Nature untouched by man: why Altai tourists go to Mongolia. Harness: a giant guide to Mongolia Crossing the border with Mongolia by car

I was in Mongolia from June 19 to July 8, 2009. Together with Agnieszka from Poland, who works in Ulan-Ude, we entered the country through the border crossing in Kyakhta (Buryatia), spent two days in Ulaanbaatar, drove along the route Ulaanbaatar-Arvaikheer--Bayankhongor--Altai--Khovd-- Ulaangom - Kharkhorin - Ulaanbaatar. Then I traveled alone along the route Ulaanbaatar - Underkhaan - Bayan-Ula and left for Russia through the Verkhniy Ulkhun border crossing (Trans-Baikal Territory). Most of the way we traveled by hitchhiking, part by minibuses and buses.

Pros and cons

The first plus is the nomadic population that has preserved the traditional way of life. They say that for the Mongols, life has not changed much since the time of Genghis Khan, and this seems to be true: a significant part of the country still lives in yurts, raises cattle, roams from place to place in search of new pastures, eats meat and milk. Unless now many roam in UAZs and Japanese trucks, and the most prosperous next to the yurts have satellite dishes and solar panels. And the rest is the same - up to the national costumes that the Mongols wear not on major holidays, but in everyday life.

The second plus is the beautiful and untouched nature.

This is not that dull steppe of the south of Russia or Ukraine, which brings boredom. The Mongolian steppe landscapes are beautiful and varied and very rarely disfigured by human structures. The plain receding into the distance on the horizon is always framed by beautiful hills, somewhere picturesque rocks or stones come across, somewhere the steppe turns into a rocky or sandy desert, somewhere it is replaced by mountains covered with forest. And along these Mongolian expanses here and there there are yurts and fat herds of large and small livestock roam: cows, goats, sheep, horses, camels, yaks.

The cons of Mongolia logically follow from the pros.

Beautiful nature and traditional way of life have been preserved due to the fact that civilization has not yet reached here. Only Ulaanbaatar can be called a civilized city, where there is everything you need for the city life to which we are all accustomed. Most of the rest of the cities are rather urban-type settlements. The regional center of Mongolia resembles the last Russian regional center, the Mongolian regional centers even resemble villages. And between these cities there are huge spaces where the human presence is noticeable only by the lonely standing yurts and ruts in the steppe.

After traveling through Mongolia, Russia begins to seem like a completely civilized country, which has many roads and railways, roadside cafes, toilets, shops and supermarkets. When I left Mongolia for Russia, there was a clear feeling that I was returning from Asia to Europe: the last 50 km before the border there was a dead dirt road with holes and puddles, along which 1-2 cars passed a day, and after the border smooth asphalt began with good traffic. In a word, it's nice that we have overtaken at least some country a hundred years ahead.

The only thing in which Mongolia is noticeably ahead of us is animal husbandry.

After seeing herds of several hundred animals that, like locusts, have occupied the verdant Mongolian pasture, it is not very joyful to look at three or four thin, hungry cows wandering near some Transbaikal village. But otherwise, as I said, our country is much more civilized. With all my passion for travel, I still love comfort, smooth roads, fast cars, a hot lunch at least once a day and a hot shower at least once every two days, so I returned to Russia after Mongolia with some relief.

Country Information

There is a pretty good Lonely Planet guidebook in English for Mongolia and a very lousy "Le Petit Fute" in Russian. To get acquainted with the cultural and historical context, I recommend reading Isai Kalashnikov's wonderful book "The Cruel Age" (the life story of Genghis Khan from birth to death), as well as watching the excellent film "Urga - the Territory of Love" (about the relationship between Russians and Mongols).

Visas

There is an embassy in Moscow, and consulates of Mongolia in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk and Kyzyl. It is usually difficult to make a visa on your own without an invitation: the Mongols immediately send it to a travel agency. Applying for a visa at a travel agency takes an average of 1-2 weeks and costs 2-3 thousand rubles (including consular fees).

How to get there

Mongolian Airlines (Miat - Mongolian Airlines) also fly directly from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar. A round-trip ticket for both companies costs 20-30 thousand rubles, but Aeroflot sometimes has special offers and sales, during which the price of the flight is halved.

Also, from the Yaroslavsky station, trains Moscow - Ulaanbaatar and Moscow - Beijing (via Ulaanbaatar) run every week. Travel time is more than four days. The cost of a reserved seat is 5-6 thousand rubles one way.

Another option is to fly by plane from Moscow to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude, and from there travel by land. There are buses from Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar, and from Irkutsk there is a train to Ulaanbaatar.

The border

There are a dozen border crossings between Russia and Mongolia. They usually work from 9.00 to 17.00. It must be borne in mind that only three crossings are international, that is, residents of third countries can cross the border there. That is, if you are not a citizen of Mongolia or Russia, it will be possible to cross the border only in Kyakhta (Buryatia), Tashant (Republic of Altai) and Naushki (Buryatia). Please note that the main crossing located in Kyakhta is a car crossing, you cannot cross it on foot, so if you are hitchhiking, you will have to fit into some kind of car at the border.

Climate

The weather in Mongolia is changeable, with sharp fluctuations in temperature. It is very cold in winter (Ulaanbaatar is even considered the coldest capital in the world) - from 25 to 30 degrees below zero, in summer it is usually hot - from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. The summer heat is softened by the winds that blow across the Mongolian plain, but they also sometimes create great difficulties. A couple of times the wind was so strong that it was simply impossible to set up a tent (at the same time, it is often impossible to find any shelter from the wind on the plain). I can’t even imagine how terrible it must be here in winter with such a wind.

Money

1 dollar is equal to 1422 tugriks, 1 ruble - 48 tugriks. It is better to change money for the entire trip right away in Ulaanbaatar. In the rest of Mongolia, banks are found in numbers that do not exceed the limits of statistical error.

Like Belarusian rubles, Mongolian tugriks exist exclusively in paper form, so during the trip there is a feeling that you have a lot of money.

Roads

Before traveling to Mongolia, I thought that there were no roads in Russia. Now I realized that there are roads in our country, and even good ones, because the Mongolian roads are a quiet horror. Only from north to south (from Russia to China) through Ulan Bator there is a decent asphalt road, plus there are sections from Ulan Bator west to Arvaikheer with a branch to Kharkhorin and from Ulan Bator east to Underkhan.

The rest of the roads, including the most important routes connecting the west and east of the country, are usually three or four rolled tracks in the steppe that converge and diverge and lead from one town to another.

Between the settlements there are no gas stations, no cafes, no kilometer posts, no road signs, no cell coverage - only a bare plain, along which everyone drives as he pleases. However, the quality of the roads is such that it will not be possible to break the speed limit with all the will, and the abundance of ruts reduces collisions to a minimum. The relief is usually such that you can even move off the track and drive across the steppe in any direction.

On such roads, some even manage to drive simple cars, but it’s still better to use Japanese SUVs or Russian UAZs. The latter, by the way, are preferable, because they are very common among the Mongols and, if something happens, you will quickly find spare parts. The Mongols also ride motorcycles, Korean minibuses, Japanese trucks, Russian KamAZ trucks. Foreign tourists usually travel by jeeps and motorcycles. On the track, we met travelers four times: Poles on motorcycles, an Australian on a motorcycle, a group of Frenchmen in jeeps and a group of Koreans in a minibus.

If you are traveling by your own transport, be sure to stock up on a GPS navigator:

instead of roads, there are directions here, so it’s quite possible to get lost, accidentally leaving along a rut leading to some remote village. It is better to buy a map in Mongolian - then it will be easier to find out from the nomads where you are and where you should go. If you hitchhike, you can basically do without a navigator: drivers usually know the way and go from one city to another. The main thing is to find out exactly where the driver is going, and then entrust him with finding the right path.

Hitch-hiking

Mongolia is the hardest hitchhiking country I've ever been to. However, hitchhiking here is interesting and fun, and if you have time to spare, you can ride this way.

Just keep in mind some features of the Mongolian hitchhiking.

The first and main problem is low traffic. It is very good to drive only on paved roads. The route from the border crossing in Tashanta to Ulaanbaatar (via Ulaangom and Tsetserlag) is still quite busy, although here you can sometimes wait for a ride for several hours. On the other roads, cars pass extremely rarely - up to three or four cars a day. So be patient, and also books, magazines or crossword puzzles - you can at least do something while you sit by the track for half a day. In short, “I have eight volumes of fat and matches and Turgenev in my backpack” - this is just about Mongolia.

