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Traveling in Mongolia: what do you need to know?

Traveling to Mongolia is a great idea, but there are a few essential things you need to know! We’ve gathered them here...


Traveling to Mongolia: what should you know?


1) Drivers

Mongolia is an incredibly beautiful and incredibly challenging country. That’s why, to travel around Mongolia, you need to rely on skilled drivers who can take you wherever you need to go. There are no alternatives! There are only Mongolian drivers who, experts in navigating this vast emptiness, guide you through the steppe by memory. We NEVER saw them pull out a map, not even once.

2) Mechanics

Essential for traveling in Mongolia? An engine guru: a mechanic. During a 3-week expedition, we saw vehicles break down at least once a week. It’s certain that at least once during the trip, your vehicle will need fixing! Something will break, and it will definitely happen in the middle of absolute nowhere! The only sure thing, besides the fact that you’ll wish you had a mechanic right then and there, is that roadside assistance is not coming!
 

3) The Interpreter

Alright, we’ve talked about the driver and the mechanic... you can’t do without an interpreter! Without an interpreter, there will be no way to communicate with anyone! Because absolutely no one (including drivers and ger camps) speaks English.
 

4) Roads don’t exist

That’s right. If you want to travel in Mongolia, you need to know that roads basically don’t exist! There is no public transport, there are no road signs, and there are no marked or paved roads. Or rather, there are tracks through the middle of nowhere that an experienced local guide can recognize (the famous driver from point one). But in practice, there is no real road network except in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. There is, however, a plan to build a road network in Mongolia over the next 20 years: which is exactly why you should go now!
 

5) Hotels don’t exist

Traveling in Mongolia means sleeping in the only places available, wherever they are: ger camps. You won’t find hotels, and you won’t find any concrete accommodation facilities of any kind. Isn’t that amazing?!
 

6) You eat in gers

To sum up: there are no roads, and there are no concrete hotels. So... there are no restaurants either! Almost all meals are eaten inside gers, cooked on the spot by local women. Or, a good alternative is a gas stove!
 

7) Sto Gran Tour

The last, but essential, thing to know for traveling in Mongolia is that Sto Gran Tour brings together everything on this list into one incredible expedition. Take a look at our ADVENTURE TRIP TO MONGOLIA.

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