Travel Answers

Hi,

Sorry if this post isn't in the appropriate forum. I didn't know whether to post in China or Mongolia so settled on both.
I am looking to take this train route in June, preferably on or around the 27th June, when I believe there is a train. I want to book this in advance, as it's the busy season. Can anyone recommend any travel agencies for purchasing tickets or advise me of the best way to buy?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Hello everyone,

I am planning to spend a total of 2 nights in UB before I go to the west of mongolia.

are 2 nights enough to get a quick glimpse of the city?

I plan to travel to Mongolia around 5/20-5/31 and take a guided tour to Gobi desert or something similar for 8-9 days. I looked around and all the tours seem to require certain number of people and haven't found any confirmed tour group yet. Does anyone of any other method than searching for people to join the same tour at the same time in order to save money? I read that some people just go to UB with no plan and sign up for the tour at the hostel but when I tried emailing some of the hostels in UB they said they don't have any confirmed tour groups. If anyone is interested in traveling to Mongolia around the same timeframe please let me know as well. Maybe we can join the same tour group. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

What is the safest approach to drinking water? I was told be careful since many vendors reseal plastic bottle lids with heat to make you think they contain safe water when in fact, they bottles that have been used used and refilled with water that can make you very ill.

What are the top five considerations for first time travelers to Mongolia? I plan to visit with my daughter in July and we will be spending time in UB, the Gobi and Gun-Galnut Nature Reserve and Flaming Cliffs. Your advice please?

Hi everyone. Im thinking about going to Mongolia for a month in June and im wondering just how expensive it is to get around? I would like to spend 10 days around the Gobi Desert and some time hiking in some of the National parks. Im planning on camping if its possible, since i dont have a lot of money. But transportation seems difficult every where I look? What is the best approach to budget travel in Mongolia (hostel organized tour, renting a driver, etc)?? and what should I expect to pay per day in any case, or for a tour package or driver haha. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Hi I am looking for a local travel guide both speaking english and italian thanks

Hi there im planning on taking the Trans Mongolian from Moscow to Beijing. I want to break up my journey by getting off in Ullanbator for a few days. I want to see around the capital before i get on a train to Beijing. So i was wondering how often do they have Ullanbator to Beijing trains as i do have to be in Beijing on a certain date before the start of a tour

I have recently really taken to the idea of spending a few months traveling through/ living in Mongolia, and am just after any advice anybody has in terms of doing something like this.. Ideally I'd like to spend as much time in the wild, as opposed to hostels in UB etc, but anything anyone can tell me in terms of what to expect, what I need to plan, budget, places, times.... And so on, I think from what I have read the best time would be over the months of May-August? Thanks in advance!

We've always wanted to go to Mongolia, and Ulaanbaatar, during Ulaanbaatar's Naadam festival. The airfares, however, during that period are usually prohibitive; we are thus trying to convince ourselves that we should just go to Mongolia outside of the Naadam festival. Can we see traditional wrestling, archery, or horseback riding during the regular (non-Naadam) season? What are the pros/cons for going to Mongolia (and Ulaanbaatar) during non-Naadam period? Any other thoughts from those who have been to Mongolia during non-Naadam period? Thank you so much!

Any suggestions for a good hostel in UB?

We have the opportunity of visiting Ulaanbaator for two days in December this year. Could anyone tell me how difficult it is to visit the city at this time of year? I know just how cold it gets, but is it still possible to visit museums, shopping, walk around the city etc. Please excuse my ignorance!!

I outside of Mongolia at the moment and I want to order a flower for my wife who lives in UB. I would like to have a phone number of flower shop with delivery service. Thank you. P.S. This is kinda urgent. It's her special occasion.

Hi guys, I'm checking trips options from Israel to Mongolia but the costs are pretty high (between 4000$ to 5000$). Im trying to search an option to take a flight to Europe and from there organized trip. The Questions is where from and if you have any experience of such trips ? Are they much cheaper and worth such way of traveling ? Maybe there are such trips which are English language guided but from the Far east ? Anyone has any idea ?experienced that ? Thanks, Sharon.

Not sure if it belongs here but I'll post anyway. I was wondering if anybody knows a good site to learn Mongolian? I googled a little and every site that came up wasn't great... I need something from the very very beginning.Not just simple vocabulary or useful words for travel. Thanks.