Sometimes we got so tired of sitting by the road that we took backpacks and walked, so many Mongols - drivers and local residents - got the feeling that we were walking through their country. The essence of hitchhiking is difficult to explain to them, so it’s even better. Also note that between the regional centers (if this road does not lead to Ulaanbaatar) the traffic is very low. For example, it will hardly be possible to get directly from Ulaangom to Murun, because the main flow of cars to Ulaanbaatar goes south, through Tsetserlag. And it’s not even worth trying to hitchhike on local roads if you don’t want to get stuck somewhere for a week.

The second problem is the choice of the right track for voting.

The easiest way is at the exit from a large city: usually there is one paved road several kilometers before and after a large settlement, so it is enough to leave the city and start voting near this road. The situation is different in the steppe or near small towns and villages: here the tracks can diverge for a distance of up to half a kilometer and it is quite difficult to choose the right one from them. Sometimes you can navigate along the power lines (usually the poles are along the main track), but this rule does not always work. It is best to find some kind of elevation, from where it opens up a view of the surroundings, keep track of which road the car will appear on, and in which case quickly move there. If you wave your arms and the driver sees you, he will most likely stop or even turn and drive towards you.

The third problem is overcrowding.

During the trip, we only rode twice in a car where there was one driver. Usually, in addition to him, there are passengers in the car, who, as a rule, occupy all the seats. Interestingly, cars stop even if they are full (find out if something happened to you), but getting into a stopped car is far from always possible. Sometimes I had to ride in a car with four or five of us in the back seat, putting a Mongolian child on my knees, sometimes I had to lie on luggage in the back of a truck, covered with dust and sand, sometimes I had to sit on a sleeping bag in the cab of a long-distance driver, slightly pushing a bunch of things and distant relatives the driver he took with him. In short, don't expect comfort.

And the fourth problem is the money supply of the local population.

In principle, everyone expects money for transportation, but the majority is persuaded to give a ride for free. “There is no money” in Mongolian - “mungo baikhgo”. Before getting into the car, it is always worth saying these words once or twice. Only four times the drivers, having heard such a phrase, disappointedly drove on - and all these times it happened on a busy section of the highway, where we quickly caught the next car. In other places, the drivers understand that you will have to wait another half a day for the next car, and after heavy thought, they still nod - they say, get in. However, truckers and wealthy Ulaanbaatar residents in jeeps do this without much thought. But it’s still a little hard - especially after Russia, where almost none of the drivers ask about money from hitchhikers (for example, I don’t even warn that I’m going for free).

If funds do not allow, but time allows, use a bicycle - it will not be much slower, and if you are an experienced bike biker, then maybe even faster than hitchhiking. So, for example, we drove a section from Bayankhongor to Altai, 390 km long, in three days. And it took me a whole day to get to the section from the city of Bayan-Uul to the Upper Ulkhun border crossing, 49 km long (here I could walk in the same time).

But no matter how difficult hitchhiking in Mongolia is, it still helps to get to know the local life better, to communicate with the Mongols, many of whom know Russian. So if the listed difficulties do not bother you, pack your backpack and go.

Scheduled transport

Only in Ulaanbaatar there is some kind of bus station from which buses certain schedule and tariffs go to different regional centers. In other cities, buses run as God puts it on the soul.

Guidebooks recommend looking for minibuses in the city market. There you can also find drivers who travel to other cities and are looking for fellow travelers to compensate for expenses. For some reason, Lonely Planet calls this “hitch-hiking”, that is, it recommends going to the market and finding such a car. I don’t know, in my opinion, traditional hitchhiking is still more effective.

It was quite difficult to navigate the prices of buses. For example, from Ulaanbaatar to Lun (130 km) we traveled for 6 thousand tugriks, but from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan (220 km) my fellow traveler traveled for the same money. Although, maybe the point is that you need to go to Darkhan along an asphalt road, and part of the way to Lun is the already described rut in the steppe.

Accommodation

Everyone who travels around Mongolia should definitely spend the night with nomads at least once. This is easy to do, just go to the yurt in the steppe and politely ask for a visit. During our only check-in in the yurt, we acted very delicately: we asked if it was possible to pitch a tent next to the yurt, but then, while we were sitting and resting after a hot day, we were invited to the yurt itself. In general, if you find yourself in the steppe and there is a yurt nearby, feel free to ask for a visit. It is better to take sweets and chocolates in advance to distribute to children. Put something on the table for tea and everyone will be happy. If you're lucky, you'll get a hearty dinner.

Another a good option lodging for the night - roadside cafes.

Almost each has one or more large beds 4-5 meters wide, where anyone who orders dinner or breakfast in this eatery can spend the night for free (usually dinner for one costs 2-3 thousand tugriks). True, several more people will sleep on the same bed, but I think this will not bother free travelers if they have their own sleeping bag.

AT major cities there are also hotels. We have stayed there twice. In the city of Arvaikheer, a double room cost 11,000 tugriks, in Altai, 15,000 tugriks. In the first hotel there was no shower, in the second there was no hot water. But if anything, in the cities you can find public baths and take a shower there for 1-2 thousand tugriks.

In places that are especially popular among tourists, there are guesthouses and hostels, including some kind of yurt campsites (several yurts where you can spend the night). However, those who spent the night in a real yurt will not be particularly interested: there are no attributes of nomadic life inside, only a few beds and bedside tables. In Kharkhorin, such a guesthouse cost 5 thousand tugriks per person.

And, of course, there is a huge choice of accommodation in Ulaanbaatar.

Firstly, this is the only city where more or less active members of the Hospitalityclub and Couchsurfing live, so you can easily find a free overnight stay. Secondly, there are hotels, hostels, guesthouses for every taste and pocket.

Food

Vegetarians in Mongolia have nothing to do. All vegetables and fruits are imported from China, and the Mongols themselves make and eat almost everything from meat or milk. Only in Ulaanbaatar you can find vegetable salads, in other places such a luxury is a rarity. I have always been a meat-eater and anti-vegan, but then I even began to feel nostalgic for vinaigrette or tomato-cucumber salad. So be prepared, if you can’t stand meat at all, buy the necessary products in Ulaanbaatar and take them with you.

The most popular dish in Mongolia is buuzy, known to those who have been to the Irkutsk region or Buryatia under the name "poses".

This is finely minced meat wrapped in dough and steamed. Very tasty and nutritious stuff. To eat, I needed 4-5 pieces. They usually cost 300 tugriks apiece. Another popular food is khushuur, which resembles our cheburek and costs 300-400 tugriks apiece. Also popular is "tsuiwang", noodles with pieces of meat and potatoes. It costs 2-2.5 thousand tugriks. These three dishes we mostly ate on the trip.

Even in Mongolia, there are a lot of interesting dairy dishes, but they, as a rule, are not sold in canteens - we were treated to them either in yurts or in cars.

I especially remember the cheese, which tastes like cottage cheese, very tasty creamy butter and a low-alcohol drink based on milk, reminiscent of koumiss. The main non-alcoholic drink is tea with milk. In Ulaanbaatar, I didn’t like him, but then, having no choice, I had to fall in love with him. It is usually served without sugar, slightly salted (however, I didn’t particularly feel this salt). In the capital, some oil is also added to tea, but this is not the case in the provinces. A very nutritious thing. It costs 100-200 tugriks per cup, and sometimes it is served completely free of charge.

As in all other aspects, Ulaanbaatar and the rest of Mongolia are two big differences.

In the capital, the choice of food is large and varied. There are both cheap canteens with the dishes and prices mentioned above, as well as pathos restaurants with Italian, Japanese and other cuisines for every taste and pocket. Once we even wandered into a vegetarian cafe.

A cheap eatery can usually be identified by the word "gazar" on the sign.

As for products, there is also a big difference between the capital and the province. In Ulaanbaatar there are many shops and supermarkets with a good selection of products, in other cities there are mostly small shops, the choice of which is less than in any Russian rural store. Their usual set is soda, vodka, chocolate cookies and, if you're lucky, a huge piece of meat in the refrigerator. Even bread is rare. The store can be identified by the word "delguur" on the sign.

Cafes and large shops are found only in cities, therefore, given the quality of roads and low traffic, it is better to always have a supply of water and food with you at least for one day.

