Mongolia: the ultimate solo backpackers guide
Mongolia is definitely one of my favourite countries I have visited.
It had been a bucket list place, a kind of wild card adventure and never one that I thought I would have the guts to go alone.
When planning my yearly trips for 2023 I had put Mongolia on the list but began planning other things. When NONE of them appealed to me as much as Mongolia, I decided to push myself beyond my comfort zone and just do it.
Known for being the birthplace of Genghis Khaan, where the nomadic people live in gers and having over 250 sunny days per year. It is so much more.
I have never experienced such open endless land and kind hospitality. From the mountains in the north to the vast Gobi desert in the south it has everything and I really recommend it to anyone wanting to experience something out of the ordinary.
I spent 1 month visiting Mongolia, learning a lot as I went. Here is everything you need to know.
GET A TOUR or travel independantly?
Before I visited I tirelessly researched trying to find ways to discover Mongolia independently.
I quickly found out my options were:
1) Tour that you book when in Mongolia
Cheaper, booked in hostels in Ulan Baator easily, the most backpacker option. Price of the trip is divided by the number of people in the group up to 6 people.
2) Tour that you book online
Incredibly expensive, aimed at those with a very strict time limit. Very detailed itineraries. From what i saw in Mongolia, nearly all retired people.
3) Take a private tour with a friend / partner
Find a driver and tell them where you want to go and what kind of trip you want. You may need to also hire a guide as a translator. Very flexible but obviously more expenive.
4) Hire a motorbike / car and do it solo
Can find places in Ulan Baator to rent you whatever you need. Be prepared for the elements.
5) Taking buses out of Ulan Baator and finding places to stay
Places like Karokoram, Lake Khuvsgul and Gorkhi-Terelj National Park can be reached via buses from Ulan Baator. Booking.com had some places listed in each of these or you could find something when you arrive.
I am an experienced traveller and very rarely take a tour of any kind. However after reading how difficult / non existant the public transport out of UB was, and given that I wanted to visit as much of the country in my 1 month as possible – I signed up for a tour when I arrived.
The tours are cheaper the more people that are added in, the cars can typically fit in 6 people. All food and water is generally included, but do ask first.
Costs seemed to vary even within my group, but I ended up paying $1,000 for a 25 day trip and was really happy with that. Below are the pros and cons of taking a tour.
Travelling with a tour
Finding a tour
The cheapest way is book a tour when you arrive, it is VERY easy to do. I wanted a tour that left as soon as possible from Ulan Baator and although my hostel (UB Guesthouse) Kind of messed me about, Golden Gobi sorted me right out on a already departed tour that I could catch up with – so I would definitely recommend Golden Gobi!
PROS of taking a tour:
– You don’t need to worry about finding a place to sleep, food, the car breaking down, cooking or about the weather.
– A group of like minded like minded travellers to hang out with (generally people who backpack here are pretty interesting people!
– The guide and driver will most likely be friends with the nomad families that you stay with making you really welcome in their home. You get a great insight into social nomad culture, play games with the kids, feed the animals, make cheese…
CONS of taking a tour:
– If your group was annoying it would be a long trip. Most of the tourism comes from Korea so if you had only Korean speaker it would be less fun. To get past this problem always ask who else is on the tour!
– Same for your guide and driver, but all of the Golden Gobi reviews look decent.
– You are stuck to the schedule designed by the tour. Some things could be skipped/extended but the whole group would have to agree.
Travelling independantly
Independant travel in Mongolia can mean taking buses from Ulan Baator or hiring your own motorbike / car do driving it yourself.
PROS of travelling independantly
– Can choose where you want, eat, sleep and hike and go at your own leisure
– No worrying about an annoying group / driver / guide
Cons of travelling independantly
– You must plan where you will be getting water, food as placing places can be difficult
– You must prepare for all weathers
– If taking your own transport you will need to know how to repair it and have some tools. It gets remote out there!
– You will need to be a competent driver and ready for hours of off road driving.
– You would not be as welcome into the nomad families like you would with a local.
I met a few people travelling around Mongolia independently at the museum in Karokoram, and they all said that they were finding it overwhelming and were not enjoying it as much as they thought. Obviously that isn’t to say you wouldn’t – just sharing my experience.
Overall, I recommend doing a tour, especially if you are wanting a longer trip. All of the travellers i spoke to had a great time. If you were only visiting one or two places for example Lake Khuvsgul or Gorkhi-Terelj National Park then you could most likely grab a bus from Ulan Baator.
Where to visit in Mongolia?
Mongolia is HUGE.
Even if you are taking a tour it is good to have an idea of where you want to visit, i winged it and just got lucky. BUT below is the information I wish I had before going !
Ulan Baator
Pretty much everyone is here before and after there tours just killing time. The very Russian influened city, and coldest capital on earth, does not have much to offer but worth spending a day or two.