Hi Any idea where I can buy a tribal rug when I go to Ulaanbaatar soon? I understand from friends that the only ones in the Govt Department Store are machine made and pretty horrible. Thanks

My wife and I have been invited to a Mongolian home for dinner. Are there any traditions I should know in regards to bringing a gift, manners, proper etiquette? I would like to appear not totally ignorant. Thanks. Mark

I have seen one border crossing to the south into China at Erenhot, is there also one in the east as I want to visit Hailar in China and don't particularly want to deviate all the way to Erenhot. Many thanks

I will leave for Mongolia September 1 and I need housing for 3 months that isn't really expensive. Any ideas or places are appreciated

Where can I hang out in Ulaanbaatar to make some Mongolian friends? I'm a HK Chinese. How are their attitudes towards Chinese? are they anti-chinese?

My son is traveling to Ulaanbaatar with a group of 9 college students for 2 weeks. What is the best thing to do for a cell phone there. The don't really need phones to chat on, but would like to have them in case of emergencies and to keep in touch with each other occasionally. My first thought was to stop at the Walmart there and pick up a trakfone, but I don't think that will work. Verizon has a plan for international travel, but it is4.99 a minute. I have seen some companies that offer international phones at1.99 a minute to either buy or lease. Is there another option there in Mongolia? Thanks!

I have free time and I wanna meet people.. toimch@yahoo.com

Hi everyone! I'll travel to Mongolia soon and am already very excited :-) Since I guess that not every doctor speaks english, I would be very glad if someone could translate "I'm allergic to penicillins" for me. Just in case ;-) Thank you so very much! Käthe

I plan to go on hiking trip in late July around 8 days. I am solo female, looking for others to possibly join. It will be organized. Has anyone heard of the company toursmongolia.com? Also, how safe is it to be by myself in capital and Gobi if others don't join? Thanks!

Hey Guys, My 4 friends and I are travelling from Beijing via Mongolia to Moscow Russia in a month. We are Canadian. We work in China (have China work permit). Do you know if A. we can get a Mongolian visa in 1 day in Beijing (dont care how much) B. can we get a mongolian visa at the border. Thank you !!! John

Hi guys, My girlfriend and I are looking at going on a tour from the 1st of July to the 11th of July, just in time for the Naadam festival in UB. So far we have 1 more traveller that is interested, which means we're looking for upto 3 more people to join us! This is the tour: travelgobimongolia.com/gobi-... As you can see we are covering a lot of ground in 11 days, and if we get 3 more people that brings it down to 1000 USD including 2 internal flights, which i think is a great deal. Please feel free to contact me at wanderer58@hotmail.com if youre interested! Thanks, Juno

Ok, so I am arriving at Chinggis Khaan International Airport on an early flight from Beijing (3:00 AM) on a Sunday morning this summer. I have *one day* before I have to fly out again (long story.) Here is my plan: Get a taxi to Terelj National Park, figuring by the time I arrive, the sun will have risen. Explore the park until about 10:00 AM, then take a taxi back to UlaanBaatar (figure 2 hours?). Explore downtown from 12-2, then take a taxi to the airport in order to make my 5pm flight back to Beijing. #1. Does this sound doable? (If slightly insane) #2. How much should I expect to pay in terms of taxis or other transportation? #3. Any tips for how best to execute all of this? Thank you! - Skiold

Hi there! Having unexpected trouble with getting Mongolian visa before travel, I wonder if I could get a tourist visa on arrival at the border, probably by train (secondly by bus). We’ll travel from Irkutsk –Ulan Ude towards Ulan Bator. Some web searching brings up that travelers in the past have done so without problem and a guidebook says it’s ok, but other conflicting info from official websites or travel agents I emailed, says not to do it. So, anybody has solid info on that, perhaps recent experience…? if it is sth we can rely on, and at what cost… This could save us -A LOT OF TROUBLE- to avoid spending time in Siberian consulates of Mongolia (Irkutsk –Ulan Ude) … or paying funny consulate fees for urgent process etc Many many thanks to all Nikolaos / Greece

Is it possible to hire a driver to take one from Beijing all the way to Ulaanbaatar? Or maybe to the Mongolian border, and from there take another car to Ulaanbaatar? If so, does anyone have a sense of how much I should expect to pay, and anything else I should know? Thank you! - Skiold

Hi there Me and my sister are looking to do a tour round mongolia and are looking for people to join in on a tour to split the cost. It would be around the begining of August 2011. We are not sure how long we want to stay or where we want to go so we can be very flexible! If your interested in this give me and email back here or at milyriddle@hotmail.com Thanks Emily