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By Air
Traveling by air to Ulaanbaatar is generally considered one of the most comfortable and fastest options available. The network of airlines and destinations is growing year after year with destinations such as London and Shanghai rumored to be in planning. The airlines flying in and out of UB vary in quality and reliability with Aeroflot very much at the bottom end of the scale and ANA or Koean Air offering excellent flights. The international airport of Mongolia is the Genghis Khan International Airport of Ulaanbaatar. The airport is often subject to strong winds. While Mongolian pilots are renowned for being fearless and landing the plane in any conditions, other airlines will sometimes turn back to their original point instead.
UB - Beijing
Air China and MIAT both run flights between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar, but the regularity of the flights depends very much on the season, with more regular flights in summer than winter. There is usually a daily flight from one of the two airlines in summer and about 3 times a week in winter. The cost of a return ticket is generally around 500USD to 600USD. Flight time is approximately one and a half hours. This route is also useful to reach the rest of Asia as well as Europe and the USA, as Beijing is a large international and regional hub.
UB - Moscow
Aeroflot flies between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar with flights two to three times a week depending on the season. Aeroflot runs the old Tupolev planes on this route, comfort and safety do not seem to be priorities, so this is a route which is generally better avoided. Price of a return ticket is around 500USD. Flight time is an impossibly long and stressful six and a bit hours. It is possible to take a connecting flight to Europe from Moscow but the wait in Sheremtyevo airport can be over 12 hours long, an unpleasant amount of time to spend in any airport, let alone one with not enough seats to go around. This route is generally considered to be the last option reserved only for the terminally poor or the truly adventurous characters.
UB - Berlin
MIAT airlines (Mongolian national airline) runs bi-weekly flights from Berlin to UB. The plane would often stop over in Moscow for refueling and a couple of hours rest before it carries on to UB. MIAT runs a fleet of modern Boeing and Airbus planes, has an efficient and polite service on board and comes warmly recommended by the author as a comfortable and cost effective flight. A return flight would generally cost around the 800USD mark. From Berlin there are connecting flights to the rest of Europe.
UB - Seoul
Korean Air flies directly between Seoul and Ulaanbaatar. It is the preferred route between Europe and Mongolia for most of the executive expats based in UB as the flights are comfortable and the quality of service excellent. Flights between UB-Seoul-Europe do have the disadvantage of being longer than any other route, as you fly back over Ulaanbaatar on your way from Seoul to Europe. There is also the added disadvantage that the connecting flights in Seoul can be around 9 hours apart but the airport hotel in the transit lounge is excellent. There are about 3 flights a week between Seoul and UB.
UB - Tokyo
There are once weekly flights between Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar, operated by MIAT during most of the year but predominantly in summer, and ANA sometimes fly during the summer months. Excellent quality and service can be expected on the ANA flights and the MIAT crew also provides for a pleasant journey. The cost can be expected to vary between 600USD and 800USD. Flight time is around two and a half hours.
UB - Osaka
As with Tokyo but flights only operate in summer and generally by ANA. Flight is a little bit longer and slightly more expensive than Tokyo.
By Train
Traveling by train to Mongolia is often a dream for many people and a reality for few. In any case it is an adventure in itself which is well worth the experience. There are a number of options available to the traveler who takes the time to travel. The trains generally run between Moscow and Beijing. All the trains leave Moscow and arrive in Irkoutsk in Siberia, but then there are three options available. The first is to carry on with the Trans-Siberian and go on to Vladivostok. The second option is to take the Trans-Manchurian, which goes to the north of Mongolia in Siberia and then curves around to China without entering Mongolia, to end up in Beijing. The third option is to take the Trans-Mongolian which goes in a direct line from Irkoutsk to Ulaanbaatar to Beijing. There are various classes of travel available on the train. First class is usually a comfortable 2 bed cabin, often with small washing facilities and maybe even a television if you are very lucky. In China the first class is known as "soft sleeper class". There then is a second class which consists of either 4 or 6 beds in a cabin, which are generally occupied by a Chinese/Russian/Mongolian family and can provide for an amusing if sometimes noisy and drunken distraction. This class is known in China as "hard sleeper". The third class of travel is a large dormitory with approximately 46 beds in one compartment. This is used by the locals and is often a very happening place which gives you a great insight into the life of the region you are travelling through. Don't expect to get any sleep or rest in third class, but in return you will have amazing stories of gambling, corruption, deceit, drunken behaviour, violence, love, spontaneous demonstrations of joy and anger, in short, all the ingredients for undying friendships with the local smugglers, soldiers and peasants. This class is known in China as "hard seat".
