Mongolia

Mongolia is a vast country of stark beauty, extreme weather and exceedingly warm people, who still revere the legendary Genghis Khan, who conquered much of the known world from his Mongolian base. Mongolia is the size of western Europe with fewer than three million people, and it is the single most sparsely populated nation on earths, but with one of the fastest growing economies. Mongolians have traditionally been nomadic herdsmen — and half the people still are, living in round felt tents called gers that are moved regularly from place to place. There is great contrast between the capital city of Ulaanbaatar with its fancy restaurants and shops, and the rest of the country which holds on firmly to its traditional culture. 

Huge gorges, sweeping planes, rich steppes, crystalline lakes and mountains topped in snow are just some of Mongolia’s many attractions. With communism and Soviet influence now but a memory, democratic Mongolia offers access to its Buddhist past. There are temples such as the Erdene Zuu monastery - the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia - as well as the Bogd Khaan Palace. Various ruins include the famous Karakorum (the ancient capital of Mongolia founded by Genghis Khan), Khitan and Ongiin Khiid. Mongolia’s natural realm will surprise you with its diversity. Fishing, camping and long treks on horseback and camel are but some of the possibilities for the traveler. 

Mongolia Regions

Explore in-depth information, experiences and highlights by navigating to specific regions using the links below.

Mongolia Itineraries

Classic Mongolia

Duration
8 days / 7 nights
Price Per Person
From $12,400
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A Jaunt into Mongolia's Past: Karakorum & Erdenezuu

Duration
4 days / 3 nights
Price Per Person
Extension: Optional add-on to your itinerary.
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Breathtaking Lake Hovsgol

Duration
4 days / 3 nights
Price Per Person
Extension: Optional add-on to your itinerary.
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Golden Eagle Festival & the Altai Mountains

Duration
14 days / 13 nights
Price Per Person
From $19,900
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Hustai: A Glimpse of Mongolia's Past

Duration
3 days / 2 nights
Price Per Person
From $1,300
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Mongolia: Gobi and Grasslands

Duration
7 days / 6 nights
Price Per Person
From $3,900
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Mongolia's Naadam Festival & Altai Mountains

Duration
13 days / 12 nights
Price Per Person
From $15,100
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Moscow to Beijing on the Trans-Siberian Railway

Duration
17 days / 16 nights
Price Per Person
From $16,700
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Really Remote Lands: Siberia, Western Mongolia & Northern China

Duration
14 days / 13 nights
Price Per Person
From $19,900
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Secrets of the South Gobi

Duration
4 days / 3 nights
Price Per Person
Extension: Optional add-on to your itinerary.
See Itinerary
Preferred Hotel

HS Khaan Resort

Hustai National Park, Mongolia

Nestled in one of the last frontiers, the HS Khaan Resort is a first-class cottage experience in Mongolia, a country typically only providing “Ger”-style tents for travelers. Guests will feel at one with nature as they sleep with an incredible view of the open prairie. The individual cottages are quaint and luxurious, while still maintaining a one-of-a-kind environment. The spacious suites are far from rustic and provide guests with all the desired comforts during their Mongolian adventure, including fantastic views of the majestic Himalayas and vivid blue sky above. Inside the rooms, guests will find a lavatory, western toilet, audio components, refrigerators, showers, bathroom, electric pot, safe box and a bar counter. There is USB Internet available for guest-use. Situated across a vast site nearby the location of the famous Naadam Festival, this is an idyllic spot for exploring the natural beauty of the area. There are seasonal wild birds migrating across the picturesque Himalayan Mountain Range every year. The open plains are perfect for taking a hike into the unending vibrant green grass. The remote location creates an uninterrupted blanket of bright stars over the prairie every night. There is also private transfer from anywhere in Ulaanbaatar City available. This is a far stretch from roughing it in the more traditional “Ger”-style Mongolian tents.

Preferred Hotel

Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

In the heart of the capital of Mongolia, Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar is an urban oasis, ready to pamper business and leisure guests alike with its spacious suites, exquisite restaurants and expansive health club. The hotel features nearly 300 rooms and suites, each with an impressive vista over downtown Ulaanbaatar, and is in within walking distance of the city’s best shops, restaurants, and historical sights. Fusing contemporary and traditional design, the hotel also offers much for guests to do within its walls, from enjoying a meal and culinary show in the open-kitchen Café Park to enjoying a steam bath and jacuzzi in the luxurious health club.

