How to get to Mongolia by car. Four thousand kilometers by car in Mongolia. Checkpoint Khandagaity – Borsho
Literally at the end of last week, I returned from the biggest car trip in my life - almost 10 thousand kilometers through the territories of two countries - Russia and Mongolia. Three thousand kilometers turned out towards the state border and back to Khabarovsk and four thousand kilometers through the territory of Mongolia. The route, in a new country for me, looked like this:
As you can see from the map on which I laid the route I have traveled, the purpose of this trip was to drive to the empty Gobi and visit the most interesting places that are in Mongolia.
In continuation, there is an accelerated video recording from the car's registrar, as well as my impressions of the trip, of course in a very compressed format. In the future there will be many notes with photos and videos, where I will tell you more about the country and the places I managed to visit.
If someone has any questions about the trip - ask in the comments, I will be happy to answer.
The trip took 16 days(first half of June 2015), 2-3 days in each direction went on the road across Russia from Khabarovsk to the border settlement of Kyakhta and directly through Mongolia there were 11 days of constant crossings.
Everything that the car saw can be viewed by you on the video, which is made up of records from the car registrar. Everything is here from the Mongolian customs to it on the way back. It is clear that there are no parking lots and other moments when the car was not working. Also in this video there is almost no city of Ulaanbaatar - there I traveled by taxi or just on foot. In general, 11 days of travel still fit into this 26-minute video, which I accompanied with modern Mongolian songs to make it more fun for you to watch.
Now a few words about Mongolia.
It was very interesting to visit the country. Mongolia is kind and simple in everything. The attitude towards tourists, especially from Russia, is very friendly and welcoming. No one refuses to help, communicate, etc. in some way.
Drive, even in the capital, is not difficult - the rules and signs are similar to ours, the locals almost follow them. Local traffic police (there are very few of them and only in the center - near the capital) treat drivers normally. Many cameras have been installed in cities and towns, but I did not see the point in them.
Roads are completely different here. There is also a completely new asphalt, and very good quality. Riding on it is a pleasure! But, there are also completely roadless places or places with a huge number of roads (sometimes made by the passage of one car). All roads pass through the mountains, so sometimes on those roads where there is no coverage, the condition leaves much to be desired. Therefore, if you want to get somewhere, then you need to go by SUV, and if you ride through the towns and main attractions, you can also go by ordinary car.
Nature in Mongolia is very beautiful, although deserted. If you go from North to South, it is very noticeable how the vegetation becomes less and less. And as a result, in the desert itself - sand and rocky mountains. Mountains in general, insanely many. and from the smallest to huge - with constant snow. There is a lot of life around water bodies, even the smallest stream can give life to an oasis in the middle of an empty steppe. We met various animals - camels, ground squirrels, mice, hares, etc. And also a lot of birds.
I managed to see a variety of forms of life of the Mongols - from yurts to the most modern comfortable houses. During the trip managed to visit: Altanbulag, Sukhe-Bator, Darkhan, Ulaanbaatar, Terelzh, Zuunmod, Deltsertsorgt, Mandalgobi, Tsogt-Ovoo, Dalangadzad, Khurmen, Bayandalai, Saikhan, Arvaikheer, Kharkhorin, Tsetserleg, Tariat, lake. Terkhiin Tsagaan Nur, Khorgo volcano, Bayan-Khongor, Bayan-Ovoo, Zhargalant, Muren, Khatgal, lake. Khubsgul (Khevsgel Nuur), Khutag-Ender, Selenga, Bulgan, Erdenet, Barunburen. In some settlements we spent the night in hotels, in some - in yurts. In those towns and villages where I stayed, I managed to take photographs, and there will definitely be separate notes. There will also be a few notes about the capital of Mongolia - the city of Ulaanbaatar. This is a very interesting and under construction city.