Language

In Mongolia, quite a lot of people speak Russian. Once we were even given a lift by a graduate of the philological faculty. Most of the drivers I met knew at least a few words and phrases in Russian, and about every third one could even explain themselves quite tolerably.

But still, you should not specifically count on the fact that you will come across Russian-speaking Mongols.

Try to learn a little Mongolian, it will make your travel life much easier and help you get to know the local life much better. Unfortunately, I knew only a few phrases important for the traveler, and I supplemented the rest with Russian words and gestures. But if with gestures I could still say “can I put up a tent here?” or “stop here, please,” then it was no longer possible to ask more complex and interesting questions (“how do nomad children go to school?”, “what do you heat the stove with?”, etc.).

People know English much worse than Russian. Basically, educated youth, metropolitan beggars and tourism workers can boast of this.

Internet and communication

There are several mobile operators, of which Mobicom was recommended to us. On the road, cellular communication, of course, does not work, but in almost all large and small settlements there is coverage. One or two Internet cafes are found in most regional centers and are abundant in Ulaanbaatar.

The purpose of the route is to cross Mongolia from west to east, getting to know this wonderful country so that from Altai you can get to Lake Baikal. There was only a week for everything, so it was decided to take the easiest route - the South.

• 6 days

• length ~2000 km
• photo report and a story about the route -

The purpose of the route was to cross Mongolia from west to east, getting to know this wonderful country so as to get from Altai to Lake Baikal. There was only a week for everything, so it was decided to take the easiest route - the South.

Border Russia - Mongolia

This route involves the entrance to Mongolia across the border in the village of Tashanta Republic of Altai, and departure from the village of Kyakhta Republic of Buryatia. You can drive in reverse order, there are also a number of other border points between the two countries.

Working mode each point is different and may change, therefore, to plan a trip, it is better to clarify the time and days of work of the points. To do this, you can search for the latest news on the border site by entering "Tashanta" or another checkpoint in the search. The point in Kyakhta works without breaks and weekends, but changes are possible there, just in case, you should also look on the rosgranitsa.ru website. The point in Tashanta is often closed for several days due to holidays on the Mongolian side, be careful when planning your trip.

The documents necessary to cross the border: for Russian citizens, one foreign passport is enough, other documents and visas for up to 30 days are not required. Citizens of other countries, including the CIS, need a visa. Pass through the border only on transport. The driver needs to have a vehicle registration certificate and a driver’s license with him, and ordinary Russian driving licenses will do; in Mongolia, at the time of writing the article (2016), an international driver’s license was not required. Russian vehicle insurance is not needed in Mongolia, where you will have to pay their own (1,500 rubles in 2016), plus transport tax (500 rubles), - both will be sold to you stubbornly immediately after crossing the border. At the border checkpoint in Mongolia, you will be charged another 50 rubles. for sanitization, which, by the way, may not be done at all, simply by writing out a receipt.

Our impressions of crossing the border

Since the queue at the border in Tashanta was occupied on Sunday evening, the border was quickly passed. Both sides took about 4 hours in total. On our side, they work clearly, everything is intuitive, if you get confused, they will always tell you where to go and what to do. Things were not checked much, we took several bags and passed them through an X-ray, all other things (the whole car to the eyeballs, including the roof rack) did not turn back much, they just examined the car, asking to open everything that opens. The main thing is to answer questions normally and do what they say, then there will be no problems other than waiting in lines. On the Mongolian side it is more difficult to figure out what's what, and it's more difficult to ask - they are not so good with the Russian language, sometimes it's better to speak English. But even there, if you pay attention, everything goes pretty quickly, do not hesitate to ask where to go and what to do. The border in Kyakhta is much more thoughtful from the Mongolian side, and the round-the-clock operation makes it possible to cross the border on a night when there are practically no people. On our side, we, as citizens of Russia, were let through without a queue.

Roads of Mongolia

The southern route is one of the three main highways running from west to east, and it is the southern route that is considered the most paved. Of the 2000 km, about 1100 km are asphalt, as of 2016. Roads are being built in large sections. But nevertheless, this is Mongolia, and often the main path is a dozen roads rolled across the steppe, especially if you turn off the main highway. The roads are in different conditions: some are relatively good, you can go fast, but most of them have a so-called comb - it’s not very pleasant to drive along it, but there is a choice, and you can often find a good track, the main thing is not to stray from the right direction, as some branches lead to distant yurts or to completely different valleys.

It is very difficult to navigate by signs, it is better to use a navigator and maps. There are fords on the Southern Way, in July they presented absolutely no difficulty, even for cars, but it is clear that the rivers overflow during floods. The new asphalt in the western part is very good, but the one closer to Ulaanbaatar is rather tricky: now and then in the middle of the road there are holes of decent size, you should always be on the alert. Most of the asphalt roads are paid, there are checkpoints at the exit from the cities, usually they take 1000 tugriks.

On the main highway, the traffic is relatively lively, you can hope for help if necessary. Mongols living far from Ulaanbaatar most often drive prepared Kruzaks and, I must say, drive famously, carrying 4 spare wheels with them. But if you drive a little further from the main road, you can not meet a single car at all for a long time.

Asphalt sections on the Southern Route, Mongolia in 2016

Navigation

Throughout the journey we used mobile application maps.me. All the necessary cards were downloaded in advance, so the phone worked in airplane mode, without jumps to roaming. The application is convenient, fast, correctly led even to the addresses of Ulaanbaatar - in general, there are no complaints, we were satisfied. They planned to purchase a paper map, but found it only in Ulaanbaatar, when there was no longer a need. We went all the way with only one application on the smartphone.

Food

• Water. On the Southern Route, we advise you to stock up on water at every opportunity. There will be lakes, but many of them are salty and the access to them is not always easy, and the rivers are mostly dirty. A couple of times we tried to draw water in rare wells where local nomads take water, but we used it only for cooking on gas and for technical purposes - it’s better to get used to this water (there is a fine suspension and an unusual smell). For drinking on the road, they used only purchased bottled water, which, by the way, becomes more expensive as you move to more arid areas.
• Food. Of course, there are quite decent shops in the cities of Mongolia, there are even supermarkets. But we, as true fans of autonomy, even in Russia bought food according to the principle of a tourist layout for 2 weeks + a supply of "nishtyakov". So we did not have to spend time in stuffy cities looking for provisions, and we could stop to eat anywhere we wanted. The only thing we really lacked was fresh vegetables and fruits - they are very rare in stores, or they are very expensive. Next time we will boldly take with us a few kilos of tomatoes and cucumbers - the border guards do not find fault with this. Concerning local cuisine- it is, along the way there are cafes and yurts with signs in the Mongolian language, but you should not expect good service anywhere other than Ulaanbaatar.
• Gas. Again, there are no trees in the South direction, so there is no firewood, which means you can’t count on an evening with a fire at all. We rely only on gas or gasoline burners and take fuel with a margin, again there were no problems with it at the border.

Overnight stays

Tent or car is the most popular and often the only option for overnight stays in Mongolia. There are, of course, guest yurts where you can ask for it, and in the towns there is something like hotels, but the amenities there are dubious (with the exception of Ulaanbaatar), so it’s much more pleasant and interesting to spend the night in endless Mongolian steppes. The main thing is to stock up on water, food and fuel for cooking, so you can leave the knurled road at any time and set up camp. We really liked to call on some mountain to make the view more interesting.

Money

Money in Mongolia is Tugriks. Currency, as we read, can be changed in every city. But it turns out that not every bank is engaged in the exchange. And, to be honest, for us this task turned into a real quest: in the city of Ulgiy, the doors of the treasured bank were closed right in front of our noses, and in Khovd we spent more than 2 hours going from bank to bank. In general, it would probably be worth exchanging at least some of the cash at the border with annoying money changers so that there is money at least for gasoline, since rubles are not accepted.

Language

Mongols do not speak Russian. Sometimes we were lucky in school English. Often had to explain in sign language.

Fuel

There are enough gas stations on the Southern Route, we refueled on average every half a tank. The cost of gasoline is 2 times more expensive than in Russia. I had a spare can with me but never used it. At gas stations, mainly 92 and diesel, with 95, and even more so 98, there is a problem, it is only in Ulaanbaatar. We refueled at Petrovis gas stations, chose it because it looked civilized, the gasoline was normal, and it was decided to refuel only at the stations of this brand. Probably other gas stations are also normal, since local, by the way, expensive cars also refueled at them. The procedure for refueling is slightly different: an employee came out to us, poured gasoline himself, and we paid cash with the same person.

