Harness: a giant guide to Mongolia. Mongolia independent travel Travel to Mongolia by car

From Barnaul to the capital of Genghis Khan’s homeland - 2372.51 km. Many Altai tourists are increasingly choosing this particular direction for travel. We tell you what Mongolia attracts, how to get there, what to see and how much the trip will cost.

Why Mongolia?

Not everyone will decide to rush to Mongolia. Despite the relative proximity to the Altai Territory, the path ahead is not the closest. This direction is mainly preferred by independent tourists.

Mongolia is located on a vast territory, so the distances between settlements are quite impressive, and the quality of the road surface cannot always be called good. Travelers are attracted by wild, untouched nature, national color, gastronomic novelties and unusual landscapes.

And also endless steppes, clear lakes, the Gobi Desert, snowy peaks, and the hospitality of the local residents. Here yurts are not entertainment for tourists, but ordinary life, food over a fire.

It’s not for nothing that Mongolia is called the land of blue skies. There are more than 260 sunny days a year, and in the Gobi Desert it may not rain for several years.

How to get there?

If you are traveling by car from Barnaul, then it is better to split the trip into several days. For example, get to the village of Aktash in the Altai Mountains, stop there for the night and relax. Moreover, the road to the Ulagansky district of the republic runs through stunningly beautiful places. And it’s simply impossible to drive without stopping.

For example, you will have to overcome two passes: Seminsky and Chike-Taman, where you must take a photo as a souvenir. This also applies to the place where Katun and Chuya merge, and a few kilometers from the village of Aktash there is the famous Geyser Lake, which has become popular among tourists.

The road along the Chuysky tract is in excellent condition, however, repairs are underway in some sections, so forced stops or even traffic jams are possible. Some travelers say they had to stand for up to four hours before being allowed to pass.

The road along the Chuysky tract, although good, is not easy, you won’t be able to drive fast, and few people want to accelerate on mountain serpentines and winding descents. So you can make the next stop, for example, in the village of Tashanta, relax, gain strength and move on.

What documents are needed to travel to Mongolia?

You need a passport, driver's license, and car documents. But you don’t need to apply for a visa. More precisely: if you are going to stay in Mongolia for less than 30 days, then you won’t need it. If you expect the trip to last more than a month, then a visa is needed.

Of course, the import of drugs, psychotropic drugs and explosives, weapons and ammunition, samples of animal and plant tissue, as well as pornography is prohibited. If you intend to export furs and skins, gold, precious metals and precious stones, as well as items of cultural or artistic value from Mongolia, they must be presented to customs. The cost of each item should not exceed 500 USD; if this amount is exceeded, a duty of 10% to 100% must be paid.

These are not all restrictions, but there are not many of them. Please read them carefully before your trip.

Where to live?

As interest in Mongolia has increased in recent years, there is plenty on offer for tourists. In cities, tourists are offered accommodation in hotels, inns, and recreation centers. Prices vary; on the Internet you can find both very inexpensive offers (from 700 rubles per day) and hotel rooms for 20 thousand rubles.

But outside of Ulaanbaatar and large cities, everything is much more complicated. The only accommodation option is a yurt. Most yurt camps are owned by private individuals. There are both cheap and expensive ones. A range of services from basic camping-type accommodation to luxury options with all amenities. Meals are usually half board or full board. The cost of accommodation starts from 2000 rubles per day.

It is advisable to look for a place to spend the night in advance, having already planned the route.

What is?

National Mongolian cuisine. Everyone's attitude towards her is different. Some people recommend not hoping too much for gastronomic pleasure, so as not to be disappointed. Others fall in love once and for all with tea with cream and salt, koumiss, and lamb dishes. By the way, basically all meat dishes are prepared from sheep, and they also love goat meat. Less commonly, horse meat and beef. The food is filling and fatty. So if you are on a special diet for health reasons, it is better to take cereals with you and cook them yourself.

By the way, food in a cafe will cost very little; for example, for a plate of noodles with lamb you will have to pay about 120 rubles.

When to go?

Officially, the best season in Mongolia is from June to early September. However, travelers who traveled at other times say that Mongolia is always beautiful. The main thing is to take the right clothes. The more warm clothes, the better.

What to see?

It depends on what interests you first. Some come for fishing and scenery, others consider it necessary to visit the Gobi Desert. Mongolia is different for everyone. And this country occupies a huge territory. So you won't be able to watch it completely in one go. Or it will take a very long time.

But there are still places that are highly recommended to visit.

Natural attractions of Mongolia: Lake Khovsgol, the deepest in Central Asia. By the way, it is very popular for fishing and ecotourism. Travelers also choose to visit the valley of the Selenga River, which flows into Lake Baikal. You can also visit the sacred mountain Bogdo-Ula, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, the surrounding area of ​​which has the status of a nature conservation zone. And, of course, if you are primarily interested in nature, go to the Gobi Desert. This, of course, is a drop in the ocean from what you can see in Mongolia.

One lunch or dinner in an inexpensive restaurant will cost about 190 rubles. In a higher class establishment - about 1200 rubles. Prices for food in supermarkets differ from those in Barnaul. It's more expensive in Mongolia. For example, a loaf of bread costs 44 rubles, a carton of milk costs approximately 62 rubles, eggs (12 pieces) cost 142 rubles. Vegetables and fruits are also more expensive than in Barnaul.

Accommodation, if you are not traveling with tents, is also a significant expense.

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I just want to drive off into the endless steppes. And so that the wind is in your head. Harness it.

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Let's gallop.

When to go to Mongolia?

