The Mongolian currency is the tögrög/tugrik/tôgrôg/tugrug/togrog denoted by the sign “₮” (Mongol: төгрөг) (ISO international currency code: MNT). You may also see the notation “tg” or “T”.

Banknote denominations in circulation are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 ₮.

BY PLANE:

The easiest way to travel long distance is using one of the domestic airlines; AeroMongolia or Hunnu Air. Almost all flights are between Ulaanbaatar and the Aimag centers. Except for mines in the south Govi and Choibalsan, which use B-737s, most flights use turboprop regional planes like the Fokker-50. AeroMongolia uses a two-tier price structure, with the costs for foreigners being significantly higher than for locals, while Hunnu has only one price. Other than price, there isn’t much difference between the airlines. Air travel agents, guest houses, and hotels can help you to obtain your domestic air ticket in Mongolia.

• AeroMongolia (1st floor, Monnis tower, Ulaanbaatar), +976 11 330373 (Ulaanbaatar), reservation@aeromongolia.mn. M-F 09:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-18:00. It is generally cheaper, but uses older planes. Charges foreigners double the local rate.
  
• Hunnu Air (Chinggis avenue 10-1, Sukhbaatar district, Ulaanbaatar), +976 7000 1111 (Ulaanbaatar), info@hunnuair.com. Formerly Mongolian Airlines.

BY TRAIN:

There is only one railway company in Mongolia, owned by the Russian and Mongolian governments, “Mongolian Railway”. It is probably the best way to experience something of the communist time, even if it has evolved a bit since then. Ulaanbaatar railway agents more often consider the passenger as a potential rule breaker than as a client. The railway network is poor, consisting mainly in the Irkutsk-Ulaanbaatar-Beijing Trans-Mongolian way with a few extensions. Trains are extremely slow. They usually leave on time, and arrive on time or less than 20 min late. Intercity bus routes on the roughly parallel paved roads will get you there much faster.

The local trains stop at many small stations in the countryside. For example, there is the small town of Batsumber, located about 34 km north of Ulaanbaatar (as the crow flies) longer on the train. Take your camping gear and hike to the mountains about 10 km east of the town. There are two streams flowing west out of the mountains, hike and camp along the streams. There is a small restaurant, and food shops in the town.

TRAIN TICKETS:

It’s possible to pay your train ticket by credit card. For online booking of train tickets you can go to the official website (an English version is available, but not all the information is translated). The website is not the most user-friendly, but fortunately Wander Simply has a good write-up on how to navigate the site and buy tickets. Alternatively, you can contact the company Train To Mongolia to buy tickets at a commission. You pay an extra fee if you book in advance, and also an extra fee if you buy it in the train, which is the only possibility left if there are less than 10 min left before the train departure. Your passport is required to buy a ticket, but you can buy several people’s tickets with one passport.

There are 3 classes: “coupé”, “sleeping”, “public” (translated into English by “economic” by the company). “Coupé” is the only one with doors. In “public” it’s possible you have to spend your night sitting and even with little space on crowded days. The tickets are numbered, but, when the seats are exhausted, the company overbooks public seats with tickets numbered “0”, at the same price.

The “public” seats tickets are much cheaper (and much slower) than the coach, minivan and taxi competitors. The schedules are on the company website. In a coupé at night, you’ll be charged for compulsory additional bed sheets inside the train.

INSIDE A TRAIN:

You will be proposed drinks and Mongolian food inside the train, both by official sellers of the company and, at the big stations with long stops, from private people getting in the train for that purpose. There are many conductors. Don’t expect them to speak anything other than Mongolian and, possibly, Russian. Be careful of your belongings: thefts are not rare. But there are policemen in each train. On a long trip, your ticket will be checked again and again, and you’ll be woken up in the middle of the night for that.

Nobody will wake you if you have to get off during the trip, but if you get off at the terminus, you’ll be woken up, even more than one hour before arrival, depending on the agent. The train toilets close 30 min before the terminus, and sometimes even before that.

BY BUS:

Travelling by local bus is also an option, though these buses tend only to connect the provincial capital with UB, and it is quite difficult to find any public transportation linking one provincial capital with another. Lately the Bus situation is much better. Most cities and towns are referred to in two ways, their name or the name of the Aimag (province) or Soum (county), e.g. Dornod or Dornod Aimag or Choybalsan (the actual city name). Most buses have their destination on a card in the front window. If you have either name written down in Mongolian Cyrillic, you can just show to the drivers or helpers and they will get you on the right bus.

There are two types of buses, micro vans and large buses (some large buses are old Russian types and some are modern western type), depending on the road. The large buses run on schedule, but the micro-buses are much more lax. In Ulaanbaatar, there are two bus stations, one on the west near the Dragon Shopping Center and one on the East near the Botanical Gardens. Both stations are on Peace Avenue on either side of the city. Multiple buses run between them. Get local to write directions. For the large buses buy your tickets the day before.

