While planning for my next travel, the only place I have in my mind was Mongolia. It was one of my top choices last year when I was planning for my 10th year of solo travelling. However, it did not make the cut as I was eager to see Egypt more. This time around, I was determined to travel to what they called where the land meets the sky. And I think I made the right choice! 😍🥰😍

Mongolia is a landlocked country, in between the boarder of China and Russia. It is part of East Asia where the famous Silk Road passed through. My eagerness to travel to Mongolia was because of Genghis and Kublai Khan.

As you know, I am a history geek and one of the Asian leaders I admired is Genghis Khan. I also watched one of the Netflix series called Marco Polo which was really a pivotal scenario of how Mongolia was shaped during the time of Genghis Khan grandson – Kublai Khan.

Aside from my love about the Khans, I was also captured by different photos of landscapes of Mongolia. 😍😍😍 It’s vast land and blue sky made me feel that I should really travel to this place. With all of my research, I decided to book my flights, accommodation and other activities as early as August last year. 😍

Visa and Immigration in Mongolia

Filipinos are entitled to visit Mongolia for leisure up to 21 days. A valid Philippine passport will do when you enter Mongolia. Thus, I had no issue on this part. 👍

The queue of Immigration in Ulaanbaatar was very smooth, too, not sure if its just because I arrived late at night. The Immigration Officer just asked for my flight tickets and in just less than a minute, my passport had been stamped. 🥰

Officially, I entered Mongolia! 😍🥰😍

Transportation to and in Mongolia

There is no direct flight from Manila to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. If you are coming from Manila, you can choose to have a layover flight to Hong Kong, Tokyo or Seoul. As for me, I booked a flight from Manila to Hong Kong. As it was my second time in Hong Kong, I am more familiar with the set up in the airport. Though Tokyo is also an option, I am saving it for my next travel.

I stayed a night in Hong Kong then on the next day, I flew via MIAT or Mongolian Airlines. It is the official carrier of Mongolia. Hong Kong to Ulaanbaatar is about 4.5 hours. While on the way to Mongolia, I seated beside 2 Filipino travelers, named Edward and Aaron. They made my flight comfortable, knowing that I had someone to talk to in our local language. 😁

I also love the in-flight meal of MIAT! 😋😋😋 It was like having a glimpse of taste of Mongolia. Part of the airfare was the in-flight meal, entertainment and 23 kilos of baggage. It was truly an amazing experience to fly with the state-owned flag carrier of Mongolia. 🥰😍🥰

In the Chinggis Khan International Airport, I took a private car to my hotel. Aside from taxis, Ulaanbaatar is accessible via public buses. If you want a more comfortable transportation, you can book a private car via UBCab or Yandex Go. Both applications needed a local number to set up. I personally tried UBCab and I like it as you can also pay cash.

When I arrived at my hotel, I saw this flyer of another ride-hailing application called TheTino. I used it mostly while I was in the city. However, please be mindful that you may need to cash in on your e-wallet for about ₮ 56,000. You can use this amount to book your cars. TheTino can be sometimes confusing as its words are not automatically translated to English. 😵‍💫🥴

I had to screenshot some of it and translate it via Google Lens. I also experienced long waiting hours when booking cars in this application. It could be because of the heavy traffic in Ulaanbaatar. 🥴🥴🥴 The traffic in the city is comparable of what I experienced in Manila. 🥴🥴🥴

At first, TheTino did not asked me for a Mongolian number, but when I cashed-in, it required Mongolian number and has more layers of verification. I consumed my e-wallet in TheTino before I leave Mongolia. Overall, I think UBCab is better. 👍

While on tour, part of the package is a private Starex van that can fit 6 travelers, 1 driver and 1 guide. It fits all our luggage too. The car we had for the tours was very durable, specifically for areas on rough roads. Maybe because we had an excellent driver and guide too! 🤩😎🤩

Well of course, part of the transportation in Mongolia are camels and horses. 🐫🐎 If I lived at the time of the Khans or the powerful Mongolian Empire, I may have used these creatures to travel around the country. It was a wonderful experience to return to the past while you are in the future. 😍🥰

Indeed too, the horses of Mongolia are wild yet very carefree. I just love how they roam around the vastness of the steppes of Mongolia. 🥰😍🥰

To return to the airport, I tried UBCab then rode the public bus from Sukhbaatar Square. My UBCab driver dropped me off the bus station in Sukhbaatar Square. I was a bit hesitant at first on when to find the bus but when other passengers arrived with luggages, mostly locals on that time, I felt assured that bus will arrive.

