Welcome to our travel tips page. Here you’ll find loads of useful info to help get you prepared before setting off your tip
Mongolia is the ideal place for vacation at any time of year. We offer special packages during all 4 seasons. These packages are tailored to let you experience the unique destinations and activities during the different weather conditions. You may participate in some outdoor activities such as horseback riding, hiking, fishing, ice-fishing, sledding, skiing, skating and snowboarding in the winter.
There are a plenty of large department stores as well as thousands of delightful local shops where you can purchase gifts and souvenirs. As you may all know, Mongolia is extremely famous for its cashmere.
The Zendmene-Undrakh Tour offers visitors the chance to experience a delightful holiday full of fun and surprises.
Climate
Hot summers and cold winters. Average summer temperature +23C, average winter temperature -23C, average rainfall 200-220 mm per annum, the sun shines for over 200 days a year. Winter lasts from November to late February, spring from March to May, and summer from June to September.
Geography
1.564.100 sq km, 19th and the most sparsely populated independent largest country in the world.
Flora and Fauna
Mongolia is the region of convergence and co-existence of flora which originates both from the Great Siberian Taiga and from the Central Asian Steppe and Desert. 975 species of flowering plant out of the total 3,000 registered species are used for traditional medicine of Mongolia.
VISA SERVICES
One of your first steps in coming to Mongolia is to make sure your paperwork and documents are in order. From some countries, this is very easy, but you are still responsible for making sure that you will be allowed to stay in the country once you get here. For those from countries that are required to have an invitation or permission letter, read on. We can help with this process!
Because the official word on this subject is written in Mongolian, and many otherwise good sources of information are out of date, please check the Wikipedia article here to find your country of origin. From the information listed, you can see if you qualify for a visa exemption. If your country is not listed or if you are planning a stay longer than the limits noted for your country, you will need to get a visa before come to Mongolia. We may be able to help with this process.
1.INVITATION LETTERS
If you are from a country that is required by Mongolian Immigration to have a letter of invitation before you get your visa, we can provide you with that letter. We are authorized to issue you an invitation letter once you have booked a room or tour with us. In addition to booking your room or tour with us, you will need to provide us with all the information required.
Our invitation letter which we send directly through online. Please make a color copy and present to Embassy where you applying.
2.PERMISSION LETTERS
Foreign nationals from some countries may need a permission letter, which must be delivered to your country’s Mongolian embassy or consulate by the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We can initiate this process for you if you supply us with the information required. Because this is a more involved process there is a small fee for this service.
You can expect the process to take up to 4 to 6 weeks. Because permission depends on many things that are not in our control, we cannot guarantee the outcome of a permission letter request.
3.VISA SUPPORT LETTERS FROM ALTAI NOMADIC TOURS MONGOLIA COMPANY
Visa support official letter from Company with stamp after would book tour with us.
4.IF THERE IS NO MONGOLIAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE IN YOUR COUNTRY:
We can help/support you for to get visas from Chinggis Khaan International Airport, if there is no Mongolian embassy or consulate in your country.
The following visa documents will be required:
- A valid passport of foreigner /Photo copy of passport/
- Visa permission and personal invitation issued by the Organization
- For tourists wishing to stay over 30 days up to 90 days, a letter of invitation from a travel agency of Mongolia
- 2 copies of 3×4 cm size
- To be Required the original copy of marriage, birth certificates and their Mongolian translation, If the accompanying family members.
- To be filled visa application form from Immigration Office Of Mongolia
REMINDER:
- All that documents will be need at office of mongolian immigration by hand.
- Documents will be delivered by Mongolian organization with officially as behalf on you.
- You can get visa from Chinggis Khaan International Airport, if Immigration Office Of Mongolia will confirm your application.
- This process will be get up 30 working days as Immigration Office will check for your all official documents and decide.
VISA SERVICES CHARGE: 50$ PER PERSON
/VISA SERVICE CHARGE NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR PRICES/
WE ARE PROUD OF OUR GUARANTEED SERVICES!
Standard tourist visas generally last 30 days from the date of entry and you must enter Mongolia within three months of issue. Visas normally take several days, or even up to two weeks, to issue. If you want your visas quicker, possibly within 24 hours, you will have to pay an “express fee”, which is double the normal cost. If you want a tourist visa for longer than 30 days you will need to arrange for a travel agency to invite you. Your sponsor will need to know your full name; date and place of birth; country of citizenship; passport number, date and place of issue and expiry date; your date of arrival and departure; and a general itinerary. They must send your invitation to the Ministry of External Relations in Ulaanbaatar. If accepted, a copy will be sent from the ministry to your designated embassy or consulate, where you fill out a visa application form and hand over your cash. Try to get a copy of your invitation if possible.