In the Aimag centers, there will be service to Ulaanbaatar and to local soums (small county seats) and usually the next Aimag Center. However, all locations may not be available at one location. Ask for help from the locals. For example, In Ondorkhaan, the capital of Khentii Province, there is bus service between Ondorkhaan and UB from a central bus station, however the through buses going to/from UB to Dornad and Sukhbaatar Aimags (Choybalsan and Baruun-Urt) will stop at a gas station on the North side of the city.

BUS TICKETS:

You purchase your ticket at the station, not in the coach. Don’t expect any cashier, driver or conductor to speak anything but Mongolian and, possibly, Russian. It’s not possible to pay by credit card. Your passport is required to buy a ticket. If you have a luggage exceeding the standard (written in your ticket) in weight or size, you’ll be asked for an extra fee by the conductor. You can negotiate this one.

INSIDE A BUS:

On some destinations, the driver and the conductor illegally add extra passengers and get the money for themselves. They might even try to make 3 people sit on 2 seats, for instance: you can protest in such a case. Your ticket gives you the right to a full seat and this is what you get in most coaches. The coach will usually stop for a rather quick lunch or dinner at a local snack or canteen.

BY MINIVAN:

Public countryside taxis and minivans, often called purgon or mekr, offer more destinations than coaches and many more than train, especially between provinces. They are more dangerous than coaches and trains, and always overloaded. Most drivers don’t respect the traffic rules. Countryside taxis and minivans leave when full. They always say they will go “now” (“odo”) but it’s rarely true and you can wait hours before they really go. See how many people are already sitting inside the vehicle to have an idea of how long you’ll wait. Drivers also usually promise to pick up additional passengers and cargo before leaving town.

BY CHARTERED JEEP:

It is also possible to charter a Jeep and driver for private use. Prices are typically negotiated by the kilometer. While far more expensive than sharing a ride with the locals, this means of transport is considerably more convenient and allows you to visit more remote sites. It can also be quite convenient to hire a guide to use during the length of your stay. Doing so can allow you to travel without worrying about taxi drivers wanting to overcharge up to 10X just for being a foreigner.

BY CAR:

Road accidents are frequent. The bigger the vehicle is, the safer it is. Outside of the capital, there are few paved roads.

BY TAXI

In the cities, taxis should charge about 800 ₮ per km. The drivers will set their trip meter and charge accordingly.

BY HORSE:

For local travel, horse-back is a good option. Mongolians ride on wooden saddles, so if you value your buttocks it’s probably a good idea to pick up a leather, Russian saddle in UB.

BY FOOT:

Another great alternative is to simply walk. Since camping is possible anywhere, resting is never a problem. Wherever there is water there are nomads, and if you stick to the major dirt-roads you will encounter plenty of guanz, who can provide huge cheap meals to keep you going. Adopting the Mongolian style of sleeping outdoors is also an option – wrap yourself in wool blankets and then cover yourself with a Russian raincoat (essentially a tarp in the form of a trench coat), and simply plop yourself down on the ground. One night sleeping this way gives a whole new appreciation for the wonders of sleeping bags and bivvy sacks/tents.

EAT:

The main diet in rural Mongolia is mutton or sheep. Beef might also hit the menu occasionally. Here, about 2,000-4,000 ₮ will buy you a large platter heaped with fried noodles and slivers of mutton. On the side will be a large bottle of ketchup. A tasty and greasy dish served is khuushuur (huushoor), which is a fried dumpling stuffed with bits of mutton and onion. Three to four make a typical meal. Also, the ubiquitous buuz (booz) can be had at any canteen in town or the countryside. Buuz are similar to khuushuur in that they are big dumplings stuffed with mutton and onion, however they are steamed rather than fried. About 6 buuz cost 1,200-2,000 ₮, and serves one.

The boodog or goat/marmot barbecue, is particularly worth experiencing. For about 15,000-20,000 ₮, a nomad will head out with his gun, shoot a marmot, and then cook it for you using hot stones in its skin without a pot. Along the same lines as boodog is khorkhog (made of mutton), which is prepared like so: build a fire; toss stones into fire until red hot; place water, hot stones, onions, potatoes, carrots, and, finally, mutton chops, into a large vacuum-sealed kettle; let the kettle simmer over a fire for 30-60 minutes; open kettle carefully, as the top will inevitably explode, sending hot juices flying everywhere; once the kettle is opened, and all injuries have been tended to, eat contents of kettle, including the salty broth. This cooking method makes mutton taste tender and juicy, like slow-roasted turkey. Ask your guide if he or she can arrange one (but only during summer).