In just few minutes, the bus arrived. The driver arranged our luggages at the storage area. We left the Square exactly on time. From the Square, there were about 4-6 stops to the airport.

The bus was very comfortable and modern. There were few passengers on that morning so I was able to choose a seat near the bus door. The bus ride from the Square took less than an hour. In Chinggis Khan International Airport, a lady arrived to collect our payments. She carried a card terminal but I paid cash. Bus fare is ₮ 15,000.

Here’s the timetable of bus arrival and departure that I got from my hostel. However, please check the latest schedule (if there is) from the airport website.

Overall, I had no concerns on how transportation works in Mongolia. Aside though from the heavy traffic, Mongolia can be accessible via private cars. I also a train station in the city but the routes were mostly from and to the provinces. There were trains departing from Russia and China too.

Accommodation in Mongolia

Mongolia is the only place that I can recall that I moved or transferred accomodation for almost every night. 😅😂😁 Why? Because of the tours! 😂😂😂

When I arrived in Ulaanbaatar, I stayed in UBPod. It is the first capsule hotel in Mongolia yet they have private rooms to stay with. I chose the private room with bathroom as I wanted to have privacy given that I will stay in different places with other people in the coming days.

I like the location of UBPod! 😍👍😍 There were restaurants, convenience stores and my favorite grocery store where I felt like I was just in Manila. The entire hotel is cozy. It has a public area to eat and mingle with other travelers.

They have a small kitchen where we can get unlimited hot and cold water. I saw some travelers too cooking their own meals. As for me, I am ok to get hot water and make coffee anytime I want. My accommodation includes breakfast. 😋

For my room, it may be small yet it was very comfortable. I am happy to have my own window and bathroom. 😍 On my first night, I woke up early in the morning as I felt cold. When I checked, the temperature dropped to -1°. Bloody hell! It was very cold! 🥶🥶🥶

The only downside was that the elevator was just up until the 5th floor. UBPod is located on the 6th floor. 😅 If you have huge luggage, it may be difficult to carry it. Nevertheless, because of my comfy room and approachable hotel staff, my stay in UBPod was amazing! 😍👍😍

After my stay in Ulaanbaatar and part of the 4-day tour, I stayed at two ger in Khogno Tarna National Park. A ger or a yurt is a portable, round tent covered and insulated either with skins or felts. This is the traditional houses of nomadic families in Mongolia.

To make the ger warm during the winter, it has a small coal heater inside. The ger we stayed in has 4-6 beds. The beds of men and women are separated. The ger was warm inside as we had wood-burning stove with a chimney pipe coming out of the top.

In the second ger, I had thought we were like smoked salmon as our heater stove produced too much fire and smoke. We were all safe though. Our guides instructed us to go outside while they were fixing the stove. It was a night to remember despite the smoke in our ger, we saw multiple shooting stars in the sky! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 It was an amazing night! 😍🥰😍🥰

I spent a night too in the tour company’s guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar. The stay in the guesthouse was part of the tour. The guesthouse is in a residential building. It was a typical apartment-style house in Ulaanbaatar. Rooms for men and women were separated too.

After the tour in the countryside, 3 of us left to enjoy the 4-day tour. On that night, since I am the only woman, I stayed alone in the room. While we had some free time, I went outside to buy souvenirs.

Across the street, there was a big supermarket to get all the local stuff that I wanted. After returning to the guesthouse, our dinner was served. I had a short karaoke session with my friends Osmond and Luis. We sang some F4 songs! 🧑‍🎤🎵🎶

Overall, I stayed in 4 different accommodations (2x in UBPod) while in Mongolia. It was a fun and unique experience staying in two different types of ger. It was like I was transported to a different timeline where ancient Mongolia happened. I will definitely keep this in my memory for the rest of this lifetime, most specially the shooting stars in my accommodation. 🤩😍🤩🤩😍🤩

Weather in Mongolia

As I was researching on the weather in Mongolia by June, all of the articles I read was June was the start of summer. However, to be more sure and safe, I joined a Facebook group about travel tips in Mongolia. I posted multiple inquiries regarding the weather on June so I will know what clothes to bring.

