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Every country has its own characteristics. They can manifest themselves in literally everything. And the stronger the difference between nature, landscape, climate, lifestyle local residents with those that exist in Russia, the more impressions. Many unusual things can be seen and felt in Mongolia. It is very close, if you take into account the regions of southern Siberia. For those living in the European part, of course, this is far away. But today it is not difficult to overcome a distance of several thousand kilometers.

Stage 1. From Novosibirsk to Biysk

It will not be wrong to say that the most interesting trip to Mongolia will be if you choose the car route. In this sense, it is better to hit the road along the Chuisky tract.

Altai, Chuysky tract (federal highwayР256, until January 1, 2018, the route number M52 was also applied)

Officially, it begins in the large Siberian city of Novosibirsk, but earlier this was only the name of the path from the city of Biysk (Altai Territory) to Tashanta. This is a settlement near the border of two countries - Russia and Mongolia. The journey can take from several days to weeks. The only question is how many days you have. It is quite easy to visit Mongolia with some preliminary information.

Important! Since we are talking about traveling from different Russian corners, it is better to start the countdown from Novosibirsk. True, some of the travelers, preparing for the trip and leaving the western part of the country, plotting the route, will use the map and try to shorten the path. In this case, he will be guided by a shorter route.

Before reaching Novosibirsk, about halfway between Omsk and this big city many take a shortcut to go directly through the Altai Territory to the city of Barnaul. Don't do that. After a few tens of kilometers, you can be convinced that, in fact, the most interesting adventures begin after the words “I know short way". Better to get to Novosibirsk quietly, cross the bridge or the dam of the Ob hydroelectric power station and turn to the right.

Spillway of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station

In about twenty - thirty minutes (it all depends on the traffic intensity) the city of Berdsk will be. Less than an hour will pass, and the city of Iskitim will be left behind, and the long journey to the South will begin.

Seek from a bird's eye view

You can get to Barnaul, more precisely, to Novo-Altaysk (the city of Barnaul on the left bank of the Ob), in less than two hours. If you want to dine, then there will be no problem with this. There is no difficulty in refueling the car. The situation is the same after the turn in Novo-Altaysk towards Biysk. This city can also be reached in less than two hours. However, if you happen to be here on Friday afternoon, Friday or Sunday, the trip will be delayed.

Highway M-52 in the Biysk area

The fact is that on Friday the lane towards Biysk will turn into a continuous traffic jam. This is due to the fact that those who want to relax just at this time are sent to the mountains or to resort town Belokurikha. On Sunday, all these thousands of cars drive back.

Stage 2. Along Gorny Altai to the border

But finally, the city of Biysk. There is a bypass road for trucks. You do not need to turn to it. The trip through the city will take only twenty minutes. This is taking into account the entry and exit after the bridge over the Biya River at the very outskirts. And then the same Chuisky tract will begin, about which a little is told in the film "Such a guy lives."

Communal bridge in Biysk

Although the distance from Biysk to the Mongolian border cannot be called great (especially by Siberian standards), the journey will take a long time. In the beginning, however, everything will be as usual, but then the ups, downs, turns will begin. However, the trip will not seem very long. Why? because the road goes through special places. Sometimes it stretches just a few meters from the Katun River, bubbling like a huge stream. Then the mountains will stretch. The Seminsky Pass is especially interesting. And also the road along the Chuya river.

The Katun river

Finally, here is the border area. The large village of Kosh-Agach, and then only Tashanta, a border zone twenty kilometers wide, and Mongolia. However, a difficulty may arise here. The checkpoint is open only until eighteen hours. On weekends, it does not work at all. An important condition is that you can cross the border only by car. Hitchhikers wait for passing cars.

Important! In order to cross the border, you must have an invitation from Mongolia. It can be either from a travel agency or from a person. True, this document is required only at the Mongolian checkpoint. They also demand to show cash. Usually, when a person shows five hundred dollars, Mongolian border guards take a picture of him with bills in his hand and let him into the country.

