the entrance to Shambhala.

These mountainous landscapes are home to Gobi endemics: the critically endangered Gobi Mazaalai bear; Darwin's argali - Gobi mountain sheep, wild camel.

The Gobi is a real paleontological treasure trove of the world. So in the 1920s. During many scientific expeditions to the Gobi, the first dinosaur eggs were discovered; before that, people had no idea that dinosaurs laid eggs. In Soviet times, paleontologists found a huge number of complete skeletons of reptiles. Mongolia's largest dinosaur skeleton, Tarbosaurus baatar, stands in the Nature Museum in Ulaanbaatar.

Another equally interesting phenomenon of the Gobi is one of the three entrances to the mystical country of Shambhala. According to legend, Shambhala is a country where higher beings live, as well as the energy center of the world. 38 km from the town of Saishand, Dundgovi aimag, Hamriin Khiid is located - a monastery built by the Buddhist enlightener Danzanravja in the 19th century. It is here that one of the entrances to Shambhala, which the Russian scientist Nicholas Roerich was once looking for, is located.

MONGOLIAN ALTAI

The western aimags of Bayan-Ulgii (Rich Cradle), Uvs, Khovd are among the most remote from the capital of the country. The nature here is not affected by industry and there is no tourist influx. The local population density does not exceed 1 person/m². Perfect for those who value solitude in the mountains, immersion in wildlife.

What to do: conquer mountains, contemplate the beauty of glaciers and alpine meadows, meditate on top of a Buddhist shrine, fish in high-mountain lakes, listen to the ancient music of the Uriankhians.

A remarkable feature of the region is the opportunity to get acquainted with the culture of various ethnic groups of the Oirats. For example, the Mongolian tribe of the Altai Uriankhians owns ancient technology traditional playing of the tsuur flute. This is an upright woodwind instrument that is typically used to bring good luck in business and ward off misfortune in travel. The melodies reflect the inner state of a lonely traveler and connect a person with nature. At the moment, only 40 Uriankhai Mongolian families own the tsuur game, which is included in the List of Intangibles cultural heritage humanity UNESCO.

KHUBSUGUL AIMAK

Khuvsgul (Khuvsgel) is a lake that foreigners admiringly call the dark blue pearl of Mongolia, and Russians call it the younger brother of Baikal.

What to do: try ice diving, ride a ferry, take pictures with real deer, meet the Tsaatans.

The ancient alpine lake is a popular destination for domestic tourism. Every Mongolian family strives to get here during the holidays. Therefore, the travel service is very advanced and offers many exciting tours. Fans of diving, especially ice diving, will be fascinated by this lake. Transparent water and visible snowy peaks will not leave anyone indifferent.

Another amazing ethnic group living in Mongolia is the Tsaatan. Based on the name of the people, which literally translates as “those who own deer,” we can conclude that you will not only meet amazing people, but also their deer. The Tsaatans live only in the Khubsugul aimak and are mainly engaged in reindeer herding. IN Lately Tsaatans are also actively involved in the tourism business. So, you can take a photo with the deer and with the Tsaatans themselves in their traditional attire.

Top cities

Speaking about the cities of Mongolia, it should be noted that the Mongols call Ulaanbaatar “hot”, which means “city”. And if someone says: “I’m going to the city” or “10 km from the city,” then he means the capital. The remaining cities of Mongolia, and there are 29 of them, have the actual status of cities, but are not considered as such. Below are the top cities that, in my opinion, are included in the must see category.

Ulaanbaatar

You can write endlessly about the capital, looking at more and more bright facets like in a kaleidoscope.

I will give only my favorite facts about Ulaanbaatar:

• the name Ulaanbaatar (Mongolian Ulaanbaatar) is translated as “red hero”;
• the city was formed around the Buddhist monastery of Gandan;
• the capital's population is half the country's population, namely 1.4 million people;
• the coldest capital in the world (bring warm clothes with you);
• the only capital in the world that has preserved all the “bucolic” delights of nomadic life (yurt areas of Ulaanbaatar).

• Gandan;
• Winter Palace of Bogd Khan;
• Beatles Monument;
• Memorial complex Zaysan with a panoramic platform;
• Naran Tuul Flea Market;
• Museum of Nature with dinosaurs;
• Tallest equestrian statue in the world.

Erdenet

The third largest city in Mongolia, which is famous for the fact that in Soviet times a mining and processing plant was built here, around which the city grew at a frantic pace.

