r/travel • u/AutoModerator • Jun 18 '16
Advice Destination of the Week: Mongolia
Weekly topic thread, this week featuring Mongolia. Please contribute all and any questions / thoughts / suggestions / ideas / stories about Mongolia.
This post will be archived on our wiki destinations page and linked in the sidebar for future reference, so please direct any of the more repetitive questions there.
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Example: We really enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. It was $35 each, but there's enough to keep you entertained for whole day. Bear in mind that parking on site is quite pricey, but if you go up the hill about 200m there are three $15/all day car parks. Monterey Aquarium
Unhelpful: Read my blog here!!!
Helpful: My favourite part of driving down the PCH was the wayside parks. I wrote a blog post about some of the best places to stop, including Battle Rock, Newport and the Tillamook Valley Cheese Factory (try the fudge and ice cream!).
Unhelpful: Eat all the curry! [picture of a curry].
Helpful: The best food we tried in Myanmar was at the Karawek Cafe in Mandalay, a street-side restaurant outside the City Hotel. The surprisingly young kids that run the place stew the pork curry[curry pic] for 8 hours before serving [menu pic]. They'll also do your laundry in 3 hours, and much cheaper than the hotel.
Undescriptive I went to Mandalay. Here's my photos/video.
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Jun 23 '16
this is funny, haven't checked this sub in forever but I am in Ulaanbaatar for work right now. I went to a few museums and saw a cool concert last night (right behind Seoul Restaurant) The Chinggis square is cool, Terelj National Park was awesome. Make sure to get a picture with golden eagles on the way to Terelj. The Chingis statue is also a must see, a 40km tall statue with a museum inside as well. I am heading west to Hustai National Park this weekend to see the wild horses here. All in all, this is a very unique place, Nomadic country forced into communism and recently became a democracy. The nomad people are really interesting and special. I had the chance on my day trip east to meet 3 families that welcomed us into their Ger and gave us milk tea and snacks. Saw the animals and children. It was an experience that I will never forget.
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u/YourFatherFigure Jun 21 '16
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u/PM_ur_nudies Jun 24 '16
I just read a book about s guy who went Mongolia to Hungary. On the Trail of Genghis Khan? Good read, but not a guide. I recommend it
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u/klublyf3r Jun 25 '16
I (Australian/M/25) plan to travel from China to Mongolia in October, spend 1-2 weeks in Mongolia then re-enter China.
I would like both border crossings to be in different locations if possible, by land.
My idea is to depart from Beijing by Train to Ulaanbataar, spend a couple of days there before venturing into the nomadic plains (west of Ulaanbataar I think?) for maybe a week, then re-enter China at (hopefully a different border crossing) and then travel to Shanghai (not back to Beijing).
I have a few questions;
Can I easily arrange a Mongolian visa in Beijing? What is the cost and duration for Australians?
How easy is it to arrange my own train travel from Beijing to Ulaanbataar?
Hostel recommendations for Ulaanbatar? (I hope to couch surf but hostel as a backup option).
How difficult would it be to visit the nomadic plains outside of an organised tour? I prefer to just make it up as I go, but think rural Mongolia may NEED to be done by organised tour because it is so sparse?
Is it possible to re-enter China farther west than the typical Ulaanabtar-Beijing route? And is it easy to get to this point without my own transport?
If I have to do a tour, what would you recommend? Preferably one that will facilitate re-entry to China rather than return to Ulaanbatar?
I have up to 2 weeks in Mongolia, how should I break it up?
Thanks for your help!
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u/owlthathurt Jun 25 '16
Other than Ulaanabtar in Mongolia which actually is a relatively modern city although small compared to the cities in China, it is pretty sparse. I always take care of visa stuff while in the US, its just much easier to do it in your home country.
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u/tomtom615 Airplane! Jun 22 '16
I stayed at Sunpath Mongolia during my stay and really enjoyed myself. I set up a 4 day excursion with them at the last minute and it was above all expectations for the price. Guides were friendly and the excursions were in excellent locations. If you enjoy hiking Gorkhi Terelj National Park is a can't miss. Ulaan Baatar wasn't much of a destination but the main square is definitely worth a look. Let me know if you have any questions!
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u/artisticbees Jun 20 '16
I have a dream to travel all around the world. Up to now, I have visited 10 countries. Last year I visited Mongolia. That was an awesome experience. After saw this post, I searched my computer for those pics that I took in Mongolia. But it seems I lost them. But, I want share a video (travel documentary) of Mr Guglielmo Biason from you tube which was published on Nov 1, 2015. Hope this will help those who want to travel to Mongolia.
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u/armendzh Aug 09 '23
I am thinking of taking slow train from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing (part of Trans-Mongolia railway) on my way to travel in China.
Would a short stay in Ulaanbaatar be worth it? How many days should I stay there? (I can probably spend max 1 week there and train ride).
What about this section of trans-mongolian railroad? Is it worth it for scenery?
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u/lipglossandabackpack Jun 19 '16
I did a pit-stop in Mongolia during my Trans-Siberian trip (I got a double-entry visa just in case). I took the bus from Ulan Ude to Ulaanbaatar, where I stayed at the UB Guesthouse, which I didn't really like. They had a wall of tours that you could sign up for but none really matched with my schedule, so I walked over to Golden Gobi and talked to them. They had an eight-day Gobi Desert tour leaving the next day, so I signed up for that. I also decided to stay there upon my return, as I liked it better than UB Guesthouse. The tour was absolutely fantastic- my guide was amazing, our driver was awesome, and I was beyond amazed by Mongolia. I would go back in a heartbeat to see more of the country; in fact, I wish I'd spent all summer there instead of doing the Trans-Siberian. I strongly recommend both Mongolia and Golden Gobi tours!