If you managed to get to the border only in the evening, or on a weekend, you need to take care of an overnight stay. It's cold to spend the night in a tent in the mountains. But locals provide accommodation. For a room for two, they ask for only five hundred rubles.

Near the border with Mongolia

When crossing Russian border no difficulty arises. Border guards check passports, cars with Russian license plates are quickly inspected. But if foreigners are traveling, especially Germans, they will check everything they can.

Mongolian border guards repeat the procedure. Russian citizens do not need a visa. The conditions for entering the country were mentioned above. After everything is over, they are allowed to go.
Mongolia.

Stage 3. On site - first impressions

And now Russia is behind, ahead is only Mongolia and an almost complete absence of asphalt. They say that in Russia there are not roads, but directions. Roughly the same thing here, only it is more convenient to travel in these directions. The main thing is that the car does not let you down. The best way is to take a jeep trip. However, quite a few tourists embark on such a trip on motorcycles.

The opening pictures can be called monotonous. These are mostly treeless mountains. But it's still beautiful. Travelers usually make their first stop on the shores of Lake Tolbo-Nuur. It seems to be one of the largest in Mongolia.

Lake Dergen-Muul

Then there will be a high-mountain plateau with multi-colored ridges, Lake Haar-Us, the city of Khovd. The road stretches along the rocky steppe. In some places, some thorny plants are visible, as well as small flowers. Surprisingly, there are large flocks of sheep, goats, camels, yaks. Here you can also see saigas. Sometimes they graze with their pets, sometimes they just run somewhere. They don't run away from cars. They know that no one will harm them.

On the way, you can make a stop at Lake Dergen Nuur. The water is salty. It feels like the concentration of salt is higher than in seawater. The area is quite interesting. Dunes adjoin the shores of the lake. The largest sandy massif of Mongolia Mongol Els begins here. It stretches for more than two hundred kilometers from the South-East to the North-West.

The attitude of the Mongols towards travelers from Russia

The road in Mongolia is often just a direction. The fact that vehicles are moving here is indicated only by the traces of the wheels. Although sometimes the traffic flow is intense (by Mongolian standards), the "roadway" is not broken, as is the case on Russian country roads. The soil is often rocky and it never rains much.
The local population treats travelers well. Many Mongols know Russian. True, there are fewer of these among young people. The easiest way is to communicate with those who are over forty. Among them are often met by those who studied in Russia. But those who sometimes do not really know anything in Russian also, if necessary, strive to help Russian-tourists who are in a difficult situation.

For example, some travelers are driving a car and they have a breakdown. Mongols passing by stop, wondering what happened. If necessary, the necessary spare part will be given free of charge. They can also tow the car, even if not on the way, to the place where it will be repaired.

Roadside service is also developing. Somewhere in the steppe, there are yurts next to the rolling road. Here, there are simply awnings. In yurts, under awnings, in the open air there are metal beds with mattresses. The traveler was tired, he stopped and lay down to rest. No one will say a word to him. Maybe at least a few days to sleep. If he wants to eat, he will explain. They will understand him. They will immediately bring cooked food on a large platter. They always bring meat. The food here is only fresh. Because there are no problems with meat, as for the cost, everything is two or three times cheaper than at home.

I will briefly explain to girls and those who are not yet in the know: "Toyota Prius" is a hybrid Japanese car in which a gasoline engine is complemented by an electric one. The process of their joint work is controlled by an on-board computer, and the main (gasoline) engine works only when necessary. And it turns off as soon as the need for his efforts disappears - when driving at low speed (for example, in traffic jams), when stopping at a traffic light, when braking, when driving with the gas pedal released or on a slope and in other situations when the electric motor is strong handle it yourself.

Thanks to this, hybrid cars are more environmentally friendly than conventional cars with internal combustion engines, but the Mongols, of course, do not buy them for this reason. But because "hybrids" allow you to save on gasoline, which, as I already wrote, is expensive in Mongolia. Consumption of "Prius" - from 4 to 6 liters per 100 kilometers, depending on the version, season and driving style. Driving in eco-mode along long steppe tracks allows local residents to significantly save on fuel.

