We offer Top 10 Impressions of Mongolia. We traveled many roads through this country, from Ulan-Ude to Ulan-Bator, to Erdenet, Moron and to Lake Khubsugul. And here's what we got out of it...

1. Attractions

- this is not something worth going to Mongolia for. There are museums, archaeological sites of ancient people, the Gobi desert - but all this and other places are very far from the average idea of ​​sights. In addition, such places are usually located on the outskirts, getting there by public transport is almost impossible, and given the huge size of Mongolia, chasing the sights that are scattered in different parts of the country is completely stupid.

It is worth going to Mongolia for the sensations, for the pleasure of today. Enjoy the sun, steppe landscapes, Mongolian cuisine and communication with the locals. By the way, most of these "pleasures" are available on the road. All sorts of views of the steppe open from the car and bus, drivers and passengers relax, turn on their favorite Mongolian music, sway to the beat and sing along.

2. Intercity transport

Mongolia is a poorly developed network of buses and a more affordable network of ... cars. Yes, it is cars for which you buy tickets at the bus station, and as soon as they are full, you can go. Just do not relax: after leaving the bus station, the driver begins to collect more passengers outside the city (bypassing the bus station) to the state of herrings in a barrel. In the end, we tried to take a promise from the drivers: exactly five people will go? But even here there are no guarantees, because children are not considered people: the driver nods and pushes three more children into the car. The only salvation we found was to shake the camera, say "tourist photo" and point to the front seat. There is a chance that you will be allowed to sit there and you will not have to crowd with five passengers in the back.

3. Drivers

intercity transport is also an interesting sight. At the very first bus station in Darkhan, we saw how they huddle in groups, bare their bellies and warm them in the sun. Apparently, the larger the tummy, the more respected the person. It's the same at every station. Too bad it's inconvenient to take pictures.

4. It is clear that nothing is clear– this has become our motto in Mongolia. Whatever situation we tried to interpret, it turned out that we were wrong. For example, we get into the car with the next passengers in order to go from point A to point B. A young girl and a grandmother are driving behind us, in front of us in the front seats, the driver and the woman are of the same age. Everyone is chatting merrily, the girl takes a bottle from the driver and drinks from it, nibbles two ice creams in a glass in the car at once, then lies down on her grandmother's shoulder and falls asleep. From this we conclude that we are driving in a car with a family: mom, dad, grandmother and granddaughter, who drinks from dad's bottle, whom he allows to eat ice cream in the car, and who sleeps on her grandmother's shoulder. Apparently they took us for a ride to justify the gas. However, upon arrival at point B, everyone disperses in different directions and "dad" turns out to be an ordinary bomber. It's just that in Mongolia it's normal to drink from someone else's bottle and sleep on someone else's shoulder.
And so every time - not knowing the language and traditions - epic fail.

5. Food

in Mongolia is special, just such a set of products cannot be found anywhere else. First of all, this is meat, a lot of meat, heaps of meat in a serving - a vegetarian simply cannot survive here. Also rice, some potatoes, a lot of airag (mare's milk), tea (salted, with butter), almost no fruit. We heard a lot from foreigners about what, they say, terrible Mongolian food, too, they say, simple and even primitive. At such moments, they were very angry and could hardly resist not to offer to stay at home and eat their “complex” food. In fact, even though nothing grows here, the variety of cooking methods and products themselves is amazing. The next photo is illustrative: this is food on the counter - to attract customers.

6. Main historical myth, on which the Mongolian statehood is built, is the former power of the Mongolian empire and the figure of Genghis Khan associated with this. Calling the state idea a myth, we by no means claim that it is false - on the contrary, it is interesting what kind of story becomes central to self-consciousness different countries. Maps of former Mongolian possessions hang in Mongolian houses, they can be bought at any bookstore.

Next to the cards are usually various Buddhist paraphernalia and photographs of relatives. All this usually forms small altars - a set of main objects in the house.

7. Another reason to be proud is that found in Mongolia a large number of dinosaur skeletons. True, most of them are in museums abroad (for example, in the New York Museum of Natural History). In Mongolia and the Gobi, most of the skeletons of Tarbosaurus, a Eurasian relative of the American tyrannosaurus, were found. The museum in Ulaanbaatar tells more stories about Mongolian dinosaurs.

8. Perhaps a negative point: the Mongols have a difficult relationship with alcohol. Many do not know how to drink, they become very aggressive, clingy and unpleasant. As we have already said about, many do not know how to drink, from different ethnic groups, but we still do not recommend approaching a fun foreign Mongolian company. But you will have to drink with new friends!

9. Khubsugul.

If you still look for sights in Mongolia, we advise you to visit Lake Khuvsgul: it is easy to get to, there are places to walk and things to do around the lake. And stunning views are guaranteed. Here you can stay in a yurt or a hotel, but much more interesting and romantic - in a tent on the lake.

10. Weather.

It may seem that Mongolia is Central Asia, a piece of which is a desert, and there is a drought here all summer. However, unlike, for example, from or , in Mongolia they often go summer rains, sometimes torrential and for days. So you should take waterproof shoes and a raincoat with you.

Also at night, the temperature drops significantly, so if you are going to sleep in a tent, it is better to take a warmer sleeping bag. Well, in general, it’s worth taking a sleeping bag to Mongolia, unless you stay in five-star hotels: in average hotels (as well as in backpacker hostels), linen is not really changed.
In general, you can easily add 10 more to these 10 impressions! About stoic Mongolian children who never seem to cry and how much time Mongolian fathers spend with them. About yurts, yaks, gophers, mare and camel milk. About folk costumes and eagles constantly soaring across the steppe. About a copper mine and a Catholic mission in Erdenet, led by a priest from the Congo. All stories are yet to come!

