FAQ about Mongolia Travel

No. We only organize tours to Mongolia.

Mongolia is known for its vast and rugged expanses with attractions that are long distance of each other. It takes a town to reach important attractions and require private/shared transportation. Most importantly, lack of public transportation, expensive gas, seasonal service and accommodation are the main factors to make your travel expensive comparing to other Asian countries.

We always strive to achieve excellence & fulfillment in our service and product while endorsing sustainable tourism through building partnerships with locals. Choosing Travel Buddies as a travel partner you will not only discover Mongolia but also enjoy an opportunity to impact local society positively from little to grand scale.

Yes, some of the remote provinces such as Bayan Ulgii and Khovd are one hour behind local time in Ulaanbaatar. Make sure you are aware of the time difference before heading there.

We recommend you to watch well known movies that show historical and adventurous sense related to Mongolian nomadic culture such as The cave of yellow dog, Mongol, The story of weeping camel and Genghis Khan: to ends of the Earth and sea. We suggest you to read books such as On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads and Walking the Gobi.

Yes, official taxis can be booked calling 1900 – 1950. It costs 1000 MNTs /50 cent/ per kilometer.
Also, we recommend you to use UB cab- online taxi service application that has English language and is easy to use. You can find a link for download here http://www.ubcab.mn/.

Yes, it is safe during the day time. However, we suggest you to be careful on your belongings when walking in the crowded street. Avoid walking outside your hotel after 11 p.m. for safety reasons.

In summer time, most of the big markets like Black market and Sunday shopping center close at 7 p.m. whereas they close at 6 p.m. in winter. State Department store closes at 10 p.m. on week days and closes at 9 p.m. on weekends. Most supermarkets close at 9 p.m. in the city center while small shops in countryside close at 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Make sure you take your hat entering the monastery and give respect to the altars and monks keeping silent. No skirt or inappropriate clothing allowed. Also no photography inside the monastery.

It is polite to leave some form of gift with the host to repay them for their hospitality. In general, money does not make a good gift, so leave something personal like postcards from your country, Polaroid photographs and sweets are all thoughtful tokens. It is however impolite to take photographs without asking. Many Mongolians dislike tourists taking photographs of them or their children without warning. However, they are usually delighted if you do take their photograph, provided you will then send copies back to them.

Feel free to mail us your photos as we will help you delivering your photos to the nomad families.

There is no luggage allowance on our tour but there is a luggage allowance on domestic flight for carry-on and luggage is 15 kg. If it exceeds, you need to pay 3000-5000 mnt togrog per kg.

Our tour guides qualify minimum advanced to fluent English level and 3 to 15 years of experience in guiding.

We will provide you 1.5 liters of water per person per day. Yes, if you need to have additional water you will need to buy from the local markets in the town.

Yes, you can buy affordable warm clothes here. Usually our traditional clothes are warm jacket, outfit and cashmere clothes.

You can call +976 95012698 or +976 99591766 if you cannot locate our representative.

We provide all-inclusive tours that enhance your travel experience.

We suggest you to buy cashmere, woolen stuff, Mongolia Ger chocolate, Naadam Mongolian assembling Ger game, Lhamour brand, Seaberry and Chinggis khan’s wall painting / story books for souvenirs.

Singing in karaoke, eating in hot pot restaurant, watching traditional Mongolian concert, watching wrestling, visiting Light Street in Seoul street during the weekend and trying street food.

Yes, it is very useful for hiking / trekking on uneven terrain.

Mongol post is the most economical company to post things. Express post companies are DHL, UPS and SF express.

Feel free to post and tag Travel Buddies Mongolia on FB, Instagram and twitter. Also do not forget to use our hasgtag #travelbuddies

The terrain of the country is very remote from the oceans of the Mediterranean, and the Eurasian mainland is surrounded by high mountains, with an average elevation of kilometers above sea level. The main feature of the climate in Mongolia is the four-season difference, with high air temperature fluctuations, low precipitation, and latitude and longitude differences in the climate. The short duration of Mongolia (spring from June to mid-August), dry summer, very cold, long (lasting from November to January), and spring and autumn periods vary widely from year to year.

