Mongolia

Overview

Mongolia has an incredible combination of modern cities and vast expanses of untouched nature, deserts, steppes, rocky mountains and the most beautiful pristine lakes.

Nomadic culture

For centuries, the population of Mongolia led a nomadic lifestyle, forming many settlements and farms. The nomads retained their ethnic roots, which would inevitably be lost when cultures mixed in big cities. Today Mongolia is one of those places where you can experience the life of nomads, spending the night in a yurt under the starry sky, riding horses and helping to graze cattle. This is one of the best places in the world. where you can disconnect from the rhythm of urban life and find yourself alone with nature and nature. If you are thinking about ecotourism, go to Mongolia!

The climate of Mongolia

Mongolia is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level and is surrounded by high mountains, forming a dry and windless climate. In summer in Mongolia, the temperature ranges from +20c and lasts only three months – from July to September. Winter lasts from November to April, and the thermometer can drop below -25c. However, the low amount of precipitation and clouds makes the country very sunny — the sun shines about 250 days a year. That is why Mongolia is often called the country of the "Blue Sky".

Regions of Mongolia

Mongolia is divided into several regions, each of which is unique in its own way: Ulaanbaatar, Southern Mongolia, Western Mongolia, Eastern Mongolia, Central Mongolia, Northern Mongolia.

Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia

It is a large metropolis, home to 1.3 million people, with a national population of 3 million. The city is located on the banks of the Tuul River, surrounded by four sacred mountains. The city has an incredible combination of multi-storey modern skyscrapers and Mongolian "gers", which are national yurts where nomads live.

What to see in Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar is rich in its sights. You can visit the Gandantegchenlin Temple, built in the middle of the 19th century, the Choijin Lama Temple, look at the city from the height of the Zaisan Memorial, many museums and monuments.

There are several interesting places to visit near Ulaanbaatar:

Southern Mongolia

Southern Mongolia covers the territory of the Great Gobi Nature Reserve and National Park in the Gobi Desert. Unique endangered animals live here: wild Bactrian camel, Gobi bear, snow leopard, Mongolian wild donkey and wild argali. It is here that archaeologists find dinosaur skeletons and their fossilized eggs.

What to see in Southern Mongolia

First of all, it is worth going to the Bayanzag desert (or as it is also called – "Rich Saxaul"). where you can not only meet rare wild animals, but also explore prehistoric rock paintings, caves and ruins of ancient temples.

Eagle Valley is a canyon surrounded by hills at an altitude of 2815 meters above sea level.

The Hongor sand dunes are 800 meters high and more than 100 km long, the stone mountains of Baga Gazryn Chuluu, and on the banks of the Ongiyn Gol river you can explore the ruins of the Ongiyn-hiid temple, which had 28 temples.

Western Mongolia

Western Mongolia is famous for its lakes Uvs Nuur, Khargas-Nur, Khar-Us and the Altai-Tavan-Bogd National Park, which is a mountain range with Kuyten-Uul peak at an altitude of 4374 meters above sea level. On the territory of the reserve you can meet many animals, enjoy the incredible landscapes of high-altitude forests, lakes and river valleys.

Eastern Mongolia

Eastern Mongolia is considered the land of Genghis Khan. Here, on the territory of the Khan Khentei Nature Reserve, there is the Burkhan Khaldun ridge - one of the most sacred places in the world, which is considered the place of death of Genghis Khan. Excavations are strictly prohibited here, which researchers are constantly trying to carry out, hoping to find the grave of the khan of the Mongol Empire. 100 km to the northeast is the Delyun-Baldok Valley, considered the birthplace of Genghis Khan. Be sure to visit the eutrophic lake Khukhnur.

Central Mongolia

Trade routes passed through the territories of Central Mongolia, which concentrated in the ancient capital of Kharkhorin. Now you can find the ruins of the old town of Karokorum here. And the main attraction of the place is the ancient Buddhist monastery of Erdeni-Dzu.

Going to the valley of the Orkhon River, visit the Tuvhen-hiid monastery, built in 1648, on the right bank of the river you can enjoy the largest waterfall in Mongolia — Ulan Tsutgalan, whose height reaches 24 meters.

On the territory of the Khorgo-Terhiyn-Tsagaan-Nuur National Park, visit the crater of the extinct Khorgo volcano, about 200 meters wide and 100 meters deep.

Northern Mongolia

On the territory of Northern Mongolia, you can visit another crater of the extinct volcano Uran-Togoo-Uul and another national park Uran-Togoo Tulga-Uul.

The largest and deepest lake in Mongolia is Khubsugul, which is often called the "younger brother of Lake Baikal". Located just 200 km from Lake Baikal, the oldest lake holds 2% of the world's fresh water reserves. The lake is 136 km long and 36 km wide.

360 km from Ulaanbaatar, it is worth visiting the monastery of Amarbayasgalant — the "Monastery of Serene Joy", built in the 18th century, and considered the second most important after Erdenizu

How to get

By plane

The international airport "Genghis Khan" with the ULN code is located in Ulaanbaatar.

By bus

Buses and minibuses run from the capital of Buryatia, Ulan-Ude (Russia) several times a day, the distance between Ulan-Ude and Ulaanbaatar is about 579 km by road. During the trip, you can enjoy the endless landscapes of the steppes and mountains.

By train

Trains run from Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar.

The local currency of Mongolia

The monetary unit of Mongolia is the Tugrik, equal to 100 mungs. The graphic sign of tugrik — ₮

Official holidays in Mongolia in 2023