I hardly prepared for the trip to Mongolia. Two weeks before crossing the border, I did not know that I would go there. Therefore, many things that should have been known in advance and studied in more detail on the spot passed me by. I may have missed some sights that were on my way. But in any case, I think my little experience will be useful for the next generations of travelers. I will not touch on general issues described in various guidebooks (how to travel by plane, train, car, horse, etc.), see the links in the "information" section for this. I will tell only about what I saw and heard with my own eyes.

Technical information
I was in Mongolia from June 19 to July 8, 2009. Together with the Pole Agnieszka, now working in Ulan-Ude, we entered the country through the border crossing in Kyakhta (Republic of Buryatia), spent two days in Ulaanbaatar, drove along the route Ulan -Bator - Arvaikheer - Bayankhongor - Altai - Khovd - Ulaangom - Kharkhorin - Ulaanbaatar. Then I drove alone along the route Ulaanbaatar - UyondU©rkhaan - Bayan-Uul and left for Russia through the Upper Ulkhun border crossing ( Transbaikal region). We traveled most of the way by hitchhiking, partly by minibuses and buses.
Here and throughout the text I use the original Mongolian names geographical objects, with the exception of Ulaanbaatar, which I will write in traditional Russian transliteration (in Mongolian, the name of the city is written as "Ulaanbaatar").
Travel map

Advantages and disadvantages
Mongolia is known for two things. The first is a nomadic population that has preserved its 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 significant part of the country still lives in yurts, raises cattle, roams from place to place in search of new pastures, eats meat and milk. Unless now many roam in UAZs and Japanese trucks, and the most prosperous next to the yurts have satellite dishes and solar panels. And the rest is the same up to the national costumes that the Mongols wear not on major holidays, but in everyday life.
The second plus is beautiful and untouched nature. This is not that dull steppe of the south of Russia or Ukraine, which brings boredom and melancholy. The Mongolian steppe landscapes are always beautiful and varied and very rarely disfigured by human buildings. The plain receding into the distance on the horizon is always framed by beautiful hills, somewhere picturesque rocks or stones, somewhere the steppe turns into a rocky or sandy desert, somewhere it is replaced by mountains covered with forest. And along 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 cons of Mongolia logically follow from the pros. Beautiful nature and the traditional way of life has been preserved due to the fact that civilization has not yet reached here. Only Ulaanbaatar, whose photos I have already shown, can be called a civilized city, where there is everything you need for life. Most of the other cities are rather urban-type settlements. The regional center of Mongolia resembles the latest Russian regional center, the Mongolian regional centers even resemble villages. And between these cities there are huge spaces where the human presence is noticeable only by standing alone yurts and ruts in the steppe (see the section "Roads").
In general, after traveling around Mongolia, Russia begins to seem like a completely civilized country, in which there are many automobile and railways, roadside cafes, toilets, shops and supermarkets. When I left Mongolia for Russia, there was a clear feeling that I was returning from Asia to Europe - because the last 50 km before the border there was a dead dirt road with holes and puddles, along which 1-2 cars drove a day, and after the border smooth asphalt began with good traffic. In a word, it's nice that we have overtaken at least some country a hundred years ahead. The only thing in which Mongolia is noticeably ahead of us is the development of animal husbandry. After seeing herds of several hundred animals that, like locusts, have occupied the verdant Mongolian pasture, it is not very joyful to look at three or four thin, starving cows wandering near some Transbaikal village.
But otherwise, as I said, our country is much more civilized. With 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, and I returned to Russia after Mongolia with some relief. So read the descriptions of Mongolia and think carefully whether you are ready for such difficulties or it is better to go hitchhiking in the Benelux countries.
Information

