If you are planning an overland trip in Mongolia here a some basic general advisories for you to consider.

TRAVEL TIPS

If you are planning an overland trip on your own in Mongolia here are some tips for you to beware of.

-Rural paved roads can be notorious to drive at night since Mongolians like to drive on hi beam light during the night and a lot of commuting truck’s and van’s drivers drive all night without a sleep.

-If you are about to visit a nomad don’t drive in between the pole’s where nomads tie their horses or don’t drive over the long stick which they use to catch horses.

-Beware of farm animals during night driving especially horses they tend to run right in-front of you at night.

-Get enough fuel since Mongolia is very sparsely populated country so does the gas stations only in provincial town you will be able to find 93 octane petrol or in worst cage get more octane boosters also be prepared for good tires you won’t be able to find a tire repair shops in between the provincial settlements if you are distanced from major highway’s or towns. We use tireplyers a great tool every overlander and expeditioner must have.

-Try to not leave your vehicle in unattended in people crowded areas especially outside provincial towns markets.

-If you got lost and don’t have any idea where are you then just follow the telegraphic pole’s this will lead you to the nearest village or settlement.

-The doors in Ger’s (Yurt) always face to South so if your electronics fail and you lost your orientation you can always switch into Ger Positioning System.

- On the dirt roads try to choose the roads where previously vehicle’s been driving on.

-Access to spare part’s except Japanese, Korean and Russian vehicle’s is very much limited not even mentioning out in countryside but even in Ulaanbaatar so before you make your trip get prepared with essential basic parts and tools you might needed.

-Be careful of lighting an open camp fire during dry seasons especially in spring and fall. Thousands and thousands hectare’s of land and forest being burned every year due to wild fires.

- Having a bottle of vodka a few pack’s of cigarettes and candies will be much more useful then any currency you might have out in the countryside or having a photo printer, Polaroid camera with you will make the trick as well.

-If you are plotting a trip and you need a help on what’s available in Ulaanbaatar in terms of supplies please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to assist to fellow overlanders.

SOUTH

 If you head down to the South you will end up in Gobi desert this is not an inhabitable desert for human’s and animals in fact it’s one of the scenic places in Mongolia full with flourishing life around you. Some people may think there is sand, lizards and perhaps some camels roaming around but in fact this place if full of life during the summer if it rains a little bit during June or July flowers, grass becomes a carpets of green grass where an animals and nomad’s enjoying the life. The early spring can be harsh with severe dust storms blazing from the North West but otherwise there are plenty of places to visit and see during summer and fall. If you are lucky you might even be able to find a remaining of dinosaur fossils because here in early 1920’s the adventurist and explorer Andrew Roy Chapman found one of his great discoveries of his lifetime.

 WEST

The Western part of Mongolia has to offer a full range of unique geography and culture to explore. Generally the further you drive to the West the higher the mountains are and more people with warm welcoming will greet you. In the farthest corner out the West a small Muslim Kazak minorities live in this area. Magnificent mountains, fast running mountain springs, people hunting with eagle’s will greet you in this part of the West. Here you will also find the highest point in Mongolia with 4374 Meters /14350 feet.

NORTH

Now if you decided to explore more to the North or Central part of Mongolia you can take Northern paved road to the Russian border and start exploring. In this part of Mongolia is rich with farming and forest. According to the statistics only 7% of Mongolia is covered by forest. You can visit Amarbayasgalan monastery which was built in 1720’s and was destroyed during the communist regime but fortunately the monastery was restored in mid 1990’s and now open for tourists and general public. From here you can also continue to drive to Erdenet and Hubsgul lake.
Central Mongolia also has a lot of interesting places to explore overland the beautiful valleys in Arkhangai and Uvurkhagai Hubsgul and Terkhiin Tsagaan nuur is also catch’s the eyes of travelers.

EAST

If you like more open areas to stretch your eyes as far as your eye can see head out the East the elevations will drop down to the lowest point in Mongolia Xux Nuur 518Meter/1700feet above sea level. This part of the Mongolia has open plains and steppe with one of the famous open steppe so called Minen steppe you can see as far as your eyes can see this area is the flattest area in Mongolia.  We had a trip with one of your customers who’s made a road diary of his trip Click Here