The annual average temperature of Mongolia is 0.2 is 0.2 ° C (32 ° F), average winter temperature is -10 ° … -30 ° C (14 ° to 22 ° F), summer season 10 ° to 27 ° C (50 ° to 80 ° F). Average annual temperature is colder than -4 ° C (24.8 ° F) in Altai, Khangai, Khentii and Khuvsgul areas, including inter-valley depressions and large river valleys -6 °C to -7.4°C (21.2 to 18.7 ° F ) is warmer than 2 ° C (35.6 ° F) in the cold and desert steppe zone and 6 ° C (42.8 ° F) in the South Gobi. The average 0 ° C average annual air temperature is in the semi-desert zone of Mongolia and 46 degrees north-west of the Gobi region. Permafrost soils are distributed in colder areas than the average annual air temperature is -2 ° C (28.4 ° F). In winter the absolute low temperature reaches -28 ° C to -40 ° C (-18.4 ° to 65.2 ° F). In summer, the absolute high temperature is 30 ° C to 40 ° C (86 ° to 113 ° F) is heated.

You can find a list of Visa free countries here http://www.consul.mn/eng/02visae.php

You will need to get transit visa for the country which you will visit through.

You need visa upon arrival if you are travelling to Mongolia from a country that has no Mongolian consulate or embassy, you can pick up a 30-day tourist visa upon arrival at the airport in Ulaanbaatar. You’ll need 108,000 tugrugs (45 USD) and two passport photos – you should also have a pre-approval letter from an organization or company in Mongolia. In case of booking a tour with us, we will help you to get visa support letter and further assistance.

No, we don’t. However, we can help you to purchase the train ticket if available on sale and you confirm a tour with us.

Yes, we can help you to book the train tickets if available for sale.

Mongolians widely eat traditional meal consist of meat and dairy products that affected by our challenging climate and weather condition. However, there is variety of restaurants in the city that offers Western and Asian meals. In the tourist Ger camp we will also serve European, Asian and Russian meals.

Yes, water is provided daily and no treatment tablets needed.

We suggest you to try local beers called Golden Gobi, Chinggis Khaan, Sengur and Borgio.

You can buy some fruit (apple or orange) in small to big towns but not fresh fruits.

For gluten free diet, you will have rice with some vegetables, fruit, yogurt and meat. However, we highly recommend you to bring some nutrition and extra food when it is necessary.

Vegetarian meals are available to serve but options are limited and simple. The dish can contain rice, fried or cooked vegetable (carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, and beet), pasta and few beans. It would be helpful if you can take your own supplements.

In countryside, it is available at nomad families from July till September. It is not sold in supermarket but available to drink at traditional restaurant called Хөх-үүр.

There are some drinks we suggest you to try are mare’s milk and sea buck thorn juice.

The most common traditional dishes are offered by nomad families or some tourist camps such as buuz, huushuur, horhog, tsuivan.

We advise you to choose these Mongolian restaurants that offer delicious traditional and European cuisine called Modern nomads, Mongolians, Хөх-үүр.

The first step you need to do is to tell our representative and he / she will help you connect to the missing luggage department. You will wait until next departure and call 976-11-333999 as soon as it departs.

You should dial police number 102 for this case but it takes several minutes to connect English speaker. If you are traveling with us, our tour guide will help you to report to the police.

July 11 to 15 – Mongolians are the people who have been proudly celebrating Naadam festival for hundreds of years. If you are planning to visit Mongolia in July, the festival, must participate celebration is Naadam, definitely! The three-manly-sports which were the way to train soldiers for battle, and were also connected to Mongols’ nomadic lifestyle are held on throughout the country every July. In 2010, Naadam was registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.