Hybrid cars have one small drawback (but also a merit) - the starting battery. It is used to turn on the car - yes, just turn it on - and maintain its functions when it is turned off (power for the clock and alarm, for example), therefore it gradually discharges. So the "hybrid" does not like to stand idle for a long time, it needs to be "walked" at least once every few days in order for the starting battery to recharge. Especially do not like to mess around with these cars in the cold season. But in constant operation mode, the battery feels cheerful, and the car does not need to be put on regular warming up in cold weather, like ordinary cars. Even at -30 ° and below, it will turn on without problems - after all, it does not need to turn the frozen starter. But the capabilities of the starting battery are very limited, and, for example, you cannot “light up” an ordinary car from a “hybrid”, only a brother with the same cute little battery. So if you suddenly need help of this kind, do not rely on the Prius, look for a simpler and larger car.

The Mongolian government welcomes the purchase of "hybrids" in every possible way. In principle, in this country, there are already very humane duties on imported cars - they do not have their own “kind of car industry, which must be pulled by the ears with all its might, which means that there is no need for protective duties on imports. The duty on hybrid cars is even lower than on conventional ones. Moreover, since June 2016, Mongolia has canceled the customs rate on the import of new cars from Japan and taxes on Japanese cars with less than 3 years of use. An excellent example of competent import regulation, when the import of better quality goods is encouraged. So in the near future this country will plug us in the belt in terms of the number of cool cars per capita. On automotive environmental friendliness, I think, has already shut up. Oh, you're lucky!

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

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

Why Mongolia?

Few travelers visit Mongolia, and those who do call it one of the most impressive countries they've ever seen. This was the first reason why I went to this country. The second - in June, there was a "Home for All": a project of the Academy of Free Travel, which is periodically organized in different countries 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 particularly pamper Mongolia. 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 conversation with me called Mongolia the 16th republic of the USSR).

How to get there?

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

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

The legendary Transsib is very popular among European tourists - the road from Moscow to Ulan Bator. A train ticket will cost € 260, the journey will take just over four days. The train leaves 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 will not need a visa if they plan to stay in this country for less than 90 days.

The same tugriks are used here as currency. The banknotes depict the founder of the Mongol Empire - the great Genghis Khan. In general, you will come across 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.

"You will meet the name or image of Genghis Khan in the names of hotels, shops, beer and various dishes."

Most of Mongolia's hotels are concentrated in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where 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's to the desert or to real nomads, don't agree. Personally, I received many such requests (I even remembered where there was exactly the same situation with couchsurfing), but ordinary Mongols also wrote, who happily invited me to their home. So I stayed with the man who was in charge of the hostel, where I met cool guys from all over the world.

Transport

You cannot 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 are very willing to pick it up. 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 Ulan Bator, the traffic is much less busy. Once I even had to wait for one car for two hours. The third difficulty is that in some parts of Mongolia there are no roads at all.

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

Route

I didn't 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 in the country as possible and see as many interesting things as possible. I stopped in Mongolia from Ulan-Ude, and left for Kyzyl.

Ulaanbaatar(4 days)

Get ready: Ulan Bator 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 there is a good company around you! There were a lot of cool foreigners in the hostel where I lived on couchsurfing. Sometimes I could spend half a day without leaving home and talking with the guys. It's amazing how much foreigners trudge around Mongolia! Perhaps we should adopt this? On my last night at the hostel, my host cooked a head of a ram for us all - a real Mongolian treat that was unlike anything I've ever tasted before. In addition to the meat itself, this is the first time I have eaten lamb's eyes and brain. It sounds awful, but it's actually delicious and definitely worth a try!

