A typical first trip here runs about $425 to $575 per person for 7 days at a mid-range style, before flights. Get your own number from the Budget Calculator.
- Khorkhog, mutton cooked in a sealed pot with hot stones; a prized celebration dish prepared in the countryside
- Buuz, steamed dumplings filled with minced mutton and onion; eaten by the hundreds during Tsagaan Sar (New Year)
- Tsuivan, hand-pulled noodles stir-fried with mutton and vegetables; the most common home-cooked meal
- Airag, fermented mare's milk with a slightly fizzy, sour taste; the national drink offered to all guests
- Aaruul, sun-dried curd pieces; a hard, tangy snack carried by nomads and given to visitors as a welcome gift
- Naadam Festival (July 11–13), the national holiday featuring the "Three Games of Men": wrestling, horse racing, and archery
- Tsagaan Sar (White Month), Lunar New Year; families visit elders, exchange snuff bottles, and feast on buuz
- Eagle Hunting Festival (October, Bayan-Ölgii), Kazakh eagle hunters showcase trained golden eagles in stunning competitions
- Nomadic ger (yurt) culture, staying overnight with a nomadic family is the most authentic Mongolian experience available
Mongolian (Cyrillic script) is official. English is spoken in Ulaanbaatar's tourist businesses but is rare in the countryside.
", the standard greeting. Russian is understood by older generations.
Hiring a local guide or translator is highly recommended for rural travel.
- When entering a ger, walk clockwise and sit in the designated guest area on the left side
- Always accept offered food and drink with both hands or the right hand, refusing hospitality is offensive
- Never whistle inside a ger, it is considered to invite bad spirits
- Step over the threshold of a ger, never on it, it is considered very bad luck to step on the door frame
Latest for Mongolia
Updates for Mongolia will appear here as they are published. Every update cites official sources, so you can plan on it.