All of the answers I got was just to bring a light jacket or a windbreaker. As I got these answers, I packed a windbreaker and thick tops just in case the weather changes.

But weather in Mongolia was extreme! Being the coldest city in the world should be saying something even on a summer. When I arrived in Ulaanbaatar, the temperature outside the airport was -1°! 🥶🥶🥶🥶

When I arrived in my hotel, I was awaken by the cold wind from my window. 🥶🥶🥶Though it was closed, the temperature just dropped in my room. It was bloody cold! 🥶🥶🥶🥶 I thought of buying winter jackets from the Black Market or the State Department Store but I somehow endured the weather. 😅

When I returned after the tour, I stayed in the same hotel and room and it became a bit humid. 🥵 The weather in Ulaanbaatar immediately changed. It may be the reason why there was a mini fan in the room if it gets too hot. 😁

In my last day of tour in Ulaanbaatar, flu caught me. 😷🤧 I was not really feeling well as I felt my sore throat. 😔😔 I have medicines but I have something to gargle that will soothe my feeling. I found a pharmacy near my hotel in UB and the pharmacist gave me similar like a Bactidol but the taste was 🤮🤮🤮! Fortunately, with some rest, I felt better before I return to Hong Kong. 😇😇😇

Thankfully, in my tour and while staying in gers, it was not that really cold. The sun though was up until 9PM. 😲😲 It was not normal for a South East Asian girl like me. 😂

My tour guides were also surprised to feel that low temperature on a June or summertime. Indeed, climate change is happening. 😣😣😣

Internet in Mongolia

While planning my travel in Mongolia, I searched in Klook that they are selling an e-sim to be used in Mongolia. However, I was keen to buy an e-sim in the airport instead. But I guess, it was one of the NO-NO option. 😰😰😰

When I arrived in Chinggis Khan International Airport together with Edward and Aaron, we immediately headed to Mobicom shop. It is a local telco company in Mongolia that offers e-sim for travelers. I personally thought that the kiosk will provide a physical sim card. However, the kiosk was out of service. Store hours of Mobicom is until 7PM only.

There was this flyer in Mobicom shop on how to avail an e-sim. Thankfully, Wi-Fi is available in the airport. We followed the instructions from the flyer and paid online. In about 15 minutes, Edward and Aaron were able to receive a QR code in their email to activate their e-sim.

As for me, 30 minutes had passed and I haven’t received any email for the activation. Nothing was sent in my inbox either in spam or junk folder. 😰😰😰 I tried to ask the Tourist Information Center in the airport but the lady there cannot help me neither. We tried to call the Customer Service of Mobicom but it was closed already and will resume a 9’o clock in the morning. 😰😰😰

I asked Edward and Aaron to book their cars to go to their hotels so they can rest. I waited 30 minutes more in the airport just to check if the email activation code would be sent. But it was already past 1AM and nothing was sent. 😰😰😰 So, I decided to hire a private car from the airport to my hotel to rest first.

In the morning, I asked my hotel reception if they can call the Customer Service of Mobicom. After the call, the Mobicom representative told the receptionist that they would check my concern and will call again.

Since I need internet access, the hotel receptionist suggested to visit Mobicom shop near our hotel. Luckily, the Mobicom shop is just across the street. My hotel receptionist told that she can accompany me to the shop so she can assist me in buying a sim. However, I do not want to take too much of her time as she already called Mobicom for me. I just told her that I can do it on my own. 😁

Across the street, at the 2nd floor of the mall, I saw the shop of Mobicom. Though the representative of Mobicom was not fluent in English, she assisted me to have an e-sim. I paid her for the amount of the sim and for the data that I will consume for the next 7 days. She also provided me my Mongolian phone number. In just minutes, I was able to use data in my phone. 👍👍👍

