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Mongolia 🇲🇳

backpacking Asia Mongolia 🇲🇳Gobi dunes, a deep northern lake and ger stays across huge distances.

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Backpacking Mongolia in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
Traveling in Mongolia: what to expect

Backpacking Mongolia
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 18, 2026

In Mongolia, you trade breadth for depth, so pick one direction and commit. The country spreads across 1.56 million square kilometers with only about 3.5 million people, and away from the paved main roads most routes are dirt tracks where 300 kilometers can swallow eight or nine hours. A proper Gobi loop alone runs six to eight days, which is why most first trips choose between the southern desert and the northern lakes instead of chasing both.

Out there, the scale hits hard. You can scramble up the 300-meter dunes of Khongoryn Els, paddle the cold, glass-clear water of Khövsgöl Lake under larch forest, catch wrestling and horse racing at Naadam in July, or ride into the far western Altai to meet Kazakh eagle hunters. Herding families wave you into their gers for salty milk tea and aaruul, dried curd hard enough to test your molars. I once sat cross-legged in a ger while a herder ladled out airag, the fermented mare’s milk landing sour and faintly fizzy on my tongue as the stove ticked and smoked of dried dung. The challenges are plain: huge distances, tracks that rattle your spine, thin plumbing outside Ulaanbaatar, and a mutton-heavy diet that tests vegetarians.

Next to China, Mongolia feels emptier, slower and far less polished. Next to Siberia’s Lake Baikal region, it puts nomadic life in front of you daily. It suits campers, riders and anyone happy sharing a van with strangers. It frustrates tight schedules and travelers who need a hot shower every night. Bring patience, and the steppe pays you back in silence and stars.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar and Surroundings (Ulaanbaatar, Terelj National Park, Hustai National Park)

Nearly every route through Mongolia starts in Ulaanbaatar, a gridlocked capital holding roughly half the population, where Soviet apartment blocks, glass towers and ger districts climb the same hillsides. Catch the morning chanting at Gandan Monastery, then break out. Terelj National Park sits about 90 minutes east by road, with granite tors and riverside ger camps. Hustai National Park, two hours west, puts reintroduced takhi wild horses in your binoculars. First-timers can test the steppe here before committing to long drives.

Orkhon Valley (Kharkhorin, Erdene Zuu Monastery, Tsenkher Hot Springs)

Follow the paved road west for six to seven hours and you roll into Kharkhorin, built on the ruins of Karakorum, the imperial capital. Erdene Zuu, the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, hides its temples behind a wall studded with 108 white stupas. Push deeper on rutted dirt to the Orkhon Waterfall, or sink into Tsenkher Hot Springs while the night sky fills with stars. Herding families sell fermented mare’s milk roadside in summer. History lovers and classic-loop travelers thrive here.

Gobi Desert (Dalanzadgad, Khongoryn Els, Yolyn Am, Bayanzag)

The Gobi means long, dusty days rattling across open gravel plains in a Russian UAZ van. Dalanzadgad, about 90 minutes by plane or 8 to 10 hours by road from the capital, is the launch point. Hike the narrow Yolyn Am gorge, where ice lingers into early summer, then scramble up the singing dunes of Khongoryn Els and watch Bayanzag’s “Flaming Cliffs”, where the first dinosaur eggs were found, glow orange at sunset. Travelers happy to share a driver and tent with strangers fit right in.

Khövsgöl Lake (Mörön, Khatgal, Khövsgöl Lake)

Up north, Khövsgöl Lake holds around 70 percent of Mongolia’s fresh water, cold and clear enough to read the stones beneath your boat. Fly roughly 90 minutes to Mörön or take the overnight bus, then bounce about 100 kilometers north to Khatgal, a lakeside village of guesthouses and horse wranglers. Ride or hike the western shore through larch forest and stop at shoreline camps. Riders and hikers who like cooler air and pine-scented evenings will love it.