Irkoutsk - Ulaanbaatar
The journey between Irkoutsk and Ulaanbaatar is a stunning one. The train leaves Irkoutsk in the afternoon and glides effortlessly around the abrupt cliffs of the Baikal Lake as the sun sets overhead. This leg of the journey is accompanied by the many legends and tales surrounding the construction and logistics of the most difficult few miles of the Trans-Siberian Railway. At first the train was loaded at the village of Baikal onto two enormous British-made ships to be taken to the other side of the lake, but at the first try the ship sunk with its train, so the second ship never left the harbour. After this first failure, tracks were laid over the ice in winter so that the train could cross the lake, but sadly the first train to attempt the crossing joined the other one at the bottom of the lake. It then became obvious that the only way of doing it was to blast an impossible track along the edge of the lake. This resulted in one of the most breathtaking train journeys in the world. The journey takes about 1 day and 2 nights, arriving in Ulaanbaatar early on the morning of the second day. It is of course possible to go the other way, from Ulaanbaatar to Irkoutsk. Please remember that all trains travelling in Russia travel at Moscow time, which is very different to the time in Siberia. This means that your ticket would say departure from Irkoutsk at 10:20 but as this is Moscow time, the real departure would be at 16:20 Irkoutsk time. This system has caused many travellers to miss their trains, so beware and ask at the train station well in advance to confirm departure times and actual time zones. There is a short wait at the border as passports are checked and the train's restaurant wagon is switched from the Russian one to the Mongolian one (the Mongolian one is considerably better).
Ulaanbaatar - Beijing
The Beijing - Ulaanbaatar route is a bit more monotonous than the one described above but is nonetheless interesting. The train departs from Beijing in the afternoon and travels out of Beijing more or less following the path of the Great Wall. There is a stop on the way to admire the wall, and then onwards towards Mongolia. The train reaches the border in the middle of the night and the wait at the border is tediously long with endless forms to fill in and the constant questioning of the Chinese border guards. Next morning the train crosses the wide expanses of the Gobi before reaching Ulaanbaatar later that same afternoon.
Please note that it can be extremely difficult to obtain train tickets in July and August as there is a limited number of trains on the line, and most tickets are booked very long in advance by large tour groups. If you plan on using the train to Beijing or Ulaanbaatar book well in advance. A single way ticket to either one of those should cost no more than 200USD in 2nd class.
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Although Ulaanbaatar is small enough for all the main destinations to be within walking distance of each other, you may need or want to take a taxi at night, when weighed down with bags, or when in a hurry. As with many things, taxis are done differently in Mongolia, and you may be greatful for the following information one rainy afternoon when you are running late for a coffee meeting...
It often comes as a surprise to visitors how expensive travelling in Mongolia can be compared to other emerging countries in the region. Spending time in Ulaanbaatar is relatively inexpensive; a traveller should count around 40,000 togrigs a day in spending money while in town for food, a few drinks, some entertainment and a museum or suchlike. Accommodation can be expensive; in the peak months of July and August it can range from 10USD for a dorm bed in a guesthouse to 180USD for a 4 star hotel, but those prices tend to drop a bit in other months. A meal in a "foreign" restaurant such as the UB Delicatessen or the Marco Polo will cost an average of 10,000 Tugrug while a meal in a Mongolian restaurant will cost around 4,000 Tugrug.
Obtaining a Visa for Mongolia is a relatively painless and quick process. Visas are available for various periods of time but as a tourist a 30 day single entry visa is the norm, any longer would require an invitation letter and a clear statement of purpose concerning your stay in Mongolia.
