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Taking a Taxi in Ulaanbaatar |
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Taxis are very loosely defined in Mongolia, you have the city taxies which are painted yellow or white and have taxi signs. They generally operate on a meter but some meters seem to work faster then others. The starting price of the meter should read 250 but you are also often confronted with unknown and sudden supplements for being white or clueless. They are never the less the safer option late at night.
During the day, just stick your arm out near a road and any random car will stop to take you where you which to go. The prices are generally cheaper with unmarked and unregistered taxis but they can argue and become violent if they think you are a silly tourist with too much cash. At night some taxis will ask exorbitant prices if they think they can get away with it. As no taxi driver in the city speaks a word of English it is advisable that you learn the general words to direct the taxi in Mongolian before you take one.
The following prices are indicative of what you should be paying, bear in mind that if you behave like a tourist you will be charged tourist prices which may be considerably more than the prices below.
From the airport to Sukhbaatar square (centre of the city) 4,000 to 6,000 Tugrik’s, more if you have luggage and friends.
From Sukhbaatar square to the State Department Store would cost around 450 to 600 Tugriks depending on traffic conditions and the mood of the driver.
From Sukhbaatar square to the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum to the south of the city would be around 1,500 Tugriks.
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Cost of Living in Mongolia |
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It often comes as a surprise to most 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 the other. 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, those prices tend to drop a bit outside of the those months. A meal in a “foreign” restaurant such as the UB Delicatessen or the Marco Polo will cost an average of 10,000 togrigs while a meal in a Mongolian restaurant will cost around 4,000 togrigs.
Travelling around the country can be very expensive. An average traveller should expect to spend about 100USD per day per person while outside of the city; this would normally include all foods, transport, petrol, a driver and sometimes a guide as well as some form of basic accommodation. This is based on a group of 4 people travelling together. If you travel in a smaller group or as a couple the average price would be around 150USD per person per day. What is most expensive is the hire of the jeep and the petrol required to cover the great distances. It is possible to travel cheaper if you go by car instead of a jeep, not take a guide and sleep and eat with nomadic families instead of tourist camps and resorts. Should you wish to have a modern Toyota land cruiser and stay in luxury resorts such as the Three Camels Lodge in the Gobi or the Mongolian Resort and Country Club near Ulaanbaatar then the prices per day would start at 300USD all inclusive up to 500USD. It is also possible to hire helicopters to tour around the country but this is a costly way (if exceptional) way of travelling.
Public transport is of course much cheaper but is not advisable. There are small mini busses which travel from Ulaanbaatar to various parts of the country but they only go once full (that means that every inch of available space is taken up by something, even if it is a goat) which means that you can end up waiting in the mini-bus for the entire day for it to fill up. They will drop you in the middle of no-where and once there you will have no indications of when the next bus will depart if at all for Ulaanbaatar. No one working or taking the public transport system in Mongolia will speak English and everything will be written in Cyrillic. While this can be fun, it is also very tiring, exceedingly uncomfortable and extremely unreliable. Only advisable if you are very adventure minded and have plenty of spare time to be stuck amongst the goats of the steppes of Mongolia…
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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 60 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. For a 60 day single entry visa an invitation letter is not normally necessary. Should an invitation letter be required, most travel agencies will provide you with a confirmation of your bookings with them which should do the trick. Tourism is usually very helpful with those sorts of matter as they are the only travel agency to have a full multilingual expat staff working for them happy to help with visa and travel arrangements. They also have an office in the UK to assist in those matters.
Mongolia has a number of embassies and consulates abroad which will issue visas previous to travel, please check with your nearest embassy as conditions and rates will vary from one to the other. For a comprehensive list of all the Mongolian Embassies around the world and their contact details please visit the Tourism Website.
If you have not had time to obtain a visa previous to arrival it is often possible to obtain one at the airport arrival lounge before the passport check. Bring USD with you; the cost of a single entry visa obtained directly from the airport is about 60USD. Please note that there have been difficulties in the past with people who did not have visas prior to boarding, this is mainly on Aeroflot flights.
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How to Arrive in Mongolia |
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By Air
Traveling by air to Ulaanbaatar is generally considered as 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, Milan 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 with 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 fly regular flights between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar, the regularity of the flights depends very much on the season with more regular flights in summer then winter. There is generally 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 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 Cheremtyevo airport can be up to 12 hours long, the airport itself looks like it was built by prison contractors and has about as much charm as its draconian staff. This route is generally considered to be the last option reserved only for the terminally poor or the truly adventurous characters. Should this be your last resort the author would recommend spending the 10 hour wait trying to make a local employee smile without the exchange of monies or goods, so far this author has been unsuccessful.
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. 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 then any other route as you would 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, this is operated by MIAT during most of the year but predominantly in summer while ANA would sometimes fly during the summer months. Excellent quality and service can be expected on the ANA flights while 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 then Tokyo.
UB - Kazakhstan
At the current time there are no direct flights between Kazakhstan and Mongolia, maybe in the future.
