Mongolia travel guides

Citizens of 34 countries can currently enter Mongolia visa-free for up to 30 days under a scheme extended through 2027, covering most of the EU, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. US and Canadian passport holders have long-standing separate visa-free arrangements. Everyone else can apply for an e-visa online. Because this exemption list runs on fixed terms and has been extended year to year, confirm it still applies before you book.

June to September is the only practical season for most trips, with warm days, green steppe and passable dirt tracks. The Naadam festival in mid-July is the highlight of the calendar, featuring wrestling, archery and horse racing, and needs booking months ahead. September brings golden landscapes and fewer people. Winter is genuinely extreme, with temperatures below -30°C and Ulaanbaatar ranked the coldest capital on earth, though the Golden Eagle Festival in October and winter ger stays appeal to hardier travellers.

Almost all travel outside Ulaanbaatar is by organised tour with a driver and a Russian UAZ van or 4x4, because paved roads barely exist beyond the main routes and there is no address system on the steppe. Independent travel is possible but slow and requires real navigation skills. Domestic flights connect to the Gobi and western provinces, saving days of driving. Budget realistically: a Gobi loop involves 8 to 10 hours of rough driving on several days.

A ger is a felt-and-canvas round tent heated by a central wood or dung stove, and staying in one is the defining Mongolian experience. Tourist ger camps offer beds, shared shower blocks and cooked meals, while staying with a nomadic family is more basic, often without running water or electricity beyond a solar panel. Bring a head torch, wet wipes and warm layers, as nights are cold even in summer. There is a customary etiquette to observe, such as entering to the left and never stepping on the threshold.

Ten days to two weeks is realistic, because distances are enormous and driving days are long. A week only just covers Ulaanbaatar plus a short central loop to Terelj and Kharkhorin. Ten days allows a proper Gobi circuit taking in the Khongoryn Els dunes, the Flaming Cliffs and Yolyn Am gorge. Two weeks or more opens up Lake Khovsgol in the north or the Altai in the far west, both of which need serious travel time on their own.

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