Mongolia Travel Guide

British passport holders do need a visa for travel to Mongolia. Proof of travel insurance, as well as your accommodation or itinerary in Mongolia, is needed along with the completed visa application and your passport. Once obtained the visa is valid for up to 30 days within six months from the date of issue.

Flights from the UK to Ulaanbaatar operate with Aeroflot via Moscow which takes approximately 10 hours or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul which takes approximately 14 hours.

Mongolia is not a gastronomic destination and the staple cuisine is largely based around meat and milk with limited availability of vegetables or spices for local people. As a western traveller in Mongolia, you will be served a good range of western foods often including noodles, rice and pasta plus imported vegetables and fruit. Local delicacies that are certainly worth trying include mutton dumplings, noodle soups and the local tipple known as airag which is fermented mares milk.

With such vast landscapes, it can be hard to see the wildlife in Mongolia, but it is there! In Hustai National Park, around a two-hour drive from Ulaanbaatar, there are wild Przewalski horses which were once close to extinction. Throughout Mongolia, there is the chance to see small mammals such as marmot, gerbil, squirrel and Mongolian fox. Herds of Siberian ibex, deer and gazelle as well as the world’s largest wild sheep, the argali. Birdlife is extremely varied with many migratory and indigenous species including passerines, water birds and many raptors. Pallas cat is notoriously shy and hard to spot as is the snow leopard which frequents the far western Altai Mountains.

The season for travel to Mongolia is very short with reliable weather only from mid-June through to September. During high season from June to August the climate should be warm and dry, possibly with some thunderstorms and a higher chance of rain in August. It is also possible to travel in May and September although the weather is more changeable and some of the traditional camps may be closed.

The time of year that you are visiting will determine the day and night time temperatures during your trip, but generally, in Mongolia, you can expect summer temperatures to be around 20 degrees centigrade in the mountains and drop to around freezing or a little above at night. It can reach around 30 degrees centigrade in Ulaanbaatar during the summer and in the Gobi Desert temperatures can reach 35 degrees centigrade or higher.

However, please note that particularly for women, dress can be a sensitive area. While most clothing is acceptable please bear in mind that you may feel more comfortable if you refrain from wearing short shorts or tight clothing, particularly in rural areas.

Mongolia has fewer festivals compared to its neighbouring countries. February – Tsagaan Sar – the New Year.
July – Nadaam – This is Mongolia’s most well-known festival. It is known as the eriyn gurvan naadam, after the three ‘manly sports’ of horse-racing, archery and wrestling. It takes place every year between 11-13 July in Ulaanbaatar. Naadam Festivals also take place throughout the month of July across the countryside.

Mongolia is eight hours ahead of GMT. In the western provinces of Bayan-Ölgii, Uvs and Khovd, Mongolia is seven hours of GMT.

Approximate travel from London to Ulaanbaatar is nine hours via Moscow.