Mongolia

Understand

Mongolia is one of the world's largest landlocked countries, second only to Kazakhstan and is surrounded by two of the world's largest countries: China and Russia. It was the center of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in world history. With only 1.7 people per square kilometre, Mongolia has the lowest population density of any independent country. The country is nicknamed the "Land of Blue Skies," and with good reason. There are said to be about 250 sunny days throughout each year. The weather is bitterly cold during the winter, dropping down to -40°C in some parts. With many types of terrain — from desert to verdant mountains — the weather during the summer varies from region to region, but is generally hot. Outside of the Gobi desert, this time of year is marked with much rain in some areas, and it can become quite cool at night. For several letters, the ISO 9 standard transliteration of Cyrillic is not widely used and there is no consensus either in Mongolia nor in Wikivoyage. Particularly, the same Cyrillic letter "х" is transliterated "h" or "kh", the letter "ө" is transliterated "ô", "ö", "o" or "u", but Latin "o" is also the transliteration of the Cyrillic "о", and Latin "u" is also the transliteration of Cyrillic "у" and "ү" (the latter should be transliterated "ù" according to ISO 9, but this is rarely done). So, if you can't find a name as you wrote it, try other spellings. Mongolia may have geopolitical, cultural and geographical meanings. Modern-day Mongolia consists of what was historically Outer Mongolia (so-called when it was part of China). Inner Mongolia is politically separate and remains a province of China, sharing a border and a common cultural heritage with modern-day Mongolia.

History

The recorded history of ancient Mongolia

See

Mongolia is a big country that has been beyond the reach of travellers and the normal trappings of civilization until the 21st century. Even today it can be difficult to travel between the few places that 'exist'. There is little noteworthy architectu

Getting there

Historically, Mongolia had a reputation for being a very difficult country to visit. Until the mid-1990s, you had to solicit an invitation letter from someone living in Mongolia to visit Mongolia. Lately, the visa rules have been relaxed and most people can enter the country without a visa. The Mongolian government declared the 2023-2024 tourist season the "Year of Mongolia", relaxing visa requirements for many countries, including all major Western nations. Whether this will become a permanent change is yet to be seen.

Entry requirements

Citizens of the following countries/territories can enter Mongolia visa-free:

For up to 90 days: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Peru, Serbia, South Korea, Ukraine (with an "official invitation") and United States For up to 30 days: Citizens of Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan, as well as the following for tourism until the end of 2026: European Union member states, Australia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and United Kingdom For up to 21 days: Philippines For up to 14 days: Hong Kong Everyone else, however, must apply for a visa. Obtaining a visa — by default, the Mongolian authorities issue thirty-day visas to all tourists — is relatively straightforward and effortless.

Applying for a Mongolian visa Although requirements vary from diplomatic post to diplomatic post, you are normally asked to submit the following to obtain a Mongolian visa:

A visa application form A passport-sized photo A passport with a validity of more than six months A copy of your travel itinerary A copy of your hotel reservation A copy of your bank statement A letter of invitation (if you intend to stay longer

Getting around

There are many places with the same name in Mongolia, so finding your way can be tricky. It is much easier to refer to a place with for aimag names, then soum names, then only city/village name. For example, Ulaangom is the capital of Uvs, so buses will indicate the latter. Once in an aimag you may refer to a soum, and only then to the city name. Whichever the method of long-distance travel, keep in mind that everything in Mongolia has a tendency to break down. Don't be shocked if part of the suspension breaks and the driver jerry-rigs a carved wooden block in the place of a mount. For more serious breakdowns, it can easily take an entire day or longer for somebody to come along and help, so leave plenty of slack in itineraries. Finally, Mongolians are rather notorious for being late. A bus that is scheduled to leave at 08:00 will probably not be out of the city until almost 11:00. The entirety of the country is public property, and - especially in the winter - drivers will simply peel off the paved roads and chart their own paths to get to a certain destination. Often, many of the destinations are not near any permanent roads, requiring this off-roading to get to them. If driving off-road, take extra care to ensure that you have the proper supplies and knowledge to survive in the event your vehicle breaks down or gets stuck. It is also highly recommended to have a guide who knows the area and/or a strong knowledge of Mongolian with which you can converse with local nomads to inquire where exactly your destination is and how to get to it.

By plane

The easiest way to travel long distance is via one of the domestic airlines: AeroMongolia or Hunnu Air. Almost all flights are between Ulaanbaatar and the Aimag centers. Except for mines in the south Govi and Choibalsan, w