Western Mongolia (Ölgii, Khovd, Altai Tavan Bogd National Park)

Bayan-Ölgii is Kazakh country: mosques, Kazakh spoken in the market and eagle hunters training birds on their forearms. Fly about three hours to Ölgii or grind out two to three days overland. From town, a long jeep day reaches Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, where you can trek to Potanin Glacier beneath Khüiten Peak, the highest point in the nation at 4,374 meters. Self-sufficient travelers with time to spare get the biggest return, especially at October’s Golden Eagle Festival.
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Why go?What makes this country worth the trip

Uniqueness

Mongolia is the least densely populated sovereign country on Earth, averaging around two people per square kilometer, and outside the capital you can … read more 👉
Mongolia is the least densely populated sovereign country on Earth, averaging around two people per square kilometer, and outside the capital you can drive half a day without passing a fence. Roughly a quarter of Mongolians still herd livestock, moving their gers between summer and winter pastures, so nomadic life is daily routine here, staged for nobody. You navigate by tire tracks and distant ger smoke, swap phrases with herders who rarely see foreigners, and fall asleep to horses snorting outside the felt walls. Few countries let you vanish this completely while still finding a hot bowl of noodle soup at the next family camp. I would skip the big tourist ger camps entirely and book two nights with a single herding family, then volunteer for the morning milking.

Low cost

Backpacking Mongolia runs around 85,000 to 140,000 tögrög (US$25 to 40) a day if you stay in Ulaanbaatar hostels, ride public buses and eat at local canteens, … read more 👉
Backpacking Mongolia runs around 85,000 to 140,000 tögrög (US$25 to 40) a day if you stay in Ulaanbaatar hostels, ride public buses and eat at local canteens, where a plate of buuz dumplings or tsuivan noodles comes cheap and fills you until dinner. Countryside travel climbs, mostly because of fuel and drivers: a shared multi-day tour covering van, driver, guide, meals and ger stays typically lands at 190,000 to 310,000 tögrög (US$55 to 90) per person daily. Family homestays add good value, since one fee covers your bed, dinner and plenty of milk tea. The single biggest saving is a full van, so post on hostel notice boards in the capital and recruit fellow travelers until all six seats are taken; per-person costs can drop by close to half.

Scenery

Mongolia packs sand dunes, alpine glaciers, volcanic craters, taiga lakes and endless rolling grassland into one country, and almost none of it is fenced, … read more 👉
Mongolia packs sand dunes, alpine glaciers, volcanic craters, taiga lakes and endless rolling grassland into one country, and almost none of it is fenced, signposted or crowded. You crest a pass and the steppe unrolls for 50 kilometers with a single white ger in the middle. Clouds drag their shadows across the hills like grazing herds. Skies stay clear for much of the year, and with barely any light pollution outside the towns, the Milky Way pours across the horizon on moonless nights. Scenery here changes by the hour on a long drive, from Gobi gravel to Arkhangai green within a day. For the best light, ask your driver to stop an hour before sunset, then scramble up the nearest hill and watch the plain turn gold, then violet.

