Before you go.

Most travelers from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada can enter Mongolia without a visa for stays of up to 30 days. A passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates is required.

Travelers from many other countries can apply for a visa on arrival or in advance through a Mongolian embassy. Visa policy is reviewed regularly, confirm the current rules with us and with your nearest Mongolian embassy before booking flights.

Mongolia is sharply seasonal. The peak travel season is June through August: long days, green steppe, accessible mountain passes, full ger camps. Naadam, the national festival, falls July 11-13. The Golden Eagle Festival is held in early October in Bayan-Ölgii.

September and October offer shorter days, gold weeks in the northern forests, fewer travelers, and the eagle festival. November through February are very cold but right for visiting Kazakh eagle hunters in the Altai, temperatures down to −30°C and below in the highlands.

March is the end of winter; April and May are transitional, often dusty, with unreliable conditions on the steppe roads. We steer you toward the season that fits the trip you want.

Mongolia has a continental climate with sharp temperature swings between day and night, even in summer. Always pack in layers.

Summer needs sun protection, a brimmed hat, breathable layers, a warm fleece for evenings, and a light rain shell for thunderstorms. Winter requires serious cold-weather gear: thermal base layers, insulated boots, an outer shell, hat, gloves, neck cover.

After booking, we send a packing list customized to your itinerary and the season you are traveling.

Mobile coverage (4G) reaches Ulaanbaatar, the regional centers, and most major routes. Remote areas, the Altai high passes, the deep taiga, parts of the Gobi, are off-network. WhatsApp works on Wi-Fi at most ger camps where Wi-Fi exists.

Mongolian is the national language and uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Most of our drivers speak some English; Buya leads in English. Baska replies to inquiries personally. Russian is widely understood by older generations. Mandarin is common in commerce and tourism.

Mongolia is one of the safer countries in Asia for travelers. Violent crime against foreigners is rare. Petty crime, pickpocketing, occasional bag-snatching, happens in busy areas of Ulaanbaatar (Sukhbaatar Square, the State Department Store, the Black Market). Standard precautions apply: keep valuables secure, watch your bag in crowded places, avoid walking alone in unfamiliar parts of the city late at night.

Outside Ulaanbaatar, in the countryside and at ger camps, theft and assault are very rare. The bigger risks on the road are weather, distance from medical care, and rough terrain, all mitigated by a guide and driver who know the routes. We carry satellite communications on every trip, and travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is mandatory. Solo female travelers are common in Mongolia and report feeling safe on our trips.

For most of our routes, altitude sickness is a minor concern. Ulaanbaatar sits at 1,300 meters. The Gobi is 1,000 to 1,500 meters. Khuvsgul Lake is 1,645 meters. Central Mongolia tours stay below 2,500 meters.

The exception is the Altai Tavan Bogd region in the far west, where day hikes reach 3,000 meters and the highest passes reach 4,000 meters. We acclimatize gradually over the first days of the trip, and the standard hiking does not require technical climbing experience. Travelers prone to altitude effects should mention it when inquiring, we adjust pace accordingly. Mild headache or shortness of breath above 3,000 meters is normal; anything more severe and we descend immediately.

Mongolia does not require any vaccinations for entry. Standard travel vaccinations are sufficient for most travelers: routine immunizations up to date (MMR, tetanus, polio), plus consider Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and typhoid for trips that include rural food and water exposure. Rabies vaccination is worth considering if your itinerary includes long ger stays where herding dogs are around.

Yellow fever vaccination is not required unless you arrive from a country with active transmission. There is no malaria risk. Consult a travel-medicine clinic in your country four to six weeks before travel, they will tailor advice to your itinerary and medical history. We share which regions and activities your trip includes so your doctor can recommend correctly; we do not give medical advice ourselves.

Tap water in Mongolia is generally not recommended for travelers, including in Ulaanbaatar. Bottled water is widely available and inexpensive in cities and at most ger camps. We provide bottled or filtered water on every trip.

In remote areas, water served at family ger stays is typically boiled or sourced from clean springs. Drink what is offered to you with confidence, ger families would not serve water they themselves do not drink, and use bottled water for brushing teeth in transit. We carry water-purification tablets and a backup filter on multi-day trips into remote regions. Stomach upset from contaminated water is uncommon for our travelers but bringing your usual stomach medication is a sensible precaution.

We carry a basic first-aid kit and satellite communications on every trip, no exception. Buya is trained in wilderness first aid and the drivers know the descent and evacuation routes for their regions.

The standard of urban medical care in Ulaanbaatar is good; the SOS Medica Mongolia clinic is the usual recommendation for foreigners. Outside the city, medical facilities are limited, which is why travel insurance with emergency medical evacuation cover is mandatory for every guest. Send us your policy number once booked and we keep it on file for the trip.

Travel insurance is required on every trip we run. Mongolia has top urban hospitals in Ulaanbaatar, but our routes go far from them, at minimum, your policy must include emergency medical evacuation cover.

We don't sell insurance, and we don't take a commission. Two providers our travelers come back happy with: SafetyWing (subscription-based, friendly to long trips) and World Nomads (single-trip cover for adventure activities). Either is fine. Buy whichever your country and trip length allow.

Send us your policy number and the emergency contact details once you've booked, and we keep them on file for the trip. We will never ask for the full document.

Mongolian cuisine is meat-heavy, mutton, beef, and horse, often dried, boiled, or grilled. Dairy is central: yogurt, hard cheese, fermented mare's milk (airag) in summer.

Ger camps and families along our routes serve a mix of traditional dishes and accommodating travel food. Vegetarian and pescatarian meals can be arranged with advance notice. Strict vegan, gluten-free, or other specific diets are possible but require the most planning, tell us early.

The local currency is the tugrik (MNT). ATMs work in Ulaanbaatar and regional centers. Major cards (Visa, Mastercard) are accepted at city hotels and restaurants but rarely in the countryside.

Bring USD or EUR cash for use outside the cities. We help with exchange in Ulaanbaatar before departing. Tipping is appreciated but not required.

Our trips run in small groups, typically two to six guests. We do not run scheduled departures with strangers; the trip you book is your trip, with your group.

Drivers are people we have worked with for years. Vehicles are Toyota Land Cruisers or equivalent, appropriate to the routes. Ger camps and family stays are confirmed in advance.

Most days include 4 to 6 hours of driving in the regions; travel days are longer. The full day-by-day, what is included, and what is not, is on each tour's detail page.

Specific terms, deposit percentage, when the balance is due, cancellation policy, what is included and what is not, are confirmed with each itinerary at the booking stage. We share these in writing before any payment is made. The detailed standard terms will be added here once finalized with the operator.