Car preparation for Mongolia

Puncture wheels- a common thing on Mongolian roads, so a spare wheel is required, and two are more reliable. Owners of road tires with a narrow profile need to be ready for adventure. In settlements, you can fix a puncture, local tire shops are hiding under the sign “arc zasvar.

Before the trip, carefully inspect the suspension of your car, or rather, go through a good MOT in some trusted car service.

Another feature to consider is dust. When traveling on the roads of Mongolia, be prepared for dust to be everywhere. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to provide for the possibility of closing the cabin air intakes and other possible slots in the car.

In general, there is nothing supernatural about traveling around Mongolia by car if you know your car and its weaknesses at least at a basic level. For example, my Suzuki's weak link is the engine drive belt, which is exactly what whistled towards the end of the trip, but knowing about the problem, I had a spare belt with me. By the way, this was the only additional part I took with me on a trip, but next time I will take a couple more parts with me for more confidence, which I recommend to you.

Snorkel, winch, power bumpers and all other off-road attributes are completely optional on this particular route. All this can come in handy if you are going to go, for example, into the depths of northern Mongolia away from the main highways. On the southern path, if desired, you can drive by any car.

Travel to Mongolia

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Everything at the new Russian customs“in an adult way”: all luggage, as in aeroreport, passed through x-raysinstallation, check passports andthe cars themselves. But everything goes bybusinesslike, fast and accurate. To touristsspecial treatment at customsmore often with surprise: what is there, in MongoLee, do something? Taking into account the fillingall customs paperwork proceduretook no more than 2.5 hours. (Requiredcan I have a foreign passport with monDutch visa and international carsmobile rights.)

Behind "Tashanta" kilometer tableboos are no more. But the road is quite decentnaya. About 20 more km of traction with constantclimb - and we are on the borderpass Durbet-Daba (2481 m),who greeted us with a cold prodownward wind. dilapidatedthe house of the frontier post with tiednym thin Mukhtar. On the border, onbig dirty concrete floorin the garden, two poles stand forlornlyka - red-green and blue-brownvy, symbolizing the statenye borders of Russia and Mongolia. Not youwalking out of the car, showed the documents,and the barrier was raised.

FROM once outside the Russian borderthe fake is over. Not an inchon the Mongolian side! entrancewe are waiting for the new customs termlu. Locked gate. We are like a legislatorLushny foreigners are patiently waiting.After a while Mon camegoal in a gauze bandage on his face and signkami explained that he had to take a detourof this new complex on a steep slope frommountain scythe. If not for this man, sowould have waited until dark.The old customs house is called "UlanBayshint" ("red yurt").

Terminal more like a grain collection pointcompletely ruined collective farm. to customsnot without special troubles, arrange for uswhether some papers in Mongolianke, and we moved on.On the first bridge near the lake. DunshigNuur we were charged for the fare (untilhorny duty 1500 tugriks plustransport tax 6000 tugriks witheach minibus). explainedthat this money will go to the maintenanceroads. But it is clear that no one canand never kept.

The roads are here this is exactly what is calledleniyami: several tens of parallelslelny knurled ruts going toone direction and always the sameliving on the passes and at the bridges. edacue 20-lane Mongolian highway.You have to be very careful with it.nym: any inconspicuous branchcan at dusk easily lead into thatrush to some lonely stabyshu. The road is broken by heavy truckskami and "UAZ" (ground - hard clayon with a stone), our speed is even on fromrelatively flat areas are rarely preferred vyshala 35-40 km / h.

front axle notincluded, since the road went to the basesnom downhill. Plots with rubble, dogcom and even with large stones wavewe got through without much effort.But 1.5 hours before the sun startshide behind low ridges, weonly covered 30 km. Machine meetingfox rarely. Basically it was hard.light trucks and fuel trucks from Russiaski numbers. From local cars tomostly old UAZs.

Already at dusk we passed the townTsagan-Nuur - a small one-storyvillage with ruins of farms and barns.Having decided to set up a bivouac, they encounteredproblem: there were a lot of flat places, butthe whole soil is strewn with rather largestones, and put up a tent so thatIt would be comfortable to sleep, not easy. Yes andwith water "strained". It's almost darkthey drove into the valley of a dry riverKhara-Magnai-Gol and started betting patches.

Tea quickly boiled on gasand, judging that "the morning of the evening is wiserher", went to bed under the low black,strewn with a scattering of the brightest goldty stars in the sky of Mongolia.In the morning they felt for themselves thatsuch an autumn Mongolian dawn. Gasfrozen in cylinders and did not want toroar in full force. Finally over the mountainThe sun came out and everyone stirredfaster. We broke camp together andour little caravan moved onshe. Immediately started datingdestroyed mounds. (We were thendid not know how many there would be on our way.)

We drive along the bottom of a dry valley, whichRuyu is surrounded by low mountains.Here is the Obotyn-Daba pass (2643 m).Blowing cold, almost burning windter. On the pass itself, gryes stones - the famous obo. Nearhim a lot of broken makeshiftscrutches. Further the roadtically constantly goes down, to the sidewell, the center of the westernmost aimag -Bayan-Ulegei. Birds are almost invisiblebut the local marmots haven't gone to bed yetand fearlessly stand along the road. Pochyou met a little near the cityshoy herd of horses.

P at the entrance to the city at the firstask a fallen taxi driverwhether the road to the travel agency "Canattour". In a good one-story officewith a cafe almost in the city center we will meetTili is very welcome. While we are walking Whether it was around the city, Canat Tour employees promptly arranged for us registration and a pass to the national park. Bayan-Ulegei - by our standards,more like a big town. But in the centerit has a bazaar, a post office with the Internet, nobig hotels, cafes, museum and prowhat attributes of the city.

There is also a cellular connection. The first thing we did was visit the market. On thethere is a whole line around him on the streetmotorcycles - red Izhas and oldUralov. Guys in yellow sit on them.construction helmets. First thought:biker party. But it turned out thatregular taxis. They go where you wanther heart desires, even in Ulaanbaatar. Notin the distance taxis are already more serious:mostly "UAZs" of various designstions and degrees of preservation.

Apparently technical inspection they did not have to passchild never. On many such rubber,that sticks out not only the cord. Nonethelesson the windshields there are signs "Barnast, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Pavlodar,"Astana". Next to the taxi - movenye "exchange offices": the same hundredsmall cars with pasted on foreheadshigh glasses with banknotes: dewsiyan roubles, Kazakh tenge, Chinese yuan, American dollars.

Most Market Goodslaid out directly on the ground or on a carton boxes; mostly chineseth production. Behind a small computeryutherny hall right on the street arebilliard tables (about 20), andgender, including 8–10 year olds,chasing balls with passion. A little bit farther,in the next street, right on the dustypiles of ram skins are scattered on the ground,yaks and other livestock. Right next to it -butchered carcasses of animals.We returned to the office of the travel agency. Prikizeros that diesel fuel for the entire route to usnot enough, and by buying at the local marketseveral Chinese canisters, poured them under the neck.

Toward evening, whenYes, the documents were ready, we left forside of Sagsay-Gol.While preparing for the expeditionWe have read many reports. Alltheir authors recommended taking withbattle of the local guide. We didn't becomeignore the advice and do not regret it.Togoo Tsedenbal went with us. edinstThe main difficulty was that hedid not speak Russian or English at allliyski. But he spoke wellzahski. Due to overload of machineswe could not take a vodka, but from a Turkski "interpreters" among us wasonly Andrei Yurchenkov.

O five famous mongolian"comb" (road with deepruts and bumps). For somein some parts it shakes so much that even the guidethe booster does not help and the steering wheel is beechknocks out of the hands, at the same timeturn on the right turn and "doorkeeperski". If we were driving UAZs, thensurely something would fall off onthe first few kilometers. We only havesteep ascent to the Modon-Kho passShoyotiin-Davaa (2384 m) at the car, onflying on a boulder, the protection came offcrankcase (crankcase is a container for avcar oil).

How could, under ruled with a sledgehammer, tied with a rope(wire cannot be found there) and it is alreadywe moved further into the river valleySagsay-Gol. Behind the village of Sagsay,driving across the bridge the river, camped onshore by a lone larch. Undergeneral "Hurrah!" raised the flags of Russia,Kazakhstan, Mongolia and drank forstart of the expedition. Today we are passing Li only 114 km.