If this seems too much hassle, remember that 30-day tourist visas are easily extendible by 30 days in Ulaanbaatar. The only snag is that you’ll probably have to return to the capital to do this.
Multiple entry/exit tourist visas are usually only issued to foreign residents who do a lot of travel. Mongolian honorary consulates can issue transit visas and non-extendable tourist visas but only for 14 days from the date of entry. Importantly, they often issue visas without requiring a sponsor or invitation. However, these visas are for entry only; they cannot issue normal entry/exit visas, so you will have to spend some of your precious time in Ulaanbaatar arranging an exit visa from the ministry.
Every traveler must fill in a customs declaration form which should be retained until departure. This allows the free import and re-export of articles intended for personal use for duration of stay. It is prohibited to import and export.
- guns, weapons and ammunitions without special permission
- explosive items
- radioactive substance
- opium, hashish and other narcotics
- pornographic publications
- publications, records, films and drawings against Mongolia
- research materials, paleonthological and archaeological findings, collection of various plants and their seeds, birds, wild and domestic animals, wool, raw skins and hides and furs without permissions of appropriate Mongolian authorities.
The Mongolian unit of currency is the togrog (T), which comes in notes of T5, T10, T20, T50, T100, T500, T1000, T5000, T10.000 and T20000 (T1 notes are basically souvenirs). We used to use also T50 and T100 coins. The highest value note is worth around US$9 so when changing a lot of cash you’ll be given a stack of machine-collated bills.
Banks and exchange offices in Ulaanbaatar will change money with relative efficiency. Those in provincial centres have also gotten better, though it’s still a good idea to change the bulk of your travel expenditure before leaving the capital.
Other forms of currency except US dollars aren’t usually accepted, although the euro is probably second best. Cash offers the best exchange rates and you won’t be paying any commission charge, but for security purposes you can also use travellers cheques and debit cards.
Moneychangers who hang around the markets may or may not be legal. They offer the best rates for US dollars and are usually safe, but the risks are obvious. Remember to change all your togrog when leaving the country as its worthless elsewhere.
The most basic Mongolian eatery is the ubiquitous guanz, or canteen. Guanz are usually found in buildings, gers and can be found in most aimag towns, all over Ulaanbaatar and along major roads where there is some traffic. They usually offer soup, stiutei tsai and either buuz or khuushuur. In the countryside, the ger-guanz is a great way to see the interior of a ger and meet a family, without the lengthy stops and traditions expected with normal visits.
In the countryside most guanz seem to close for dinner (and often lunch as well). In reality, opening hours are often at the whim of staff. The city guanz, which is a good option for budget travellers or people in a hurry, will sometimes masquerade under more alluring names, including tsainii gazar (tea house). Some of the ones on main streets now stay open 24 hours, but the usual hours are 10am to 7pm.
The most restaurants are pretty expensive for the average Mongolian and frequented only during special occasions. Mongolians don’t mind blowing an entire week’s salary on a good meal, so long as they are enjoying it with friends or family.
Restaurants, usually opens 10am to 10pm daily, are nearly always more hygienic than the guanz and therefore a good choice for children and families. You will probably be assigned an overly attentive waiter or waitress who will polish your silverware to perfection and pour your drinks. In Ulaanbaatar, many restaurants – especially the good ones – will be busy and often full between about 1 pm and 2pm. It pays to get a table before 12.30pm to beat the rush.
Most of the banks in Ulaanbaatar have ATM machines. These ATMs accept Visa cards and work most of the time, allowing you to withdraw up to T500.000 per day. Because most of the Golomt Bank branches are open 24 hours. Ordinary ATM cards issued from your bank at home probably won’t work; try to get a ‘Debit’ card linked to your bank account. It should be associated with a credit card company.
Make sure you apply for vacation days which include a day’s rest after your return to cope with fatigue or jet lag if you’re flying. Furthermore ensure all your travel documents are confirmed 3-4 working days before the travel date to ensure any last minute changes can still be accommodated.
As for packing, it is essential to pack what you need with consideration for the shopping you plan to do at your holiday destination. If you’re travelling with family and kids, ensure the needs of the elders and children are itemized and packed to avoid discomfort or tantrums.
Most importantly, it is vital to inform your close relatives/ friends of your travel. It would be good to arrange for house/ pet sitting while you’re away. Lastly, call your bank and let them know that you are travelling and there will be large amount of purchases with the debit or credit card.
You should be up to date on routine vaccinations while travelling to any destination. Some vaccines may also be required for travel. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot. Latest updates on vaccinations can be obtained from your local clinic or hospital.