The boodog is also made of other meat, usually goat, and is similar to the khorhog with one major difference: the meat, vegetables, water and stones are cooked inside the skin of the animal. They skin it very carefully, and then tie off the holes at the legs and back side, put the food and hot stones inside, tie off the throat, and let it cook for about 30 minutes.

DRINK:

The national drink is called Airag. (It is available in for example in traditional Mongolian “ger” tents in Ulan Bator at the main entrance of Gandantegchinlen Monastery, GPS decimal coordinates N47.92069 E106.89467 for 1,500 ₮ and a the West Market N47.91118 E106.83569 for 1000 ₮ per bowl as of September 2010) This is a summer seasonal drink made from fermented mare’s milk, and is certainly an acquired taste. The alcohol content is less than that of beer, but can have noticeable effects. Be careful, if you aren’t accustomed to drinking sour milk products the first time might give you diarrhea as your stomach gets accustomed to it. This should only happen the first time though. Once you’ve completed the ritual, your digestive system shouldn’t complain again. There are numerous ways to describe the taste, from bile-like to a mixture of lemonade and sour cream. The texture can also be offsetting to some people since it can be slightly gritty. It is worth keeping in mind that Airag is milk and a source of nutrients. After a day of riding it can actually be quite refreshing, once acquiring a taste for it.

The first thing you will be served every time you visit a ger will be milk tea, which is essentially a cup of boiled milk and water, sometimes with a couple pieces of tea leaf thrown in for good measure. You might want to build up your tolerance by drinking lots of milk in preparation for your stay because they don’t drink much else, except perhaps boiled water if you specially request it during a longer stay. Also, most traditional nomadic foods such as dried yogurt and the like require acclimatization to milk as well. Cold drinks don’t actually exist in the countryside (unless you intend to drink straight out of a river, generally not recommended).

If you are in Mongolia especially in the country side try their National Home Made Vodka. It’s usually made from distilled yogurt or milk. It doesn’t have any weird taste. After you have your first shot of the vodka you won’t feel anything, but few minutes later it will get to your head. Most people in Mongolia usually drink this for medical reasons. First you heat up the vodka then put in a little bit of special oil which is also made from milk. Careful don’t overheat it, you might get blind. Mongolians call their national vodka nermel areehk (“distilled vodka”) or changa yum (“tight stuff”). There are lots of Russian type Vodkas sold all over the country. The best ones are Chinggis Khaan vodka, Soyombo and Golden Chinggis.

In Ulaanbaatar you can find most of Western beers, from Miller to Heineken. They sell Budweiser — not American Bud but the Czech Budweiser. Local beer, such as Chingiss, Gem Grand, Borgio or Sengur is fine.

Out in the countryside, most of the hotels are rundown leftovers from the Soviet era. A better option is tourist ger, set up by various entrepreneurial locals. Staying at one of these costs about ₮5000 per person per night. They often include breakfast and dinner as well. When staying in one of these guest ger, the usual gift-giving customs can be skipped.

Finally, there are also ger-camps. Set up by tour-companies, they do occasionally rent out space to independent travellers. Unfortunately, they tend to be both expensive (USD35 per person per night with 3 meals) and out of the way. If you would like to stay at ger camp use the online booking portal iHotel and Mongolian Ger Camps Network.

Except for the cities and larger towns, all of the land is publicly owned. This means you can pitch a tent pretty much anywhere. Courtesy dictates that you keep your distance from existing nomad encampments. Common-sense dictates that you don’t pitch a tent in the middle of or too close to a road.

In Mongolia, nowadays there are more 300 hotels and these are graded between 1 to 5 stars in the international standards Hotels holding 3 stars or more are for tourist service. 3 – 5 star holders must obtain special permission in order to operate. “Accommodation grading committee” consisting of the Ministry, travel industry associations and tourism researchers categorize an accommodation according to Mongolian standards.

• Mongolian cashmere is known as the best in the world, so consider buying garments and blankets from one of the many stores that sell cashmere products.
  
• Mongolia is famous for its copper mines Erdenet and Oyu Tolgoi. A copper bookmark might make an ideal souvenir and you can easily find this US$1 metal souvenir in Ulaanbaatar souvenir shops.
  
• Kazakh Embroideries made in Ölgii using traditional Kazakh designs are sold in many gift shops in Ulaanbaatar.
  
• Paintings by local artists are excellent buys in Mongolia.
  
• You can find felt poker-work in Erdenet.
  
• It is illegal to take antiques out of the country without a special permit.
  
• The huge open-air market, Narantuul (“The Black Market”) in Ulaanbaatar offers the lowest prices on just about anything you could want. Be very careful of the many pickpockets and even attackers there. This can be a great place to get a good pair of riding boots. You can opt for a variety of Mongolian styles, from fancy to the more practical, or even get a good set of Russian style boots.
  
• In Erdenet is an ISO 9 001 certified carpet factory, making and selling also slippers made in carpet.