When I returned to the hotel in Ulaanbaatar, the receptionist told me that Mobicom will just process a refund of my first e-sim purchase that I made in the airport. I just need to provide screenshots of the payment I made together with a signed letter like an incident report to be submitted to Mobicom to process the refund. The refund was sent to my hotel receptionist. Though it was a bit bizarre as I received on the same day the email from Mobicom with QR code to activate it. 😅 Finally, I received it though after about 6 days from my arrival. 😂😂😂

My hotel receptionist gave me cash for the refund that she received in her bank account. Wheeewww! 😇😇😇 Thankfully, there were some people like the Filipinos that I met in the plane and my hotel receptionist that can help out! 😇😇😇

The lesson here was to buy a sim or activate an e-sim prior to your arrival! 😁😁 It was indeed cheaper to have it in the place that you will travel but it might be stressful if things will not work out as planned. It may not be a good welcome for me in Mongolia.😁

Overall, the signal of Mobicom works even outside the city. 👍 Though there was weak reception when we stayed in the nomad family in Khogno Tarna National Park which is understandable as we were off the grid.

Language in Mongolia

Mongolian is the official language in Mongolia. It used mostly by wider communities in Mongolia. With no background in Mongolian’s language, it was difficult for me to understand their words. Thankfully, younger generations of Mongols including our guides were able to speak in English fluently.

English is widely used in the airport and Ulaanbaatar. Thus, I found it easy to navigate. Most of the transportation apps that I used like UBCab, Yandex and TheTino were translated in English. Most of the establishments were using English too.

Cyrillic Script is used widely in daily life and media in the independent country of Mongolia since the 20th century. It felt like you are in Russia when it was my first time to see the signages in the city.

While in Mongolia, I just learned two words that helped me out – Сайн уу? (Sain uu) means “Hello” and Баярлалаа (Bayarlalaa) for “Thank you”. These words either helped me to start a conversation in asking routes or taking photos. 😁

Food in Mongolia

Mongolians love rice too! As someone who grown with the love of rice, eating in Mongolia will not be a problem. With their delicious dishes made in lambs, pork and beef to pair it with rice was heaven! 😍😇😍

Mongolian food consist mostly of meats and that includes soup dishes. Part of the tour I made in Central Mongolia were the meals from morning to evening. Our generous tour guides brought us to local restaurants that serve delicious meals. 😍😍😍

In the tour, we also tried the Suutei Tsai. It is a tradition Mongolian beverage made from tea, milk, millet and salt. A bit weird at first but the warmth of the tea made it perfect for the windy and cold weather of Mongolia. 😋☕

I had no particular favorite meal or food while in Mongolia. But I guess the meals we shared in the ger camp and with the nomad family, were one of the best part of my travel in Mongolia. They served us delicious meals from local produce. It was indeed a feast! 🥳🤩🥳

However, if you are a vegetarian, you may have limited choices of food. Some of the travellers I was with the tour were vegetarians, but I think they enjoyed the meals too. Our guides told that most of the vegetables were imported either from Korea or nearby countries. It was difficult to grow vegetables and fruits in Mongolia due to temperature and weather.

Korean influence in Mongolia was so strong too! If you are in the city, there are many Korean restaurants that offer samgyupsal and hot pots. It was like you were just in Manila.

CU convenience stores were everywhere too! I haven’t been yet to South Korea but the travellers in my tour told me that CU is from Seoul. It was like their version of 711, Lawson and FamilyMart.

I also ate in KFC on my first day in Mongolia. Other Western meals and delicacies are available in Ulaanbaatar. If you like, you may also have some grocery shopping too in the city as most of the items they sell are from Korea, USA and Japan. I saw some Filipino snacks too! 😍

Staying full in Mongolia will never be a problem. Just know your limits. 👍

Money in Mongolia

Mongolia’s currency is Tugrik or Tögrög. It uses the symbol ₮ and the code MNT.

Upon arrival in Chinggis Khan International Airport, I already withdrew cash from a local bank called TDB. The exchange rate from the ATM was the same from the currency exchange store in the airport. Using my BPI ATM, I successfully withdrew Mongolian Tugrik.