⭐ HighlightsHighlights of Mongolia

  • Khongoryn Els: These dunes stretch around 100 kilometers across the southern Gobi and climb to roughly 300 meters, so the last stretch up becomes a two-steps-forward, one-slide-back crawl on all fours. At the crest, the wind drops, the sand turns rose-gold at sunset, and when you slide down the face the grains let out a deep hum that gives the place its nickname, the “Singing Sands.” Your shoes will dump sand for a week afterward.
  • Khövsgöl Lake: Mongolia’s deepest lake holds a huge share of the country’s fresh water, and it looks it: clear enough to count pebbles several meters down, cold enough to steal your breath in August. Larch forest runs right to the shore, ovoo cairns stacked with blue silk scarves mark the headlands, and the air smells of resin and woodsmoke from the guesthouse stoves around Khatgal.
  • Erdene Zuu Monastery, Kharkhorin: Founded in 1585 near the ruins of Karakorum, the old imperial capital, this monastery sits inside a long white wall topped with 108 stupas. Inside,
… read more 👉
  • Khongoryn Els: These dunes stretch around 100 kilometers across the southern Gobi and climb to roughly 300 meters, so the last stretch up becomes a two-steps-forward, one-slide-back crawl on all fours. At the crest, the wind drops, the sand turns rose-gold at sunset, and when you slide down the face the grains let out a deep hum that gives the place its nickname, the “Singing Sands.” Your shoes will dump sand for a week afterward.
  • Khövsgöl Lake: Mongolia’s deepest lake holds a huge share of the country’s fresh water, and it looks it: clear enough to count pebbles several meters down, cold enough to steal your breath in August. Larch forest runs right to the shore, ovoo cairns stacked with blue silk scarves mark the headlands, and the air smells of resin and woodsmoke from the guesthouse stoves around Khatgal.
  • Erdene Zuu Monastery, Kharkhorin: Founded in 1585 near the ruins of Karakorum, the old imperial capital, this monastery sits inside a long white wall topped with 108 stupas. Inside, monks recite in low drones while butter lamps flicker on painted wooden pillars. Just outside, a stone turtle that once marked Karakorum’s boundary squats in the grass, rubbed smooth by visitors’ hands.
  • Gandan Monastery, Ulaanbaatar: The capital’s main working monastery escaped the worst of the 1930s destruction and now hums with young novices in maroon robes. The main temple houses Migjid Janraisig, a gilded standing figure about 26 meters tall that fills the hall floor to ceiling. Pigeons scatter across the courtyard, prayer wheels clack under your palm, and juniper incense hangs in the cold morning air.
  • Altai Tavan Bogd National Park: Out on the western edge where Mongolia meets China and Russia, Khüiten Peak rises to 4,374 meters above Mongolia’s longest glacier, the Potanin. Kazakh herders summer in felt-lined gers along the valleys, and camels haul climbers’ gear to base camp. Nights drop below freezing even in summer, and you wake to the creak of ice and the bleat of goats.
For off-the-map extras, look at the white eroded cliffs of Tsagaan Suvarga, the extinct Khorgo volcano by Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake, and the remote Shiliin Bogd peak on the eastern steppe, and I would head to Shiliin Bogd first for sunrise over grassland that runs flat to China.
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🧭 RoutesLogical itineraries covering the highlights

The 7-Day Central Steppe Route


A gentle week in Mongolia that trades long drives for ger nights, monastery chants and wild horses within easy reach of the capital. It suits first-timers who want countryside without the hardship.
  • Morning prayers at Gandantegchinlen Monastery
  • Horse riding among the granite outcrops of Terelj National Park
  • Dusk with the takhi in Hustai National Park

👉 explore this 7-day route

The 14-Day Gobi and Empire Route


Two weeks swinging from the sand and canyons of the south to the river valleys where the Mongol Empire began. Expect dusty jeep days rewarded with dunes, waterfalls and very quiet nights.
  • Sunset over the striped cliffs of Tsagaan Suvarga
  • The Khongoryn Els dunes in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park
  • Erdene Zuu Monastery and its wall of stupas
  • Ulaan Tsutgalan Waterfall in the Orkhon Valley

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Mountains, Lakes and Heartland Route


Three weeks that stretch from Kazakh eagle-hunting country in the Altai to a Siberian-style lake in the … read more 👉

The 7-Day Central Steppe Route


A gentle week in Mongolia that trades long drives for ger nights, monastery chants and wild horses within easy reach of the capital. It suits first-timers who want countryside without the hardship.
  • Morning prayers at Gandantegchinlen Monastery
  • Horse riding among the granite outcrops of Terelj National Park
  • Dusk with the takhi in Hustai National Park

👉 explore this 7-day route

The 14-Day Gobi and Empire Route


Two weeks swinging from the sand and canyons of the south to the river valleys where the Mongol Empire began. Expect dusty jeep days rewarded with dunes, waterfalls and very quiet nights.
  • Sunset over the striped cliffs of Tsagaan Suvarga
  • The Khongoryn Els dunes in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park
  • Erdene Zuu Monastery and its wall of stupas
  • Ulaan Tsutgalan Waterfall in the Orkhon Valley

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Mountains, Lakes and Heartland Route


Three weeks that stretch from Kazakh eagle-hunting country in the Altai to a Siberian-style lake in the north and the old imperial center. It is the deep cut, mixing glaciers, hot springs and volcanic craters with small provincial towns.
  • Glaciers and herder camps in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
  • Riding the forested shores of Khovsgol Nuur National Park
  • Khorgo Volcano above Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake
  • A soak at Tsenkher Hot Springs

