Mongolia Overview
Ulanbaatar | Gobi | Elstei | Open Steppe | Karakorum | Khenti | Hustai |
Monkey Business offers a variety of activities in Mongolia, from idyllic and relaxed Elstei Ger camp, to more active Camel Treks in the Gobi and Specialist Jeep Treks to see the unique charm and corners of the Mongolian Steppe.
Background
You can stay up to 30 days in Mongolia on a tourist
visa (US citizens do not need a visa and can stay up to 90
days!) Unlike for stopovers in Russia, you don’t have to book
our programs or any hotel and are free to arrange your own
itinerary (except for packages BM3, BB10, BB11 & MB23,
which we only sell with a program). Though the situation in
Mongolia improves each year, services, facilities and infrastructure
are well below western standards. Winters are long and harsh;
there are few roads and tracks are not always accessible (even
with jeeps); public transport between places is unpredictable;
service at most hotels is basic at best; and during the short
summer season more tourists arrive than there are hotel beds
available (double bookings are common, with the last one to
arrive loosing out!) As one independent traveller put it eloquently
in an interview on Lonely Planet’s travel program, “To get
anything done in Mongolia you either need a lot of time or
a lot of money!”
Mongolia
Mongolia (along with Irkutsk) is one of the must-see stops on any Trans-Siberian
trip. It is a totally unique destination and one most people vow to return
to one day. The open steppe, searing deserts, huge clear blue sky, warm
hospitable people, genuinely nomadic culture and starlit nights make Mongolia
make most people vow to return to one day. Our programs are designed to
show you the best of what this fascinating destination has to offer in
the relatively limited time a stop as part of an overall Trans-Siberian
trip affords.
Fact File
Area: 1,566,500 sq km (602,829 sq mi)
Population: 2.5m (estimate) - 1.6 persons
per sq km
Capital City: Ulaanbaatar (lit. 'red hero')
Population: 0.84m
People: 86% Khalkh Mongols, Kazakhs (6%),
8% other
Language(s): Khalkh Mongol, Kazakh
Religion(s): Tibetan Buddhism, Shamanism,
Muslim (in south-west)
Currency: Togrog (MNT)
Ulanbaatar
As the capital of Ulanbaatar this is the base to arrange any longer trips
to the Countryside and the main terminus for trains and planes.
There are some interesting Museums and Monasteries to gain
a further understanding of Mongolian Culture and History. This
is also the main place to stock up on souvenirs, such as a
pair of traditional Mongolian boots and Del!. There are plenty
of local markets and Western Supermarkets to stock up food
for the next part of the train journey. There is also a growing
selection of local and foreign managed bars, restaurants
and nightlife, but the real beauty of Mongolia is the
Countryside and so a day or two in the City is generally enough.
While staying in the City we can book the 3* Bayangol Hotel
for you. It is conveniently located just a few minutes walk
south of the main square.
Gobi Desert Trips from Sainshand
To avoid backing tracking in Mongolia, we arrange trips in the Gobi Desert starting from Sainshand. You will get off the Beijing-UB train early and spend a few days in the Gobi Desert before boarding a local train with your guide to continue the journey to Ulaanbaatar. Gobi Trips are available from the 15th of May till the 1st of October. This trip is also available for travelers starting in Moscow on the way to Beijing. You will take a local train from Ulanbaatar with your guide as far as Sainshand. After the tour in the Gobi desert you will board the International train #24 for onward travel to Beijing.
Elstei Ger Camp
The Shuren ger camp at Elstei is located about 50 km from UB and on the Mongolian steppe. 'Elstei' means 'sandy place' in Mongolian and there is very little on the horizon except green hills, clear skies, a nearby river and passing nomadic families. It is a very relaxing time and your guide will introduce Mongolian culture and you will experience the way of life of local Nomadic families. Locals are usually around to rent out their horses. You sleep in a traditional Mongolian 'ger' with comfortable beds with clean linen and blankets. The camp features a shower block and washing facilities with hot water and showers, modern toilets, a restaurant and shop. While in Elstei all meals are provided and are prepared to good standards. In the winter (from October to April, depending on weather) the ger is well heated by a wood burning stove but the shower block and restaurant are closed due to frozen pipes. Instead meals are prepared in a kitchen ger and basic washing facilities and toilet are provided.
Open Steppe Ranch with Herdsman Family
If you are up for a little more strenuous activity while staying at Elstei Ger camp, you can get closer to the nomadic way of life. Starting off from Elstei ger camp you will ride a horse to the family camp and spend the night with a herdsman and his family. You will be in the center of the action and have an introduction to the nomadic lifestyle. You will quickly learn how to ride, look after the herd and practice the daily routine of the herdsman. Available from late April to mid-October.
Karakorum Jeep Trek
Karakorum is around 370km south-west of Ulaanbaatar (UB), and was Ghenghis Khan's dream as the capital city of his Mongolian empire It was at its peak at the time of construction around 1220. The city was never completed in Ghenghis' lifetime and was only used for around 50 years before Kublai Khan chose what is now Beijing as the capital of the Mongols. Karakorum was abandoned and helped to crumble by Manchurian invaders. There is now little left of its former glory, except the beautiful landscape, the lovely journey to reach Karakorum and Erdene Zhu monastery, built from the sacked city. This Module is available all year around, depending on weather conditions - deep snow may make the route impassable. The jeep can take maximum 3 people as you are accompanied by a driver and a guide. This is a 3 or 4 day round trip, with most of the first and last day spent travelling.
Khenti Jeep trek
Travel North East of Ulanbaatar into Khenti province, the home province of Ghenghis Kahn. Khenti is a province of lush grasslands, mountains and forest and compared with much of Mongolia has been little visited by tourists up until recently. The nomadic people of Khenti are relatively prosperous and it is common to see satellite dishes outside gers and large herds of horse and even camel. You will travel North East up towards the border with Russia and in this area gers start to be replaced by Russian style log cabins. Khenti is where many important events in Ghenghis Khan’s life occurred including his coronation at the stunning Har Zurhnii Khukh Lake. During this trip you will learn much about Ghenghis’s life.
Hustai Jeep trek
Hustai national park lies in the foothills of the southern Khenti mountain range about 100km south west of Ulaanbaatar. The park area was used at the turn of the century as a hunting ground for Bogd Khan, afterwards by Mongolian political officials. While nomads also have used the park as pasture reserve for their stock, the park never had a permanent settlement or been used for agriculture. This limited use has allowed the preservation of one of the world's most threatened ecosystems - the steppe. Now this place serves as a breeding centre for the Takhi horse re-introduction programmes and its aim is the establishment of a viable, self sustaining population of Takhi. Takhi is the world's last truly wild horse. It is critically endangered. There is a possibility to watch them in the national park.
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