Lonely Planet Mongolia Travel Guide (English)
Report of travelers on the forum bpclub.ru
To get acquainted with the cultural and historical context, I recommend reading the wonderful book by Isai Kalashnikov "The Cruel Age" (1st part and 2nd part) - the life story of Genghis Khan from birth to death, and also watch the excellent film by Nikita Mikhalkov "Urga - the territory of love" about the relationship between Russians and Mongols in China.
Visas
In Russia, there is a Mongolian embassy in Moscow, as well as consulates in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Kyzyl. It is usually impossible to make a visa on your own without an invitation; the consulate immediately sends you to a travel agency. In Ulan-Ude, issuing a visa at a travel agency costs 2,300 rubles, including consular fees, and takes 10-12 days. The comments say that things are better in Moscow - I don’t know, check with the commentator. Previously, the Kyzyl consulate issued visas without an invitation, but now, I think, this is no longer the case.
hit
There are as many as 10 border crossings between Russia and Mongolia. They usually work from 9.00 to 17.00. I wrote in more detail about crossing the border in Kyakhta, in Upper Ulkhun -. It is interesting that only three crossings are international, that is, residents of third countries can cross the border there. So if you are not a citizen of Mongolia or Russia, you can only cross the border in Kyakhta (Buryatia) or Tashant (Republic of Altai), or cross it by train in Naushki (Buryatia). Please note that the crossing in Kyakhta is a car crossing, you cannot cross it on foot, so if you are driving in a stop, you will have to fit into some kind of car at the border. The transition in Upper Ulkhun (Zabaikalsky Krai) is pedestrian, no one forces you to get into a car or bus.
Buses run from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar every day, in addition, the train Moscow - Ulaanbaatar passes through the capital of Buryatia. I don't know how things are in other regions.
Roads
Before traveling to Mongolia, I thought that there were no roads in Russia. Now I realized that in our country there are roads, and even good ones. Because Mongolian dear is such a tin that you most likely will not see anywhere else. Only from north to south, from Russia to China through Ulaanbaatar, there is a decent asphalt road, plus there are sections from Ulaanbaatar west to Arvaikheer (569 km, of which, however, 50-60 km have not yet been built) with a branch to Kharkhorin and from Ulaanbaatar to the east to UyondU©rkhaan (331 km). There may be other areas, but I did not go through them.
The rest of the roads, including the most important routes connecting the west and east of the country, are usually three or four rolled tracks in the steppe, which converge and diverge and lead from one town to another. Between settlements there are no gas stations, no cafes, no kilometer posts, no road signs, no traffic cops, no cell coverage just a bare plain where everyone drives as he pleases. However, the quality of the roads is such that it will not be possible to break the speed limit with all the will, and the abundance of ruts reduces collisions to a minimum. The relief is usually such that you can even move off 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 off-road vehicles Japanese jeeps 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. The Mongols also ride motorcycles, Korean minibuses, Japanese trucks, Russian KAMAZ trucks. Foreign tourists usually travel by jeeps and motorcycles. So, on the track we met colleagues four times: Poles on motorcycles, a group of Frenchmen on jeeps, one Australian motorcyclist and a group of Koreans traveling in a minibus (most likely also Korean).
If you are driving your own transport, be sure to stock up on a GPS navigator instead of roads here directions, so it’s quite possible to get lost, accidentally driving along a rut 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 way and go from one city to another. The main thing is to find out exactly where the driver is going, and then entrust him with finding the right path.
Hitch-hiking
Mongolia is the hardest hitchhiking country I've ever been to. However, hitchhiking here is interesting and fun, and if you have time to spare, you can ride this way. Just keep in mind some features of the Mongolian hitchhiking.
The first and main problem is low traffic. It is very good to drive only on paved roads (see section "Roads"). The route from the border crossing in Tashanta to Ulaanbaatar (via Ulaangom and Tsetserlag) is still quite busy, although here you can sometimes wait for a ride for several hours. On the other roads, cars pass extremely rarely, up to three or four cars a day. So be patient, and also books, magazines or crossword puzzles you can at least something to keep yourself busy while you sit by the track for half a day. In short, “I have eight volumes of bacon and matches and Turgenev in my backpack” this is just about Mongolia. Sometimes we got so tired of sitting by the road that we took backpacks and walked, so many Mongols drivers and locals got the feeling that we were just walking through their country. The essence of hitchhiking is difficult to explain to them, so it’s even better. Also note that between the regional centers (if this road does not lead to Ulaanbaatar) the traffic is very low - for example, it is unlikely that it will be possible to get directly from Ulaangom to MU©rU©n, because the main flow of cars to Ulaanbaatar goes south , through Tsetserleg. And it’s not even worth trying to hitchhike on local roads if you don’t want to get stuck somewhere for a week.
The second problem is the choice of the right track for voting. The easiest way is at the exit from a large city: usually there is one paved road several kilometers before and after a large settlement, so it is enough to leave the city and start voting near this road. The situation is different in the steppe or near small towns and villages. Here, the tracks can diverge for a distance of up to half a kilometer and it is quite difficult to choose the right one from them. Sometimes you can navigate along the power lines usually the poles are along the main track, but this rule does not always work. It is best to find some kind of elevation, from where it opens up a view of the surroundings, keep track of which road the car will appear on, and in which case quickly move there. If you wave your arms and the driver sees you, he will most likely stop or even turn and drive towards you.
The third problem is the overcrowding of cars. During the trip, we only rode twice in a car where there was one driver. Usually, in addition to him, there are passengers in the car, who, as a rule, occupy all the seats. It is interesting that cars stop even if they are crowded to find out if something happened to you, but it is far from always possible to get into a stopped car. Sometimes you ride in a car with four or five people in the back seat, putting a Mongolian child on your knees, sometimes you lie on luggage in the back of a truck, covered with dust and sand, sometimes you sit on a sleeping bag in the cab of a long-distance driver, slightly pushing a bunch of things and distant relatives of the driver, whom 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 transportation, but the majority is persuaded for free. “No money” in Mongolian “mungo baikhgo” and always say these words once or twice before getting into the car. Only four times drivers, having heard such a phrase, drove on disappointedly and all these times it happened on a busy section of the highway, where we caught the next car rather quickly. In other places, drivers understand that you will be waiting for the next car for another half a day, and after heavy thought, they still nod they say, get in. However, truckers and wealthy Ulaanbaatar residents in jeeps do this without much thought. But still, it’s a little hard - especially after Russia, where almost none of the drivers ask about money, and I don’t even warn that I’m driving for free.
In short, I recommend, if funds permit, to travel around Mongolia in your own vehicle. If funds do not allow, but time allows, use a bicycle - it will not be much slower, and if you are an experienced bike biker, it can even be faster than hitchhiking. So, for example, we drove a section from Bayankhongor to Altai, 390 km long, in just three days. And the section from the city of Bayan-Uul to the border crossing Upper Ulkhun, 49 km long, I drove all day - here I could walk in the same time.
But still, hitchhiking helps to get to know the local life better, to communicate with the Mongols, many of whom know Russian. So if the listed difficulties do not bother you, pack your backpack and go.
Scheduled transport