👉 explore this 21-day route

🌤️ When to go?A month-by-month overview

The best time for backpacking Mongolia is June and September, when the steppe is warm enough to camp, ger camps are open, and you miss both the Naadam crowds and the heavy rains of late July and August. The Gobi runs hotter and drier, so May and September suit it better than midsummer, while Khövsgöl in the north and the Altai in the far west have a short window, roughly mid-June to mid-September, before frost and snow take over.
  • Summer peak (late June to August): Days of 20 to 30°C on the central steppe and 35°C or more in the Gobi. Most of the year’s rain falls in July and August, often as afternoon storms that turn dirt tracks to mud and push rivers over fords. Every ger camp, tour company and domestic flight is running, and shared jeep tours from Ulaanbaatar are easiest to join. Naadam week in mid-July can roughly double room rates in the capital.
  • Autumn shoulder (September to early October): Dry, clear skies, larch forests turning yellow and nights below freezing by late September. Groups thin out and some operators discount, but camps start closing from mid-September. The Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ölgii, held over the first weekend of October, is the one big event you can only catch in this narrow window.
  • Winter (November to March): Ulaanbaatar sinks to -30°C at night and fills with coal smoke from the ger districts. Nearly all countryside camps close, prices hit their lowest, and the draws are Tsagaan Sar, dog sledding near Terelj and the frozen surface of Khövsgöl.
  • Spring (April to May): A windy, dusty thaw with snow flurries into May, few travelers and camps reopening from mid-May.
I’d book anything overlapping Naadam two to three months ahead, and I’d pack a proper down jacket even for July, since steppe nights can drop close to freezing.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: below average for travelingFEBFebruary: below average for travelingMARMarch: fair for travelingAPRApril: fair for travelingMAYMay: good for travelingJUNJune: highly recommended for travelingJULJuly: good for travelingAUGAugust: good for travelingSEPSeptember: highly recommended for travelingOCTOctober: good for travelingNOVNovember: below average for travelingDECDecember: below average for traveling
!2015-07-27 20.38.51

💰 Costs (as of 2026)Travel costs in Mongolia

A budget traveler in Mongolia spends US$30 to 60 a day. The low end covers Ulaanbaatar and independent bus travel. The high end covers the shared jeep tours that most countryside trips depend on.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$8 to 15 (28,000 to 52,000₮)Dorm beds at the established Ulaanbaatar hostels near Peace Avenue cost about US$10 to 13, and breakfast is usually included. A bed in a family ger in the countryside runs US$10 to 20 with dinner. You pay less by booking your tour through the hostel, because many will store your bags for free and sometimes give a discount on the bed. That puts dorm prices about level with Beijing and slightly above Irkutsk.
MealsUS$6 to 15 (21,000 to 52,000₮)Khuushuur (fried mutton pastries) cost 1,500 to 2,500₮ each, and a plate of tsuivan noodles at a guanz canteen costs 10,000 to 16,000₮. You can self-cater for about US$5 a day from Nomin or E-Mart supermarkets: bread is around 2,500₮ and instant noodles are under 2,000₮. Food costs more than in northern China because most vegetables are imported.
Local transportUS$3 to 15 per travel dayA city bus ride in Ulaanbaatar costs 500₮ with a U-Money card. Public buses from Dragon Center
… read more 👉
A budget traveler in Mongolia spends US$30 to 60 a day. The low end covers Ulaanbaatar and independent bus travel. The high end covers the shared jeep tours that most countryside trips depend on.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$8 to 15 (28,000 to 52,000₮)Dorm beds at the established Ulaanbaatar hostels near Peace Avenue cost about US$10 to 13, and breakfast is usually included. A bed in a family ger in the countryside runs US$10 to 20 with dinner. You pay less by booking your tour through the hostel, because many will store your bags for free and sometimes give a discount on the bed. That puts dorm prices about level with Beijing and slightly above Irkutsk.
MealsUS$6 to 15 (21,000 to 52,000₮)Khuushuur (fried mutton pastries) cost 1,500 to 2,500₮ each, and a plate of tsuivan noodles at a guanz canteen costs 10,000 to 16,000₮. You can self-cater for about US$5 a day from Nomin or E-Mart supermarkets: bread is around 2,500₮ and instant noodles are under 2,000₮. Food costs more than in northern China because most vegetables are imported.
Local transportUS$3 to 15 per travel dayA city bus ride in Ulaanbaatar costs 500₮ with a U-Money card. Public buses from Dragon Center are the cheapest way to cross the country: Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin is about 25,000 to 40,000₮ (US$7 to 12), and Ulaanbaatar to Mörön is about 50,000 to 60,000₮ (US$14 to 17). Shared minivans cost a little more than the buses.
ActivitiesUS$5 to 90Your biggest cost will be multi-day jeep tours to the Gobi or Khövsgöl. Sharing a Russian UAZ van with a driver, cook, meals and ger stays costs US$55 to 90 per person per day in a group of four to six. Horse riding with a herder costs US$15 to 30 a day, and Gandan Monastery charges a small entry fee of a few thousand tugrik. I’d save money in the city and put it toward a longer Gobi tour with a full van, because the per-person price drops a lot with every extra seat you fill.
MiscellaneousUS$2 to 6A Unitel or Mobicom SIM with data costs 10,000 to 20,000₮. A 1.5-liter bottle of water is about 1,500₮. Showers in rural towns cost 3,000 to 5,000₮, and the cost of snacks for long drives adds up quickly.
Total Daily BudgetUS$30 to 60A city day with a hostel bed, guanz meals and buses costs US$25 to 35. A day on a shared tour costs US$60 or more. Mongolia works out pricier than Kyrgyzstan or western China, where cheap public transport reaches the scenery and you don’t need to hire a vehicle.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutMongolia Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
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The digital guide (272 pages) contains:
✅ 67 highlights, ranked by travel appeal
✅ Optimized 7, 14 & 21-day travel routes
✅ Cities, national parks, landmarks, beaches
✅ How to get around
✅ Offline-friendly for travel without Wi-Fi
👉 Click to see all 30+ guide features