Soviet aesthetics still emanate here, and besides, our compatriots still make up 15% of the city's population. Distance from the capital is 330 km. The city is a major transport hub connecting Russia and Russia by rail.

Good news for tourists: this is the cheapest city in terms of food costs.

In Erdenet, tourists can visit a quarry, a mining museum with rare exhibits, buy carpets at no extra charge directly from a carpet factory, and visit Buddhist temples.

Choibalsan

Before the communist renaming, the city was called Bayan Tumen and was formed thanks to caravan trade. Today it is the fourth largest city in Mongolia.

The distance from the capital by road is 670 km. The distance can be covered by plane, since a large airport of the same name is located in Choibalsan. By the way, from Choibalsan Airport you can buy international tickets to the Chinese cities of Inner Mongolia: Manchuria, Hailar.

Karakoram

Karakorum, or Kharkhorin, is the oldest capital of the Mongol Empire. The name literally means "black stones of the volcano."

At one time, the city of Genghis Khan was so majestic and luxurious that it aroused the envy of other rich cities in the world. Today, here you can only find the ruins of that famous capital, which was located 80 km from the geographical center of modern Mongolia. Here is another UNESCO-protected site - the cultural landscape of the Orkhon River. On the right bank of this river is the first in Mongolia Buddhist monastery Erdeni Zuu.

Ulgii

A city that is surrounded on all sides mountain peaks, is located in Western Mongolia. The distance from the capital exceeds 1,100 km.

It is attractive for tourists due to its location and relative accessibility to Russia, Kazakhstan, and China. You can get here from the Mongolian capital by plane, and from here you can take a plane to Alma-Ata.

Top attractions

Many tourists coming to Mongolia prefer visiting the capital and several famous places in her district. However, this is a completely wrong approach, since the geography of Mongolia’s attractions is incredibly vast, and the diversity of cultural landscapes would be the envy of any other country. Here is a list of places that are located in various parts of the country.

Weather

The climate of Mongolia is really harsh. The local frosts have already surpassed all the Siberian cold, and in general, Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital, and the Gobi is the most continental place in the world. Winters here are cold and long, and summers are short and unbearably hot with scanty precipitation. But there is one plus that makes me incredibly happy - the number of sunny days a year. Mongols use this advantage in their own way, installing solar panels, which they use for the refrigerator, charging cell phones and watching TV.

The best season to travel to Mongolia is, of course, summer. I advise you to come at the very beginning of summer, when the steppe is just beginning to turn green, and everything breathes special freshness before the terribly hot and stuffy days of July and August. It is in the summer that the Naadam holiday and other interesting festivals (for example, a rock music festival) take place.

The low season begins with the first serious cold in October and continues almost until April. However, despite the frightening temperatures, there are brave souls who travel during the off-season, and for good reason. For lovers of winter sports, Mongolia has modern ski resorts, and also offers such interesting activities as underwater diving and paragliding.

Moving around the country

Soviet carriages, reserved seat romance, relatively cheap prices for train tickets and fairly long distances - all this leads to the idea that traveling around Mongolia is most convenient and cheapest by train. However, Mongolia's railway network is not that dense, with a total length of no more than 1,900 km. Trans-Mongolian Railway connects Russian, Mongolian and Chinese cities together. Currently, the country's authorities are planning to connect all large and remote settlements by rail.

Be prepared for the fact that instead of the usual comfortable seat in a reserved seat, you can purchase a so-called “seated” seat. In places where the railway runs, most people are used to traveling by train, and therefore there is an unequal ratio of seats on trains in favor of those seated. So there is no question of any comfort.

For those who like fast and comfortable travel, we recommend taking an airplane. There are about 80 different airports in Mongolia. From the largest airport Genghis Khan you can fly to the farthest corners of the country.

As mentioned above, there are more problems with roads than in Mother Russia. Of course, there are numerous buses running between cities, of course, you will find a bunch of passing drivers who want to give you a ride, BUT this is a burden for very patient and unpretentious people. With my love for hitchhiking and bus trips, after another trip to Mongolia, I reconsidered my attitude towards the road. Nevertheless, most of the local population moves around the country by road transport. Buses and private cars run throughout Mongolia, so you can get to remote places by purchasing a ticket at the bus station.

Connection

While in Mongolia, you can easily maintain contact with your homeland. Most Russian operators have warm relations with Mongolia, so after crossing the border, caring SMS messages with the text “Welcome to Mongolia” are sent to your phone. I use a SIM card from Megafon, which cooperates with the Mongolian company Unitel, and thanks to this I am constantly in touch.