The language barrier- very serious. Moreover, interestingly, the letters are almost all from Cyrillic, but it is absolutely impossible to understand something. Therefore, you look at the names and a complete stupor. Communicating with the locals is also difficult. But, interestingly, some speak Russian, some speak English. And if everything is more or less good with the Russian language, then their English is very incomprehensible, and they themselves understand it poorly. Sometimes there are very educated people in terms of language. For example, in the museum I met a young guy who spoke Russian and English just fine. Some young people in Ulaanbaatar have had time to study in Russia or Belarus, and they also speak Russian just fine.
Goods in Mongolia they are very poor in their choice, especially in all sorts of small towns and villages. Products mainly from Russia and the countries of the former socialist bloc, and manufactured goods from China. There are some of their products from milk, meat and vodka, which is also made from local products. Yes, and the local beer is also good there, especially the dark one. Prices on products, approximately as in Russia. And here, petrol, which is imported to Mongolia from our country, is very expensive. For a liter of the 92nd here I had to pay from 50 to 60 rubles. Almost all gas stations accept payment Visa cards. In shops and hotels, you can also sometimes pay with them, but not everywhere.
mobile connection is everywhere where there are settlements. And here is the mobile Internet— is a rarity. However, the Internet that was used in the hotel via Wi-Fi also leaves much to be desired in terms of speed. Sometimes I couldn't even measure it. Again - in the capital and, for example, the city of Darkhan - everything with Internet access is excellent.
Customs, both Russian and Mongolian are passed normally, without any problems, although there are some features and subtleties. In particular, on our side, Russian citizens can skip the queue (because very few of our cars go there), but on the Mongolian side, they asked me a thousand dollars so that I could pass and not wait in line, but of course I refused. The inspection on the Mongolian side is superficial, I didn’t even get my things out of the car. But ours is different. They may ask to open the bags, or they may only look into the salon. Naturally, they check the documents for the car, check the numbers on the road and break through different databases. There was another such moment on the way back - a lot of Mongols are now going to Russia for gasoline (you can take a tank of a car and 10 liters in a canister out of Russia), food, etc. And so the customs simply can not cope with the flow, although it works around the clock. I had to stand at the border for eight hours.
It seems like he told the main thing, if you have questions - ask. And I will prepare new notes from this trip.
Yes, and one more thing - I have now begun to upload photos from the trip in, so if you are interested, you can follow the photo trip there.
Briefly explain to the girls and those who are not yet in the know: "Toyota Prius" is a hybrid Japanese car in which a gasoline engine is complemented by an electric one. The process of their joint work is controlled by an on-board computer, and the main (gasoline) engine only works when it is needed. And it turns off as soon as the need for his efforts disappears - when driving at low speed (for example, in traffic jams), while stopping at a traffic light, when braking, when driving with the gas pedal released or on a slope, and in other situations when the electric motor is strong cope on your own.
This makes hybrid cars more environmentally friendly than regular ICE cars, but that's certainly not why Mongolians buy them. But because "hybrids" allow you to save on gasoline, which, as I already wrote, is expensive in Mongolia. Consumption for the "Prius" - from 4 to 6 liters per 100 kilometers, depending on the version, season and driving style. Driving in eco-mode along long steppe routes allows local residents to significantly save on fuel.
Hybrid cars have one small drawback (but it is also an advantage) - a starting battery. It is used to turn on the car - yes, yes, just turn it on - and maintain its functions when it is turned off (powering the clock and alarm, for example), so it gradually discharges. So the “hybrid” does not like to stand idle for a long time, it needs to be “walked” at least once every few days so that the starting battery is recharged. These cars especially do not like to mess around in the cold season. But in the mode of constant operation, the battery feels cheerful, and the car does not need to be put on regular warm-up in cold weather, like ordinary cars. Even at -30 ° and below, it will turn on without problems - after all, it does not need to turn a frozen starter. But the possibilities of a starting battery are very limited, and, for example, you cannot “light up” an ordinary car from a “hybrid”, only a brother with the same nice little battery. So if you suddenly need this kind of help, do not rely on the Prius, look for a simpler and larger car.