📅 Plan smarter in minutes, not weeks
✅ Month by month travel advice
✅ Festivals & national holidays
✅ Budget expectations

🗺️ Go to the right places, skip the overrated ones
✅ Honest pros & cons of destinations
✅ Top hikes, parks & viewpoints
✅ Lesser-known places most travelers miss
✅ Clear “worth it vs skip it” guidance

🛏️ Travel smoothly without rookie mistakes
✅ Best areas to stay
✅ Transport systems explained simply
✅ Common scams & safety advice
✅ SIM cards, money & practical tips

🌍 Understand the country, not just visit it
✅ Culture & traditions
✅ 52 Essential phrases & customs
✅ Festivals worth planning around
✅ Traveler-friendly historical context
✅ Insights that make places more meaningful

📱 Built for real travel conditions
✅ Fully downloadable PDF
✅ Works completely offline
✅ Optimized for phone use
✅ Useful in remote areas & buses
✅ Everything in one place
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🛏️ Where to stay?Best areas to base yourself

Backpacking Mongolia is easy on the wallet, with dorm beds in Ulaanbaatar running roughly US$8 to 15 a night, and most hostels doubling as tour desks that set up the multi-day jeep trips to the countryside, while outside the capital you sleep in family-run guesthouses or ger camps in towns like Kharkhorin and Mörön. In the capital, the densest cluster sits in central Sükhbaatar District around Peace Avenue and Sükhbaatar Square, where you can walk to the museums, cafés and the bars of Seoul Street, though traffic noise and pickpockets near the State Department Store come with the location. West … read more 👉
Backpacking Mongolia is easy on the wallet, with dorm beds in Ulaanbaatar running roughly US$8 to 15 a night, and most hostels doubling as tour desks that set up the multi-day jeep trips to the countryside, while outside the capital you sleep in family-run guesthouses or ger camps in towns like Kharkhorin and Mörön. In the capital, the densest cluster sits in central Sükhbaatar District around Peace Avenue and Sükhbaatar Square, where you can walk to the museums, cafés and the bars of Seoul Street, though traffic noise and pickpockets near the State Department Store come with the location. West toward Gandan Monastery, beds are a little cheaper and nights quieter, but you will lean on buses or taxis to reach the center and its nightlife.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Mongolia


