An Insider’s Guide to Mongolia

I slouched down, ducking through the wooden doorframe of the Ger, stepping over the threshold and sinking into the muddy ground in front of the yurt. Even with a soft light, I squinted to adjust my sight from the darker, one room home without windows. The snowfall created an illusion of a sunny afternoon, but after closer inspection, the grey clouds moving in between the mountain peaks revealed otherwise.

I took a few steps forward towards a large herd of goats. Several grazing without so much as even glancing up at me, while others cocked their heads to the side, their saucer shaped eyes focusing in on this large, foreign body moving closer. Snowflakes lightly rested on my braided hair, and I stood for a moment with my eyes closed, letting the alpine breeze sweep across me. As my plats became more saturated, I loosened by braids and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Snow washed hair was better than no shower at all this week,” I thought to myself.

We had been camping for nearly seven days now, in the far western province of Mongolia. Living with nomadic people means even the simplest of your creature comforts, like a hot shower, or even a modern bathroom for that matter, are left at home.

With only 3 million people in the country and over half living within the capital of Ulaanbaatar, the population is quietly sprinkled throughout what first appears as some unlivable landscapes. The family we were staying with for the next few nights lived near the base of the Potanin Glacier, a glacial river at the bottom of the famed “5 Saints” mountains in the Altai Mountain Range. This is the highest elevation in the country and the landscape while stunning but unforgiving. Surprisingly, people not only live in this region, but thrive.

Visiting Mongolia will be spending time on one of the most remote landscapes in the world, and I promise you that you’ll be tried, tested, pushed out of your comfort zone and want to go back and do it all over again. It was one of the most unique destinations I’ve ever set foot in, and I would return in a heartbeat. For a destination of this magnitude, a guide to Mongolia is a necessary piece to the planning process.

Preparing for Mongolia

Mongolia is not an easy, breezy holiday, but that is the appeal. While you may be able to pack up the car on a whim and travel to the seaside for a weekend without much thought, a vacation in Central Asia warrants a little more planning. A trip to Mongolia could be the most remote place you’ll ever visit, so proper planning is helpful.

Do I need a Visa for Mongolia?

Depending on where you’re traveling from, it should be an easy process obtaining a visa if you need one. Always check with your country’s travel regulations to see what applies to you. For those US passport holders like me, you do not need a visa if you’re staying less than 90 days. It is important to check both your country’s immigration website as well as the visiting country to corroborate visa information and avoid any issues on entry. US passport holders have immense privilege when it comes to restrictions in customs and immigration.

Do I need vaccines for Mongolia?

It’s best to consult a professional about any medical needs before travel to Mongolia. The US State Department has a helpful website that will give you all the most up to date information in one place for what is required or recommended. I will say, personally, I have only worried about what is a requirement for travel. Make sure your general practitioner is familiar with international travel updates. Occasionally, it may be best to visit a physician who specializes in travel medicine.

Food in Mongolia

In all honesty, you probably aren’t coming to Mongolia for the cuisine. That being said, if you’re interested in varieties of food, the cultural significance of dishes, history of ingredients or “unusual” meals for your palate, then Mongolia could be considered a top foodie destination. You won’t be dining in any Michelin star restaurants, you’ll be sharing meals with local farmers, or animal herders. The meals are based from what is found during the season, as well as what can be preserved and stored easily with minimal refrigeration. Personally, I liked the simplicity and the idea of trying new things I may not have been exposed to before. If you’re a picky eater, you may not be as excited as I was to see the interesting ways that nomadic people stay nourished.

There are “tourist camps” that have more western influences, but the majority of the time you’ll be eating what the rest of the group eats, cooked in family style meals. There aren’t many chances a “menu” meal, where you can choose what you’re ordering. Many tour operators acknowledge that tourists may want a more varied dining experience, so you may have a cook that travels with you on your trip. If you’re tour is going with a cook, you can always alert them to any food sensitivities or allergies to be prepared when out on the road. I packed my own snacks in case I wanted a few creature comforts.

Mongolians are wonderfully hospitable. That means that most often, when arriving at a new camp, you’ll be offered tea and snacks. This can be a variety of things, but a few examples would be a milk tea or you may find a bowl of Airag, which is a fermented horse milk.

Part of being a better traveler is participating in local cultural norms. It’s good to know for example, that it is polite to accept any gifts of food that are offered. So, while I didn’t love all of the dried cheeses or fermented drinks we were presented with, for me it was important that I practiced good etiquette when visiting and staying with families.