Only in Ulaanbaatar there is some kind of bus station, from which buses leave for different regional centers according to a certain schedule and tariffs. In other cities, buses either don’t run at all, or they drive as God puts on their souls. Guidebooks recommend looking for minibuses in the city market. There you can also find drivers who travel to other cities and are looking for fellow travelers to compensate for expenses. For some reason, this is what Lonely Planet calls "hitchhiking" 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 is quite difficult to navigate the prices of buses. For example, from Ulaanbaatar to Lun (130 km) we traveled for 6 thousand tugriks, but from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan (220 km) my fellow traveler traveled for the same money. Although, maybe the point is that to go to Darkhan on an asphalt road, and part of the way to Lun is already a described track in the steppe.
Accommodation
Everyone who travels around Mongolia should definitely spend the night with nomads at least once. To do this is quite simple just go to the yurt in the steppe and politely ask for a visit. During our only check-in in the yurt, we acted very delicately: we asked if it was possible to pitch a tent next to the yurt, but then, while we were sitting and resting after a hot day, we were invited to the yurt itself. In general, if you find yourself in the steppe and there is a yurt nearby, feel free to ask for a visit. It is better to take sweets and chocolates in advance hand out 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, but they just gave us tea and goat's milk to drink.
Another good overnight option is roadside cafes. Almost each has one or more large beds 4-5 meters wide, where anyone who orders dinner or breakfast in this eatery can spend the night for free. Usually dinner for one person costs 2-3 thousand tugriks. True, several more people will sleep on the same bed, but I think this will not bother free travelers if they have their own sleeping bag.
IN major cities there are also hotels. We stayed in those two times in the city of Arvaikheer, a double room cost 11 thousand tugriks, in Altai 15 thousand tugriks. The first hotel had no shower, the second hot water. But if anything, in the cities you can find public baths where you can take a shower for 1-2 thousand tugriks.
In places that are especially popular among tourists, there are guesthouses and hostels, including some kind of yurt campsites (several yurts where you can spend the night). However, those who spent the night in a real yurt will not be particularly interested: there are no attributes of nomadic life inside, only a few beds and bedside tables. In Kharkhorin, such a guesthouse cost 5 thousand tugriks per person.
Well, a huge choice of accommodation in Ulaanbaatar. Firstly, this is the only city where more or less active members of the Hospitalityclub and Couchsurfing live, so you can easily find a free overnight stay. Secondly, there are hotels, hostels, guesthouses for every taste and pocket. By the way, in the Golden Gobi guesthouse there is a discount for Russians and Poles: the chief administrator told us so directly, so we paid not six, but five dollars per person for the night. Keep in mind.
Food
Vegetarians in Mongolia have nothing to do. All vegetables and fruits are imported from China, and the Mongols themselves make and eat almost everything from meat or milk. Only in Ulaanbaatar you can find vegetable salads, in other places such a luxury is a rarity. I have always been a meat eater and anti-vegan, but then I even began to experience nostalgia for vinaigrette or tomato-cucumber salad. So be prepared, if you can’t stand meat at all, buy the necessary products in Ulaanbaatar and take them with you.
The most popular dish in Mongolia is buuzy, known to those who have been to the Irkutsk region or Buryatia under the name "poses". This is finely minced meat wrapped in dough and steamed. A very tasty and nutritious thing 4-5 pieces were enough for me to eat. They usually cost 300 tugriks apiece. Another popular food is khushuur, which resembles our native cheburek and costs 300-400 tugriks apiece. Plus, noodles with pieces of meat and potatoes are popular either dry or as a soup. Unfortunately, I do not remember what it is called, it costs about 2-2.5 thousand tugriks. Actually, we basically ate these three dishes on the trip.
There are a lot of interesting dairy dishes, but they, as a rule, are not sold in canteens we were treated either in yurts or in cars. There is a cool cheese that tastes like cottage cheese, a very tasty creamy butter and a low-alcohol drink based on milk, reminiscent of koumiss.
The main soft 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, but slightly salted however, I didn’t particularly feel this salt. In the capital, they also add a little oil, but there is no such thing in the provinces. In general, a very nutritious thing. It costs 100-200 tugriks per cup, and sometimes it is completely served for free.
As in all other aspects, Ulaanbaatar and the rest of Mongolia are two big differences. In the capital, the choice of food is large and varied. There are both cheap canteens with the dishes and prices mentioned above, as well as pathos restaurants with Italian, Japanese and other cuisines for every taste and pocket. Once we somehow 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. There are many shops and supermarkets in Ulaanbaatar with good choice products, in other cities mainly small shops, the choice of which is less than in any Russian rural store. The usual set 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 roads and low traffic, it is better to always have a supply of water and food with you at least for one day.
Language
In Mongolia, quite a lot of people speak Russian. Once we were even given a ride by a graduate of the philological faculty of Moscow State University. Most of the drivers I met knew at least a few words and phrases in Russian, and about every third one could even explain themselves quite tolerably.
But still, you should not specifically count on the fact that you will come across Russian-speaking Mongols. Still, try to learn a little Mongolian, it will greatly facilitate your life while traveling and help you learn much better local life. Unfortunately, I knew only a few phrases important for the traveler, and I supplemented the rest with Russian words and gestures. But if with gestures I could still say “can I put up a tent here” or “stop here, please”, then ask more complex and interesting questions (“how do nomad children go to school?”, “what do you heat the stove with?” and etc.) did not work out.
Brief Mongolian Phrasebook
The missing phrases to it (double vowel is read as one, but lengthened):
May I go with you? Hamt yavj bolh uu?
Where are you going? Ta khasha yavj ben wi?
We travel around Mongolia Bid nar Mongoloor ayalaj baigaa
People know English much worse than Russian mainly educated youth, beggars from the capital and workers in the tourism sector.
Money
1 dollar = 1428 tugriks
1 ruble = 46 tugriks
It is better to change money immediately in Ulaanbaatar for the whole trip. In the rest of Mongolia, banks are found in numbers that do not exceed the limits of statistical error.
Like Belarusian rubles, Mongolian tugriks exist exclusively in paper form, so during the trip there is a feeling that you have a lot of money.
Internet and communication
There are several mobile operators, of which Mobicom was recommended to us. On road cellular, of course, does not work, but in almost all large and small settlements there is coverage.
1-2 Internet cafes are found in most regional centers and are abundant in Ulaanbaatar.
Danger and Trouble
Most of all I was frightened by the dogs of the nomads, they say, if you fit in, then come to the yurt early, otherwise the dogs guarding it will attack. They even recommended learning the phrase “nohoi horio”, which means “keep the dogs”. Therefore, I expected to see vicious wolfhounds at every nomad camp, which will tear you to pieces just a little bit. In fact, next to the yurts, we saw half-dead and skinned dogs, unable to scare even a steppe gopher. Mongols don't like dogs very much and often kick them as they pass by. Therefore, all these human friends jumped back in fright when we tried to pet them.
Other dangerous animals already out of the world wildlife. Guidebooks list steppe wolves and bears, desert-dwelling scorpions and snakes, grass-dwelling ticks. We didn't get any of this. The largest wild animals we have seen are palm-sized lizards constantly running underfoot in the Gobi desert, and steppe rodents, either hamsters or marmots.
I personally did not come across crime, but my fellow traveler, who was walking alone in Ulaanbaatar on the last day, had her camera stolen. However, this can happen in any city in the world. And since the Mongols are friendly and non-aggressive, gopniks are almost never found here. I felt completely safe throughout the trip anywhere in Mongolia , unlike, by the way, from Russia, where it is not always pleasant to be in small regional centers.
Climate
The weather in Mongolia is changeable, with sharp fluctuations in temperature. It is very cold in winter (Ulaanbaatar is considered the coldest capital in the world), in summer it is usually hot. The summer heat is softened by the winds that blow across the Mongolian plain, but they also sometimes create great difficulties. A couple of times the wind was so strong 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 imagine how terrible it must be here in winter with such a wind.
Highway Ulaanbaatar - Arvaikheer