Thanks to the fiercely continental climate, the country has changeable and windy weather.In winter - frost, minus 25°С - 35°С. At this time of year, Ulaanbaatar leads the list of the coldest capitals in the world.In summer - up to plus 25°С - 35°. The heat is softened by the winds that blow across the steppe, but they also sometimes create sandstorms.In spring and autumn there are sharp temperature changes.Comfortable time is from May to October.

There is also an advantage: more than 250 clear days a year, which is why Mongolia is called the country of blue skies. A dream for those who like to have clear days and look at buckets of stars.

Do I need a visa

Since 2014, Russian citizens do not need a visa if you do not intend to travel for more than 30 days. All you need is a passport.

If you want to come for a couple of months, you need to apply for a visa.Embassies exist in Moscow, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Kyzyl and Yekaterinburg.

How to get to Mongolia

By plane

There is only one international airport in Mongolia, in Ulaanbaatar. From Moscow you will find tickets with a bunch of transfers from Turkish Airlines.Cost from 29,000 rubles.

It is also easy to reach with direct flights from Aeroflot and Mongolian Airlines. The flight is about 6 hours.Cost from 35,000 rubles.

But from Buryatia you can find tickets from 6500 rubles.

From the airport to the city center, take a taxi for $5 or walk a kilometer to the bus stop ( here) - for $0.2.

By bus

A cool option for a multi-part trip to Lake Baikal. Every day at 7:30 a.m. bus station Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar a regular bus departs. The journey takes 12 hours, slight delays at the border are possible. Buy your ticket at the box office or at travel agency website.

Cost: from 1500 rubles one way.

During Pobeda Airlines sales, plane tickets to Ulan-Ud can be purchased for 6,500 rubles round trip.

By train

For those who want to take a ride on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway: a train departs from Moscow every two weeks. You will have to listen to the sound of wheels for a little more than 4 days.Cost: from $200 one way.

Trains depart from Irkutsk 3 times a week. On the road - 1.5 days.Cost: from $80 one way.

You can buy tickets for this route only at the box office.

By car

There are a dozen border crossing points operating on the border with Russia. Main post - Kyakhta , 24/7. Works only with motorists; walking is not possible.

The distance from the border to Ulaanbaatar is 350 km. However, know that there are practically no roads there, if you love your “swallow”, then think twice.

Customs

It is important to remember that you can import no more than $2000, 200 cigarettes, 1 liter of strong alcohol or 3 liters of beer duty free.

It is also prohibited to carry with you: archaeological finds, meat or fish, metal detectors and anything that a decent traveler does not take on the road.

The time difference between our capitals is +5 hours

Money is not a question

The country's national currency is the tugrik (MNT). Exists only in paper form. Not here for coins.

Conditional conversion to other currencies (February 2019): 1$ = 2600.1₽ = 40, and 1€ = 3000.

Take dollars with you, in some places you can also pay with them. But there won’t be any big problems with other currencies either. You definitely need to have money in cash. If in the capital there are no problems with banks and cash machines, then in other parts of the country such amenities may not be found.

Immediately after crossing the border (or at the markets), street money changers will offer a favorable rate. It's a matter of risk.

Who will meet: about people

The population density is 1.7 people per square kilometer, and there are 13 horses per Mongol encountered.

It's not possible to remain incognito. But that's actually great. Indeed, thanks to the harsh climate and nomadic lifestyle, the Mongolian people are super hospitable: giving a place to sleep and food to a stranger is considered commonplace. If you don’t know where to spend the night, you can always count on being “sheltered.” However, if you are invited to visit, remember some rules of Mongolian decency.

• Don't refuse the treat.
• Do not take gifts with your left hand.
• Do not lean on the supporting pole of the yurt.
• Don't whistle.
• Don't stand with your back to the older generation.
• Don't throw trash into the fire.

All signs and names are readable for our people, since the Cyrillic alphabet is used. And Mongolian children study Russian as a foreign language. There are even those who speak well, but there is no need to rely on it.

The English language also has the status of “everything is complicated.” Therefore, download a phrasebook in advance or learn simple phrases:

• Hello - Sayn bayna uu
• Where is? - Ene gazar khaana baidag ve
• Do you know Russian? - Oros heliig ta madekh үү?
• I don’t understand - Bi oilyhguy baina
• Yes - Tiimee
• No, no
• Thank you - Bayarlalaa
• Sorry - Uuchlaaray
• What is the price? - Kher ikh baina ve?
• Expensive - Unetey
• Goodbye - Bayartay

Movement across the steppes

The area of ​​Mongolia is slightly more than 1.5 million km², and the distances between cities and attractions are sometimes prohibitive. You can't get away with it on foot.

• A truly Mongolian version of transportation is horseback riding. But this option is for the strong and brave, who have nowhere to rush.
• It is more comfortable and cheaper to travel between settlements by train. So from Ulaanbaatar you will travel 500 km to the Gobi Desert for only $3.5. You can find out the schedule and buy tickets at website.
• For about the same money you can travel by bus. But the lack of roads is unlikely to make travel more convenient than by train. If you still choose this route, buy tickets at the bus station.
• There are many small airports. But air tickets are not too cheap - from 4,000 rubles.
• Renting a car is a risky idea, you can get lost. If you still decide, then Russian rights will do. Also take cash for deposit.

In the usual rental cars the cost: from $70 per day, for a jeep - all of $100. In Mongolian Avito you'll find it much cheaper.

• The most reliable option is to rent a jeep or “loaf” with a local driver. Payment is around $100 per day.
• Or go on an organized tour. Ask your hotel about these options.

Communication and Internet

Mongolia has normal cellular communications and the Internet, although it would seem.