The largest mobile operators in Mongolia: Mobicom, Skytel, Unitel, G-Mobile, Telecom Mongolia. One minute of conversation on average will cost 2 rubles.

With mobile Internet, things are a little sadder. For 1 GB you will have to pay about 200 rubles. Here are the Internet prices from Mobicom:

But in any case, this is better than the roaming Internet provided by Russian operators. Mongolian operators have special SIM cards for tourists with favorable rates. They can be found on the websites of mobile companies.

As for WiFi, as a rule, most hotels, cafes and other establishments in Ulaanbaatar have a free network. If the network is closed, contact the administrator, they will promptly tell you the password. You can also sit in an internet cafe, which is quite cheap, about 30 rubles/hour. Internet cafes can be found in large cities; in remote ones they are rare, if not completely absent.

Language and communication

Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia. All names and signs are extremely readable, since the modern Mongolian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet for writing.

The Old Mongolian script is rarely used: in official documents and in some special cases. At school, Mongolians study Russian as a foreign language, starting in the 7th grade. Therefore, there are no difficulties in communication, at least in the capital. The older generation still remembers many Russian words, and many can boast of an education received at Russian universities. The Mongolian language has a lot of borrowings from Russian and Chinese. The influence of neighboring countries is especially noticeable in the names of imported products and goods.

Modern Mongolian youth are studying English language with enviable tenacity. University graduates have excellent knowledge of academic English. In addition, Korean, Japanese and German languages ​​are gaining popularity.

The Mongolian language has “oriental subtleties”: tone and respectful pronouns and endings towards elders. From the intonation used, your phrase can take on a whole gradient of meanings from negative to respectful. An extremely important rule of communication in Mongolia is respect for elders. Addressing an elder as “you” is considered extremely rude. Perhaps foreigners will be forgiven for such a linguistic oversight, but if you learn this rule in advance, it will be easier for you.

• Hello! - Sayn bayna uu (literally translated as “Are you doing well?” and this is more a question than a greeting, so this phrase must be answered “sayn bayna” - “good”).
• Hello - Sain uu.
• You\you are Ta\chi.
• Yes\no - time\uguey.
• Thank you \ thank you very much - Bayarlalaa \ Mash them bayarlalaa.
• Do you know Russian? - Ta oros hal madekh uu?
• I don't speak Mongolian - Bi mongoloor yardaggui.
• I don’t understand you - Tanay hellsniig bi oilgohguy bayna.
• Where is the store (hotel) located? - Khaana delguur (zochid buudal) baina ve?
• How much does it cost? - Ene hed ve?
• Can you help me - Nadad tuslahguy yuu?
• I need... - Nadad... sheregtey bayna.
• Sorry - Uuchlaaray
• Goodbye! - Bayartay!

Features of mentality

I always believe that one cannot generalize certain traits and equate the entire people with them, but the Mongols do have pronounced features of the national mentality. Below are some distinctive features of the Mongolian character:

Food and drink

Mongolian National cuisine is a paradise for meat lovers and a quiet horror for vegetarians. Culinary traditions are closely related to climatic conditions and nomadic lifestyle. The cuisine is not particularly sophisticated; for example, spices are used quite rarely.

But Mongolian food is very nutritious, healthy and satisfying.

Lamb and beef lead in the top meat ingredients, horse meat and goat meat are less common.

Mongolian cuisine is rich in dairy products, and not only cow’s milk, but also often mare’s, camel’s and yak’s milk.

Vegetable dishes are not particularly popular, but are used as a dilution for meat dishes. Steamed dishes such as buuz and tsuiwan play a special role.

We don’t really like bread either, but instead there are a lot of flour products: boov, bortsog.

The most common first course is guriltai shul - homemade noodle soup.

Beverages

The topic of drinks is extremely interesting. Mongolian tea (suutei tsai) is not at all what we imagine when we hear the word “tea”. It is brewed from slab green tea, which is brought to a boil with milk, then butter and toasted flour are added, salt can be added, and lard can also be added. This tea is an excellent refreshment for nomads. While drinking tea, do not forget that the Mongolians love customs, and you will need to take everything either with two hands or with your right hand.

While in Mongolia, I discovered the most delicious tea - sea buckthorn. Hot sea buckthorn tea now replaces all my favorite herbal teas. And a bunch of other delicious drinks are prepared from sea buckthorn.

The most common dairy drinks are tarag (similar to kefir) and airag (mare's milk).

It is worth mentioning the Mongolian milk vodka archi. The technology for preparing archa is similar to preparing moonshine; the degrees in such vodka are approximately 38–43°.