Preferred Hotel

The Blue Sky Hotel

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

This five-star contemporary hotel is situated in the city’s business district and more interestingly in Ulaanbaatar’s tallest building. The hotel, decorated in a classic European style, has many top quality facilities including an indoor pool, gym, wellness centre, sauna and a business centre. There are many services on offer to make your stay as comfortable and convenient as possible such as 24-hour room service, car rentals, currency exchange, laundry services, luggage storage, safety deposit boxes and a 24-hour front desk. Diners will be spoilt for choice with the Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and western food on offer at the hotel’s restaurants. The rooms feature free WiFi, flat-screen TVs with cable channels, en-suite bathrooms with a bathtub and shower facilities as well as a minibar luxury toiletries, hairdryers and slippers.

Preferred Hotel

The Terelj Hotel

Khan Khentii, Mongolia

The Terelj Hotel provides a luxurious base from which to explore the wonders of the Mongolian outdoors in the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, one of the most carefully protected parklands in the country and part of the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area, an expansive, virtually uninhabited wilderness. Terelj Hotel is only 43 miles north of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, near to the birthplace of Mongolia’s Great Unifier Chinggis Khaan (Ghengis Khan). The hotel itself boasts just 52 elegant suites, overlooking views of the Mongolian larch trees in front of the hotel or the Tereji River and surrounding mountains. The rooms are spacious with separate living areas and marble bathrooms. Rooms are well-appointed with classic furniture and quality upholstery, the sumptuous bedding comprises layers of Egyptian cotton and Mongolian cashmere blankets. Traditional Mongolian and local artworks are displayed throughout the hotel and guest suites. Hotel facilities include a spa, Jacuzzi, pine sauna, steam room, swimming pool, fitness center, winter movie theater and ice-skating rink and complimentary WiFi. Dining options include Morin Khuur, serving refined Mongolian cuisine paired with wines in an exquisite dining hall decorated with antique Mongolian saddles and artifacts; a restaurant overlooking the river serving western delicacies, as well as Argali serving burgers, steak and over 70 different whiskeys; a café with fresh coffee and French pastries; and a lounge bar.

Preferred Hotel

Three Camel Lodge

Gobi Desert (south), Mongolia

The Three Camel Lodge was constructed without nails from Siberian timber and local stone using traditional techniques, and is situated within view of the Gobi Desert's stunning Gobi-Altai Mountain Range. Built under environmentally and culturally sustainable guidelines, energy for the lodge is drawn partially from solar and wind power; the main building has a large shaded porch and remains cool and comfortable even on hottest desert days. The staff is a group of well-practiced folk musicians who don beautiful costumes and play the horse-head fiddle and other traditional instruments in the evening. Guest rooms are in 30 gers (yurts), made from latticed structures covered by layers of felt and canvas and heated with wood-burning stoves. The beds and furniture are hand-painted in vivid colors. The main lodge has a bar with a selection of beers, wines and spirits, a gift shop with local crafts and artwork and a business facility including fax service. Meals of traditional Mongolian cuisine are served in an over-sized ger, with ingredients fresh from local farms. There is no fitness center but you will not want for physical activities: a number of expeditions are possible, including hiking in the foothills of the Gobi-Altai Mountains, camel trekking through sand dunes, horseback riding through mountain valleys to local springs, and excavating dinosaur fossils at the Flaming Cliffs under the guidance of a paleontologist from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. The Three Camel Lodge is 1.5 to two hours from the airport in the provincial capital of Dalanzadgad (DLZ).