Best quality hotels in Mongolia

🚌 Getting aroundHow to travel within the country

Crossing Mongolia comes down to one choice: burn US$200 to 300 on a three-hour flight, or spend two days rattling west by bus and van for a third of that. Distances here are enormous (Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii is roughly 1,700 kilometers), and paved roads give way to braided dirt tracks the moment you leave the main highways. Pick your battles, fly one leg, and ride the rest.
  • Long-distance buses roll out of Ulaanbaatar’s Dragon Center (west) and Bayanzürkh (east) terminals on fixed morning schedules.
… read more 👉
Crossing Mongolia comes down to one choice: burn US$200 to 300 on a three-hour flight, or spend two days rattling west by bus and van for a third of that. Distances here are enormous (Ulaanbaatar to Ölgii is roughly 1,700 kilometers), and paved roads give way to braided dirt tracks the moment you leave the main highways. Pick your battles, fly one leg, and ride the rest.
  • Long-distance buses roll out of Ulaanbaatar’s Dragon Center (west) and Bayanzürkh (east) terminals on fixed morning schedules. Expect MNT 25,000 to 40,000 (US$7 to 12) and 6 to 7 hours to Kharkhorin, MNT 45,000 to 60,000 (US$13 to 17) and 12 to 15 hours to Mörön, and two days or more to Ölgii. Seats are tight and the heater can blast even in June. Buy tickets at the terminal a day ahead or through the national online ticketing system, carrying your passport. You get paved-road steppe sliding past for hours, with roadside stops for mutton dumplings.
  • Shared vans (“furgon” or minibus) leave from the Naran Tuul market area and aimag centers when every seat is full, often after a long wait. Fares run slightly above the bus, and they reach places no bus goes. Agree the price before loading your pack, and expect sacks of flour on your lap. You end up in small sums and lakeshores that scheduled transport skips.
  • Trans-Mongolian train runs north to Sükhbaatar (about 8 to 9 hours) and south through the Gobi to Zamyn-Üüd (13 to 15 hours). A hard-sleeper berth costs roughly MNT 30,000 to 50,000 (US$9 to 15); book at the Ulaanbaatar station or the railway’s eticket site. Locals share food and vodka in the compartments, so bring something to pass around. You wake up to camels and flat orange desert outside the window.
  • Hired driver and 4WD (a Russian UAZ van or Land Cruiser) runs about US$100 to 150 a day for vehicle, driver and fuel, split across four to six travelers through a hostel or local operator. Confirm in writing who covers fuel, the driver’s food and ger stays. This is the only realistic way to link the Gobi, central Mongolia and the lakes in a week or two, with stops wherever the view demands it.
  • Hitchhiking works on main routes, and drivers usually expect a contribution toward fuel, roughly what a bus seat would cost. Waits on remote tracks can stretch to a full day. You get conversations, tea in roadside gers and the occasional detour to a cousin’s herd.
I’d fly one way to Ölgii or Mörön and take ground transport back toward the capital, which saves two punishing days of backtracking.
Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) sits about 52 km (32 miles) south of central Ulaanbaatar, and in Mongolia the cheapest reliable way into town is the airport bus.
  • Airport bus (60 to 90 minutes, roughly 5,000 to 10,000 MNT / US$1.50 to 3): buses leave from the stop outside the arrivals hall and run into the central districts near Sükhbaatar Square, with service thinning out late in the evening, so check the posted timetable at arrivals.
  • Airport taxi (45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic, roughly 60,000 to 80,000 MNT / US$17 to 23): use the official taxi counter inside arrivals and confirm the fare before you get in, ignoring the drivers who approach you in the hall.
  • UBCab ride-hailing (45 to 90 minutes, roughly 50,000 to 70,000 MNT / US$15 to 20): download the app before you land and connect to the terminal Wi-Fi to book, with the fare shown up front so there is no haggling.
If your flight lands after dark, book a pickup through your hostel (many offer one for about US$20 to 30) so someone is waiting with your name on a sign for the long ride north.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
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🔒 Safety (risk Level: low)Staying safe while traveling

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Mongolia is generally safe for solo travelers, including women, with violent crime against tourists rare and herding families famously hospitable. The main risks are pickpocketing and bag slashing in crowded parts of Ulaanbaatar such as the State Department Store area, Naran Tuul market and city buses, along with drunk men on the streets after dark. Women should avoid walking alone late at night in the capital and choose app-booked taxis over hailing unmarked cars. Same-sex relationships are legal and protected by anti-discrimination laws, but attitudes remain conservative and Ulaanbaatar’s small LGBTQ+ scene is discreet, so most travelers avoid public displays of affection.