Major operators: Unitel, Mobicom and Skytel. 2 GB internet are worth 1$. More profitable than connecting to Russian roaming.

Almost all hotels, cafes and other establishments offer free Wi-Fi.

Cuisine of Mongolia

Mongolian cuisine is nutritious and very tasty. Directly related to climate and nomadic lifestyle. Vegetables simply don't grow here. Therefore, if you point your finger at the menu, they will bring meat. They prepare lamb, beef, and, a little less often, horse meat and goat meat.

You can eat in numerous establishments throughout the country. And here's what you can say about them:

• They serve huge portions. If you order a dish with the prefix “khaan”, the size will be like that of Genghis Khan.
• The most budget option is to eat in the canteen. Find out by the sign “Tsayny gazar” or “Guanz”. The average check in such establishments is $2.
• The cafe is a little higher class - “Zoogiin Gazar”. The check is about $4.
• In “expensive-rich” establishments the average cost is $15.
• It is not customary to leave a tip here.
• There are also vegetarian establishments, where dishes are duplicated without meat.
• Most dishes are fatty, take medicine that can help with heaviness in the stomach.

Dishes you need to try

• Buuz - m Ongolian version of the usual manti. HTo fill up, you will need 2-3 pieces.
• Huitsaa. If they offer you a taste of dick, then do not rush to quarrel with the offenders. This is a rich soup made from fat tail fat and minced meat.
• Khuushuur. A word stuffed with the letters "u". And the dish represents chebureks stuffed with minced meat.
• Tsuiwan - noodles fried with meat and potatoes.
• Fighter - dried meat, which is cut into small strips.
• Boodog is a national dish. This is a lamb fried from the inside with hot stones. Finding this dish is not so easy. E the same as a whole lamb, roasted from the inside with hot stones, well.
• Aaruul - dried cottage cheese from the milk of various animals.

Drinks you need to try in Mongolia

• Suutei tsai is green tea that is boiled with milk, adding butter, salt and flour. If you eat it with dumplings, you get banshtai tsai.
• Airag is a foamy, refreshing, sweet and sour fermented milk drink. This is kumiss.
• Archi (Be healthy) is a national vodka infused with mare's milk. Strength - 38 degrees.

5 great establishments

1. Modern Nomads, on the map.
2. Luna Blanca Restaurant, on the map.
3. The Bull, on the map.
4. BD's Mongolian Barbeque, on the map.
5. Grand Khaan Irish Pub, on the map.

Mongolian shopping

In the spring, when mountain goats begin to shed, the animals disappearThey are shed, the undercoat is selected, the yarn is woven and fabric is made. This is how cashmere is made - the main hit of Mongolia. Things made from this fabric are amazingly soft and warm.However, the price for such a product is also amazing, but it is definitely worth it.Buy from factories:

• Gobi Cashmere, on the map
• Buyan, on the map
• Goyo, on the map

Also great gifts would be:

1. leather products;
2. wool socks from the Yanmal factory;
3. carpets;
4. National costumes;
5. goods from neighboring China.

You can find everything listed at the largest market Naran Tuul ( on the map ) or in souvenir shops.

Where to live?

Outside Ulaanbaatar the only living options are - tourist centers working with excursion tours. Such unique yurt towns.

Hotels in the usual sense of the word (with separate numbers and other requests) - found only in the capital.

• A bed in a dormitory room will cost from 4$.
• Private room - from 7$.
• Room in a five-star hotel - from 58$.

Ulaanbaatar

This is not only the capital of the country, but also rightfully the “capital” of any trip to this state. In fact, the only large city, in the standard sense. Now it is changing at a dizzying pace: new residential areas and even skyscrapers are appearing would.

Half of the country's citizens already live here - 1.4 million people.

Despite the rapid pace of construction, Ulaanbaatar is the only capital where yurt quarters are still preserved.

Transport

• The metro was not built right away. The opening is promised in 2020.
• It is convenient to travel around the city by buses, trolleybuses and minibuses. Here is the route map , will you be able to figure it out?
• Buy a card like the Moscow “troika” and top up your deposit. Travel within the city will cost about $0.2 , go to the region - about 1$ .
• Taxi - $0.3 per kilometer.

Gandan

The monastery around which the city once began to form. The full name is Gandantegchenlin, translated as “Great Chariot of Comprehensive Joy.” The main temple houses a renowned 26-meter tall bodhisattva statue.

Spin the prayer wheels as you walk clockwise around the stupa. Afterwards, “fumigate” your wallet for material well-being.

Monastery opening hours: from 9:00 to 16:00. Paid entrance only to the Magjid Janrayseg Temple. On the map .

A few more interesting places within the city:

• Winter Palace of Bogd Khan. Entrance fee is $3. On the map.
• Zaysan complex with an observation deck. On the map.
• Central Square of Sukhbaatar. On the map.

Near the capital

There is an interesting program in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar, and if you really want to, you can conquer everything in one day.

Getting to most places by public transport is only half possible. Therefore, you will have to catch a taxi or take a tour.

Monument to Genghis Khan

Tallest equestrian statue in the world. The main symbol of the state and one of the wonders of Mongolia. If you believe the legends, the history of the entire empire begins here, and the “steel conqueror” looks towards the home that was never destined to be reached.