Eagle's Nest Hotel

Eagle's Nest Hotel

Bayan Olgi, Mongolia

Located 20 minutes from the airport and within walking distance of Olgii town center, the Eagle's Nest Hotel is one of the best options for visitors to Bayan-Olgii province. This quiet and petite property is comprised of just 11 guest rooms, all of which are configured as twin rooms and have views of the surrounding mountains. The atmosphere and decor is similar to a cozy hunting lodge and the hotel is run by Altai Expeditions.
Genghis Khan Retreat

Genghis Khan Retreat

Karakorum, Mongolia

Amongst lushsloping Mongolian grasslands lies the luxurious Genghis Khan Retreat. Pitched in the deep reaches of the Orkhon National Park, near the ancient city of Karakorum founded by Genghis Khan in 1220, the camp is engulfed by unadulterated, fenceless natural splendor. Rich with history, the area is a UNESCO protected area featuring many historical sites and home to charming Buddhist monasteries. A personal project, Genghis Khan Retreat is owned by a German-Mongol family that has been travelling to the location every summer for the past 20 years. Today they open up their summer home to adventurous guests and draw on personal expertise to organize riding, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and polo excursions throughout the Orkhon Valley and Khangai Mountains. More experienced riding or polo enthusiasts are welcomed to join daily chukkas and games. Open from June to mid-September every year, thirty percent of yearly earnings are donated to polo training and educational support programs for Mongol children.

Ger Camp

Ger Camp

Altantsogts, Mongolia

Camping is the best accommodation option in this remote region. The basic ger tents typically have a separate western-style bathroom tent, twin beds, wooden furniture, and heaters. The low-impact campsites are basic and some may feature various facilities such as a restaurant, communal baths, and laundry service. Alternatively, if you are looking for something a little more indulgent, Remote Lands can arrange for a luxury ger to be set up for your trip.

Ger Camp

Ger Camp

Karakorum, Mongolia

The traditional nomadic Mongolian ger tents have en-suite western-style bathrooms, king size or twin beds, wooden furniture, heaters and air-conditioning. Although the camp is rather basic, there are various facilities including a restaurant serving local and international dishes, a bar and karaoke room, a sauna, Japanese style communal baths, a laundry service and massage is also available. If you wish to stay in more refined accommodation than what’s available, Remote Lands can arrange for a luxury ger camp to be set up for your trip.

Ger Camp (North Gobi)

Ger Camp (North Gobi)

Gobi Desert (north), Mongolia

Experience the nomadic lifestyle staying in a Mongolian ger camp in the north of the Gobi Desert with a local host family. Situated in the northernmost sand dunes of the Gobi Desert this camp resides in the heartland of the Central Asian nomads. The landscape is a breathtaking mélange of wide-open plains, sand dunes and treeless rocky mountains. In this area there is no permanent development, and apart from the wolf, deer, Siberian ibex and other wildlife, the only other dwellers are the pastoralist families living in ger tents. A ger or yurt is a circular, wooden tent structure covered with layers of fabric and sheep's wool felt for weatherproofing and insulation. The local families raise horses, camel and other livestock and move their camp accordingly to the seasons. This area is relatively untouched and devoid of tourism. If you wish to stay in more refined accommodation than what’s available, Remote Lands can arrange for a luxury ger camp to be set up for your trip.
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Seasonality & Festivals

Browse a month-by-month breakdown of suggested itineraries, seasonal activities, climate considerations and festivals.

When to Go
When to Go
Festivals
Festivals

Weather in Mongolia

Visit Mongolia between May and October for sunny days and pleasant temperatures.

  • Mongolia is not actually the coldest and most remote part of the world (as it is often portrayed in Western media). There are four distinct seasons, though winter lasts from November to March, and there is a one-month-long period from mid-December to mid-January in which temperatures sink as low as -22°F (-30°C). The rest of winter ranges from 30° to 50°F (1°to 10°C), except in the bitter cold, northernmost part of the country.
  • Spring, from March to May, brings slightly warmer temperatures, but occasional blizzards and dust storms that come as the temperatures rise make this period a less comfortable time of year to visit.
  • Summer, from mid-May to mid-September, is usually warm with average temperatures of 60° to 80°F (18° to 26°C). There are short rains in July and early August, which account for 70 percent of the annual precipitation, but they are hardly an inconvenience in this fairly arid region. It is wise, however, to avoid rivers during summer storms, as there may be sudden floods. The Gobi Desert is the hottest at this time of year with average temperatures of around 85°F (30°C) and occasional spikes up to 100°F (40°C).
  • Winds are a regular feature of Mongolia, and there is rarely a day without a slow breeze. In summer, cool winds come mostly from the northwest and west, bringing in some relief from summer heat. However, the sudden collision of warm and cool air masses can result in unexpectedly heavy rains.

Multi-Country Specialists

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