Full official government travel advisory (live updates)
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✈️ VisaEntry requirements and paperwork

Citizens of many countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea and most of the EU, can visit Mongolia visa-free for stays of 30 to 90 days, depending on nationality. Travelers who need a visa can apply online through Mongolia’s official e-visa portal or at a Mongolian embassy or consulate before departure. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from arrival, and visa-exemption rules change periodically, so check the official site before booking.

source: evisa.mn
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?What to pack for Mongolia

Packing for Mongolia means preparing for wild temperature swings: summer days can top 30°C in the Gobi while nights near Khövsgöl Lake drop close to freezing, so warm layers matter even in July. Long jeep rides on dusty dirt tracks call for a sturdy, soft backpack that survives being strapped to a roof, plus something to cover your face against dust and wind. Showers are rare once you leave the capital, so plan for days of washing with wet wipes and a bowl of water. Pack modest, practical clothes, and leave room for small gifts from home to offer herding families who host you in their gers.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

View the full list 👉

🙋 FAQQuick answers to practical concerns

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Mongolia can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Mongolia itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

No vaccinations are required to enter Mongolia unless you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, in which case a yellow fever certificate is needed. Make sure routine vaccines (MMR, tetanus, diphtheria, polio) are current, and hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended because of variable food and water hygiene. Consider hepatitis B, rabies (due to free-roaming dogs and remote locations far from treatment) and tick-borne encephalitis if you’ll hike or camp in the northern forests in spring or summer.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Mongolia, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

Hospitality runs deep in Mongolia, and a few customs go a long way in a ger. Do accept tea, food and drinks with your right hand (supported at the elbow by your left), take at least a small sip or taste of whatever is offered, and move clockwise once inside. Don’t step on or sit on the threshold, lean on the central support pillars, point your feet at the stove or family altar, or whistle indoors. If you accidentally touch someone’s foot with yours, shake their hand right away to smooth it over. Never touch a person’s hat or head, don’t throw rubbish into the fire, and dress modestly at monasteries. Women may occasionally encounter drunken unwanted attention in the capital, and foreign men seen with Mongolian women have sometimes faced hostility from nationalist groups; LGBTQ+ travelers are best keeping affection private.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Mongolia.
  1. Buuz: Steamed dumplings stuffed with minced mutton or beef, onion and garlic. They’re the everyday comfort food of Mongolia and the centerpiece of Tsagaan Sar, when families fold them by the thousand.
  2. Khuushuur: Flat, deep-fried pastries filled with chopped mutton. Sold hot at roadside stops and in huge numbers during Naadam, they’re the country’s favorite fast food.
  3. Tsuivan: Hand-cut noodles stir-fried with mutton, carrots and cabbage. Cheap, filling and found in almost every guanz (canteen), it’s what most Mongolians eat for a weekday lunch.
  4. Khorkhog: Mutton cooked in a sealed milk can with vegetables and fire-heated stones. A countryside feast for guests, and the hot stones are passed from hand to hand because they’re believed to be good for health.
  5. Boodog: Goat or marmot cooked from the inside out by stuffing hot stones into the body and searing the skin with a blowtorch. It’s a nomadic technique reserved for special occasions.
  6. Süütei tsai: Salty milk tea, sometimes with butter or millet added. Every ger visit starts with a bowl, and refusing it is a missed connection with your hosts.
  7. Airag: Fermented mare’s milk, mildly alcoholic and sour. Made in summer, it’s a symbol of hospitality and nomadic life.
Tap water in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is treated, but old pipes mean most locals boil it before drinking, and travelers are advised not to drink it straight from the tap. Stick to bottled water, which is cheap and sold everywhere, or carry a filter or purification tablets. In the countryside, always treat well, river and lake water before drinking.
The main language in Mongolia is Mongolian. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Mongolian skills have become a bit rusty.

Want to understand locals better?
The complete Travel Guide for Mongolia includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.