Arvaikheer

Highway Arvaikheer - Bayankhongor

Bayankhongor

Highway Bayankhongor - Altai. Group of Poles traveling on motorbikes

BU©mBU©gU©r


Northern Gobi Desert

Either a holiday, or a physical education lesson at a local school

Buucagaan

Altai

Highway Altai - Khovd

Australian Jeff, who has lived in Ulaanbaatar for three years. I was traveling by bus to my fiancee's parents in a Mongolian village

Khovd

national character
The Mongols, as I wrote, the people are very friendly and welcoming. Foreigners will always be helped and prompted where, how and what. They have not yet learned how to raise prices for them, at least those who do not work in the tourism sector. Russians for Mongols in general are almost native, many of the older generation remember studying or working in the Soviet Union. True, do not expect such an open and cordial reception, as in the Caucasus or the Middle East any Russian-speaking Mongolian will be happy to talk to you, but is unlikely to invite you to visit. In general, a friendly, but fairly even attitude.
Like many other Asian peoples, the Mongols are rather careless, relaxed and unhurried. It is perfectly normal for a salesperson or hotel administrator to leave his workplace for an hour or two and you need to wait or look for him somewhere nearby. They are not particularly in a hurry, especially since nothing will work out quickly in Mongolia anyway. Agnieszka said that she had several Mongolian students in Ulan Bator who were constantly late for classes for half an hour or an hour and were sincerely surprised when they were reproached for this. And indeed in Mongolia, in the steppe, a car can easily break down, you will have to wait half a day for a passing car, then repair it and eventually arrive at your destination a day later. What a half an hour late. In a word, "the gods have nowhere to hurry, they have eternity ahead."
At the same time, the Mongols have a very developed mutual assistance. If your car breaks down, the first passing car stops and its driver offers help. Often, he can stay with you for several hours, helping to start an old UAZ or replace the springs on a truck. However, they say that in remote regions of Russia, such as Yakutia, Kamchatka or Chukotka, everything is exactly the same.
Of all the Mongolian people, Mongolian children make a particularly pleasant impression. They are very lively and spontaneous, and the most colorful subjects for photography even more than old people or valiant horse riders. They are clearly not tormented by any punishments and prohibitions, but they are not pampered with anything either - but here you can’t really pamper them with anything. Instead of plastic toys, they have a whole herd of goats or sheep, instead of a bicycle or roller skates, horses, on which many seem to ride from the age of six or seven, and instead of dirty streets and gateways, green plains. There are no city temptations and entertainment here, so they are sincerely happy with any chocolate that a visiting foreigner brings from the city. My fellow traveler liked the Mongolian children so much that she even wanted to get one for herself. True, she is afraid that her boyfriend from Kyiv will not understand this still, few men are as tolerant as the hero of the film "Stilyagi".
Lifestyle
Ulaanbaatar the only real city in Mongolia. In terms of the availability and development of infrastructure, it resembles a large Russian regional center. There are supermarkets, cinemas, restaurants, Internet cafes, public transport everything you need for life. The rest of the country is a big nomad camp. Even in the regional centers, a significant part of the population lives in a nomadic way in the center there may be several Soviet buildings of two or three floors, and all this surrounds private sector with wooden houses and yurts. But, of course, the real Mongolia starts outside the cities.
In the steppes, yurts are found every few kilometers, in the desert - every 10-20 kilometers. Sometimes a yurt stands alone, sometimes several of these dwellings form a kind of mini-village. I expected that the interior of the yurt would be quite ascetic, almost like in a camping tent, but in reality they are usually well furnished and resemble the insides of a Russian hut or even a modest city apartment. There are several beds, a wardrobe, a table, a chest of drawers with photos of distant relatives, a TV (sometimes even with a DVD player). In the center stands a potbelly stove, the long pipe of which is directed into a round hole in the middle of the roof.
The only occupation of the people living here is animal husbandry. Next to the yurt, a hitching post is driven into the ground, to which several horses are tied, goats or sheep crowd in the corral (and more often without it), yaks and cows peacefully eat grass nearby, and camels roam and chew hard bushes in the desert. These animals are simultaneously all agriculture, food and textile industries, and often transport.
The Mongols practically do not engage in agriculture. You can drive all over the country and not see a single field. Only in the vicinity of the city of Ulangom did we see some kind of vegetable gardens, and at the Russian border we were given a lift by a driver who said that he was going to some kind of farm. In other places, the Mongols do not grow anything and use all their vast plains exclusively for pastures. They say that they still consider it sinful to dig and generally do something with the earth.
National costumes are large robes made of dense fabric, usually gray. I have never worn it, but appearance, such a robe protects well from the piercing Mongolian wind. And yet, I apologize for the intimate detail, such a robe helps the Mongols to relieve themselves in the steppe: it is usually impossible to find any shelter here, so you can move a little away from other people, stand or sit with your back to them, covering yourself with a robe, and do your business, no one this is not shocking.
Religion
As in any other communist country, a religious revival began in Mongolia in the 1990s. They began to restore old and build new monasteries, to create religious educational institutions. Buddhist monastery or the temple has become the same indispensable attribute of the Mongolian city as the Russian Orthodox Church. In the monasteries you can see young monks, and if you're lucky, get to a religious service when they sit at the table and read mantras either in Tibetan or in Sanskrit - a bewitching sight.
However, there is no particular religiosity among the Mongols-laymen. Only in one yurt did I see something like a small altar, and I never saw any religious paraphernalia in cars. So, if you don’t stop by the cities and don’t look for Buddhist temples there, you won’t be able to determine what religion the Mongols adhere to. True, as in neighboring Buryatia, relics of shamanism have been preserved here: along the roads there are "obos" - piles of stones and pillars with blue rags tied to them. But unlike the same Buryatia, drivers do not stop next to them and do not show them any respect.
Entertainment
Of all the Mongolian culture, the traveler can best get acquainted with music. The Mongols are very fond of singing, and on the road you can often observe such a picture the driver begins to sing a melodious and sad song, and his partner sings along with him as much as possible. Or an old woman sings a song, and the whole bus picks it up in unison. If no one sings, then the driver puts on a cassette (by the way, he almost never saw CD-recorders in cars - only cassettes) with Mongolian folk or modern popular songs and listens to it, looking at the road going to the horizon. Quite often, Mongols, including those who do not know a word of Russian, listen to Russian music. Several times we heard either Valeria, or Dima Bilan, or the song “A Million Scarlet Roses” performed by a Mongolian singer singing in Russian with a funny accent.
In addition to singing, people also like to drink. And at first glance it seems that even more than in Russia. During a month of traveling in Eastern Siberia, I was offered to drink vodka once, and in two weeks in Mongolia five times. However, this is explained by the fact that in Mongolia, in addition to the driver, there are always a lot of passengers in the car, and it is they who, in order to have more fun, drink half a glass, and the driver is limited to tea with milk. In Russia, drivers mostly drive alone - you can't drink much here.
lyrical conclusion
What I did not understand after the trip was why, eight hundred years ago, the Mongols needed to leave their cozy nomad camps and native steppes and go to conquer half the world. After all, they were not going to raise cattle and set up yurts on conquered lands, so unlike Mongolia - all these Chinese rice fields, ancient cities Central Asia, peaks of the Caucasus, Iranian deserts and Russian forests. Yes, and there is no way to recognize in these peaceful and friendly people those evil and cruel conquerors who marched with fire and sword right up to Adriatic coast. Maybe it's all about a strong personality that can gather and lead people along - I don't know.
On the other hand, Mongolia allows us to understand another thing: that our entire civilization, everything that humanity has come up with over the past few thousand years, is, in essence, pleasant, but not so necessary excesses. In this country, people hardly use them, and those that are used, it seems, they do not really need them. Tens of thousands of Mongols do without sewage, gas and microwave ovens, a washing machine, a computer, a telephone, a car, and are not at all concerned about this. And the omnipotent power of electricity is used, it seems, only for watching TV. If it weren't for him, they would simply ask travelers what's new in the world. And having learned about all our progress, about the Internet, space flights, nuclear energy, nanotechnologies and laser surgery, they would nod disapprovingly why invent something if all you need for a good life is a yurt, fifty goats, a dozen horses and an endless green plain .
Highway Khovd - Ulaangom