The government of Mongolia welcomes the purchase of "hybrids" in every possible way. In principle, this country already has very humane duties on imported cars - they don’t have their own “like car industry, which needs to be pulled by the ears with all its might, which means there is no need for protective duties on imports. For hybrid cars, the duty is even lower than for conventional cars. Moreover, since June 2016, Mongolia has canceled the customs rate for importing new cars from Japan and taxes on Japanese cars with less than 3 years of mileage. An excellent example of competent import regulation, when the import of higher quality goods is encouraged. So in the near future, this country will plug us into the belt in terms of the number of cool cars per capita. In terms of automotive environmental friendliness, I think I have already shut it up. Eh, it's good luck!
From Barnaul to the capital of the homeland of Genghis Khan - 2372.51 km. Many Altai tourists are increasingly choosing this direction for travel. We tell you what attracts Mongolia, how to get there, what to see and how much the trip will cost.
Why Mongolia?
Not everyone will dare to rush to Mongolia. Despite the relative proximity to the Altai Territory, the path ahead is not the closest. Mostly this direction is preferred by independent tourists.
Mongolia is located on a vast territory, so the distances between settlements are quite impressive, and the quality of the roadway can not always be called good. Travelers are attracted by wild, untouched by man nature, national flavor, gastronomic novelties and landscapes unusual for the eyes.
And also the endless steppes, transparent lakes, the Gobi desert, snowy peaks, the hospitality of the locals. Here, yurts are not entertainment for tourists, but ordinary life, food on a fire.
Mongolia is called the land of the blue sky for a reason. There are more than 260 sunny days a year, and in the Gobi desert it may not rain for several years.
How to get there?
If you are traveling by car from Barnaul, then it is better to split the trip into several days. For example, to get to the village of Aktash in the Altai Mountains, stop there for the night, relax. Moreover, the road to the Ulagansky district of the republic runs through stunningly beautiful places. And it is simply impossible to go without stops.
For example, you will have to overcome two passes: Seminsky and Chike-Taman, where you must take a photo as a keepsake. This also applies to the place where the Katun and Chuya merge, and a few kilometers from the village of Aktash is the famous Geyser Lake, which has become popular among tourists.
The road along the Chuisky tract is in excellent condition, but some sections are being repaired, so there may be forced stops or even traffic jams. Some travelers say that they had to stand up to four hours before they were allowed to pass.
The road along the Chuisky tract, although good, is not easy, you won’t be able to go fast, and few people want to accelerate on mountain serpentines and winding descents. So the next stop can be made, for example, in the village of Tashanta, to rest, gain strength and move on.
What documents are needed to travel to Mongolia?
You need a passport, driver's license, documents for the car. But you don't need to apply for a visa. More precisely, if you are going to stay in Mongolia for less than 30 days, then it will not be needed. If you expect that the trip will last more than a month, then a visa is needed.
Of course, the import of drugs, psychotropic drugs and explosives, weapons and ammunition, samples of animal and plant tissues, as well as pornography is prohibited. If you are going to take out furs and skins, gold, precious metals and precious stones, as well as items of cultural or artistic value from Mongolia, they must be presented at customs. The cost of each item should not exceed 500 USD; if this amount is exceeded, a duty from 10% to 100% must be paid.
These are not all restrictions, but there are not many of them. Please read them carefully before your trip.
Where to live?
Since interest in Mongolia has been increasing in recent years, there are enough offers for tourists. In cities, tourists are offered accommodation in hotels, inns, and recreation centers. Prices vary, on the Internet there are both very inexpensive offers (from 700 rubles per day), and hotel rooms for 20 thousand rubles.
But outside of Ulaanbaatar and major cities, everything is much more complicated. The only accommodation option is a yurt. Most yurt camps are owned by private individuals. There are both cheap ones and expensive ones. A range of services from basic camping accommodation to luxury options with all amenities. Meals are usually half board or full board. The cost of accommodation starts from 2000 rubles per day.
It is advisable to look for a place to spend the night in advance, having already planned the route.
What is?