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English in Mongolia is limited: you’ll manage in Ulaanbaatar hostels, tour offices and newer cafés, where younger staff often speak it well. Outside the capital, and especially among herding families, expect very little beyond a few words. Russian is the most useful second language, particularly with people over 45 and many drivers. Download Mongolian for offline use in Google Translate and learn to read the Cyrillic alphabet, which makes bus signs and menus far easier.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Mongolia is MNT₮.
ATMs are easy to find in Ulaanbaatar and in most provincial (aimag) centers in Mongolia, with Khan Bank, Golomt Bank, TDB and XacBank accepting foreign Visa and Mastercard cards. Expect a local fee of about MNT 2,000 to 6,000 (under US$2) per withdrawal on top of your own bank’s charges, so take out larger amounts at once. Cards work in most hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and tour offices in the capital, but rural shops, guesthouses, ger stays, drivers and markets are almost entirely cash. Withdraw enough tögrög before leaving Ulaanbaatar, since village ATMs can be empty or offline. Bring some clean, recent US dollar notes as a backup, as they exchange easily (euros work too, at slightly worse rates). Change money at banks or licensed exchange offices in central Ulaanbaatar, never with street changers.
Tipping isn’t a traditional part of Mongolian culture, but it’s increasingly appreciated in Mongolia’s tourist trade. In Ulaanbaatar’s sit-down restaurants, rounding up or leaving about 10% is common unless a service charge is already on the bill. Drivers and guides on multi-day countryside trips are customarily tipped, roughly MNT 15,000 to 35,000 (US$4 to 10) per day from the group.

🧩 Nearby countriesOther countries to combine with Mongolia

📸 PhotosWhat it looks like on the ground

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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman

Experiences from time spent here

Least densely populated country

Mongolia | Mongolia! The least densely populated country in the world, sandwiched between the two largest non-Western countries on Earth, always had an indescribable allure for me. Hard to say why. Was it the Donald Duck-like name of the capital city, the fact that it’s the complete opposite of my own country in terms of population density (outside the capita...
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Avoiding airport taxi mafia by a simple walk to the bus

Avoiding airport taxi mafia by a simple walk to the bus

Mongolia | After landing and the joy of seeing that your debit card can convert a PIN code into a stack of local currency in this country, the taxi mafia comes into play. But I can proudly say that, thanks to a short side note in the Lonely Planet, I managed to avoid them for the first time after arriving in a new country by walking straight to the bus stop 5...
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Writing a letter of recommendation yourself to extend your visa

Writing a letter of recommendation yourself to extend your visa

Mongolia | Feeling tired from a super funny night of club hopping, it was a good day to extend my visa. In Mongolia, you can roam around carefree for 30 days, but for the 31st day, you’ll have to face the bureaucracy. I took a number and waited until it became clear that those who waited for their number to be called only got their turn after everyone who jus...
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Taking a Mongolian haircut, to prepare for Naadam, the Mongolian Olympics

Taking a Mongolian haircut, to prepare for Naadam, the Mongolian Olympics

Mongolia | After two days in the country, I thought I had been in Mongolia long enough to get a Mongolian haircut. Her English was as good as my Mongolian, so I had to indicate the desired length of my hair with mixed success: after an hour, I looked just like a local! With a 35-day visa and a Mongolian haircut in my pocket, I was ready for Naadam, the annua...
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5 year old youngsters competing for the prestigious Naadam horse race trophy

5 year old youngsters competing for the prestigious Naadam horse race trophy

Mongolia | For this, I traveled to a small village (Kharkhorin) to watch the preliminaries and later returned to UB (sounds cooler than Ulaanbaatar) to see the finals. The kickoff, even before the opening ceremony, was the horse race. When I asked if women also participate in this event, the answer was an indignant “no, of course not. It’s very dangerous, and...
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We 💚 feedbackFinal notes for travelers

Mongolia asks for more patience than almost anywhere I would send a first-timer, and pays it back more generously too. Pack earplugs for the van, a headlamp for the outhouse, and accept that lunch will be mutton, again. The small downside: summer’s main routes can feel crowded with tour vans, so stretch a day or two beyond the standard loop if you can. On the upside, the country keeps getting easier. The new Chinggis Khaan International Airport has handled flights since 2021, paved roads now link more provincial centers each year, and community-run homestays are spreading across the countryside, putting more of your money directly into herding families’ hands. Go before the asphalt reaches every valley.

✈️ When did I visit Mongolia?
As part of my 1.5 year travel around the world trip, I visited Mongolia in July 2015. After a month of horse-riding and hitch-hiking I took the TransMongolia express to China. Originally written after my visit, this guide has been kept up to date with input from locals and recent travelers (last update: 18 October 2026)

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Mongolia, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

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