“Apart from the meat itself, this was the first time I ate lamb's eyes and brain. It sounds awful, but it's actually delicious. "

In addition to hanging out in a hostel, Ulaanbaatar has a lot of interesting things for the cultural traveler. Start from the central square of 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, 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 5-r khoroo) , entrance - a little less than € 2. On the territory of Mongolia, scientists have found many dinosaur remains and you can get acquainted with them in this museum (these are the bones of real dinosaurs!).

After you finish your acquaintance with dinosaurs, walk to Bogdy-gegen winter palace (Khoroo 11), where you can see the conditions in which the last emperor of Mongolia lived. A walk from the center will take about half an hour, but it's better to walk, because there are terrible traffic jams in Ulaanbaatar. The ticket price for the museum is € 3.

It will be a stone's throw from the palace to the monument to the military friendship of the Soviet and Mongolian troops Zaysan (Mount Zaysan) ... From here it will be great to meet the sunset and see the whole of Ulaanbaatar from above.

After enjoying the historical part of Ulaanbaatar, you can safely devote the second day to the Buddhist aspect. Start with the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and the country's first religious center - monastery Gandantegchenlin. It is home to over 600 monks and various Buddhist rituals. The monastery became famous, among other things, thanks to the hollow 26-meter statue of Buddha made of copper and gold. The entrance here will cost you € 1.25. In addition to this monastery, there are many small datsans in Ulan Bator, but they are less interesting for the traveler.

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

Gorkhi-Terelzh National Park(2 days)

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

The park is very beautiful: camels themselves graze between the mountains, and someone even offers to ride them. The park is best known for its extraordinary shaped rocks created by nature. Buddhist temple Aryaabal, 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 which time you will be surrounded by wooden tablets on which Buddhist wisdom is written.

You can stay right there in the park. Now they have built a lot of tourist bases that offer rest, including in a national yurt (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 it with a trip to statue of Genghis Khan in Tsongzhin-Boldog. It is the tallest equestrian statue in the world. In addition to examining 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 onto observation deck at the top of the statue. Inside entrance € 3.

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

Elsen-Tasarhai National Park (1 day)

If you, like me, do not want to spend a lot of time and money visiting the Gobi, go to Elsen-Tasarhai Park, where you can see a piece of the desert. It takes about four hours to get here from Ulan Bator, and public transport no longer runs here, so you have two options: hitchhiking or rent a car. Huge dunes and a whistling wind - this is what will make you feel like in a real desert. At night, the stars shine here as never before. 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 - the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire in the XIII century (which was formerly called Karakorum). Despite its former greatness, 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. Ruins worth visiting ancient city Karakorum, from which, unfortunately, little is left, to look at the monastery of the 16th century 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. The locals associate several legends with this peculiar "monument" at once. According to them, a childless woman should sit on a phallus, praying that she will have children - and then, they say, the problem will be resolved. Another legend says that there used to be a monastery here. The phallus became a reminder to the monks to learn how to pacify their flesh, instead of running on dates with the girls from the neighboring village.

Ulaang (2 days)

Since the Mongolian border with Russia does not work at this checkpoint on weekends, I had to stay longer in Mongolia. Ulaangom is a small, unremarkable town where Russians often travel 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 cottages" - yurts of the Mongols, and whole herds of cows, horses and yaks grazed.

It is worth stopping here to chat with cute Mongols, try yourself as a shepherd grazing cattle (I was allowed to ride a horse for free, chasing slow cows!), And just take a break from my just perfect trip to Mongolia.

Life hacks

You shouldn't buy a tour to visit a real Mongolian yurt. Mongols are very friendly people, and they will invite you to their home just like that if they like you.

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

The main product that 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 most important reason to come here is the largest national festival in Mongolia, Naadam (in 2019 it will be from 11 to 15 July). Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery will await you here, all very impressive.