National Mongolian cuisine. Everyone has a different attitude towards it. Someone recommends not relying too much on gastronomic pleasure, so as not to be disappointed. Others fall in love once and for all with tea with cream and salt, koumiss, lamb dishes. By the way, basically all meat dishes are prepared from sheep, and they also love goat meat there. Less often horse meat and beef. The food is rich and fatty. So if you are on a special diet for health reasons, it is better to take cereals with you and cook yourself.
By the way, food in a cafe will cost quite inexpensively, for example, you will have to pay about 120 rubles for a plate of noodles with lamb.
When to go?
Officially, the best season in Mongolia is from June to early September. However, travelers who have traveled at other times also say that Mongolia is always beautiful. The main thing is to take the right clothes. The more warm things, the better.
What to see?
Depending on what interests you in the first place. Some go for fishing and landscapes, others consider it necessary to visit the Gobi Desert. Mongolia is different for everyone. And this country occupies a vast territory. So you won't be able to watch it in its entirety at once. Or it will take a very long time.
But still there are places that are highly recommended to visit.
Natural sights of Mongolia: Khovsgol lake, the deepest in Central Asia. By the way, it is very popular for fishing and ecotourism. Also, travelers choose to visit the valley of the Selenga River, which flows into Lake Baikal. You can also visit the sacred mountain Bogdo-Ula, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, the surroundings of which have the status of a conservation area. And, of course, if you are primarily interested in nature, go to the Gobi Desert. This, of course, is a drop in the ocean from what you can see in Mongolia.
One lunch or dinner in an inexpensive restaurant will cost about 190 rubles. In an institution of a higher class - about 1200 rubles. Prices for food in supermarkets differ from those in Barnaul. Mongolia is more expensive. For example, a loaf of bread costs 44 rubles, and a carton of milk costs about 62 rubles, eggs (12 pieces) - 142 rubles. Vegetables and fruits are also more expensive than in Barnaul.
Accommodation, if you are not traveling with tents, is also a significant expense item.
On the Russian-Mongolian border, 8 road crossings and two railway crossings are open, operating all year round. For citizens of third countries, it is possible to cross only at the checkpoints Tashanta - Tsagan-Nur (Altai), Kyakhta - Altanbulag (Buryatia) and at the railway crossing: Naushki - Sukhe-Bator (Buryatia). If, for example, citizens of the former Soviet republics are in the group, they will not be allowed to cross the border as citizens of third countries. The pass for third-country nationals at this crossing is planned to be opened only after the reconstruction of the Mondy-Hankh checkpoint.
For citizens of Russia, it is also possible to pass through automobile checkpoints: Mondy - Khankh, Solovievsk - Erentsav, Khandagaity - Borsho, Tsagan-Dogorod - Arts-Sura, Shara-Sur - Tes, Upper Ulkhun - Ulkhun and on the railway - Solovievsk - Erentsav.
Local fees apply when crossing the border. At the Kyakhta-Altanbulag automobile checkpoint, the Russian side charges money for paperwork at the exit from Russia and sanitization of cars at the entrance. The Mongolian side charges a tax on transport - about $10 and car insurance - $20-25.
It takes 2 to 4 hours to cross the border, even if there is no queue, but usually, due to queues at the border, crossing in your car, for example in Kyakhta, takes a whole day.
AUTOMOBILE CROSSINGS AT THE BORDER RUSSIA - MONGOLIA
Checkpoint Tashanta - Tsagan-Nur (Altai)
The automobile checkpoint in Altai in Tashanta is located in the mountains. There is more than 20 km of dirt road between the Russian and Mongolian checkpoints and the Durbet-Daba pass with a height of 2400 m. There is a rule here: no one should remain in the neutral zone. This section must be passed before the closing of the Mongolian checkpoint. The checkpoints are open 9 am to 6 pm.
Checkpoint Kyakhta – Altanbulag (Buryatia)
Checkpoint open 24/7!
