Introduction

This section won't tell you about the sights much, (the rest of the site'll try and show you those!), but it will, we hope, give you some hints about surviving while you see the place. Travelling in Mongolia is a challenge. It isn't an easy place to be, nor is it comfortable. If you're the kind of person who sees electricity, running water, and a bed as necessities, this probably isn't the place for you. On the other hand, it is one of the last truly wild places in the world, with incredibly varied terrain and a unique atmosphere. The land, which is all publicly owned, is accessible to anyone who has the transport to get there, and is unbelievably remote and beautiful. It isn't dangerous, in terms of the local human situation, but wild animals (bears, and especially local dogs), running out of water in the desert, and medical problems can all cause serious trouble.

We've compiled some lists of important stuff to take, click here.

Unless you're on a luxury and very expensive organised tour, you'll need a lot of kit. The general rule is that anything you're going to need, other than food, you should bring. GPS and a proper set of maps are essential if you're doing any serious expeditions outside the capital, and you're going to have a lot more options if you bring a tent and sleeping bag. We spent quite a lot of cash on a tent - if you're sleeping in something for two months it's worth it - and there's no camp bar to run to if the thing collapses in a storm! There is (probably) some camping gear for sale in Ulaan Baatar (UB) if you look for it, but if it's anything like the stuff we saw owned by Mongolians it'll be a circa 1970s East German tent, weighing a few tons, that gets you wet if it rains. Bring your own! Things you can buy in UB for expeditions include rigid water containers (if you want the bag kind, bring them), canned / packet food (rice, pasta, packet soup, tinned food etc) and some expensive imports such as cornflakes and chocolate. Gas and portable stoves can be rented along with a jeep from an agency.

Unless you own a Russian jeep, don't bring your own vehicle. Firstly, there are very few roads in Mongolia and almost none are paved. Secondly, the petrol for sale (sporadically) outside UB is of a very low octane, and not suitable for Western cars. Hire a jeep (and you'll be made to hire a driver along with it) if you want your own transport.

Outside UB, medical facilities are few and far between, if available at all. Bring a first aid and sterile kit, all the usual painkillers, rehydrating tablets, and antiseptic creams, antibiotics if you can get them from your doctor (hard in the UK unless you need them then and there), and hard-core vitamin pills. Whether you eat local Mongolian food (almost exclusively meat and milk) or packet / tinned food you bring from UB, Western bodies will really need extra vitamins. It's a good idea to take proper medical advice from your GP before you go there.

The things we took that came in very handy were a short-wave radio, and water filters. These mean you don't have to boil water all the time for drinking. We bought 5 litre water bags that rolled up very small when empty, didn't make the water taste of plastic, and had taps at one end. For going to the Gobi, we bought two extra rigid containers from UB, each holding 10 litres. The rigid type from UB are much more inconvenient and do make the water taste a little of plastic, but are food grade and much better than running out of water in a desert!

If you go in the summer, sun cream and / or hats are really useful, as the high altitude means you are getting a serious quantity of UV. The winters are cold, up to -40 degrees C, and this means you need really hard-core survival kit.

Most of your washing will be in rivers or lakes, if you go to the countryside, so bringing non-polluting soaps / shampoos is a good idea. And unless you want to get gawped at, a swimsuit! You're likely to get stared at anyway, if you go swimming, as Mongolians are generally afraid of water and don't swim. And if you go to the Hovsgol Lake, in the north, don't hurry in, as it is incredibly cold. It's frozen 8 months a year, which gives you an idea of the summer temperature!

Mongolia's capital, Ulaan Baatar, is on one of the Trans-Siberian train routes, and some people stop here for a couple of days on their way to China. If you can, get out to the countryside, as Mongolia has much more to offer outside the polluted, Stalinist-architectured city. (Someone cleverly built the brown-coal-burning power station up-wind of the place for a start!) There are a few things to see here, such as monasteries and a palace, but generally speaking, the rest of the country is more interesting.

There isn't much. Public transport isn't a big thing in Mongolia. There is an internal air service, but only use it if you are very desperate. It's called MIAT - generally called "Maybe I'll Arrive Tomorrow" by the (few) ex-pats in the country. There are some train and bus services, but they mostly take you to the industrial areas of the country, and there are very few industrial areas. You might want to join a tour (you may then be able to stay in an "authentic" tourist ger camp, use the decidedly inauthentic bar and shower block, and see about as much of the place as if you stayed at home and read National Geographic). The best course of action is to hire a jeep and a driver. This isn't as expensive as it sounds. We hired a jeep for 6,000 kilometres, over 7 weeks, including driver, petrol and a stove, for about £1,000. The agency we used is called Taishirts Travel Bureau, PO Box 376, Ulaan Baatar - 35. E mail - ttb@mongol.net.

In Ulaan Baatar there are 3 five star hotels, useful for e-mailing home, and a large number of grotty, run-down and overpriced hotels. The best way to stay in the city is to rent a flat, which we did twice, for periods of 5 days each time. The agency we hired a jeep from found us an extremely nice flat, clean, with a washing machine and BBC world, for less than the price of a medium-priced hotel.

Outside the capital, hotels are few and far between. There are a few ger camps for tourist, especially in the Gobi, but they're expensive (£50 odd dollars per person per night) and not very authentic. You might as well stay in your own tent. There are a few hotels which you might consider staying in, such as in Dalanzadgad, in the Gobi, but in most sums and aimags, the hotels don't have running water (or only cold water), don't always have electricity, saw their best days 30 years ago, and double as brothels. In addition, they charge foreigners a lot of money. It isn't uncommon to be asked for 60 dollars to stay in a nasty room, with mouldy walls and bedbugs, with only cold water in the bathroom, if at all.

There are one or two new, luxurious hotels, for example in Moron, near Hovsgol, but they are the exception.

The good news is that Mongolia has the world's best camping. You can set up camp anywhere (best not to do it too close to a local ger though). You can cook, swim in the rivers, and watch the stars in the vast sky. This would beat most hotels, and certainly beats Mongolia's!

If you hire a jeep and driver, he is likely to try and direct you towards hotels, and try and stop off for Mongolian food at gers. If you don't want to do that, you have to make it clear.

First aid kit, incl. Bandages, dressings, etc;

Sterile kit - needles, syringes, and dental needles (available from doctors and travel clinics);

Vitamins, esp. vitamin C.

Good boots;

Well-made rucksack;

Strong tent;

Sleeping bags;

Carry mats - the most useful ones are self-inflatable and roll up small afterwards;

Stove and gas canisters - available in Ulaan Baatar;

Non-polluting soap / shampoo;

Plates / knives / forks / spoons / cups;

Tin openers (two - lose one in the ground and you'll get very hungry!)

Torch;

Water containers - strong bag containers with taps are very useful;

Water filters / treatment tablets;

Penknife;

Trowel - there aren't any toilets for the most part, so you'll need to dig.

Normal underwear, socks;

Maps;

GPS system;

Suncream;

Hats;

Camera batteries and film - if you want slide film, bring it. Probably better to bring your print film along too, and any batteries you'll need.

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© Adam Ohringer and Amanda Jones