All next day you can call mountain: continuous climbs topasses and plateaus.

Modon-KhoshoyotiinDaba (2384 m), Achagardag-Daba (2698 m),lake Khar-Nuur (2493 m)… Naked all aroundlifeless rocks, solid stonesplacers. Classic madderdeposits left by ancient iceno one. There is practically no water. Nezanoticeably drove up to the post nationallyth park "Altai Tavan Bogd" ("Altai Tavan Bogd). Large Mongolian yurt,outbuildings. Bye byebelieved our permissions, invitedinside the yurt. It seemed that we were waiting there whether.

Hot tea with milk, kurtny dried sheep cheese), erimshik(dried cottage cheese), kaymak (thick mixtana) and many other local treatsny. The yurt is clean, neat,big chest of drawers stands chinese bodyvisor, carpets on the walls, animal skins,stuffed birds. Eat, drink, payfox, said goodbye to the hospitable hostsevami - and "on the horses."On the mountain roads the suspectbut base caps often began to come across bolts.

They are usually lost by passengerstrucks loaded with yurts andchim belongings. And the burden is muchmore than the car itself. And on verhu this mountain sit the nomads themselveski with kids. Often foundsemi-disassembled trucks, whichlocal drivers are trying to repairtread right on the side of the dustyroads. And next to them are at least7–10 passengers. They follow the carsnumerous herds of sheep, goats,sarlyks (as the locals callyut yaks), horses, surprisingly furrycows, camels.

These are the localsroam down to winter pastures. And welet's go up! It's getting a littlehe is uncomfortable at the thought of a possible dreamge and ice on the passes. But in the mountainsmany yurts are still whitening in linakh, and for now wenot alone. In the Hodon-Gol valley, quitecrowded: now and then meet notlarge camps of 2–5 yurts per racestanding several hundred meters eachfrom friend. Near the bridge over the rivereven gas stations: cisterns buried in the groundon and one mechanical column.

In its sale of gasoline A-80 at a priceslightly above the city. The owner is happyposing with action. Demonstrates workcolumns without removing the lit one from the mouthcigarettes. But there is no solar. Good thatwe stocked up in advance.Already in the evening we drive up to the gravean outpost tied with China, standing onon the shores of the beautiful lake Dayan-Nuur.Further along the southeast coastha lakes do not let us in. It's time to putcamp. Not far away on the slope of the mountainden is a small forest.

There is no water, but but there is firewood, and you can at least a littleto shelter from the cold wind. Byethe guys set up camp, the three of uswent to the lake. It was evening. Fast timeswinding fishing tackle to tienat what is the famous Mongoliansky fishing. The fish did not force itselflong wait: almost on the fifthBros pecked pretty decent bygrayling size. Until dark, minutesfor 25, managed to catch another coupleke fish. On the speedometer 125 km - ourdaytime transition.

At Trot started with a strong wind. Neitherabout what kind of fishing is not necessary anddream: on the lake a storm breaks downthere is foam from the steep crests of the waves. cloudsdust rises into the air. Occasionallygusts of wind throw a handful at usnor coarse coastal sand. Honeylazily drove up to the southern shore of the lakera Khurgan-Nuur (2072 m). Solid kachanging terraces, large sharp cornersboulders, wetlands,

fords through small mountain streams.

I came across a very paintinga group of local residents on a willowpeople loaded with yurts, beds,barrels and other household goods.Finally, here are the first ancient zahoroneniya, which we read in the reports.Everyone, as on command, got the camerary. Two small Turkic burial moundsrectangular shape. ancient tyrki for the funeral rite afterthe burial was built a kind of temple:on the ground laid out a fence in the form square.

Possibly a squarema symbolized the homeland, whichthe Turks were represented in the form of a square,at the corners of which are located vragi. Near each grave is a statue -stone woman, and then two rowsvertically standing smallchange columns going somewherefar into the steppe. "UAZ" drove up withlocal numbers. Passenger eyea middle-aged French womantoraya has been living here for 25 yearsGole name Tunga.

Writes books about Mongolia. At night we get up in the skyshome larch forest, protectingblowing us from the strong wind. Our securrent mileage is 68 km.Thermometer in the car in the morningminus 11°С, but the wind almost subsided,and the bright mountain sun shines. Aim forour today's transition - the lakeHoton Nuur. Soon the priest is on the way againa frontier post is given. Released onmeet the officers friendly coolvayutsya with us, check the documents.

After another 500 m we drive up to the bridgethrough the Syrgal channel between the lakesHoton-Nuur and Khurgan-Nuur in the area of ​​ziMovki Shargalga. That's where we really areyashchy learned what the Mongolianfishing! Almost every throwthe tackle was lucky: a big one was caught,weighing up to 1 kg, grayling. The fish were chasingany spinner and often hooked thensideways, then gills, then belly. Placesnye boys without much fuss justthrew a piece of thick fishing line with nakedtee at the end and also not leftfell without prey.

Half an hour later, reShiv that we have enough fish for dinner, andfor the future anyway to catch and, most importantly,you can't save, let's move on.At parting, they gave the boys 100 mfishing line and a couple of small spinners.The bridge over the channel is made ofnoah larch, and as a nastyala used poles from the same sheetcrowns with a diameter of up to 10 cm. But ourthe cars passed without problems. Razgowe start as soon as we can, thunderinglyto the poles of the bridge and from the dispersal of the highwe nod at the steep sandy oppositefalse northern bank of the channel.

Dal our path lies in the northwestmu shore of Lake Hoton-Nuur to the veryits northern end. There, according toham, there are numerous rockdrawings. And while one went tosearch for petroglyphs, others againcovered spinning rods.Snow-capped peaks of MongoliaAltai were reflected in the mirrorslake waters. Fishing this time

was not so successful: far into the water it is impossible to enter, and the tackle is oftenclinging to the rocky bottom.

Having caught a dozen graylings and tearing off a couple of bleusen, decided for today fishing lawchit, especially since the daily catchbaked us a good dinner. returnedour friends. Their excursion wasmore successful: on steep slopesmountains they found hundreds of petroglyphs: inmostly images of animals. Ochea red camp was set up near thethat wintering in the lower reaches of the river Ut-Khaitone-Gol. Hastily built a hearth, forcovering fire from the wind, and on the coals baked fish.

Spent the night in woodenwinter buildings. On this day leli only 28 km. Morning again "pleased" its"freshness". Until the sun came uptse, everyone went in warm jackets orwrapped up in blankets. Conducted an auditdiesel fuel. It looks like it won't be enoughway to the valley of the river Tsagan-Gol, to the mountainsjunction Tavan-Bogd-Uul (4374 m).It's a pity ... Well, the roads are not conhope. We'll meet with the sacred our peaks!

It was decided to returnthrough the passes east of the lakes inthe valley of the Kobdo-Gol river and through the villagelok Tsengel to return to Ulegei. Bymap this road seemed more prowalkable. While preparing for the expeditions, sitting at home and on the map of namtea route, we laid no wayat least 150 km per day. In realBut it turned out to be much less...On the way back it hurt againgo fishing in the canal between do lakes.

D oroga through the passes becamealmost familiar. All the samestones, stones, stones... Placesmi, where the roads converge, embossed gluside track. Happy for the hundredth timelis that they took a local guide.Even with extensive mountain riding experience,sometimes wondered how unmistakable he wasbut indicated exactly the track along which Roy has to go. The day was an unusually "harvestnym" to historical sightsvalue. On this day we sawone dozen stone women.

But the pain most struck by the huge moundsin the Mogoyt tract. Diameter of someof them was more than 50 m, and the height was up toreached 4 m. We started to go downalong the Mogoityn-Gol river valley and,riding a bridge across the river. Kobdo-Gol, stand upcamp near a small winter quarters. And vecherum solemnly celebrated the birthdayDenia Alexander Lebedev. Todayalmost a "record" - 61 km.This night was perhaps the mostcold for the whole trip. In the morningThe thermometer showed -15°C.

Do not warm shaft even hot coffee with altaibalm. We set up camp andWe drove along the river Kobdo-Gol. Doroha tolerable, but still acceleratedoes not work. Having traveled kilometers5, on the river bank saw the sideboard"ZIL-131" with a dozen cheerful peoplein the back and rumpled "UAZ" - "orderlyku". It turned out that the "UAZ" with AmericanCannes tourists tried to wadecross deep river and how canbut was to be expected, stalled in the middlechannels. Luckily, in this place Hall "ZIL-131".