At the Kyakhta-Altanbulag automobile checkpoint, the Russian side charges money for paperwork (about 90 rubles) at the exit from Russia and sanitation of cars $5-7 at the entrance. The Mongolian side charges a tax on transport - about $10 and car insurance - $20-25.
It takes 2 to 4 hours to cross the border, even if there is no queue, but usually, due to queues at the border, crossing in your car, for example in Kyakhta, takes a whole day. The modern terminal is designed to pass up to 500 cars per day, but in practice, even if you arrive early in the morning, this does not mean crossing the border before lunch.
Checkpoint: Mondy – Khanh
- Vehicle checkpoint Mondy-Khankh(302 km from Irkutsk) located on the pass Mungiyn-Daba (1830 m.) It has a bilateral status. This means that today only citizens of Mongolia and Russia can cross the border here. It works in summer from April 15 to September 15 - from 10:00 to 18:00, in winter - from 10:00 to 17:00. Not open on weekends and holidays.
To the border from the Russian side there is quite a decent asphalt road. From the village of Mondy, a good quality road constantly goes up. Mungiin Daba Pass and at the same time the border. After passing the border, the standard Mongolian dirt road begins. The forest is gone - around the steppe, with groves on the slopes of the mountains. From the border, the road goes with a general drop. Before reaching the village of Khankh, you must pay a fee for entering the Khubsugul National Park.
Since 2010, the Federal Agency for the Development of the State Border of the Russian Federation has been working on the issue of changing the status of an international automobile checkpoint (MAPP) Mondy-Khankh from bilateral to multilateral. A positive conclusion to this project was given in Rosgranitsa. However, the issue has not been resolved to date.
Crossing the border by citizens of third countries at the Mondy-Khankh checkpoint (Lake Khubsugul) is not provided for by the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Mongolia and is possible only for residents of Mongolia and Russia.
Checkpoint Solovievsk - Erentsav
It works 7 days a week from 9 am to 6 pm with a lunch break from 2 pm to 3 pm Chita time.
Checkpoint Khandagaity – Borsho
The Khandagaity-Borshoo border checkpoint on the Russian-Mongolian border will soon be equipped for the practical transfer of its status from bilateral to multilateral. For these purposes, Rosgranitsa allocates 15 million rubles. Reconstruction of the border checkpoint on the Tuvan section of the Russian-Mongolian border will make it possible to double the number of people and cars passing through.
Consul General of Mongolia in Kyzyl Bazarsad announced the decision taken by the leadership of Mongolia to open this checkpoint up to 3-4 times a month for the passage of representatives of third countries even before the completion of reconstruction, which usually stretches for several years.
In the meantime, the Khandagaity-Borshoo checkpoint operates in a bilateral mode and is open to citizens and legal entities of Russia and Mongolia. Numerous foreigners arriving in Tuva cannot cross the state border in the Tuva section and are forced to use the Kyakhta checkpoint in Buryatia or Tashanta in the Altai Republic.
Checkpoint Tsagan-Dogorod – Arts-Sura
Checkpoint Shara-Sur - Tes
Checkpoint Upper Ulkhun – Ulkhun
ENTRY TO MONGOLIA BY PERSONAL CAR
To enter the territory of Mongolia in your car, one international driver's license is sufficient, no other permits from the Russian traffic police or the replacement of Russian car license plates with Mongolian signs are required.
It is impossible to drive across the border in a car driven by a simple written power of attorney - only notarized powers of attorney. When crossing the border, the vehicle data is entered into the customs declaration by the owner and recorded in the computer database of the Mongolian customs.
There are no prohibitions when traveling by car on the territory of Mongolia. The only restriction that motorists may face is being in the border zone and on the territory of specially protected natural zones. Movement in the border area with China requires a special permit. The border zone is considered to be a 30 km strip of land along the state border of Mongolia. For example, to visit the caves on the Darganga plateau, you must have an agreement with the border guards, since the entrance to the caves is located in the border zone. In the territories of reserves, national parks, a paid regime has been introduced for the stay of tourists and the entry of cars. It is legally set at 1,000 tugriks per car, and 3,000 tugriks per person for up to a week of stay in specially protected areas.