A group of French and Swiss people in jeeps

A country of amazing steppe expanses, where for many kilometers around you can not meet a single living soul, and national traditions that are as strong as the spirit of a Mongol warrior, are gradually gaining momentum in the tourist market as an exotic destination. During the trip, the main tourist companions will certainly be the bright and tireless sun, snow-covered mountain ranges and bundles of colored flags encircling Buddhist stupas.

Important Points

• For a trip to Mongolia Russian tourist visa is not required.
• Experienced travelers do not recommend renting a car in the region where Genghis Khan was born. The quality of the roads and the condition of the proposed cars leave much to be desired. In addition, you can easily get lost in the Mongolian steppes.
• To buy tickets for trains or buses to travel within the country, you will need a passport.
• The difference in ticket prices for local airlines for Mongols and foreigners is very significant.

Choosing wings

Direct air communication with Mongolia is carried out from and several cities beyond the Urals:

• Aeroflot has scheduled flights on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. A direct flight on Russian wings will take a little over 6 hours, and a ticket will cost about $680.
• Mongolian Airlines also take passengers on board several times a week. Their prices start at $800.
• Air travel is much cheaper Turkish Airlines through . The price of the issue is from $ 550, you will have to spend 13 hours on the way, excluding docking.
• The Chinese fly to Ulaanbaatar from Sheremetyevo via. Ticket price for Air flight China starts at $650.

You can also travel to Mongolia by train. The train Moscow - Ulaanbaatar departs twice a week from the platform of the Yaroslavsky railway station of the Russian capital and arrives in the Mongolian one in four and a half days. Ticket price - from $ 90.

