Turism & Travel in Mongolia 

Sustainable development of tourism is a major challenge for Mongolia.

Currently, Mongolia mainly offers broad opportunities for tourism of adventure due to underdevelopment of appropriate of infrastructures listed below:

- few international flights;

- an undeveloped road network made up of battered and dirt tracks;

- slow local transport, often uncomfortable and not very reliable;

- hotels that offer modern amenities in the capital city, but provide minimum comforts in the countryside.

Mongolia’s tourism opportunities are largely disadvantaged by its rigorous climate, which allows for 

only one full tourist season comprising the summer months.

Tourist flows increase in July-August, especially around Naadam. The tourism industry still remains

weakly developed to have a significant impact on the economy compared to the size of the country.

However, in the recent five years, travel and tourism  have experienced a tremendous growth more than

doubling from 165,000 in 2001 to 385,989 in 2006.

Overall, the level and quality of tourist facilities and services as well as the choice and availability of

goods in the stores have dramatically improved in Ulaanbaatar in the last few years. However, life still

goes in another time in the countryside.

Lodging options in the countryside are limited to tents that can be installed anywhere along your route or

ger camps that are located near the places of interest and operate all summer round. In Ulaanbaatar, it is

possible to stay in apartments for a few days. Staying with a nomadic family in the countryside is possible

by invitation, however, gers are often quite occupied. Nomadic families tend more and more to charge

for the nights spent in their gers.  However, would you blame them?

It is strongly recommended to travel with local guides in the interior of the country, especially in order

to avoid losing yourself as there are no road signs whatsoever in the countryside where tracks cross each

other in a random and endless way. 

However, local drivers and guides have a mysterious ability to orient in the middle of nowhere, choosing 

without any sign exactly the right one among numerous sporadic roads and trails. 

An interpreter is essential to help you communicate with local people. Unforeseen circumstances and 

mishaps due to climatic or mechanical reasons should not be excluded at all.

Generally, travel rates and prices are relatively high in Mongolia, mainly, due to the short tourist season

and local difficulties of organisation. However, the price range for the same service may fluctuate within

broad limits. Compare well.

Mongolia deserves responsible tourism. Travellers going to Mongolia are still pioneers on almost virgin

lands in a country, which really opened to the world less than 10 years ago. They must all feel respect

and responsibility towards native people with their unique nature and culture that was able to survive and

cross through ages and generations as well as towards other visitors who will come after them.

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