Just arrived back from an unforgettable 10-day trip to UlaanBaatar (UB), the Gobi desert and the Orkhon Valley. The vastness and emptiness of the place is like no other and if you’re looking for solitude with stunning landscape, this is the place for you. We travelled close to 2000km, stayed in 6 ger camps and viewed different landscapes every single day. The weather was kind, there was no heavy downpour, just short light drizzle on a couple of days, and the day and night temperatures were not extreme. According to our guide, August was the favourite month of travel for the locals, and that spoke volumes.
I travelled to UB as a solo traveller, explored the city on my own and then joined a small local tour to go into the Gobi desert. Our route covered Tsagaan Suvarga (White Stupas), Eagle Valley, Khongor Sand Dunes, Khavtsgait rock drawing, Flaming Cliffs, Bayanzag, Ongi Monastery and Kharkhorin. We rode camels, horses and visited a nomadic home. The sunrises were particularly beautiful. I loved waking up and stepping straight out into nature and observing the gradual changing of colours in the skyline.
For anyone thinking of embarking on such an adventure, I thought I’d share some of my learnings from the trip:
Flights
The most frequent international flights to UB are from South Korea (Incheon, Jeju, Busan). This is not surprising as South Koreans make up their largest tourist arrival group. You can find Korean convenient stores and restaurants all over UB. The national carrier, MIAT Mongolian Airlines, also has a code share with Cathay Pacific, which stops over in Hong Kong, and I understand there are also transits from various Chinese cities and Istanbul. Their airport, the Chinggis Khaan International Airport, is around 50km from UB town centre and my pre-booked transfer took about 1 hour.
Transportation
Within UB, the best way of getting around is using the transport app, UBCab. There is no Uber or other international ride-hailing apps here. You do not need a local number to register, but it seems like not all mobile numbers can be registered. There is a dropdown list of acceptable countries and if your country is on the list, it should not be a problem. I’m not sure what happens to those countries that are not on the list. There is also language selection if your country falls within the dropdown list. I paid in MNT cash for my rides, not sure if credit card payment works, as I did not bother to find out. Cash was a good option for me. My return transfer from UB town centre to the airport was via UBCab and it cost me MNT110,000, just to give an idea of the cost.
Outside UB, I imagine you would need to be a very experienced driver and navigator to get around, as proper paved roads only connected the main cities or towns. Most of the time we travelled off road. These were uneven, dusty, sometimes gravelly, sometimes grassy… luckily for us, we didn’t encounter real muddy roads, just some patches of mud here and there. We saw some vehicles that stalled with engine problems, but it didn’t seem like big news, as the drivers just got down and got their hands dirty to fix the problem. The small group that I joined included an English-speaking Mongolian guide with encyclopaedic (bookish) knowledge of the history and culture, as well as an experienced driver who knew the place like the back of his hand and had real-life practical knowledge (street smart). I thought they complemented each other really well. Mongolia, especially the Gobi, is not an easy place to travel on your own. If not a tour group, then the other option would be to hire a 4x4 together with a guide cum driver. Ours was an air-conditioned refurbished Toyota Hiace, fairly comfortable, no complaints, but we also saw many Russian vans which looked interesting but looked cramped inside.
Credit card/cash/tip
In UB, all major establishments that I went to accepted international credit cards. Apple Pay was commonly accepted, no physical card was required. However, my UBCab rides still used cash and when travelling in the outskirts, toilets frequently required a cash payment of either MNT500 or MNT1000. I changed my USD cash into MNT cash in a cash machine on the 6th floor of the State Department Store which is one of the most popular downtown stores. As for tips, it’s not common, except in tours where the guide and driver still expect tips. And if you’ve been through thick and thin in the desert, you would want to tip them more than generously. For example, when we were there, the country was facing a fuel shortage situation. At first, you could see long lines of vehicles queueing at the gas stations for fuel. Later on, the queues disappeared. You might think that’s because the situation had improved, but no, it had gotten so bad that the gas stations had no more fuel. These empty, almost abandoned gas stations, in the middle of nowhere, looked eerie to us. So we were living day to day with no promise of fuel for the next day’s travel. But day to day, our driver managed to find some connections to get fuel for us. Don’t ask me how, but our lives were in his hand, and he delivered!