For lovers of vegetarian cuisine: don’t worry, there are enough vegetarian establishments in Ulaanbaatar, where everything National dishes duplicated, only without meat.

5 dishes worth trying

According to Russian travelers, Mongolia - safest country in the world. I manage to walk through a flea market alone, get into huge crushes of people on buses, talk to strangers, hitchhike and remain unharmed with all my friends. valuables. This is because everyone knows that they should hide documents and money away in their inner pockets. As long as you follow the generally known rules in public places and do not provoke criminals, you are safe.

Road Safety

This is the worst thing about Mongolia. Cars in the city race like they're in a wild race, and sometimes they actually compete right in the city center. Drivers have a particular hatred for slow pedestrians; they can honk their horn very loudly and scold them in addition.

Health rules:

• Do not drink water from unverified sources. Even when buying water in a store, be careful and choose familiar manufacturers.
• Grab a gauze bandage. In winter, Ulaanbaatar is covered with acrid smog, which is formed due to the heating of yurts with coal. Dust storms often occur in autumn and spring.
• Be prepared for terrible temperature changes. In cold months, you should be wary of frostbite on your extremities; in warmer months, you should be wary of overheating. The extreme continentality of the climate, as well as altitude sickness, can take an unprepared tourist by surprise.

Popular types of scams

Petty theft in public places- the most common type of crime. Rest assured, if someone’s phone is stolen, you can say goodbye to the device forever. No one in Mongolia will investigate the theft of phones, laptops, etc.

As a rule, banknotes depict two great Mongols: Sukhbaatar and Genghis Khan. On the reverse side you can find Przewalski's horses, a nomadic yurt with bulls, the city of Karakorum, 9 flags of the Mongol Empire.

There are no problems with currency exchange; there are exchange offices everywhere, even in small towns. There are a lot of money changers on the streets, which can slightly inflate the exchange rate. At the border, you don’t even have to exchange rubles for tugriks, because border cafes and shops readily accept Russian currency. At the main airport of the country there are also exchange offices with clear names in three languages: arilja currency/currency exchange/currency exchange. Cards you can use are Visa and Mastercard.

When visiting a supermarket Russian tourists they will be horrified. On the shelves you can find the same typical Russian goods and food products straight from their homeland, but with incomprehensibly high prices. For example, eggs here are twice as expensive as in Russia: a dozen eggs will cost about 150 rubles.

On her way home from Vladivostok, the girl decided to stop by Mongolia for a short while. We are publishing her travel recipe.

Prices are current as of publication date. € 1 = 2864 Mongoliantugrik

Why Mongolia?

Few travelers visit Mongolia, and those who do call it one of the most impressive countries they have ever seen. This was the first reason why I went to this country. The second - in June there was a “Home for Everyone”: a project of the Academy of Free Travels, which is periodically organized in different countries peace. Any traveler can live in such a house for free. I was attracted by the opportunity to interact with different travelers and learn something new from them.

Russian travelers and tourists do not particularly spoil Mongolia. I met people who lived near the border with the homeland of Genghis Khan, but I had never been there. But in vain! The wanderer will have something to see in this country, and the bonus will be that most of the population speaks Russian (many in a conversation with me called Mongolia the 16th republic of the USSR).

How to get there?

Mongolia's main airport is located near Ulaanbaatar and is called Buyant-Ukha - Chinggis Khan International Airport. On average, a plane from Moscow in both directions costs € 500, the flight takes 6 hours. Citizens of Ukraine and Belarus will have to get to Mongolia with a transfer in Moscow.

Another option is to fly to Russian cities close to the country: Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. Plane tickets here will already cost less: about € 200. From Irkutsk to the capital of Mongolia you can already travel by train (€ 90), and from Ulaanbaatar by bus (€ 20) or also by train (€ 60).

The legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, the road from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, is very popular among European tourists. A train ticket will cost €260 and the journey will take a little more than four days. The train departs only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Yaroslavsky Station.

Visa, currency, housing

Russians do not need a visa to Mongolia if they plan to visit this country for less than 30 days. Ukrainians and Belarusians are luckier: they will not need a visa if they plan to stay in this country for less than 90 days.

The same tugriks are used as currency here. The banknotes depict the founder of the Mongol Empire - the great Genghis Khan. In general, you will see his name or image all the time in Mongolia - in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes. The Mongols still love and honor Genghis Khan very much.