On the roads, when crossing the administrative borders of aimags, local tolls are levied, most often 1000 tugriks (for a passenger car), for a minibus it is already more expensive. In some aimags, money is charged for traveling over wooden bridges. You also need to pay for the use of ferries.
For the transportation of pets across the border, an international veterinary certificate is required.
The use of car radios (27 MHz), satellite phones and GPS is not prohibited (there is no law on the use of civilian radio stations in Mongolia) - their import into Mongolia and work with them are allowed. Problems begin at the Russian customs - permission is needed for radio stations installed on cars. According to current regulations, GPS are prohibited from being imported into Russia. Therefore, when leaving Russia, ALWAYS include GPS devices in the customs declaration, indicate its serial number, and have a copy of the certificate issued in the store upon purchase.
On the way home from Vladivostok, the girl decided to drop by Mongolia for a short while. We publish her travel recipe.
Prices are current as of publication date. €1 = 2864 Mongoliantugrik
Why Mongolia?
Few travelers visit Mongolia and those who do call it one of the most spectacular countries they have ever seen. This was the first reason I went to this country. Secondly, in June there was a "House for All": a project of the Academy of Free Travel, which is periodically organized in different countries of the world. Any traveler can live in such a house for free. I was attracted by this opportunity to communicate with different travelers and learn something new from them.
Russian travelers and tourists do not spoil Mongolia very much. I met with those who lived near the border with the homeland of Genghis Khan, but had never been there. But in vain! The wanderer will have something to see in this country, and the bonus will be that most of the population speaks Russian (many in a conversation with me called Mongolia the 16th republic of the USSR).
How to get there?
The main airport of Mongolia is located near Ulaanbaatar and is called Buyant-Ukha - Genghis Khan International Airport. On average, a plane from Moscow in both directions costs € 500, the flight will take 6 hours. Citizens of Ukraine and Belarus will have to travel to Mongolia with a transfer in Moscow.
Another option is to fly to Russian cities nearby the country: Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. Plane tickets will already cost less here: about € 200. You can already get from Irkutsk to the capital of Mongolia by train (€ 90), and from Ulaanbaatar by bus (€ 20) or also by train (€ 60).
Among European tourists, the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway is very popular - the road from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar. A train ticket will cost € 260, the journey will take a little more than four days. The train departs only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the Yaroslavsky railway station.
Visa, currency, housing
Russians do not need a visa to Mongolia if they plan to visit this country for less than 30 days. Ukrainians and Belarusians are more fortunate: they do not need a visa if they plan to stay in this country for less than 90 days.
The same tugriks are used as the currency here. The banknotes depict the founder of the Mongol Empire - the great Genghis Khan. In general, you will meet his name or image all the time in Mongolia - in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes. The Mongols still love and honor Genghis Khan very much.
“With the name or image of Genghis Khan, you will meet in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes”
Most of the hotels in Mongolia are concentrated in the capital - Ulaanbaatar, here you can find accommodation for every taste and budget. So, the cheapest hostel will cost from € 3, and the “presidential suite” in the Ulaanbaatar hotel will cost € 500. In general, couchsurfing in the country is also worth looking for only in Ulaanbaatar. True, they may try to sell you some kind of tour around the country through couchsurfing - whether it be to the desert or to real nomads, do not agree. Personally, I received many such requests (I even remembered where exactly the same situation was with couchsurfing), but ordinary Mongols also wrote, who happily invited me to their home. So I stayed with a man who ran a hostel where I met some cool guys from all over the world.
Transport
You can’t write much about transport in Mongolia, simply because it is absent. You can easily get around the city and over short distances using buses, but if you want to go to the Gobi Desert or some other interesting cities, then the only option is a car (either hitchhiking or rent).