Packing for Mongolia

What you’ll be bringing to Mongolia will depend on the time of year you decide to travel. Our trip was in September, and while it was pleasant and sunny in Ulaanbaatar, we needed to pack serious winter clothing for the camping in the western province. The ger are not run on electricity, they are run on wood stoves in the center of the rooms, so at night if the fire extinguished, it can be helpful to have layers on inside your sleeping bag to keep warm. Hats, gloves, scarves are all essential items if you’re going to be traveling during colder months.

Even in the desert, at nightfall the temperatures drop, so the items you’ll use in places like the western province can be beneficial for other parts of your trip. If the weather is too cold, it’s difficult to do laundry. Keep in mind that without a washer or dryer, you’re most likely hanging your clothes out to dry. It may be too cold for laundry to adequately dry when you’re moving from site to site.

I packed as if I was going on a camping trip. A quick reference:

• quick dry clothing, especially undergarments (I LOVE Ex Officio)
• items I can layer for finicky and fast changes in the weather
• a rain coat and a few waterproof items
• wool socks (I’m a fan of Smart Wool)
• hiking boots (choose ones you’ve already broken in to avoid issues)
• clothes I don’t mind getting dirty, I usually buy my camping clothes secondhand (cost effective and you won’t miss them if they get ruined)

Planning for Mongolia

Mongolia is a massive country, so deciding where to visit takes a little research and local perspective. Eco Tour Mongolia was the perfect combination of having incorporating individuality with an itinerary through a tour operator. While you could travel through Mongolia on your own, having a guide that can make connections for homestays and navigate your trip is imperative.

Sustainability & Overlanding Trips

When you are going to a remote location like some of the provinces of Mongolia, there are a few things you want to be prepared for to make your trip as environmentally conscious as possible. No guide to Mongolia would be complete without addressing ways to travel more sustainably when visiting these remote locations.

Recreating Responsibly

I had a few things I really wanted from my trip. I wanted to learn more about some of the unique nomadic ethnic tribes in the western provinces, to experience a day with the famed eagle hunters of the steppe and I also wanted to experience the vast and varying landscapes of the country, from the glacial hikes to desert excursions.

Pack in pack out. This is the first thing that comes to mind if I’m giving advice on ways to make any overlanding trip more eco-friendly. This means whatever you bring in you are taking away with you, that includes trash and in some places ALL waste (ie including your bathroom waste). Backcountry camping doesn’t come with the systems in place to properly deal with excess trash.

It is off the beaten track places like these where we as travelers want to help preserve the environment, so taking your garbage with you is one way to help do that. Not only do you protect where you’re visiting, but you become more mindful of your waste when you have to take it with you.

Food scraps were frequently given to the dogs or goats. Packaging was repurposed if possible and what little we did have that was single use was put in a bag in the back of the truck and disposed of when we got back to Bayan Olgii. While you may not be able to make your experience completely zero waste, the challenge and goal is to remain as minimal waste as possible.

Using Reusables

Bring a reusable water bottle. There isn’t always fresh, potable water sources so you will have to bring large jugs of clean drinking water. Buying larger jugs and refilling your bottle is a much more responsible option than buying dozens of smaller bottles that you’ll run through quickly. Often, our empty large jugs were given to the families we visited, as they will happily repurpose them for themselves, for livestock or storage.

Along with water bottles, try and pack with you items that can be reused. Avoiding single use items will have a larger impact on the land you’re visiting. This may look like buying snacks in bulk and packing them in a reusable container, or avoiding easily discarded toiletries like cotton swabs and tissues. There are some great multi-use alternatives to substitute.

Wildlife & Animal Interaction

Animal welfare is an important aspect of tourism when you’re involved with wildlife interactions. A majority of the animals you’ll interact with on your Mongolia trip are draft animals, or domestic working animals. Yaks, horses, goats and camels are all an integral part in how Mongolians live traditional nomadic lives. These animals assist in providing food and literal horsepower.

My personal opinion on the ethics of working animals is that I’m not going to come in as a visitor and demand changes with domesticated animals, especially if I am in a location where they are vital for local livelihood. That does not mean that you can’t still be an animal advocate. I make sure that if we are interacting or using work animals, that they are well taken care of. I won’t support farms or tours that are using working animals who are exploited. I support organizations like SPANA that will help educate and provide resources in regions that rely on working animals.

Highlights to My Guide to Mongolia

My trip was an outdoor adventure travelers dream vacation. We started our journey by spending time in Western Mongolia, particularly in and around the Altai Mountain area. We hiked, camped, road horses, camel trekked, learned about culture, learned about cuisine and we drove and drove and drove…

Looking to come on an epic journey to Mongolia? I’ve partnered with Purposeful Nomad and will be joining them on their next trip exploring everything Mongolia has to offer, from the Steppe to the Gobi desert. Learn more about the itinerary and as always, message me if you have questions.