“You will find the name or image of Genghis Khan in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes”

Most hotels in Mongolia are concentrated in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where you can find accommodation for every taste and budget. Thus, the cheapest hostel will cost from € 3, and the “presidential suite” in the Ulaanbaatar hotel will cost € 500. In general, couchsurfing around the country is also worth looking for only in Ulaanbaatar. True, they may try to sell you some kind of tour around the country through couchsurfing - be it to the desert or to real nomads, don’t agree. Personally, I received many such requests (I even remembered where there was exactly the same situation with couchsurfing), but ordinary Mongols also wrote, who happily invited me to their home. So I stayed with a man who ran a hostel, where I met cool guys from all over the world.

Transport

You can’t write much about transport in Mongolia, simply because it is absent. You can easily get around the city and short distances using buses, but if you want to go to the Gobi Desert or some other interesting cities, then the only option here is a car (either hitchhiking or renting).

In my opinion, hitchhiking in Mongolia is excellent, people pick up very willingly. But here you will have to face three difficulties at once - sometimes these same wonderful people will ask you for money, the second is that in parts remote from Ulaanbaatar the traffic is much less busy. Once I even had to wait two hours for one car. The third difficulty is that in some parts of Mongolia there are no roads at all.

If hitchhiking is not for you, then choose to rent a car. The average price of a car for three days on bookingcar is € 300. In lesser-known services you can rent a car from € 70 per day. The most profitable option would be to rent a “Loaf”, since it can accommodate up to 8 people.

Route

I didn’t want to go to the Gobi Desert, because I had already been to the Sahara, so I built my route in such a way as to spend as many days in the country as possible and see as many interesting things as possible. I entered Mongolia from Ulan-Ude and left in Kyzyl.

Ulaanbaatar(4 days)

Get ready: Ulaanbaatar is practically the only city in Mongolia in the sense in which we are used to seeing it. Here is a unique combination of Soviet high-rise buildings with small yurts standing next to them.

You can be stuck in Ulaanbaatar for a long time, especially if you are surrounded by good company! In the hostel where I lived for couchsurfing, there were a lot of cool foreigners. Sometimes I could spend half a day without leaving home and talking with the guys. It’s amazing how many foreigners trudge around Mongolia! Perhaps we should adopt this? On my last night at the hostel, my host cooked a ram's head for us all, an authentic Mongolian delicacy that was unlike anything I'd ever tasted before. In addition to the meat itself, this was the first time I ate lamb eyes and brains. It sounds terrible, but it's actually very tasty and definitely worth a try!

“Besides the meat itself, this was the first time I ate lamb eyes and brains. It sounds terrible, but it's actually very tasty."

Besides hanging out in a hostel, Ulaanbaatar has a lot to offer for the cultural traveler. Start with central square Genghis Khan, where the monument to the national hero of Mongolia, Sukhbaatar, is located. From here you can walk to National Museum of the History of Mongolia (Juulchin 1). It’s worth coming here to see the life of the Mongols from prehistoric times to the present day; entrance to the museum is € 5.

From the History Museum you can go to another museum - dinosaurs (Independence Square, 5th Khoroo, Chingeltei District/Chingeltei duureg 5th Khoroo) , entrance fee is a little less than € 2. In Mongolia, scientists have found many dinosaur remains and you can get acquainted with them in this museum (these are the bones of real dinosaurs!).

Once you've finished learning about dinosaurs, go to Winter Palace of Bogdy Gegen (Khoroo 11), where you can see the conditions in which the last emperor of Mongolia lived. The walk from the center will take about half an hour, but it is better to walk, because there are terrible traffic jams in Ulaanbaatar. The cost of a ticket to the museum is € 3.

From the palace you will be within walking distance of the monument to military friendship between Soviet and Mongolian troops Zaysan (Mount Zaysan) . From here it will be great to watch the sunset and see the whole of Ulaanbaatar from above.

Having enjoyed the historical part of Ulaanbaatar, you can safely devote the second day to the Buddhist aspect. Start with Mongolia's largest Buddhist monastery and the country's first religious center - Gandantegchenlin Monastery. More than 600 monks permanently live here and various Buddhist rituals are held. The monastery became famous, among other things, thanks to the hollow 26-meter statue of Buddha made of copper and gold. Entry here will cost you €1.25. In addition to this monastery, there are many small datsans in Ulaanbaatar, but they are less interesting for the traveler.

You can set aside a separate relaxed day for shopping. To do this, come to Naran market tul (Khoroo 14). Here you can first of all make purchases for your further trip to Mongolia, as well as simply buy national souvenirs. Among other things, here you can find dinosaur bones, products made from camel and yak wool, and national dresses. Beware: there are pickpockets in the market, so keep all your belongings in front of you and never lose sight of them!