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. While all the trains leave Moscow and arrive in Irkoutsk in Siberia there are then 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 Irkoutsk – Ulaanbaatar – Beijing. There are various classes of travel available on the train, 1st 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, this is generally shared with a Chinese/Russian/Mongolian family and can provide for an amusing if sometimes noisy and drunk 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 taken by the locals and is often a very happening place and gives you a great insight in the life’s of the region you are travelling in. Don’t expect to get any sleep or rest in the 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 an undying friendships with the local smugglers, soldiers and peasants. This class is known in china as “hard seater”.
Irkoutsk - Ulaanbaatar
The journey between Irkoutsk and Ulaanbaatar is a stunning one. The train leaves Irkoutsk in the afternoon and glides seemingly effortlessly around the abrupt cliffs of the Baikal Lake as the sun sets over it. 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 express. At first the train was loaded at the village of Baikal on 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, 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, sadly the first train to attempt the crossing rejoined 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, Ulaanbaatar – 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 this is Moscow time, the real departure time 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 slight wait at the border as passports are checked and the trains restaurant wagon is switched between the Russian one to the Mongolian one (the Mongolian one is considerably better)
Ulaanbaatar – Beijing
The Beijing – Ulaanbaatar route is a bit more monotonous then 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 are a limited amount 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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Opening a Mongolian Bank Account |
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Opening a bank account in Mongolia is a very straight forward process compared to the UK or other western countries. Please note that the banking system in Mongolia is still developing and there are still relatively few sophisticated products, no mortgages for foreigners and financing is difficult. Internet banking has just appeared on the scene and is considered as a giant leap forward. The interest rates are still terribly high and loans hard to get.
While it is not essential to foreign property owners to have an account with a Mongolian Bank it is certainly an advantage.
We recommend Golomt Bank or the Trade Development Bank, both offer good internet banking services and are reliable banks.
Go to the bank and decide what type of account is required.
Because Internet banking is still a very new product it is impossible to get an internet banking account which also has a credit card or debit card linked to it. The account is either Internet Banking (savings or current account) or it’s a card account, not both. Once this has been decided you need to fill in a few forms (usually only available in Mongolian or if available in English still hard to understand). It is possible to have a card account and an internet banking account at the same time but they will not be linked. In the same way that multicurrency accounts are not yet common place in Mongolia it is possible to have a Tugrik account and a USD account separately.
Make a deposit into your account.
While most of the accounts have no fees linked to their opening, there is usually a minimum balance fee (generally around 30USD) which needs to be paid into the account when opened. These funds will be returned to you when you close the account. For internet banking, the Trade Development Bank charge 36USD for the use of the VASCO security device which is necessary but provides a unique login code each time you login into your account. Your deposit can be made over the counter of any of the branches of the bank.
Have your signature notarised.
Your signature needs to be notarised by a registered notary office in Ulaanbaatar. There are generally a number of Notaries around the main branches of banks. You will need to bring your passport to you, sign a bit of paper, get a big red stamp on the bit of paper and then bring it back to the bank. The Notary will charge around 1,500Tugriks for this service.
Start using your account.
This is it, your account is then activated and you may start using it straight away. If you opted for an internet banking account this may take up to 24 hours to activate.
Opening a bank account if you are not in Mongolia.
If you are unable to come to Mongolia to open the account itself it is possible to do on your behalf. You will need to give an entity you trust in Mongolia a limited power of Attorney to open a bank account. This person will then follow the same process as above. You will need to send an original document with your notarised signature to open the account.
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Climate and Weather Forecast for Ulaanbaatar |
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Known as "the land of blue sky", Mongolia is a remarkable sunny country enjoying 250 sunny days a year. Mongolia has warm summers and extremely cold winters. The country has the world's most typical continental climate with extreme diurnal and annual ranges of temperature. Average temperature in most of the country is below the freezing point from November to March and close to it in April and October. Winter nights of -40C occur most years (minimum recorded -55C at lake Uvs). Summer extremes reach as high as +40C in the Gobi Desert
and +33C in Ulaanbaatar. Monthly temperature variations of +45C to -55C are not uncommon in many regions of Mongolia.
- Average summer temperature: +20C (+65F)
- Average winter temperature: -24C (-13F)
- Average precipitation: 25.4 cm
The average monthly temperature and precipitation in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, is as follows:
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C |
F |
mm |
| January |
-25 |
-13 |
0 |
| February |
-30 |
-22 |
0 |
| March |
-12 |
+10.4 |
3 |
| April |
-2 |
+28.4 |
6 |
| May |
+6 |
+42.8 |
12 |
| June |
+13 |
+55.5 |
30 |
| July |
+17 |
+62.6 |
75 |
| August |
+15 |
+59 |
55 |
September
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+7
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+44.6
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24
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October
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0
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+32 |
7
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November
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-13
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+8.6
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5
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| December |
-22 |
-7.6 |
3 |
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