Tourists big onlucky: they would not have got out on their own, butwe couldn't help it, becausefrom the shore was about 20 m at a depthnot up to a metre. And we don’t even have a fordknew. From the cracks of "UAZ" you are stillwater poured out. There were scattered aroundSans wet clothes and other luggagerists. Cheerful passengers of "ZIL"noisily loaded into the body and briskly,dispersing the waves of Kobdo, rolled back to the left bank. After 43 km and two hours of travel, enterwe live in the village Tsengel. On the centralthe area is still the same dust and the same sarlyki. But there's a real one in the storeMongolian beer!

The road from Tsengel towards the city of Ulegay goes through the pass MushgiragiyinDaba (2251 m). Ahead we see not owlsa clear car trail.Obviously not from the UAZ. through somesome time we meet the old "Mitsubishi Galant" with protruding from under itfeet. Stopped and askeddo you need help. From under the carthey said everything was fine. envyeat the fearlessness of local drivers.Ule is already visible from the Khaar-Daba passgay. Finally we made it through the dayas much as 164 km! How did you get back home! Zivylysis. Though broken, but asphalt,shops, gas stations, hotel. True, th there is no running water.

I on a sleepy morning the next dayheading to the village Sagsay-Gol,in the vicinity of which tomorrowa beautiful holiday beginsKutchi. Dozens of Kazakh huntersbirds of prey (golden eagles, juicelamy) gather in the foothills and mouthscompetitions are raging. We are met andplaced in the camp "Blue Wolf". Come to us in the evening fit guys from Israel, Jordanii, England, with which we are acquaintedvisited the city of Ulegei, as well as friends fromGorno-Altaisk. Festive again dinner.

Birthday this timeAndrey Yurchenkov. And how many yearsin a row, again on the road, again from the new my friends... Among the spectators at the festival there are manyth tourists and children. Schoolchildren in acchicken jackets, adults in yarsome national clothes. Along thethreads of machines local craftsmenmo on a felt mat laid out their souvenirsry. A couple stands out among the sellersyoung people are clearly not asian onrationality with a small child.

It turned out that this is a family from the USA, whichRaya has been living in Mongolia for three years andmakes a living makingeating and selling souvenirs.Decided to come back later in the evening.in Ulegei. In order not to waste time,drove south, to Lake Tolbo-Nuur, towhich is described by everyone who has been hereshaft. It is famous for its large numbercatfish and rare birds. Already incomplete darkness, afraid to get stuck in the batpaké (boggy mud), we set up camp. Utrum turned out to be up more or lessI can’t reach a convenient place for the campwhether some 600–700 m....

The first rays of the sun timidlycalm waters of Tolbo-Nuur.Despite the cold, photographers are alreadywork. The rest of the small teamdoi went to fish. 2 km fromthe camps are visible attractive rolling pins.Although grayling took, but not so actively,like on the Syrgal channel.We break camp and, almost no waspstanavlivayas in Ulegei, we go to the sideWell, the Russian border. Here is our"old friend" - Obo pass tyn-daba.

We leave a fewcoins in the hope of a return. Perspent the night on the shore of a small lake tsa Danshig-Nuur. Woke up from the roar of heavy cargovicks and fuel trucks stretching a hundredronu border. Local posovetoed to hurry up, because todayMonday and after the weekend onthere is a long queue at customs.After losing half a day in line,Kaim the long-awaited border. We are va in Russia...

H a few tips. If you are drivingby car, then to BayanUlegii are much more reliable ontake "UAZ". You can own your carpark in the parking lot.The Mongolian currency is tugriks.1 p. equal to 45.6 tugriks. In Bayan-Ulegee diesel fuel is worth an examplebut 920 tugriks per 1 liter, A-80 - 780 tugricks for 1 liter. There is no gasoline in the mountainseverywhere, and only A-80. Not preventbring an engine cleanerand spare air and fuel filters.

During the cold season,but add antigel, tk. in the localdiesel fuel has paraffin. Not preventand a second spare. There is a tire serviceonly in Bayan-Ulegiya. From constantdust rescue wet wipes and eye drops. It is necessary to take into account the features ofmountain roads. In this country formost used transport"UAZ" Russian and Chineseproduction and our "ZIL-130",so the track is knurled for these ma tires.

If you want to traveltravel around Mongolia in your own transport, you need to know that for "parquetnyh" jeeps is pretty serious new test. Do not leave yourthings. Be careful at customsus, neat, polite, calm,be patient, don't give in to proprovocation, blackmail, extortion,do not take someone else's luggage and passing passengers. Some Mongols speak Russian

Adygea, Crimea. Mountains, waterfalls, herbs of alpine meadows, healing mountain air, absolute silence, snowfields in the middle of summer, the murmur of mountain streams and rivers, stunning landscapes, songs around the fires, the spirit of romance and adventure, the wind of freedom are waiting for you! And at the end of the route, the gentle waves of the Black Sea.

Have you ever been to Mongolia? I'm sure the majority will answer no, but in the meantime, such exotic is gaining popularity. The usual destinations Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt are always relevant, but more and more people are interested in something new, something unusual, something unknown. In this essay, we will analyze what to see.

general information

Mongolia is an extremely curious country, at the moment little known. It is not closed, like the same Turkmenistan, by no means. The Asian state borders on Russia and China. The territory of the country is the 19th in the world, with a population of three million people.

The history of Mongolia knows many pages. Not to mention the prehistoric era. Scientists have established that earlier the territory of the country was covered with forests and swamps, which were replaced by steppes and deserts. On a regular basis, scientists find dinosaur remains in sandy lands.

In our minds, the Mongols are associated with the Mongol-Tatar yoke, however, even before the birth of the statehood of Genghis Khan, the Huns lived on the territory of the modern country. This people regularly encroached on Chinese lands, which forced them to build the famous Chinese wall. In the 12th century, nomadic tribes began to unite, giving rise to the loudest milestone in the history of the people and its most destructive. The Golden Horde conquered, conquered, destroyed, grew rich.

The 16th century was also a turning point for the Mongolian people, largely defining its modern face. Buddhism penetrated the Mongolian lands. The Khans did not meet the advent of the new religion very cordially and for a long time struggled with the spread of the teachings of the Buddha, but eventually retreated. The USSR became the second fighter against Buddhism. In 1924, Mongolia gained independence with the support of the soviets. In 1934, Stalin wanted to eradicate Buddhism from the country's territory, but the local authorities, represented by Genden, did not want this. Nowadays, Mongolia is increasingly turning to Buddhism, the vast majority of young people under 15 years old associate their lives with this religion, despite the fact that there are almost 200 Christian churches and 50 Muslim ones in the country.

Mongolia Tourism

Local tourism is definitely developing. The Mongols are interested in the fact that the tourism sector brings income to the treasury. At the moment, Mongolia is actively promoting its tourism product. Concluding pacts on cooperation and partnerships, including with Russia. - this is not nonsense, this is an exciting journey through a very specific country.

The flow from Russia is growing every year, mainly from nearby regions, such as Tuva and Buryatia. Undoubtedly, the driving force is Buddhism, which brings these regions closer to Mongolia. The main direction is capital Ulaanbaatar, as you know, the Mongols are a nomadic people, but it was the capital that united them into a city. Interestingly, on the outskirts of the city, you can find traditional yurts that make up entire areas. We will talk about Ulaanbaatar a little lower, there is another attractive feature of local tourism.

The Mongols actively promote nomadic tourism. They provide tourists with the opportunity to live in a real nomadic town, where they offer traditional nomadic dishes, introduce them to life and customs. This is fascinating, or rather in its depths, finds a lot of positive feedback from travelers. The Gobi desert gives off a special charm; whole excursion trips are carried out here.

In general, tourism in Mongolia is extremely unusual and authentic, interesting and original. An exception, perhaps, is Ulaanbaatar, where there is a more conventional understanding of tourism. Otherwise, the country will surprise.

Climate

Mongolia is a country with an amazing climate, it is very harsh and harsh. If we take as an example the capital, which is so popular among tourists, then compare the differences with Russian ones. Winters are very cold, the air temperature often reaches -35’C, while summers are very hot and dry. The closer to the north, the more precipitation, in the Gobi desert they almost never exist. The climate tempers, the Mongols are very strong people, while wisdom and some kind of harmony with others are always felt. Before you go to Mongolia, be sure to take care of what to take with you. Be careful with the weather.