In my opinion, hitchhiking in Mongolia is wonderful, people pick up very willingly. But here you will have to face three difficulties at once - sometimes these same wonderful people will ask you for money, the second - in parts remote from Ulaanbaatar, traffic is much less busy. Once I even had to wait for one car for two hours. The third difficulty is that there are no roads at all in some parts of Mongolia.
If hitchhiking is not for you, then choose a car rental. The average price of a car for three days on bookingcar is € 300. In less well-known services, you can rent a car from € 70 per day. The most profitable option would be to rent a Loaf, since up to 8 people can fit there.
Route
I did not want to go to the Gobi Desert, because I had already been to the Sahara, so I built my route in such a way as to spend as many days as possible in the country and see as many interesting things as possible. I came to Mongolia from Ulan-Ude, and left in Kyzyl.
Ulaanbaatar(4 days)
Get ready: Ulaanbaatar is practically the only city in Mongolia in the sense in which we are used to seeing it. Here is a unique combination of Soviet skyscrapers along with small yurts standing nearby.
You can get stuck in Ulaanbaatar for a long time, especially if you have a good company around you! In the hostel where I lived on couchsurfing, there were a lot of cool foreigners. Sometimes I could spend half a day without leaving the house and talking with the guys. It's amazing how foreigners trudge through Mongolia! Perhaps we should adopt this? On my last night at the hostel, my host cooked a ram's head for all of us, a real Mongolian delicacy that was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. In addition to the meat itself, for the first time I ate sheep's eyes and brain. It sounds terrible, but it's actually very tasty and worth a try!
“In addition to the meat itself, for the first time I ate sheep's eyes and brain. It sounds terrible, but it's actually very tasty."
In addition to hanging out in a hostel, Ulaanbaatar has a lot to offer for the cultural traveler as well. Start from the central square of Genghis Khan, where there is a monument to the national hero of Mongolia - Sukhbaatar. From here you can walk to National Museum of Mongolian History (Juulchin 1). It is worth coming here to look at the life of the Mongols from prehistoric times to the present day, the entrance to the museum is € 5.
From the history museum you can go to another museum - dinosaurs (Independence Square, 5th Khoroo, Chingeltei District/Chingeltei dureg 5th horoo) , entrance - a little less than € 2. On the territory of Mongolia, scientists have found many remains of dinosaurs and you can get acquainted with them in this museum (these are the bones of real dinosaurs!).
When you have finished your acquaintance with dinosaurs, go to Winter Palace of the Bogdy Gegen (Khoroo 11), where you can see the conditions in which the last emperor of Mongolia lived. The walk from the center will take about half an hour, but it is better to go on foot, because there are terrible traffic jams in Ulaanbaatar. The ticket price for the museum is €3.
From the palace you will be within easy reach of the monument to the military friendship of the Soviet and Mongolian troops Zaisan (Mount Zaisan) . From here it will be great to meet the sunset and see from above the whole of Ulaanbaatar.
Having enjoyed the historical part of Ulaanbaatar, the second day can be safely devoted to the Buddhist aspect. Start from the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and from the first religious center of the country - Gandantegchenlin Monastery. More than 600 monks live here and various Buddhist rituals are held. The monastery became famous, among other things, thanks to a hollow 26-meter Buddha statue made of copper and gold. Entrance here will cost you € 1.25. In addition to this monastery, there are many small datsans in Ulaanbaatar, but they are less interesting for the traveler.
A separate relaxed day can be allocated for shopping. For this, come to Naran tul market (Khoroo 14). Here you can first of all buy for a further trip around Mongolia, as well as just buy national souvenirs. Among other things, here you can find dinosaur bones, products made from camel and yak wool, and national dresses. Beware: pickpockets operate in the market, so keep all your belongings in front of you and never lose sight of them!
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park(2 days)
We spent a little time in the city and that's enough, it's time to go to nature! Fortunately, in Mongolia there is only one nature, as well as many national parks. You can get to Gorkhi Terelj by bus, which will cost a little less than a euro, it takes about two hours.