A line of dozens of cars lined up behind us, about 200 meters from the border. We made sure that our cars were not thrown into a ditch or had their tires punctured and mentally thanked the border guard.
At 9:00 the border opened, and we entered with the first batch of cars right after two buses that squeezed through oncoming traffic. As it turned out, we made a very successful stop - immediately after us the border was closed to cars and fuel tankers were allowed to bypass the traffic jam. This cost everyone else a couple of hours of wasted time on top of the normal queue. By the way, all gasoline in Mongolia is either ours or Chinese. The attitude towards Chinese in Mongolia is about the same as ours towards everything Chinese - “ugh, this is Chinese gasoline, go to that gas station, they may not have 95, but the gasoline is good (read: Russian)”
So, we stopped at the border. Looking ahead, the whole procedure took us 2 hours - about 1 hour or so at our border (from the moment of entering the checkpoint zone), then we need to drive through a clear zone of about 20 km, where we cannot stop, then we stood a little before entering the Mongolian checkpoint, filled out the papers in Mongolian (with duplication in English - this is important, because previously travelers complained that these forms were not translated at all - now at least something can be understood there) and crossed the Mongolian border two times faster than ours.

I’ll tell you more about crossing the border. 6 machines are started. They stand near three large metal tables, onto which they will need to empty absolutely everything from the cars. Well, that's all! They only allowed me not to turn the glove compartment inside out. First - passport control, then you return to the car, which in front of you is searched very closely with dogs, they ask you to open the hood and ask routine questions about drugs. I had a gas canister and had to throw it away. There were no problems with the rest. There were 3 20 liter canisters in the trunk, only one of which was full. I took out all 3 and placed them side by side. If my memory serves me right, then despite all the strictness of the procedure, no one even approached them. No one found or examined the secrets under the seats and under the floor in Kuga either. Essentially, from our side everything is more or less simple and clear, and if anything happens, they will tell you, the border guards are friendly and talkative. A small nuance - this border is only a car border and you cannot cross it on foot, so in front of the border you meet people who ask to get into a car to cross the border. I read that it was extremely unsafe - the people were different, including drug trafficking, so they didn’t take anyone, although there were seemingly decent-looking Europeans - the most dangerous type - you don’t expect a trick from them)
Standing with us in the queue at passport control was a local who makes money by taxing across the border. He told us that we almost ended up on the Naadam holiday, when the border is simply closed for 4 days! The holiday is big. We didn’t feel it, because... They were mostly on the road, but they believed that the main attributes of the holiday were horse racing, archery tournaments and traditional wrestling. Wrestling, by the way, is very unique - there are no boundaries of the ring - everything happens on football fields (from what we saw on TV), there are no time limits, or rather, if there are any, then we changed the channel before)) The men are standing, pushing and try to grab each other's scanty items of clothing. This differs from sumo at least in that the wrestlers are quite athletic and not so fat, although they are pot-bellied. In general, a spectacle for everyone)
At the border we observed the following picture: a thorn and a strip of sand for footprints stretch beyond the horizon as far as the eye can see. We look and see that a herd of cows is trudged across the border through some gate. And damn, they obviously don’t show anyone their passports or luggage)) We asked the border guards about this, and they said that yes, in the 20 km zone between the borders it is allowed to graze cattle within the framework of intergovernmental agreements) In short, cows migrate calmly)

Every country has its own characteristics. They can manifest themselves in literally anything. And the greater the difference between the nature, landscape, climate, and lifestyle of local residents with those that exist in Russia, the greater the impression. You can see and feel a lot of unusual things in Mongolia. It is very close, if you take into account the regions of southern Siberia. For those living in the European part, of course, it is far away. But today it is not difficult to overcome a distance of several thousand kilometers.

Stage 1. From Novosibirsk to Biysk

It would not be a mistake to say that the most interesting trip to Mongolia will be if you choose the road route. In this sense, it is better to go on the road along the Chuysky tract.

Altai, Chuisky tract (federal highway P256, until January 1, 2018 the highway number M52 was also used)

Officially it begins in the large Siberian city of Novosibirsk, but previously only the path from the city of Biysk (Altai Territory) to Tashanta was called that way. This is a settlement near the border of two countries - Russia and Mongolia. The journey can take from several days to weeks. The only question is how many days you have. Visiting Mongolia is quite easy with prior information.

Important! Since we are talking about traveling from different Russian corners, it is better to start counting from Novosibirsk. True, some of the travelers, preparing for the trip and leaving the western part of the country, plotting the route, will use the map and try to shorten the path. In this case, he will focus on a shorter route.

Before reaching Novosibirsk, approximately halfway between Omsk and this big city, many take a shortcut to drive straight through the Altai Territory to the city of Barnaul. You don't have to do that. After just a few tens of kilometers you can be convinced that, in fact, the most interesting adventures begin after the words “I know a shortcut.” It’s better to calmly drive to Novosibirsk, cross the bridge or the dam of the Ob hydroelectric station and turn right.

Spillway of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station

In about twenty to thirty minutes (it all depends on the intensity of traffic) you will reach the city of Berdsk. Less than an hour will pass, and the city of Iskitim will be left behind, and the long journey to the South will begin.

Iskitim from a bird's eye view

You can get to Barnaul, or more precisely, to Novo-Altaisk (the city of Barnaul on the left bank of the Ob), in less than two hours. If you want to have lunch, there will be no problems with that. There are no difficulties with refueling the car. The situation is the same after the turn in Novo-Altaisk towards Biysk. This city can also be reached in less than two hours. However, if you find yourself here on a Friday afternoon on Friday or Sunday, the trip will be delayed.

Highway M-52 near Biysk

The fact is that on Friday the road strip towards Biysk will turn into a complete traffic jam. This is due to the fact that those who want to relax just at this time head to the mountains or to the resort town of Belokurikha. On Sunday, all these thousands of cars are heading back.