Hotel or apartment

The bulk of the hotels in Mongolia went to the republic as a legacy from the times of socialist realities. The number of rooms in "treshki" is mostly made up of old Soviet-style hotels, but "fives" are already distinguished by a modern level of service and comfort. The last point is reflected in pricing policy, and a hotel room in the capital with five stars on the facade will cost an average of $150 per night.
If you search, modern 3 * hotels in Ulaanbaatar are also available, but the price per day in such a hotel can be shocking inexperienced tourist. A double room will cost $60-100. True, for this money, guests receive wireless Internet, a fitness center, a free transfer to the airport and shower accessories. In a word, the new "three rubles" in Ulaanbaatar are quite worthy of more stars than they were assigned.
However, standard accommodation options while traveling in Mongolia are only available in the capital and some major cities. Outside them, the only tourist home is the Mongolian yurt. Yurt campsites are adapted for tourist needs and are equipped with quite civilized amenities. The cost of an overnight stay in a yurt starts from $30 for the most basic comfort.
Mongols also rent out private apartments in the capital, and this accommodation option is quite worthy of consideration. An apartment with three bedrooms, which will comfortably accommodate a company of at least six people, with a kitchen, bathroom and Internet on specialized sites, is easily booked for $ 40 per day. Prices for a private room in an apartment with the owner fluctuate around $15 per night.

Transport subtleties

Mongolia has a well-developed network of internal railways, air routes and bus routes. All roads in the country invariably lead to Ulaanbaatar, and therefore most transfers take place there.
Buses connect all cities and large settlements of Mongolia. In trains, it is customary to divide into reserved seats and compartments that are familiar to Russian residents, and seats are the cheapest. The price of a ticket in a compartment from Ulaanbaatar to the border town of Zamun-Uud, for example, will be about $20. The cities are separated by 750 km.
Intracity transportation of passengers is carried out by buses and fixed-route taxis. The fare is minimal, and the vehicles look absolutely identical to Russian ones.

Nightingales are not fed with fables

In short, the food in Mongolia is hearty, the portions are large, and the prices are very nice. For example, a three-course lunch for two at a mid-range restaurant will cost $25, a standard "hamburger plus fries and a drink" set at McDonald's will cost $7, and a snack at a roadside cafe with fresh chebureks will cost only $4.
Prices for the most popular dishes in inexpensive canteens in Mongolia look like this: salad - $ 1, hot meat dish - $ 2.5, soup - $ 2, tea - $ 0.5.

Useful Details

• There are up to 260 sunny days in Mongolia a year, and the luminary in these latitudes is unusually active. Don't forget to pack a high factor sunscreen in your suitcase.
• Renting an SUV with a local driver for trips through the steppes and other off-road conditions is the best option for independent travel around Mongolia. Traveling in this scenario will cost $70-$80 per day.
• A liter of gasoline costs about a dollar.

The best trip to Mongolia

The sharply continental Mongolian climate is real winter and summer with the corresponding temperatures. In July, residents of Ulaanbaatar often observe + 35 ° C and above on thermometers, and in the dead of winter, mercury columns drop to similar levels. The weather offers the most comfortable conditions for walking around the capital in spring and early autumn.
In the Gobi desert, even despite the intense heat of the day, it can be very cold at night, and therefore the best time to travel to this region of Mongolia is the first half of autumn.
One of the most striking cultural events in Mongolia is the Naadam festival, which takes place in mid-July. The entire male population of the country takes part in it. The highlight of the program are competitions in typical Mongolian skills: archery, horse racing and wrestling. The winners of the national triathlon receive a special cap patch and are respected by their neighbors and colleagues.

On this page I will try to touch upon the problems that a person who is going to Mongolia may face (http://tomgem-planeta.ru/?page_id=155).

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Western Mongolia. Khashaki-Daba pass 2561m

VISA. We received a visa at the Consulate of Mongolia in Yekaterinburg. And this is not an easy task, it is easier to get a visa to Germany. Theoretically, this process takes two or three days, but in reality, the person who does this is not in place for weeks. To obtain a visa, you need an invitation from the Mongolian side. We received an invitation here www.legendtour.ru/rus. It cost 800 rubles per person.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Western Mongolia. Mount Tsast-Ula 4208 m

CUSTOMS. We went through customs in Altai, in Tashanta. MONGOLIAN customs is open from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, always, except for Saturday, Sunday, holidays (Mongolian holidays), as well as a few public holidays. Lunch is from one to two, which, according to Mongolian arithmetic, is one and a half to two hours.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Sands near the village. Bogd.

An INTERNATIONAL driver's license is required to enter with your own car. We didn't need them. In general, the transit time depends on the case. At the entrance to Mongolia, the Russians issued us in ten minutes, and the Mongols tortured us for an hour, not counting the two-hour lunch. On the way back, the Mongols registered us in fifteen minutes, and on the Russian side we stood for about three hours - there was a long queue, the procedure itself took about fifteen minutes.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Lonely saxaul.

RELATIONS WITH LOCAL. This is the question we asked the trucker at customs. He told us in detail about fuel, about roads and fords. And after the question about the attitude of the Mongols towards tourists, it hung ... As it turned out, there was something. Most of the locals are of the “come here” type of tourists, that is, at best, nothing. Therefore, if anything, do not hope that the locals will pull you out of the sands and swamps. Mongols, with very rare exceptions, do not speak Russian and English, except perhaps at gas stations. However, if the Mongols in their Mongolia get lost and ask for directions, they remember Russian, English, and even sign language.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Weathering caves in granites.

As tourists, they began to perceive us in Bayankhongor, and to the east. But crime is simply felt by the skin, especially in northwestern cities. Archi, local vodka, they drink everything and a lot, drunk driving is the norm.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Stone partridge.

ROADS. A lot has been written about the roads of Mongolia, but it is simply impossible to describe them completely. Imagine that a piece of the Moscow-Peter highway, a couple of kilometers, is being repaired. And there is a detour on the dirt road, with all the bumps, dust and other delights. This is the best sections of the federal Mongolian road. But the worst thing is the "washboard". Its maximum manifestation is for 130 km in front of the city of Altai. The ripples on the road are gigantic. With a half-wave length of 40 centimeters, its amplitude reaches 20 centimeters. Cars just roll over. Lowering your tire pressure as much as possible will help.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Sands of the tract Datsyn-Tsav.