Gorkhi-Terelj National Park(2 days)

We've spent a little time in the city and that's enough, it's time to go to nature! Fortunately, in Mongolia there is only one nature, and also many national parks. You can get to Gorkhi-Terelj by bus, which will cost a little less than a euro; the ride will take about two hours.

The park is very beautiful: camels graze between the mountains on their own, and some even offer to ride them. The park is best known for its unusually shaped rocks created by nature. Also inside the park is Buddhist temple Aryaabal, where you should definitely look! This is a place of power, a place where soul and body rest. During the climb to the temple you will have to overcome 100 white and 8 black steps, at which time you will be surrounded by wooden tablets on which Buddhist wisdom is written.

You can stay right there in the park. Nowadays, many tourist centers have been built here that offer recreation, including in a national yurt (will cost from € 30). I relied on chance and while hitchhiking I met a wonderful family who allowed me to live in their yurt.

I advise you to combine a trip to the national park with a trip to Genghis Khan statue in Tsonzhin-Boldog. This is the tallest equestrian statue in the world. In addition to viewing the statue from the outside, you can go inside, where a museum dedicated to Genghis Khan will be waiting for you, and you can also climb observation deck at the top of the statue. Entrance € 3.

“Huge dunes and a whistling wind are what will make you feel like you’re in a real desert.”

Elsen-Tasarhai National Park (1 day)

If you, like me, don’t want to spend a lot of time and money visiting the Gobi, go to Elsen-Tasarkhay Park, where you can see a piece of the desert. It takes about four hours to drive here from Ulaanbaatar, but people don’t come here anymore public transport, so you have two options: hitchhiking or renting a car. Huge dunes and a whistling wind are what will make you feel like you are in a real desert. At night, the stars shine brighter than ever here. To see it all, take a tent with you, or ask for an overnight stay with local nomads.

Kharkhorin (1 day)

It will be convenient to get to Kharkhorin from the park - ancient capital Mongol Empire in the 13th century (formerly called Karakorum). Despite its former greatness, today the city looks like an ordinary village and in general there is nothing to do here. It will be interesting here for those who want to see the place where she stayed Golden Horde and the path of Genghis Khan began. It's worth visiting the ruins here ancient city Karakorum, from which, unfortunately, little remains, take a look at the 16th century Erdene Zu monastery. People also like to come here to look at the huge stone phallus sticking out of the ground. The phallus is directed towards the hollow, which the locals call the female womb. Locals associate several legends with this unique “monument”. According to them, a childless woman should sit on the phallus, praying that she will have children - and then, they say, the problem will be resolved. Another legend says that there used to be a monastery here. The phallus became a reminder to the monks to learn to tame their flesh, instead of running around on dates with girls from the neighboring village.

Ulaang (2 days)

Because the Mongolian border Since Russia doesn’t work at this checkpoint on weekends, I had to stay longer in Mongolia. Ulaangom is a small, unremarkable town where Russians often go to buy Chinese goods. There are hotels here where you can stay for €2, but I pitched my tent next to the river that flows outside the city. There were also “summer cottages” - yurts of the Mongols, and whole herds of cows, horses and yaks grazing.

It's worth stopping here to chat with the lovely Mongols, try yourself as a shepherd herding cattle (I was allowed to ride a horse for free, chasing slow cows!), and just take a break from what you've just done great trip across Mongolia.

Lifehacks

You don't need to buy a tour to visit a real Mongolian yurt. Mongols are very friendly people, and they will just invite you to their home if they like you.

Don’t expect anything interesting from Mongolian supermarkets; basically, you can find here all the same food that we are used to seeing on the shelves of our supermarkets. For national delicacies, go straight to cafes or the market.

The main product that Mongols eat is meat. It will be very difficult for a vegetarian here, so take a couple of kilograms of vegetables with you: in Mongolia they are worth their weight in gold.

You can come to Mongolia without a reason, or you can come with one. The most important reason to come here is the largest national festival in Mongolia, Naadam (in 2019 it will be from July 11 to 15). Here you will find Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery, all very impressive.

Even if you are going to Mongolia in the summer, take warm clothes with you. At night in the desert and steppe it can be very cold.

Budget for one for 10 days:

Food – €25

Museums – € 5

Transport – € 2

Souvenirs – € 6

Overnight – couchsurfing and tent

Total: € 38

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