In the city, most of the local shops and restaurants are accepting credit card payments. The hotel that I booked accepted credit cards too. Alipay is widely used too. They have this SocialPay too that locals are using.

The tour I booked also accepted credit card payment. When they picked me up from my hotel in Ulaanbaatar, the Manager of the tour company brought a terminal to swipe my card. However, cash is better to have if you will travel away from the city. Some of the local restaurants prefer to have cash.

Tipping in Mongolia is not mandatory. When the tour ended, I and the other travellers decided to gave tips to our drivers. Just a small gesture for making our travel safe and sound. 😇

Itinerary and Expenses in Mongolia

As I was planning my travel in Mongolia, I decided to join a group tour. Though I have no concern on travelling alone, due to the arrangement of transportation, joining a group tour will be much more convenient and budget-friendly. The only thing that I was in doubt was “what if my tour guide or other travellers will not be fond of my fear of heights or falling?”. 😰😰

Travelling to Mongolia may require to be a bit flexible and outdoor-sy. If you want to experience Mongolia, riding a camel and a horse should be part of the itinerary. Plus, eagles in Mongolia are a thing too. Being with nature and wildlife was the essence of travelling to Mongolia. However, as I was not fit enough and have this fear of heights and falling, choosing Mongolia in my travel was like dropping a bomb in my sleeves.

However, for the love of travelling, I still chose Mongolia. 🥰🥰🥰

I researched for the best group tour that I can have and I found an itinerary in GetYourGuide. It was a 4-day tour in Central Mongolia. The tour includes accommodations in ger camps, nomad family and a guesthouse in the city. All meals, transfers, entrance fees were included too. I found the itinerary exciting. However, it was not cheap.

As I scroll down the itinerary in GetYourGuide app, I found the local tour operator under the site of Central Mongolia Tour. It has the same offerings found from GetYourGuide and the it was cheaper of about $100! I immediately picked a date and booked my tour.

I was very happy to found this tour site as our tour guides and drivers made my Mongolian vacation marvelous! We were indeed taken care of from the time they picked us up from our hotels until they dropped us off. We are still connected now in Instagram.

In the tour, there were 2 Japanese, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Singaporean and 1 German I was with. We were like from different walks of life interconnected by this tour. All of us were very grateful to experience Mongolia.

My fears were somehow casted away when we ride the camels and encountered the eagles twice! Though I was still afraid of the horses, I managed to ride it for a couple of minutes. Unlike the camels, the horses in Mongolia were wilder for me.

Some of the itinerary we had just like a second encounter with the eagle, wearing traditional Mongolian dresses and a Calligraphy class were not part of the itinerary indicated on their site. However, our guides let us experience these for free.

I am not really sure though if its not just indicated on the site and real parts of the itinerary but nevertheless we did not pay extra and we enjoyed all of the activities. My favorite parts were staying in a ger and our last night in Khagna Tarna National Park. I had the chance to witness shooting stars! It was very much magical!

For the activities and itinerary in the city, I planned all of it by myself. Sharing my itinerary below. I also wrote separate blogs for my itinerary, feel free to click the links too.

diy cITY TOUR

Day 1 in Central Mongolia

Day 2 in Central Mongolia

Day 3 in Central Mongolia

Day 4 in Central Mongolia

Click the arrow to have an idea of how much you can spend in Mongolia. 💸

Bayarlalaa, Mongolia!

One week in Mongolia was not enough. But I guess, that one week gave me different perspective in life. I met new friends in my tour, experienced different culture, tasted delicious delicacies, rode camel and horse and even encountered Mongolian eagles twice, been off the grid, felt the eternal sunshine and wind in the steppes, mesmerized by the beauty of shooting stars and most importantly had the best time to experience the life of the Khans. 😍🥰😍😍🥰😍

One week in Mongolia was life changing! Mongolia taught me how to conquer my fears of height and falling! 💪🥰💪

Too many things to be grateful for! 🙏🙇‍♀️🙏 Mongolia was a dream that came true with our God’s help. 🙏🙇‍♀️🙏

I will be forever in owe to witness the Eternal Blue Sky of Mongolia! 💙💙💙 Bayarlalaa, Mongolia! 💜💜💜