If you book a tour with us, we can help you to book Naadam festival ticket.

10 July, 2019
8:00 – 11:00 Four-year-old horse racing
14:00-16:30 Three-year-old horse racing

11 July, 2019
8:00-11:40 Stallion racing
14:00 Opening ceremony of Naadam in Khui 7 Khudag /Special program/
14:00 – 17:00 Seven-year-old horse racing

12 July, 2019
07:00-9:20 Five-year-old horse racing
10:30-12:30 Two-year-old horse racing
13 July, 2019
7:00-18:40 Naadam festival for race horse trainer

You can buy local SIM card at the airport or in local operators office with Unitel or Mobicom logo in the city. Our tour guide can help you to buy it1

Internet access and Wi-Fi connections are available in use while you are staying in Ulaanbaatar city. Once leaving the city, a few tourist Ger camps can offer you free internet access. Thus, you don’t need to bring your laptop.

Yes, you can recharge your devices with USB plugged in car cigarette lighter.

In Mongolia the power plugs and sockets are of type C and E. The standard voltage is 220 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Yes, you can easily access to your Facebook and social media without restriction.

When you are traveling in the countryside, WiFi will be limited You can access the Wifi only in a few tourist camps. Therefore, buy a local sim card with 3 to 10 GB and access to data wherever the network coverage is available. Most of towns and villages are covered with cellular network.

Electricity is available after dinner in the tourist camps whereas nomad homes have no access to electricity.

We suggest accommodations which are highly recommended on Tripadvisor and other sources. Also we provide high – qualified accommodations that are assured with our permanently research, our experience and most crucial indication is based on feedback from the clients. Our tour managers give you an advice to choose from the wide range of accommodation depending on your requirement and compulsion.

Yes, they do. They can be very helpful, too.

Yes, we can book any hotel on your request.

Yes, you can. However, make sure you are returning from tour in latest two weeks as they will not charge for securing your excess luggage. If you are touring for longer period of time, we would suggest you to leave it with us at tour company office.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, especially in Ulaanbaatar, as tap water might be contains unnecessary microbes. Drinking bottled water is recommended, and, bottled water is very easy to find throughout your travels.

The tourist camp Ger is heated by burning wood and coal. Staffs at tourist Ger camp make fire.

Yes, you can upgrade it to Ger camp with en-suite bathroom or higher quality service such as food, facilities and location. Also the exclusive lodges such as Three Camel lodge, Terelj lodge, Dream Gobi camp, Toilogt can be options.

Yes, most tourist camp offers laundry service. It costs from 5 to 20 USD depending on what size and type of clothes you clean.

No, but bring extra battery can that be charged at tourist Ger camps from dinner time to late night.

No. There are usually two pool for all. Please make sure to bring your own swimsuit for visiting hot springs.

No, tourist camps will provide you pillow. However you might find some pillows hard as filled with rice so if you cannot sleep with hard pillow, make sure you bring your own.

No. Toilets are not heated; it is western style toilet and shower in the separate building.

Some tourist camps have double bed that we try to book if available. Expect twin bed in most of the tourist Ger camps and nomad family homestay.

No, we provide sleeping bags.

Yes. You need swimsuit for hot spring.

If it is tourist camp, yes it has lock but not for nomad family’s Ger.

Yes, we will heat the Ger during you stay.

Yes. Especially in hotels and restaurant but rare in taxis.

It depends on your length of travel and souvenir shop visits. If you will need 150 to 200 USD for buying snacks, local souvenirs, alcohol drinks and rest can be used in the city. Souvenirs in Mongolia can cost from 1 dollar up to 200 US dollars.

Yes. You can find many ATMs in bank and shopping centres and it has option to choose English.

Yes, you can pay the balance payment by using your credit card.

There is no must or expected percentage so it is up to you.

Yes, you can exchange it to USD easily at the airport.

We will prefer you to bring USD because it is easier to exchange in Mongolia.