Stage 2. Along the Altai Mountains to the border

But here, finally, is the city of Biysk. There is a bypass road for trucks here. There is no need to turn towards it. The trip through the city takes only about twenty minutes. This takes into account the entry and exit after the bridge over the Biya River on the very outskirts. And then the same Chuysky tract will begin, which is described a little in the movie “There Lives Such a Guy.”

Communal bridge in Biysk

Although the distance from Biysk to the Mongolian border cannot be called great (especially by Siberian standards), it will take a long time to travel. At first, however, everything will be as usual, but then the ascents, descents, and turns will begin. However, the trip will not seem particularly long. Why? Because the road goes through special places. Sometimes it stretches literally a few meters from the Katun River, seething like a huge stream. Then the mountains will stretch. The Seminsky Pass is especially interesting. And also the road along the Chuya River.

Katun River

Finally, here is the border area. The large village of Kosh-Agach, and then only Tashanta, a border zone twenty kilometers wide, and Mongolia. However, this can be difficult. The checkpoint is only open until eighteen hours. It doesn't work at all on weekends. An important condition is that you can only cross the border by car. Hitchhikers wait for passing cars.

Important! In order to cross the border you must have an invitation from Mongolia. It can be either from a travel agency or from a person. True, this document is required only at the Mongolian checkpoint. They also ask you to show cash. Usually, when a person shows five hundred dollars, Mongolian border guards take a photo of him with bills in his hand and let him into the country.

If you managed to get to the border only in the evening or on a weekend, you need to take care of accommodation for the night. It's cold to sleep in a tent in the mountains. But overnight accommodation is provided by local residents. For a room for two they are asking only five hundred rubles.

Near the border with Mongolia

There are no difficulties when crossing the Russian border. Border guards check passports, cars with Russian license plates are briefly inspected. But if foreigners are coming, especially Germans, they will check everything they can.

Mongolian border guards repeat the procedure. Russian citizens do not need a visa. The conditions for entering the country were mentioned above. After everything is finished, they are allowed to go.
Mongolia.

Stage 3. On site - first impressions

And now Russia is behind us, ahead is only Mongolia and the almost complete absence of asphalt. They say that in Russia it is not the roads, but the directions. It’s about the same thing here, only it’s more convenient to travel in these directions. The main thing is that the car does not let you down. The best way to travel is by jeep. However, quite a lot of tourists go on such a trip on motorcycles.

The pictures that open can be called monotonous. These are mostly treeless mountains. But it's still beautiful. Travelers usually make their first stop on the shores of Lake Tolbo-Nuur. It seems to be one of the largest in Mongolia.

Lake Dergen Muul

Then there will be a high mountain plateau with multi-colored ridges, Lake Khaar-Us, and the city of Khovd. The road stretches along the rocky steppe. Here and there you can see some thorny plants, as well as small flowers. What is surprising is the large herds of sheep, goats, camels, and yaks. You can also see saigas here. Sometimes they graze with domestic animals, sometimes they just run somewhere. They don't run away from cars. They know that no one will harm them.

On the way you can make a stop at Lake Dergen Nuur. The water in it is salty. It feels like the salt concentration is higher than in sea water. The area is quite interesting. Dunes adjoin the shores of the lake. The largest sand massif in Mongolia, Mongol Els, begins here. It stretches for more than two hundred kilometers from South-East to North-West.

The attitude of the Mongols towards travelers from Russia

The road in Mongolia is often really just a direction. Only wheel tracks indicate that vehicles are moving here. Although sometimes the traffic flow can be intense (by Mongolian standards), the “roadway” part is not broken, as is the case on Russian country roads. The soil is often rocky and there is not much rain.
The local population treats travelers well. Many Mongols speak Russian. True, there are fewer such people among young people. The easiest way to communicate is with people over forty. Among them we often meet those who studied in Russia. But those who sometimes don’t really know anything in Russian also, if necessary, strive to help Russian tourists who find themselves in a difficult situation.

For example, some travelers are traveling by car and it breaks down. Mongols passing by stop and ask what happened. If necessary, they will give you the necessary spare part free of charge. They can also tow the car, even if not on the way, to where it will be repaired.

Roadside service is also developing. Somewhere in the steppe, next to a well-worn road, there are yurts. There are also simple sheds here. In yurts, under canopies, in the open air there are metal beds with mattresses. The traveler got tired, stopped, and lay down to rest. Nobody will say a word to him. Maybe he can sleep for at least a few days. If he wants to eat, he will explain. They will understand him. They will immediately bring you cooked food on a large platter. They always bring meat. The food here is only fresh. Because there are no problems with meat, as for the cost, everything is two to three times cheaper than at home.

I was in Mongolia from June 19 to July 8, 2009. Together with a Polish woman, Agnieszka, who works in Ulan-Ude, we entered the country through the border crossing in Kyakhta (Buryatia), spent two days in Ulaanbaatar, drove along the route Ulaanbaatar-Arvaikheer--Bayanhongor--Altai--Khovd-- Ulaangom - Kharkhorin - Ulaanbaatar. Then I drove alone along the route Ulaanbaatar - Underkhaan - Bayan-Ula and left for Russia through the Verkhny Ulkhun border crossing (Trans-Baikal Territory). We traveled most of the way by hitchhiking, and partly by minibuses and buses.

Advantages and disadvantages

The first plus is the nomadic population, which has preserved the traditional way of life. They say that for the Mongols, life has not changed much since the time of Genghis Khan, and this seems to be true: a large part of the country still lives in yurts, raises livestock, wanders from place to place in search of new pastures, and eats meat and milk. Except that many people now roam around in UAZs and Japanese trucks, while the wealthiest people have satellite dishes and solar panels next to their yurts. But the rest is the same - right down to the national costumes, which Mongols wear not on major holidays, but in everyday life.