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

Budget for one for 10 days:

Food - € 25

Museums - € 5

Transport - € 2

Souvenirs - € 6

Accommodation - couchsurfing and tent

Total: € 38

Photo:

Mongolia is one of the most unusual countries in the world. It is so sparsely populated that it seems completely empty, and yet at any point you are on the territory of someone's pasture, and his owner considers you to be his guests. Thousands of tourists in cars and motorcycles pass through its high-mountainous steppes, and yet it cannot be called a tourist. Lack of roads public transport, sights in their classical sense makes Mongolia inconvenient for travelers. If you come here once, most likely you will not want to return, but the time spent in Mongolia will be remembered all your life as one of the most vivid impressions.

general information

Mongolia is a state in central Asia, sandwiched between Russia in the north and China in the south.

How to get there

In Mongolia 4 international airports but the easiest is to find a flight to the capital Ulaanbaatar. There are direct flights from Russia from Moscow (MIAT Mongolian Airlines), Irkutsk (Aero Mongolia, MIAT Mongolian Airlines), Yakutsk (Yakutia). If you have nowhere to rush, you can get to Ulaanbaatar by the Moscow - Ulaanbaatar or Moscow - Beijing train, which also passes through the Mongolian capital. Many people come to Mongolia by car or motorcycle, but they need to be specially prepared for off-roading. It is popular among fishermen to travel by off-road vehicle to the north of Lake Khovsgul, near the Russian border. But it should be borne in mind that the road along the lake is so bad that most likely it will not be possible to drive further into the interior of the country. One of the few asphalt roads in the country and the only asphalt road along which you can get to Ulan Bator, starts near Irkutsk.

Climate

Mongolia's climate is the most continental on the planet. This means that in winter the temperature sometimes drops to -35, in summer it rises to +25 in the northern high-mountainous steppes (the average height of the country above sea level is 1600 m) and to +40 in the south, in the Gobi desert. At the same time, the daytime temperature may differ from the nighttime by 20-30 degrees. Little precipitation, shallow snow in winter, rare rains, 260 days a year, the sky is clear and sunny. Mongolian short summer- from mid-June to mid-August - the best time for the trip. Even if you are going to the desert, bring a warm jacket: in August at nights it can be 0 degrees and below.

Visa

If you are a citizen of Russia, your trip does not exceed 30 days and its purpose is tourism, you do not need a visa. In all other cases, it must be issued at the embassy in Moscow or consulates in Irkutsk, Ulan-Uda or Kyzyl. In this case, you will need an invitation, which can be bought at the Siberian consulates directly on the spot, and in Moscow made through a travel agency.

Cities and regions

Ulan Bator. Palaces, Buddhist temples and the monasteries of the capital can be bypassed in one day, another day will be required for museums. But in general, this is not the most interesting place in the country. Although the yurts in the middle of the city and the Mongols saddling their horses at the entrance to go to work are an attraction in themselves.

Kharkhorin (Karakorum). The main attraction of Mongolia and its most tourist place- the ruins of the ancient capital of Genghis Khan. Nothing remains of the city itself, but a beautiful Buddhist monastery stands in its place. You can get to Kharkhorin by an asphalt road, there are even minibuses from Ulan Bator.

Erdene Zuu Monastery in Karakorum (Kharkhorin)

Gobi Desert. You can see the sands of the Gobi, camels and Przewalski's horses (on the way to the desert, in the reserve), either by ordering a tour here, or by arriving on your own by car. You can ride a camel or an obstinate, small Mongolian horse for a fee.

Lake Khubsugul... The Mongols do not eat fish, so there is a lot of it in numerous lakes. Khovsgul, the younger brother of Lake Baikal, is especially famous for its fishing spots. Officially, it is impossible to take it out of the country, but fishermen always agree with customs.

View of Khovsgul

Where to stay

In Ulan Bator and some smaller cities there are cheap Soviet-style hotels. Along the main directions, which can hardly be called roads, there are shelters at canteens, where everyone sleeps on mattresses in the same room. And for tourists - small yurt villages, where you will be provided with a separate yurt for a lot of money. If the night unexpectedly caught you in the middle of the steppe, feel free to go to any yurt. According to the laws of Mongolian hospitality, you will not be denied an overnight stay and a modest dinner. However, you will have to sleep on the cold earthen floor, covered with a blanket, or in your own sleeping bag.