The park is very beautiful: camels themselves graze between the mountains, and someone even offers to ride them. The greatest popularity of the park was brought by the unusually shaped rocks created by nature. Also inside the park is buddhist temple Aryabal where you should definitely look! This is a place of power, a place where the soul and body rest. During the ascent to the temple, you will have to overcome 100 white and 8 black steps, at this time you will be surrounded by wooden tablets on which Buddhist wisdom is written.
You can stay right there in the park. Now a lot of tourist bases have been built here, which offer recreation, including in the national yurt (it will cost from € 30). I relied on chance and while hitchhiking I met a wonderful family who allowed me to live in their yurt.
I advise you to combine a trip to the national park with a trip to statue of Genghis Khan in Tsonzhin-Boldog. This is the tallest equestrian statue in the world. In addition to viewing the statue from the outside, you can go inside, where a museum dedicated to Genghis Khan will be waiting for you, and you can also climb to the observation deck at the top of the statue. Entrance inside € 3.
"Huge dunes and a whistling wind - this is what will make you feel like in a real desert"
Elsen-Tasarkhay National Park (1 day)
If you, like me, do not want to spend a lot of time and money visiting the Gobi, go to the Elsen-Tasarkhay park, where you can see a piece of the desert. It takes about four hours to get here from Ulaanbaatar, and public transport no longer runs here, so you have two options: hitchhiking or renting a car. Huge dunes and a whistling wind - this is what will make you feel like you are in a real desert. At night, the stars shine brighter than ever. To see all this, take a tent with you, or ask for an overnight stay with local nomads.
Kharkhorin (1 day)
From the park it will be convenient to get to Kharkhorin, the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century (which used to be called Karakorum). Despite its former grandeur, today the city looks like an ordinary village and in general there is nothing to do here. It will be interesting here for those who want to see the place where the Golden Horde became and the path of Genghis Khan began. Here it is worth visiting the ruins of the ancient city of Karakoram, of which, unfortunately, there is little left, to look at the 16th-century monastery of Erdene-Dzu. They also like to come here to look at the huge stone phallus sticking out of the ground. The phallus is directed towards the hollow, which the locals call the female womb. Locals associate several legends with this peculiar “monument”. According to them, a childless woman should sit on the phallus, praying that she would have children - and then, they say, the problem will be solved. Another legend says that there used to be a monastery here. The phallus became a reminder to the monks to learn how to subdue their flesh, instead of running on dates with the girls from the neighboring village.
Ulaang (2 days)
Since the Mongolian border with Russia is closed at this checkpoint on weekends, I had to stay longer in Mongolia. Ulaangom is a small, unremarkable town where Russians often go to buy Chinese goods. There are hotels where you can stay for € 2, but I set up my tent next to the river that flows outside the city. There were also "summer dachas" - the yurts of the Mongols, and also whole herds of cows, horses and yaks grazed.
Stop here to chat with the cute Mongols, try your hand as a shepherd herding cattle (I was allowed to ride a horse for free, chasing slow cows!), And just take a break from the big trip just made in Mongolia.
life hacks
It is not worth buying a tour to visit a real Mongolian yurt. The Mongols are very friendly people, and they will invite you just like that to their home if they like you.
Do not expect anything interesting from Mongolian supermarkets, basically all the same food that we are used to seeing on the shelves of our supermarkets is found here. For national delicacies, follow straight to cafes or to the market.
The main product that the Mongols eat is meat. It will be very difficult for a vegetarian here, so take a couple of kilograms of vegetables with you: in Mongolia they are worth their weight in gold.
You can come to Mongolia without a reason, or you can come with it. The main reason to come here is the biggest national festival in Mongolia, Naadam (in 2019 it will be from July 11 to 15). Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery will be waiting for you here, all this is very impressive.
Even if you are going to Mongolia in the summer, take warm clothes with you. It can be very cold at night in the desert and steppe.
Budget for one person for 10 days:
Food - € 25
Museums – € 5
Transport – € 2
Souvenirs – € 6
Accommodation - couchsurfing and tent
Total: € 38
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