The second plus is the beautiful and untouched nature.

This is not the dull steppe of the south of Russia or Ukraine, which evokes boredom. Mongolian steppe landscapes are beautiful and varied and are very rarely disfigured by human buildings. The plain stretching into the distance on the horizon is always framed by beautiful hills, somewhere you come across picturesque rocks or stones, somewhere the steppe turns into a rocky or sandy desert, somewhere it gives way to mountains covered with forest. And throughout these Mongolian expanses, here and there there are yurts and fat herds of large and small livestock roam: cows, goats, sheep, horses, camels, yaks.

The disadvantages of Mongolia logically follow from the advantages.

Beautiful nature and traditional way of life have been preserved due to the fact that civilization has not yet reached here. Only Ulaanbaatar can be called a civilized city, where there is everything you need for the city life to which we are all accustomed. Most other cities are more like urban-type settlements. The regional center of Mongolia resembles the last Russian regional center, Mongolian regional centers even resemble villages. And between these cities there are vast spaces where the human presence is noticeable only by lonely yurts and ruts in the steppe.

After traveling through Mongolia, Russia begins to seem like a completely civilized country, with many roads and railways, roadside cafes, toilets, shops and supermarkets. When I left Mongolia for Russia, I had a clear feeling that I was returning from Asia to Europe: the last 50 km before the border there was a dirt road with holes and puddles, along which 1-2 cars passed a day, and after the border there was smooth asphalt with good traffic. In a word, it’s nice that we are ahead of at least some country by a hundred years.

The only thing in which Mongolia is noticeably ahead of us is livestock farming.

After you see herds of several hundred animals that have occupied the green Mongolian pasture like locusts, it is not very joyful to look at three or four thin hungry cows wandering near some Transbaikal village. But otherwise, as I already said, our country is much more civilized. Despite all my passion for travel, I still love comfort, smooth roads, fast cars, a hot lunch at least once a day and a hot shower at least once every two days, so I returned to Russia after Mongolia with some relief.

Country information

There is a pretty good Lonely Planet guide to Mongolia in English and a very lousy “Le Petit Fute” in Russian. To get acquainted with the cultural and historical context, I recommend reading Isai Kalashnikov’s wonderful book “The Cruel Age” (the life story of Genghis Khan from birth to death), and also watching the excellent film “Urga - the Territory of Love” (about the relationship between Russians and Mongols).

Visas

There is an embassy in Moscow, and Mongolian consulates in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk and Kyzyl. It is usually difficult to get a visa on your own without an invitation: Mongolians immediately send you to a travel agency. Obtaining a visa from a travel agency takes on average 1-2 weeks and costs 2-3 thousand rubles (including consular fees).

How to get there

Mongolian Airlines (Miat - Mongolian Airlines) also flies directly from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar. A round-trip ticket from both companies costs 20-30 thousand rubles, but Aeroflot sometimes has special offers and sales, during which the price of the flight is halved.

Also, trains Moscow - Ulaanbaatar and Moscow - Beijing (via Ulaanbaatar) run from Yaroslavsky station every week. Travel time is more than four days. The cost of a reserved seat is 5-6 thousand rubles one way.

Another option is to fly by plane from Moscow to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, and from there travel by land. There are buses from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar, and from Irkutsk there is a train to Ulaanbaatar.

Border

There are a dozen border crossings between Russia and Mongolia. They usually work from 9.00 to 17.00. It must be borne in mind that only three crossings are international, that is, residents of third countries can cross the border there. That is, if you are not a citizen of Mongolia or Russia, you will only be able to cross the border in Kyakhta (Buryatia), Tashanta (Altai Republic) and Naushki (Buryatia). Please note that the main crossing, located in Kyakhta, is a car crossing; you cannot cross it on foot, so if you are hitchhiking, you will have to fit into some kind of car at the border.

Climate

The weather in Mongolia is changeable, with sharp temperature fluctuations. In winter it is very cold (Ulaanbaatar is even considered the coldest capital of the world) - from 25 to 30 degrees below zero; in summer it is usually hot - from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. The summer heat is softened by the winds blowing across the Mongolian plain, but they also sometimes create great difficulties. A couple of times it blew so hard that it was simply impossible to set up a tent (and on the plain it is often impossible to find any shelter from the wind). I can’t even imagine how scary it must be here in winter with such wind.

Money

1 dollar is equal to 1422 tugriks, 1 ruble is 48 tugriks. It is better to exchange money for the entire trip right away in Ulaanbaatar. In the rest of Mongolia, banks are found in numbers not exceeding the limits of statistical error.

Like Belarusian rubles, Mongolian tugriks exist exclusively in paper form, so when traveling you get the feeling that you have a lot of money.

Roads

Before traveling to Mongolia, I thought that there were no roads in Russia. Now I realized that in our country there are still roads, and even good ones, because Mongolian roads are a quiet horror. Only from north to south (from Russia to China) there is a decent asphalt road through Ulaanbaatar, plus there are sections from Ulaanbaatar to the west to Arvaikheer with a branch to Kharkhorin and from Ulaanbaatar to the east to Underkhan.

The rest of the roads, including the most important routes connecting the west and east of the country, are usually three or four well-trodden tracks in the steppe that converge and diverge and lead from one town to another.

Between populated areas there are no gas stations, no cafes, no kilometer posts, no road signs, no cell phone coverage - just a bare plain along which everyone drives as they please. However, the quality of the roads is such that it will not be possible to break the speed limit even if you want to, and the abundance of ruts reduces collisions to a minimum. The terrain is usually such that you can even leave the track and drive across the steppe in any direction.