Hotels in UB
I stayed in a local hotel in the heart of UB, and was not quite happy with the standard or service provided, although price-wise it was not much cheaper than international chains. On hindsight, I should have stuck to international chains (Novotel, Pullman, Shangri-la). We simply did not know the reputation of some of the cheaper local hotels. Indeed, you often get mixed reviews as people have different standards. Also, the language barrier was real - even in my fairly upmarket local hotel, I was not really convinced that the receptionist could totally understand what I wanted when I spoke in English. I repeated myself many times and when the next receptionist came, I repeated myself again.
Ger Camps outside UB
Now this was totally way above my expectations. The 6 tourist class camps that we stayed all had clean and flushable toilets, strong hot showers, decent meals and comfortable beds. There were variations of course. Most had 24-hour electricity and hot water, but one restricted use only up to 10pm. Most had in-room charging points, but in one camp, we could only charge our devices in the main dining hall. One had paid laundry service, another had evening live performance. WiFi was available in the common areas. But usually I had to rely on mobile data in the Ger/room and even then, in some locations, Mobicom worked but not Unitel (the 2 main telecommunications providers). On the downside, some had more bugs or flying insects than others (I slept with earplugs in one Ger to prevent insects falling into my ear canals), and in some Ger, it could be stuffy with poor ventilation. Overall, I enjoyed my stay in the Ger camps very much.
What to wear in the Gobi (in August)
For the long hours in the transport van, I’d recommend sandals, specifically closed-toe hiking sandals that could provide good grip for walking on uneven dusty trails. Socks and hiking boots could get quite warm. Otherwise, wear your normal sandals and change into your hiking boots just before your hike. Our itinerary did not include really strenuous hikes so be prepared accordingly if you’re doing technical trails.
We climbed the sand dunes bare-footed - that was the best way - and the sand was not hot, contrary to some reports. Some in my group wore shorts, but personally, I preferred long pants in light thin material over shorts or leggings. Also I liked sheer long sleeve uv-protected jackets or tops to prevent getting baked in the sun. In summer evenings, a sweater or fleece jacket will do. I brought some thermals which I never needed to use. As I mentioned before, it can get quite stuffy inside the Ger. I was there in August, towards the end of summer, and Aug was supposed to be one of the rainiest months. I was reminded, because it is in the desert, even in their rainiest month, the amount of rainfall is still very low. I did not have to wear my raincoat at all but I did use my water repellent jacket and umbrella occasionally.
Meds/Precautions
Besides the normal stuff in your medicine kit, one thing you might add is the motion sickness medication. You never know. Some folks who do not normally need them started getting queasy due to the extreme bumpiness of off-road travel that last for hours. Also, a small tube of antiseptic cream or bio gel might be useful for the small scratches or insect bites. Sunglasses and sunscreen are of course a must, as are hats with a wide brim and neck coverage. Also, lots of paper tissue and hand sanitizers for those times when you need to pee in the open (ya, it happened almost everyday) or in drop toilets. I much prefer the former, by the way.
Final Words
August turned out to be great weather-wise. But 2 additional points I’d like to make:
1) We just missed the Naadam Festival which is a popular festival held every July, that showcases traditional sports (wrestling, horse racing, archery), traditional music, food etc. Arguably, July could be a better month for travel, but it would mean early bookings for many things.
2) A visit to the Chinggis Khaan Museum, right next to the Sukhbaatar Square in UB, made the trip complete, with the retelling of the fascinating history of the Mongolian people, once so feared that the Great Wall of China was built to keep them out, and the Mongol Empire, once so powerful that it controlled half of the world’s land mass.