Ulaanbaatar

The capital of the country, where almost half of all inhabitants live. To be more precise, the figure is slightly more than one million and four hundred thousand inhabitants. Ulaanbaatar is located in the valley of the river Tuul, at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level. The capital is the center of everything in the country: commercial, scientific, spiritual, cultural.

The history of the name of this city is interesting. Let us clarify that it was founded in 1639. At first, the city was called Urga, but with the advent of Buddhism from the country, the path that the country and its main city should follow was clear. Genghis Khan- a huge part of the history of the Mongolian people, but those were goals of conquest, while Mongolia of the twentieth century wanted to follow the path of creation and development. A revolutionary name was needed. Was chosen "Ulan", which means "red" - the color of revolutions. At the first meeting on the renaming of the city, the decision was made unanimously.

The city is very diverse, there is where to go. It may come as a surprise to some, but the Mongolian capital has all types of accommodation, including five-star hotels. To understand, this is a modern city, where there is everything necessary for life. Restaurants (by the way, let's talk about traditional cuisine, it will surprise you), cafes, bars, interesting places for walks and all sorts of attractions:

• Gaidan Monastery is the largest in Mongolia. In the 19th century, 14,000 monks lived here. In one of Gaidan's buildings there is a 25-meter Buddha statue.

• The Bogdykhan Palace is a museum that used to be the residence of the viceroy of the imperial house of China. Now it is a museum, where they store a huge number of historical exhibits. The palace is very beautiful, both inside and outside.
• Monument to Genghis Khan. The cult personality of the Mongolian nation is cast in metal and is located at the entrance to the city. 30 meters high. In the future, they want to build a complex of yurts here, where everyone can stay.
• Amarbayasgalant is a temple complex that has been restored more than once. It is considered one of the main Buddhist centers of Mongolia.
• Buddha Park is a large park that opened in 2006. Now Buddha Park is a favorite place for families. The spaciousness and beautiful landscape of the mountains, that's what catches the eye on the first visit. Oh yes, there is also a huge statue of Buddha in the center of the park.
• Ikh-Bogd-Uul is a mountain where, according to legend, Genghis Khan himself wintered. He also forbade cutting down trees in this place, in fact, forming a reserve. There are hiking and excursions to the mountain.
• Choijin Lama Temple was opened at the very beginning of the 20th century. This is a small temple, according to which one can say that it is not 100, but all 500 years old. The temple surrounds the residential area.
• Museum of the history of Ulaanbaatar. A wonderful place that will tell about the history of the capital. The exposition contains both geological and archaeological finds.
• Market Naran-Tul. Do not consider us biased that we add the market to the list of attractions. However, Naran-Tul is a unique place that attracts tourists. In the market you can buy caskets made of boar bones, tambourines, cashmere products, famous Mongolian hats and fur coats. The best place where you can buy a souvenir from the Mongolian capital is hard to find.
• House-Museum of Roerich. One day, the Russian explorer and mystic Roerich decided to travel around Asia in order to study local customs and Buddhism. It was in this house that Roerich wrote his famous work "Fundamentals of Buddhism".

Possible plus travel to Mongolia may be the fact that Russians do not need a visa. Only on condition that you travel to Mongolia for less than 30 days. The currency is tugriks, maybe someone has heard of this currency, which depicts Genghis Khan.

The name of Genghis Khan is called everything: restaurants, hotels, streets.

Accommodation is possible for every taste, it is interesting that there is accommodation for any wallet. Hotels in the capital start their prices from 250 rubles per night. In other regions, you can find hotel yurts.

With transport, order is only in the capital, but in the regions it is, of course, a wasteland. Transport, in fact, is absent, but for that a joy for lovers of hitchhiking. Cars stop very willingly, but with all the others, there are several disadvantages at once. Firstly, not every driver knows Russian and English language. Secondly, in remote areas of Mongolia, traffic is very weak, you can wait for a car for several hours and not the fact that it will stop. Thirdly, roads are a problem, in the provinces they don’t even exist, just crushed sand.

Kharkhorin, once was the capital of the Mongolian civilization, in the distant XIII century the city bore the name of Karakorum. Now Kharkhorin looks like a big village. Old village with ruins on the territory. A huge phallus is striking, directed towards the hollow. Surprisingly, this is a natural attraction that leads to lustful thoughts.

If you want, where they offer to settle in a yurt, you can not do this. The whole secret is that the Mongols are hospitable people, they themselves will invite you to the yurt, feed and drink tea. Of course, if they like you. The Mongols are very fond of meat, there is plenty of it. Here, vegetarians will have a hard time here, because the whole kitchen is full of meat from a variety of animals.

The nights are very cold, if during the day the thermometer shows + 30’C, then get ready for the fact that it will be cold at night. Therefore, warm clothes will obviously not become superfluous. If suddenly, you do not want to drag an extra suitcase with you, then we recommend that you go to any market and buy warm clothes, the prices will please you.

Mongolian cuisine

• Dried meat wrestlers. Small strips of meat from cattle or camels are dried in the shade. Night cold removes water, meat retains its beneficial properties.
• Tsusan Khiam (translated as black pudding). The ram is gutted, separating its intestines and pouring its own blood into them, adding along the way flour, onion and salt. Cook for 15 minutes and you're done.
• Doortur, roughly similar cooking with black pudding, except that it is a sheep's stomach, kidneys, or heart.
• Kumis is a famous dairy product not only of the Mongols, but also of the same Buryats. It is made from mare's milk.
• Aruul is a local cottage cheese that can be stored for a whole year and not lose its properties. As a rule, it is prepared from camel. Goat or sheep milk.
• Bouzy is a traditional dish of Mongolian cuisine. These are such big manti. First you need to bite off the top of the buz, drink the broth, then eat it, so it is considered right to eat them.
• Khushur, resembles a cheburek. The meat filling is scalded in lamb fat. The only spice is salt.

On the way home from Vladivostok, the girl decided to drop by Mongolia for a short time. We publish her travel recipe.

Prices are current as of publication date. €1 = 2864 Mongoliantugrik

Why Mongolia?

Few travelers visit Mongolia and those who do call it one of the most spectacular countries they have ever seen. This was the first reason I went to this country. Secondly, in June there was a "House for All": a project of the Academy of Free Travel, which is periodically organized in different countries of the world. Any traveler can live in such a house for free. I was attracted by this opportunity to communicate with different travelers and learn something new from them.

Russian travelers and tourists do not spoil Mongolia very much. I met with those who lived near the border with the homeland of Genghis Khan, but had never been there. But in vain! The wanderer will have something to see in this country, and the bonus will be that most of the population speaks Russian (many in a conversation with me called Mongolia the 16th republic of the USSR).

How to get there?

The main airport of Mongolia is located near Ulaanbaatar and is called Buyant-Ukha - Genghis Khan International Airport. On average, a plane from Moscow in both directions costs € 500, the flight will take 6 hours. Citizens of Ukraine and Belarus will have to travel to Mongolia with a transfer in Moscow.

Another option is to fly to Russian cities nearby the country: Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude. Plane tickets will already cost less here: about € 200. You can already get from Irkutsk to the capital of Mongolia by train (€ 90), and from Ulaanbaatar by bus (€ 20) or also by train (€ 60).

Among European tourists, the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway is very popular - the road from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar. A train ticket will cost € 260, the journey will take a little more than four days. The train departs only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the Yaroslavsky railway station.

Visa, currency, housing

Russians do not need a visa to Mongolia if they plan to visit this country for less than 30 days. Ukrainians and Belarusians are more fortunate: they do not need a visa if they plan to stay in this country for less than 90 days.

The same tugriks are used as the currency here. The banknotes depict the founder of the Mongol Empire - the great Genghis Khan. In general, you will meet his name or image all the time in Mongolia - in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes. The Mongols still love and honor Genghis Khan very much.

“With the name or image of Genghis Khan, you will meet in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes”

Most of the hotels in Mongolia are concentrated in the capital - Ulaanbaatar, here you can find accommodation for every taste and budget. So, the cheapest hostel will cost from € 3, and the “presidential suite” in the Ulaanbaatar hotel will cost € 500. In general, couchsurfing in the country is also worth looking for only in Ulaanbaatar. True, they may try to sell you some kind of tour around the country through couchsurfing - whether it be to the desert or to real nomads, do not agree. Personally, I received many such requests (I even remembered where exactly the same situation was with couchsurfing), but ordinary Mongols also wrote, who happily invited me to their home. So I stayed with a man who ran a hostel where I met some cool guys from all over the world.