Some people manage to drive on such roads even in simple cars, but it is still better to use Japanese SUVs or Russian UAZs. The latter, by the way, are preferable, because they are very common among the Mongols and, if something happens, you will quickly find spare parts. Mongols also drive motorcycles, Korean minibuses, Japanese trucks, and Russian KamAZ trucks. Foreign tourists usually travel by jeeps and motorcycles. On the highway we met travelers four times: Poles on motorcycles, an Australian on a motorcycle, a group of Frenchmen in jeeps, and a group of Koreans in a minibus.

If you are traveling in your own vehicle, be sure to have a GPS navigator:

instead of roads there are directions, so it’s quite possible to get lost if you accidentally drive along a track leading to some remote village. It is better to buy a map in Mongolian - then it will be easier to find out from the nomads where you are and where you should go. If you hitchhike, you can basically do without a navigator: drivers usually know the road and drive from one city to another. The main thing is to find out exactly where the driver is going, and then trust him to find the right path.

Hitch-hiking

Mongolia is the most difficult country for hitchhiking that I have ever been to. Nevertheless, hitchhiking here is interesting and fun, and if you have time to spare, you can ride this way.

Just keep in mind some of the peculiarities of Mongolian hitchhiking.

The first and main problem is low traffic. It is very good to drive only on paved roads. The route from the border crossing in Tashanta to Ulaanbaatar (via Ulaangom and Tsetserleg) is also quite busy, although here sometimes you can wait for a ride for several hours. On other roads, cars pass extremely rarely - up to three or four cars a day. So be patient, and also books, magazines or crossword puzzles - you can at least occupy yourself with something while you sit by the highway for half a day. In short, “in my backpack there is lard and matches and eight volumes of Turgenev” - this is just about Mongolia.

Sometimes we were so tired of sitting by the road that we took our backpacks and walked, so many Mongols - drivers and local residents - had the feeling that we were just walking through their country. It’s difficult to explain the essence of hitchhiking to them, so this is even better. Also keep in mind that between regional centers (if this road does not lead to Ulaanbaatar) traffic is very low. For example, it is unlikely that it will be possible to get directly from Ulaangom to Murun, because the main flow of cars to Ulaanbaatar goes further south, through Tsetserleg. And you shouldn’t even try to hitchhike on local roads if you don’t want to get stuck for about a week.

The second problem is choosing the right track for voting.

It’s easiest when leaving a large city: usually a few kilometers before and after a large settlement there is one asphalt road, so all you have to do is leave the city and start voting along this road. The situation is different in the steppe or near small towns and villages: here the ruts can diverge over a distance of up to half a kilometer and choosing the right one from them is quite difficult. Sometimes you can navigate by power lines (usually the poles are located along the main track), but this rule does not always work. It’s best to find some kind of elevation that offers a view of the surrounding area, watch which road the car will appear on, and if something happens, quickly move there. If you wave your arms and the driver sees you, he will most likely stop or even turn and come towards you.

The third problem is overcrowding of cars.

During the trip, we only traveled twice in a car with one driver. Usually, in addition to him, there are passengers in the car who, as a rule, occupy all the seats. It’s interesting that cars stop even if they’re crowded (to find out if something happened to you), but it’s not always possible to get into a stopped car. Sometimes we had to ride in a car with four or five of us in the back seat, with a Mongolian child sitting on our laps, sometimes we had to lie on luggage in the back of a truck, covered in dust and sand, sometimes we had to sit on a sleeping bag in the cab of a truck, slightly crowding out a bunch of things and distant relatives the driver he took with him. In short, don't expect comfort.

And the fourth problem is the lack of money of the local population.

In principle, everyone expects money for a ride, but most are persuaded to give a ride for free. “No money” in Mongolian is “mungo baikhgo.” It’s always worth saying these words once or twice before getting into the car. Only four times did drivers, having heard such a phrase, drive on in disappointment - and all these times it happened on a busy section of the highway, where we quickly caught the next car. In other places, drivers understand that you’ll have to wait another half a day for the next car, and after some hard thinking they still nod and say, get in. However, truck drivers and wealthy Ulaanbaatar residents in jeeps do this without much hesitation. But it’s still a little difficult - especially after Russia, where almost none of the drivers ask hitchhikers about money (for example, I no longer even warn that I’m driving for free).

If funds do not allow, but time allows, use a bicycle - it will not be much slower, and if you are an experienced biker, then maybe even faster than hitchhiking. For example, we covered the 390 km section from Bayankhongor to Altai in three days. And the section from the city of Bayan-Uul to the Verkhniy Ulkhun border crossing, 49 km long, took me a whole day (here I could have walked here in the same time).

But no matter how difficult hitchhiking in Mongolia may be, it still helps you get to know local life better and communicate with Mongols, many of whom speak Russian. So if the listed difficulties do not bother you, pack your backpack and go ahead.

Regular transport

Only in Ulaanbaatar there is some semblance of bus stations from which buses go to different regional centers according to a certain schedule and tariffs. In other cities, buses travel as best they can.

Guidebooks recommend looking for minibuses at the city market. There you can also find drivers who travel to other cities and are looking for travel companions to offset expenses. For some reason, Lonely Planet calls this exactly “hitch-hiking”, that is, it recommends going to the market and finding such a car. I don’t know, in my opinion, traditional hitchhiking is still more effective.

It was quite difficult to navigate bus prices. For example, from Ulaanbaatar to Luna (130 km) we traveled for 6 thousand tugriks, but from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan (220 km) my travel companion traveled for the same money. Although, maybe the point is that to Darkhan you need to drive along an asphalt road, and part of the way to Lun is the already described track in the steppe.

