Each adventure starts with the first step

Mongolia in Winter

August 6, 2024

Mongolia was a big surprise to me. I visited, when it was -29C and I still enjoyed it very much.

Takeaways

Negotiate taxi prices at the airport really hard.

Ulaanbaatar is very safe and you can use UBCab app to get around.

You can ask locals to get a tour in the region.

I flew to Mongolia from South Korea. It was my 105th country. Close to the landing the pilot informed the passengers that the outside temperature would be -28C, I saw the view from the plane and everything looked like a winter wonderland. Because this was a 3-month road trip, I only a had a long sleeve t-shirt and special pants that I was using in Canada for running in the snow in temperatures -12C, but I knew if necessary I would have to buy a winter jacket to survive the arctic weather. Upon exiting the airplane, it struck me – I am visiting this beautiful and distant country in winter when it is -28 Celsius and I really do not have winter clothes.

Getting from the airport to city center

There are no buses from the airport to the Ulaanbaatar city center and since I did not have internet to book a ride, I could only get an airport taxi. The prices were pretty high (even though it is very far to the city, over an hour), I kept turning down the taxi drivers who approached me. At some point, a man with a ping-pong racket-like contraption approached and showed me the price written on it. I said no and he just flipped the racket with much lower price – it was around $28, so I agreed. I used the UBCab app when returning to the airport and it was even cheaper. Ride hailing app UBCab works really well, but you need a local sim first.

Accommodation

I booked a room via booking – it was supposed to be a private room. It turned out, that the room is inside an apartment block and I had a really hard time finding it. To my surprise, when I arrived, I was told my room was occupied a they gave me a different room with 6 dorm-style bunk-beds. The owner was really kind and I ended up booking an out-of-town trip through him.

Arranging an out-of-town trip

I planned on renting a car, but it was essentially impossible to do. I was told that no-one would rent me a car in winter due to the weather conditions – those who would were asking for too much money. Going with the driver was less expensive and I managed to negotiate a full-day trip for $75 to some incredible places. I talked to the owner of the apartment I was staying in and he knew a local guide who was available to go the next day. Inside the city it is $50/day.

Impressions of Ulaanbaatar

Ulaanbaatar felt very much like a typical communist city full of apartment blocks from my childhood. It is entirely detached from the western world. The cold winter weather added to the doom-and-gloom feel of the city. People were very nice when approached, otherwise everyone went about their way without bothering me.

Genghis Khan Statue

Genghis Khan Statue is ca. 1 hour out of the city. It is a beautiful monument. It is something out of a fairytale, located in the middle of the vast fields. The statue is enormous and is sitting on top of a museum. You
can go all the way to the top of the statue. My driver stayed in the car and showed me the entrance. I felt so small next to the impressive Genghis Khan Statue. Inside, the museum is very interesting , you can buy a coffee or tea and you can rent traditional Mongolian clothes – a deel (Mongolian: ᠳᠡᠪᠡᠯ /дээл [deːɮ]; Buryat: дэгэл [dɛɡɛɮ]) is an item of traditional clothing commonly worn by Mongols and can be made from cotton, silk, wool, or brocade.

On the second floor you can go with the elevator or the stairs to the top of the Genghis Khan Statue and have the absolutely incredible view from the top. I met people from South Korea and they were so much fun and offered to make my video.

Terelj National Park

Terelj National Park has a beautiful nature. You can stay in jurta (in Mongolia called “gert”).

It has a rock that looks like an enormous turtle and is called “Turtle Rock”.

Ariyabal Meditation Temple

Ariyabal Meditation Temple is also inside this national park. This Buddhist temple is located on a hill with amazing views. Entry cost is ca. $0.60.

Final Thoughts

There are very few tourists in Mongolia, especially in winter. Mongolian food was very heavy with meat and it was not particularly for me. Most meals were prepared from mutton and I found the meat to have a very strange taste.

I really enjoyed tsuivan – stir-fried home-made noodles with meat and onions.

Have you ever been to Mongolia? What was your experience?