New roads are being made in Mongolia, but… all at once. And you can often see the picture - on a hundred-kilometer section of a well-paved road, one single grader is busy leveling it, sometimes one skating rink helps him. So it's not a matter of time. But nevertheless, separate sections of asphalt, 20-60 kilometers long, already exist.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Jeyran.

And further. If you book a tour with a rented car, do not settle for UAZs. Not only that, most likely you will not reach it. In forty-degree heat, you will not breathe air, but dust, while regularly deforming the top of the car with your head. http://tomgem-planeta.ru/?page_id=155

FUEL. I will talk about diesel. It is available in almost all towns. We refueled at red PETROVIC gas stations. The cost of fuel is 45-55 rubles. Along the federal highways, the quality of fuel is high, in any way better than in Altai along the Chuisky tract. And at a distance from federal highways, diesel is very bad, in the sands the car boils on it. So in the desert it is better to pour fuel into the tank from stored canisters.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. The tract Datsyn-Tsav.

HOTELS. This is a very big problem. If this is an expensive hotel, from 1200 rubles, then, as the Mongols themselves say, they are “not for sleeping”. The girls scream all night. If this is a cheap hotel, you will listen to the showdown of drunken Mongols until the morning. We were lucky with housing only twice - the Seoul Hotel for $40 in Bayankhongor and the Khan Uul for $100 in the city of Dalandzadgad. These are real business numbers, in any way better than business in Moscow's Izmailovo.

PRODUCTS. No problem. In large cities, there are a lot of shops with any products, and the prices are half ours.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Dunes Khongoryn Els.

PUBLIC CATERING. There are problems. Restaurants will most likely offer inedible local food. It is easier to eat in cafes in the markets. Here you can eat buuzy - a sort of mantopelmeni, pasties, rice with meat. It's delicious, and 150 rubles was enough for three of us. It is better not to eat in yurts between cities. Firstly, it's not tasty, secondly, it's expensive. And it will take an hour and a half, since they will most likely start cooking from scratch.

TOMGEM PLUS VIDEO. Mongolia. Southern Gobi. Dunes Khongoryn Els.

CURRENCY. Along the south federal road accept ONLY tugriks, and in banks they accept ONLY dollars for exchange. In North-Western Mongolia, you can pay in tugriks, and dollars, and rubles.

NAVIGATION. For orientation on the ground, a map and a navigator were used. Map - overview map Mongolia at a scale of 1:5,000,000 with schematically plotted roads, settlements and mountain ranges. This turned out to be enough. There were maps of provinces with a bunch of roads and a bunch of villages, but in reality they were not villages, but migrating camps, and Mongolian country roads were a mirage. That is, the province cards are absolutely useless. What you can’t do without in Mongolia is without a navigator. We had a GARMIN MONTANA-600 with 1:500,000 General Staff maps uploaded. He did not lead along the roads, but showed the direction. And on the ground there were enough roads to follow these directions. In general, they did not fornicate, and even the lost Mongols were poked with a finger where to go. And further. The Mongols rarely imagine what is further than 50 km from their camp, village, city. So it is better to rely on your own strength.

CONTINUED HERE.

Good afternoon. I live in Khakassia, 600 km to the border with Mongolia, 720 km to the nearest city. Therefore, we are on May holidays rushed literally for a week. Arrived without problems. The checkpoint of Khandagaity is a megarespect, everything is cultural and polite. They gathered to go to the city of Ulangom - 28 thousand people.
Hotel 1500 nights - a room for three! The food is inexpensive, there are many unfamiliar dishes. A lot of sea buckthorn juice, also a novelty, we do not have. The meat is all tough, but cheap, it’s better to buy Buuza in chain stores, by the way, you quickly get used to Tsai, especially in cafes where they make him normal. Were on Lake Khyargys Nuur, and on Ubr-nuur, huge lakes, on the shores of the safari - a bunch of fearless game, a lot of yaks, geese, herons, etc. There was a Russian-speaking guide, but it’s better to know the basics in English and have a Russian Mongolian phrasebook. We walked around the city at night, very safe, everyone says hello, invites to visit, a lot of smiles. In general, we rolled up very positively, if there are questions I will answer with pleasure.

Once in Ulangom there was a small military unit of the Soviet group of troops. The part was small, since the direction was not "tank dangerous". I will say that in that area the service of the officers was like in a resort: hunting, fishing. The command of the army is far away - until they reach it, you can put things in order several times. And it's really a pleasure to stay there. Of course, in more than 20 years, when Soviet specialists left the MPR, many people forgot the language. But at one time, even in such small settlements, up to 50% of the population spoke Russian. Even if there is no guide, you can always find local resident who will gladly tell and show reserved places. Well, a representative office of the Republic of Tuva was opened in Ulangom. Therefore, even if problems arise, then through them you can solve it all. For lovers of outdoor recreation - a wonderful place. :hlopaet:

In 2007, we also traveled from Khakassia to Mongolia. Although there were no relations (at the state level), the Mongols perfectly remember the kindness and help of the USSR for the formation of their state. We passed by Ulangom, we were also on the lakes. They ate geese, herons, yak meat and horse meat. By the way, most of the inhabitants (middle-aged) speak Russian tolerably, but understand it in general, 100 percent. I remember their attitude towards the USSR, and towards us (former Soviets) - warm, hospitable, almost native. At that time, they didn’t talk about Russia at all, but called our country in the old way - the Soviet Union.
We have not seen any poverty, let alone poverty. This is the normal way of life of the Mongolian people. If the family is settled, then they live in a house, apartment, like ordinary rural people in any country. If the family is nomadic, has its own livestock, pasture allotments, then the way of life is accordingly nomadic. Hence, national housing, clothing, food... Therefore, you should not be afraid to go to Mongolia on a safari. You just need to decide for what purpose, and where can you go in Mongolia, to the steppe, or to the city-village?