Overnight

Everyone who travels to Mongolia should definitely spend the night with nomads at least once. This is easy to do, just go to the yurt in the steppe and politely ask to visit. During our only registration in the yurt, we generally acted very delicately: we asked if it was possible to put up a tent next to the yurt, but then, while we were sitting and resting after a hot day, we were invited into the yurt itself. In general, if you find yourself in the steppe and there is a yurt nearby, feel free to ask to visit. It is better to take sweets and chocolates in advance to give to the children. Put something on the table for tea and everyone will be happy. If you're lucky, you'll get a hearty dinner.

Another good option for overnight accommodation is roadside cafes.

Almost everyone has one or several large beds 4-5 meters wide, where anyone who orders dinner or breakfast at this eatery can spend the night for free (usually dinner for one costs 2-3 thousand tugriks). True, several more people will sleep on the same bed, but I don’t think this will bother free travelers if they have their own sleeping bag.

There are also hotels in large cities. We stayed there twice. In the city of Arvaikheer, a double room cost 11 thousand tugriks, in Altai 15 thousand tugriks. The first hotel did not have a shower, the second did not have hot water. But if anything, in cities you can find public baths and take a shower there for 1-2 thousand tugriks.

In places that are especially popular among tourists, there are guesthouses and hostels, including some kind of yurt camping (several yurts in which you can spend the night). However, for those who spent the night in a real yurt, this will not be particularly interesting: inside there are no attributes of a nomadic life, only a few beds and bedside tables. In Kharkhorin, such a guesthouse cost 5 thousand tugriks per person.

And, of course, there is a huge selection of overnight accommodations in Ulaanbaatar.

Firstly, this is the only city where more or less active members of Hospitalityclub and Couchsurfing live, so you can easily find free accommodation for the night. Secondly, there are hotels, hostels, guest houses for every taste and budget.

Food

Vegetarians have nothing to do in Mongolia. All vegetables and fruits are imported from China, and the Mongols themselves make and eat almost everything from meat or milk. Only in Ulaanbaatar can you find vegetable salads; in other places such luxury is rare. I have always been a meat eater and anti-vegan, but now I even began to feel nostalgia for vinaigrette or tomato-cucumber salad. So be prepared, if you can’t stand meat at all, to buy the necessary products in Ulaanbaatar and take them with you.

The most popular dish in Mongolia is buuz, known to those who have visited the Irkutsk region or Buryatia under the name “pozy”.

This is finely minced meat, wrapped in dough and steamed. A very tasty and nutritious thing. To fill up, 4-5 pieces were enough for me. They usually cost 300 tugriks per piece. Another popular food is khushuur, which resembles our cheburek and costs 300-400 tugriks apiece. Also popular is tsuiwan, noodles with pieces of meat and potatoes. It costs 2-2.5 thousand tugriks. We mainly ate these three dishes during our trip.

There are also a lot of interesting dairy dishes in Mongolia, but, as a rule, they are not sold in canteens - we were treated to them either in yurts or in cars.

I especially remember the cheese, which tastes like cottage cheese, very tasty creamy butter and a low-alcohol milk-based drink reminiscent of kumiss. The main non-alcoholic drink is tea with milk. I didn’t like him in Ulaanbaatar, but then, for lack of a choice, I had to love him. It is usually served without sugar, lightly salted (however, I didn’t particularly feel the salt). In the capital, a little oil is also added to tea, but in the provinces this is not the case. A very nutritious thing. It costs 100-200 tugriks per cup, and sometimes it is served for free.

As in all other aspects, Ulaanbaatar and the rest of Mongolia are two very different things.

In the capital, the choice of food is large and varied. There are both cheap canteens with the dishes and prices mentioned above, and pretentious restaurants with Italian, Japanese and other cuisines for every taste and pocket. Once we even wandered into a vegetarian cafe.

A cheap eatery can usually be identified by the word "gazar" on the sign.

As for products, there is also a big difference between the capital and the province. In Ulaanbaatar there are many shops and supermarkets with a good selection of products, in other cities there are mainly small shops, the choice of which is smaller than in any Russian village store. Their usual set is soda, vodka, chocolate cookies and, if you're lucky, a huge piece of meat in the refrigerator. Even bread is rare. The store can be identified by the word "delguur" on the sign.

Cafes and large shops are found only in cities, therefore, given the quality of the roads and low traffic, it is better to always have a supply of water and food with you for at least one day.

Language

Quite a lot of people speak Russian in Mongolia. One time we were even given a ride by a graduate of the philology department. Of the drivers we met, most knew at least a few words and phrases in Russian, and with about every third it was even possible to communicate quite well.

But still, you shouldn’t specifically count on the fact that you will come across Russian-speaking Mongols.

Try to learn a little Mongolian, it will make your life much easier when traveling and help you get to know local life much better. Unfortunately, I knew only a few important phrases for a traveler, and I supplemented the rest with Russian words and gestures. But if with gestures I could still say “is it possible to put up a tent here?” or “stop here, please,” then asking more complex and interesting questions (“how do nomadic children go to school?”, “what do you use to heat the stove?”, etc.) was no longer possible.

People know English much worse than Russian. Mostly educated youth, metropolitan beggars and tourism workers can boast of this.

Internet and communications

There are several mobile operators, of which Mobicom was recommended to us. Naturally, cellular communications are not available on the road, but almost all large and small settlements have coverage. One or two Internet cafes can be found in most regional centers and are abundant in Ulaanbaatar.