Transport

You can’t write much about transport in Mongolia, simply because it is absent. You can easily get around the city and over short distances using buses, but if you want to go to the Gobi Desert or some other interesting cities, then the only option here is a car (either hitchhiking or rent).

In my opinion, hitchhiking in Mongolia is wonderful, people pick up very willingly. But here you will have to face three difficulties at once - sometimes these same wonderful people will ask you for money, the second - in parts remote from Ulaanbaatar, traffic is much less busy. Once I even had to wait for one car for two hours. The third difficulty is that there are no roads at all in some parts of Mongolia.

If hitchhiking is not for you, then choose a car rental. The average price of a car for three days on bookingcar is € 300. In less well-known services, you can rent a car from € 70 per day. The most profitable option would be to rent a Loaf, since up to 8 people can fit there.

Route

I did not want to go to the Gobi Desert, because I had already been to the Sahara, so I built my route in such a way as to spend as many days as possible in the country and see as many interesting things as possible. I came to Mongolia from Ulan-Ude, and left in Kyzyl.

Ulaanbaatar(4 days)

Get ready: Ulaanbaatar is practically the only city in Mongolia in the sense in which we are used to seeing it. Here is a unique combination of Soviet skyscrapers along with small yurts standing nearby.

You can get stuck in Ulaanbaatar for a long time, especially if you have a good company around you! In the hostel where I lived on couchsurfing, there were a lot of cool foreigners. Sometimes I could spend half a day without leaving the house and talking with the guys. It's amazing how foreigners trudge through Mongolia! Perhaps we should adopt this? On my last night at the hostel, my host cooked a ram's head for all of us, a real Mongolian delicacy that was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. In addition to the meat itself, for the first time I ate sheep's eyes and brain. It sounds terrible, but it's actually very tasty and worth a try!

“In addition to the meat itself, for the first time I ate sheep's eyes and brain. It sounds terrible, but it's actually very tasty."

In addition to hanging out in a hostel, Ulaanbaatar has a lot to offer for the cultural traveler as well. Start with central square Genghis Khan, where there is a monument to the national hero of Mongolia - Sukhe Bator. From here you can walk to National Museum of Mongolian History (Juulchin 1). It is worth coming here to look at the life of the Mongols from prehistoric times to the present day, the entrance to the museum is € 5.

From the history museum you can go to another museum - dinosaurs (Independence Square, 5th Khoroo, Chingeltei District/Chingeltei dureg 5th horoo) , entrance - a little less than € 2. On the territory of Mongolia, scientists have found many remains of dinosaurs and you can get acquainted with them in this museum (these are the bones of real dinosaurs!).

When you have finished your acquaintance with dinosaurs, go to Winter Palace of the Bogdy Gegen (Khoroo 11), where you can see the conditions in which the last emperor of Mongolia lived. The walk from the center will take about half an hour, but it is better to go on foot, because there are terrible traffic jams in Ulaanbaatar. The ticket price for the museum is €3.

From the palace you will be within easy reach of the monument to the military friendship of the Soviet and Mongolian troops Zaisan (Mount Zaisan) . From here it will be great to meet the sunset and see from above the whole of Ulaanbaatar.

Having enjoyed the historical part of Ulaanbaatar, the second day can be safely devoted to the Buddhist aspect. Start from the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and from the first religious center of the country - Gandantegchenlin Monastery. More than 600 monks live here and various Buddhist rituals are held. The monastery became famous, among other things, thanks to a hollow 26-meter Buddha statue made of copper and gold. Entrance here will cost you € 1.25. In addition to this monastery, there are many small datsans in Ulaanbaatar, but they are less interesting for the traveler.

A separate relaxed day can be allocated for shopping. For this, come to Naran tul market (Khoroo 14). Here you can first of all buy for a further trip around Mongolia, as well as just buy national souvenirs. Among other things, here you can find dinosaur bones, products made from camel and yak wool, and national dresses. Beware: pickpockets operate in the market, so keep all your belongings in front of you and never lose sight of them!

Gorkhi-Terelj National Park(2 days)

We spent a little time in the city and that's enough, it's time to go to nature! Fortunately, in Mongolia there is only one nature, as well as many national parks. You can get to Gorkhi Terelj by bus, which will cost a little less than a euro, it takes about two hours.

The park is very beautiful: camels themselves graze between the mountains, and someone even offers to ride them. The greatest popularity of the park was brought by the unusually shaped rocks created by nature. Also inside the park is buddhist temple Aryabal where you should definitely look! This is a place of power, a place where the soul and body rest. During the ascent to the temple, you will have to overcome 100 white and 8 black steps, at this time you will be surrounded by wooden tablets on which Buddhist wisdom is written.

You can stay right there in the park. Now many have been built here tourist bases, which offer recreation, including in the national yurt (it will cost from € 30). I relied on chance and while hitchhiking I met a wonderful family who allowed me to live in their yurt.

trip to national park I advise you to combine with a trip to statue of Genghis Khan in Tsonzhin-Boldog. This is the tallest equestrian statue in the world. In addition to viewing the statue from the outside, you can go inside, where a museum dedicated to Genghis Khan will be waiting for you, and you can also climb to the observation deck at the top of the statue. Entrance inside € 3.

"Huge dunes and a whistling wind - this is what will make you feel like in a real desert"

Elsen-Tasarkhay National Park (1 day)

If you, like me, do not want to spend a lot of time and money visiting the Gobi, go to the Elsen-Tasarkhay park, where you can see a piece of the desert. It takes about four hours to drive here from Ulaanbaatar, and now they don’t go here anymore public transport, so you have two options: hitchhiking or renting a car. Huge dunes and a whistling wind - this is what will make you feel like you are in a real desert. At night, the stars shine brighter than ever. To see all this, take a tent with you, or ask for an overnight stay with local nomads.

Kharkhorin (1 day)

From the park it will be convenient to get to Kharkhorin - ancient capital Mongol Empire in the 13th century (formerly called Karakorum). Despite its former grandeur, today the city looks like an ordinary village and in general there is nothing to do here. It will be interesting here for those who want to see the place where the Golden Horde became and the path of Genghis Khan began. Here it is worth visiting the ruins of the ancient city of Karakoram, of which, unfortunately, there is little left, to look at the 16th-century monastery of Erdene-Dzu. They also like to come here to look at the huge stone phallus sticking out of the ground. The phallus is directed towards the hollow, which the locals call the female womb. Locals associate several legends with this peculiar “monument”. According to them, a childless woman should sit on the phallus, praying that she would have children - and then, they say, the problem will be solved. Another legend says that there used to be a monastery here. The phallus became a reminder to the monks to learn how to subdue their flesh, instead of running on dates with the girls from the neighboring village.

Ulaang (2 days)

Since the Mongolian border with Russia is closed at this checkpoint on weekends, I had to stay longer in Mongolia. Ulaangom is a small, unremarkable town where Russians often go to buy Chinese goods. There are hotels where you can stay for € 2, but I set up my tent next to the river that flows outside the city. There were also "summer dachas" - the yurts of the Mongols, and also whole herds of cows, horses and yaks grazed.

Stop here to chat with the cute Mongols, try your hand as a shepherd herding cattle (I was allowed to ride a horse for free, chasing slow cows!), And just take a break from the big trip just made in Mongolia.

life hacks

It is not worth buying a tour to visit a real Mongolian yurt. The Mongols are very friendly people, and they will invite you just like that to their home if they like you.

Do not expect anything interesting from Mongolian supermarkets, basically all the same food that we are used to seeing on the shelves of our supermarkets is found here. For national delicacies, follow straight to cafes or to the market.

The main product that the Mongols eat is meat. It will be very difficult for a vegetarian here, so take a couple of kilograms of vegetables with you: in Mongolia they are worth their weight in gold.

You can come to Mongolia without a reason, or you can come with it. The main reason to come here is the biggest national festival in Mongolia, Naadam (in 2019 it will be from July 11 to 15). Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery will be waiting for you here, all this is very impressive.

Even if you are going to Mongolia in the summer, take warm clothes with you. It can be very cold at night in the desert and steppe.

Budget for one person for 10 days:

Food - € 25

Museums – € 5

Transport – € 2

Souvenirs – € 6

Accommodation - couchsurfing and tent

Total: € 38

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