Camping in a yurt

Transport

Public transport - trolleybuses, buses and minibuses - is available only in Ulaanbaatar. You can move between some cities by railroad or on small airplanes. And it's all. When the Mongols need to travel from one city or village to another, and they do not have a car, motorcycle or horse (which is a rarity in itself), they go to the central square and look to see if anyone is collecting passing passengers in this direction. These "minibuses" are stuffed to capacity with people, goods and sometimes livestock. You will not find any roads or associated transport to hard-to-reach attractions, for example, petroglyphs. You will not find roads, however, almost anywhere, only ruts in the steppe. If you want to get into hard-to-reach places, which are almost all places in Mongolia, and do not want to depend on chance and smell like goats, rent a car or drive your own.

Horses, the main transport of Mongolia

Communication

Mongols are not the most sociable people. Residents of the far west of the country speak only Kazakh, the rest - in Mongolian, occasionally you will meet a Russian-speaking and even less often - an English-speaking Mongolian. They will not explain to you by signs and try to find out something, even if you ask to sleep in a yurt in the middle of the night. They will silently give you green tea with milk, feed you a simple dinner and put you to bed. And in the morning they also spend it in silence.

Kitchen

Mongolian cuisine is a vegetarian's nightmare. It consists of meat, dough and milk - goat's or camel's. Try it booze- large dumplings with minced meat like Russian manti or Buryat poses. Khushuur- something like a cheburek. Aruul- hard goat cheese. And numerous soups consisting of meat, fat, dumplings and sometimes green tea. As a rule, the menu of a road eatery consists of these three items: buuza, hushuur and soup. Moreover, if the soup is called vegetable, it means that the only lonely and most likely undercooked potatoes will float among the meat and fat. Vegetables do not grow in Mongolia. There is a lot of fish, but the Mongols do not eat it.

Soup with green tea and dumplings

Souvenirs

Almost the only place in the country where you can buy souvenirs is the vicinity of Kharkhorin, the capital of Genghis Khan. They sell bronze statuettes of Buddhist themes, ancient or supposedly ancient coins, arrowheads. Here you can also buy traditional Mongolian clothes, a rug or blanket made of camel wool, and if you look, then a whole yurt. It will really cost a lot.

What to see and where to go

Dedicate a couple of days to Ulan Bator, go to Kharkhorin for a day, book a tour to the Gobi desert for a couple of days, go fishing in Khuvsgol - a week of outdoor recreation is guaranteed. Or you can go to big Adventure for 2-3 weeks across the country from the west to Ulan Bator, and then north towards Russia by car or motorcycle. Climb a volcano or go rafting down a mountain river. Wild and almost uninhabited country - the best place to take a break from the bustling Russian cities.

Inside the yurt

Security

Before traveling, it is often recommended to get vaccinated against plague and cholera and to take preventive measures against typhoid, meningococcal meningitis, hepatitis C and rabies. However, it will be enough if you do not eat the plague-carrying gophers and be wary of the dogs. A healthy gopher or not, the Mongols determine by a squeak: if he sees a hunter and squeaks out of fear, then he is healthy. As you can imagine, the method is not the most reliable one. Dogs are often trained to guard the herd and therefore do not like strangers. Approach the yurts and the outskirts of villages carefully, making sure that someone from the people can see you and can drive away the dogs. Another danger is the Mongols themselves. After 5-6 pm in the cities there are many drunks who are quite aggressive. In the evening on the outskirts, the possibility of armed robbery cannot be ruled out, so be careful.

From Barnaul to the capital of the homeland of Genghis Khan - 2372.51 km. Many Altai tourists are increasingly choosing this direction for travel. We will tell you what attracts Mongolia, how to get there, what to see and how much the trip will cost.

Why Mongolia?

Not everyone will dare to dash to Mongolia. Despite the relative proximity to Altai Territory, the path is not the closest one. Mostly this destination is preferred by independent tourists.