What sort of protection/coverage does a travel insurance covers you? Some of the coverage that you should expect is as below:
- Personal Accident
- Medical Expenses
- Loss of Luggage & Personal Effect
- Loss of Travel Documents
- Baggage Delay
- Travel Delay
- Missed Departure
- Flight Overbooked
- Hijack Inconvenience
- Travel Cancellation
- Loss of Money/ Valuables
….and other types of coverage as well.
Here are other examples that might NOT be covered in travel insurance:
- Declared or undeclared war or any act of war, invasion, act of foreign enemy, and other war terms
- Loss or destruction of goods due to radiation
- Suicide/Self harm/ or any intentional acts by the insured person that provoked homicide or assault personnel or military personnel of any country or international authority, whether full-time service or as a volunteer
- The Insured Person engaging in, practising for or taking part in training in any speed contest, any professional competition or sports, and participating in Hazardous adventure
For more information on the inclusions & exclusions of travel insurance coverage, contact your travel agent.
On your travel day, make a list of the things that you need to bring along- luggage, passport and tickets. Also, mark all your bags inside and out with your name and address – both home address and your holiday address. To be on the safe side, weigh your bags to ensure you don’t exceed the baggage requirements of the airline. Travel insurance is becoming a must, so do consider getting one because you do not have to worry if your bags are lost or if your flight has been cancelled or even if your passport and wallet is stolen. It is always best to get yourself and your family covered as mishaps do happen when travelling.
You do know that it is possible to travel with hand-luggage only, rite? Just that you will need to know the airline rules for carrying liquids, otherwise you may have to remove them at the security checkpoint! In order to handle jet lags, stay hydrated by drinking lots of plain water during the flight. Avoid tea and coffee.
Gather required documents before your flight as you are responsible to present as required, documents by the relevant authorities at all entry and exit lanes, health and other documents required by law, regulations, order, demands or requirements of the countries flown from, into or over.
Self-check-in is free, simple & quick! It will save your time at airport! Otherwise, counter check-in opens 3 hours before the scheduled time of departure and closes 1 hour before the scheduled time of departure. Note: Check-in deadlines may vary at different airports and for particular flights. Airport has long queues due to complex security checks. We suggest that you check-in early and proceed immediately to the departure gate or you may risk being left behind in security.
Pre-book your checked baggage to save money and time. Each piece/item of checked baggage has to weigh less than 30kg. Guests may not combine their checked baggage weight with other guests unless travelling in the same booking.
For, baggage drop counter, it opens 3 hours before the scheduled time of departure and closes 45 minutes before the scheduled time of departure. Guests are required to hold a boarding pass to use our baggage drop counters.
Bringing liquids are subject to the prevalent applicable local laws and regulations guests may take liquids on board in their cabin baggage with a maximum volume of 100 ml. The items must be placed in a transparent, re-sealable plastic bag.
For boarding time, guests are required to be at the boarding gate at least 20 minutes before the scheduled time of departure or you will be denied boarding.
- Ensure you have a reliable GPS system and location maps in the car. Sometimes, you can’t rely totally on GPS and the local location maps come in handy.
- Pack enough liquids/water and snacks in the car as some stretches are long and do not have halfway stops.
- Try to reach your destination before dark as most stretches are either forests or farms where street lights are minimal in the countryside.
- Plan some games, pack short story books or sing along rhymes if you travel with kids.
- Umbrellas are great in case there are light drizzles or rain.
- Always ensure your tank is full and refill before it reaches quarter tank as it is not easy to find another petrol station nearby. You never know if you have gotten on the wrong track/trail or got lost.
- Buy insurance coverage for the driver and passengers.
When you are overseas/ holiday destination, do call your close relatives/ friends to let them know you have arrived safely and keep them updated of where you are if you are moving around. Make sure to always keep your luggage locked when leaving them behind in the hotel. Carry your passport with you and ensure you don’t carry excessive cash that might attract attention. If you are taking a self drive holiday, make sure you collect the car from the airport and get a GPS.
When you are abroad and if you want to try something local, make sure it is a recommendation from a trustworthy source. To make life easier, get a local map and identify the tourist info centres. Moreover for safety precautions, avoid walking alone at night or in dark areas and beware of pickpockets whose modus operandi is by distracting you. Also, if you drive, follow the local traffic rules and avoid driving at night.
Before your return flight, do confirm your flight details in case of delays or cancellations. It is best to ensure that you have all travel documents prepared and easily accessible for check in. Always plan your packing and don’t do too much last minute shopping that can’t fit your luggage. Keep track with the luggage requirements of the country you’re visiting in mind.
Do not forget to remind your close relatives/ friends of your return and make arrangements for an airport pick up. Keep track of all your valuables and make sure that they are in your hand- wallet, passport, camera, watch, jewellery.
Last but not least, make sure you are at the airport two hours (or 3-4 hours in some countries) earlier to avoid missing the flight.