When researching UB I am not sure that I had read anything good about it. Prehaps it was due to my expectations being on the floor, but i actually liked UB! Very different to alot of places that I had visited (I am yet to explore central Asia!).
Where to stay in UB?
Most people stay at Golden Gobi, and whilst I highly recommend booking your tour through them – it is not the nicest. I stayed at UB Guesthouse and it was much nicer, although they really did mess me about trying to book a tour so I cannot recommend them for anything else.
Hotels in UB are expensive and very outdated / run down.
Highlights of UB
– Genghis Statue: Day trip out of the city but can easily grab a bus
– National Amusement Park: Yes a small theme park / fair in the middle of UB, walking distance from the centre and worth it for a weird day out. I actually went here on a date!
– National Museum of Mongolia: Honestly the museums are not great, not much is in English and they are overpriced and run down. But prehaps worth it if you want to see more dinosaur bones and are killing time. Also a good rainy day activity.
– Gandan Khiid Monastry: Largest Buddhist monastry in Mongolia and worth it to take some nice photos.
– Sukhbaatar Square: Main square where cultural and political events take place. Good place to people watch.
– Traditional Folklore Concert: Weird, wonderful and rather impressive.
Mongolia can be split into 6 districts:
Central
The most popular region for those with less time due to the proximity with UB.
– Gorkhi – Terelj National Park: Only 70km from UB so the most popular park. Could easily do this independently and stay in a ger (can book online) or take camping equipment. Can ride horses, stay with nomadic families, go hiking etc.
Getting here: 2 daily buses from UB, 3000turek entrance fee.
– Karakorum: The old capital of the Mongol Empire. Museum is the main draw here.
– Orkhon Valley: An amazing open valley 300km from UB along the Orkhon river. On my tour we stayed with the nicest nomad family, swan in the river and waterfall, hiked, rode horses. It was a major highlight!
South
– Gobi Desert: Basically covers all of south Mongolia. Actually fairly easy to get to independantly from UB, the bus is about 10 hours and they depart daily at 7pm. Can stay with nomadic families, ride camels. Seeing how the nomads live here is fascinating!
– Yolyn Am: Snow filled gorge even in summer
– Flaming cliffs: Famous spot where the first ever dinosaur eggs were found. Great sunsent spot and there is a little museum to find out more of the dinosaur bones discovered there.
– Khongoryn Els: The iconic sand dunes, over over 300 metres tall stretching on for 100km. Watching the sunset here is something that I will never forget.
North
– Lake Khuvsgul: Another highlight, it is unimaginably beautiful and by far the biggest lake I have ever seen. You can even scuba dive in the crytsal clear waters here in summer. Home to the Tsaatan tribe who are raindeer heerders, but they are only in this area certain times of the year.
Getting here: You can get a bus from UB to the nearby town Moron in about 12 hours, or fly for about $150.
West
Most remote part of the coutry, where travellers come to explore the Atai mountains.
Oligii is the town to aim for when coming here. I did not go but would love to on another trip!
In early October the Kazakh people here host the Golden Eagle Festival.
East
Birthplace of Genghis Khaan and rarely visited by tourists as there are not too many distinct tourist spots.
– Kherlen River: Known for seeing migratory birds, can go fishing here. 150 km from UB.
– Khukh Lake: The lake is protected so you need to pay a fee to enter and camp in the area. Can stay in beautiful wooden lodges along the lake.
– Khan Khentil Mountains: Three times the size of Yellowstone . A lot of it is impenetrable wilderness but the national park can be explored on horseback.
Thing to know before travelling Mongolia
1) Deciding where you want to go in the time frame that you have is the toughest part. Be realistic! You do not want to spend everyday in a bumpy bus/car travelling for hours.
2) Bring cash. Not many ATMs outside of UB.
3) Buy gifts for the nomadic families that you are staying in. Vodka and cigarettes are honestly the most popular but I always bought snacks and toiletries from the shops along the way.
4) Some places can only be visited/seen at certain times of the year. (ie. Lake Khuvsgul and the area around it becomes inaccessible during the colder months, the raindeer people cannot be seen until late September). Plan your trip around the time of year you are going.
5) Public transport mostly goes to and from UB only.
6) The toilets are genuinely some of the worst I have experienced in all my years of travelling.
7) What you think will be your highlight may well not be! My main reason for going to Mongolia was to see the Gobi desert, but Lake Khuvsgul ended up being my favourite.
8) Say goodbye to showers outside of UB. Even if you stay in homes, I an unsure how they are showering. There are some public showers you can use in the cities, and in nature of course rivers for showering and washing clothes like the nomads do.
9) Expect to eat a lot of mutton dumplings. A LOT.
10) When Mongolians talk about the other cities outside of UB, they wont be what you are imaging. Think large towns. I imagined some would have looked like mini UBs but definitely not!