Mongolia is located on a huge territory, so the distance between settlements quite impressive, and the quality of the roadway can not always be called good. Travelers are attracted by wild, untouched by man, nature, national flavor, gastronomic novelties and landscapes unusual to the eyes.

And also the endless steppes, transparent lakes, Gobi desert, snowy peaks, hospitality of local people. Here yurts are not entertainment for tourists, but ordinary life, food at the stake.

Mongolia is called the country of the blue sky for a reason. There are more than 260 sunny days a year, and in the Gobi Desert it may not rain for several years.

How to get there?

If you are driving from Barnaul, then it is better to split the trip over several days. For example, get to the Aktash village in Gorny Altai, stop there for the night, rest. Moreover, the road to Ulagan district of the republic runs along an amazing beautiful places... And it is simply impossible to go without stopping.

For example, you will have to overcome two passes: Seminsky and Chike-Taman, where you must take a photo for memory. This also applies to the place where the Katun and Chuya confluence, and a few kilometers from the Aktash village there is the famous Geyser Lake, which has become popular among tourists.

The road along the Chuysky tract is in excellent condition, however, in some areas, repairs are underway, so that forced stops or even traffic jams are possible. Some travelers say that they had to stand up to four hours before being allowed to travel.

The road along the Chuysky tract, although good, is not easy, you will not be able to go fast, and few people want to accelerate on mountain serpentines and winding descents. So the next stop can be made, for example, in the village of Tashanta, to relax, gain strength and continue on.

What documents are needed to travel to Mongolia?

You need a passport, driver's license, car documents. But you don't need to apply for a visa. More precisely, if you are going to stay in Mongolia for less than 30 days, then you will not need it. If you expect that the trip will last more than a month, then you need a visa.

Of course, the import of drugs, psychotropic drugs and explosives, weapons and ammunition, samples of animals and plant tissues, as well as pornography is prohibited. If you are going to export furs and skins, gold, precious metals and precious stones, as well as items of cultural or artistic value from Mongolia, they must be presented at customs. The cost of each item should not exceed 500 USD; if this amount is exceeded, you must pay a duty from 10% to 100%.

These are not all restrictions, but there are not many of them. Please read them carefully before traveling.

Where to live?

Since in last years interest in Mongolia is growing, there are enough offers for tourists. In cities, tourists are offered accommodation in hotels, inns, in recreation centers. Prices vary, on the Internet there are both very inexpensive offers (from 700 rubles per day) and hotel rooms for 20 thousand rubles.

But outside Ulan Bator and major cities everything is much more complicated. The only accommodation option is a yurt. Most of the yurt camps are owned by private individuals. There are both cheap and expensive ones. A range of services from basic camping-type accommodation to luxury options with all the amenities. Meals are usually half board or full board... The cost of placement starts from 2000 rubles per day.

It is advisable to look for a place for overnight stays in advance, having already planned the route.

What is?

National Mongolian cuisine. Everyone's attitude towards her is different. Someone recommends not relying too much on gastronomic pleasure, so as not to be disappointed. Others fall in love once and for all with tea with cream and salt, kumis, lamb dishes. By the way, basically all meat dishes are prepared from sheep, and they also love goat meat. Less commonly, horse meat and beef. The food is hearty and fatty. So if you are on a special diet for health reasons, it is better to take cereals with you and cook it yourself.

By the way, food in a cafe will cost quite inexpensively, for example, you will have to pay about 120 rubles for a plate of lamb noodles.

When to go?

Officially best season in Mongolia - from June to early September. However, travelers who have traveled at other times say that Mongolia is always beautiful. The main thing is to get the right clothes. The more warm things, the better.

What to see?

It depends on what interests you in the first place. Some go for fishing and landscapes, while others consider it necessary to visit the Gobi Desert. Mongolia is different for everyone. And this country occupies a huge territory. So you won't be able to watch it in full at once. Or it will take a very long time.

Still, there are places that are highly recommended to visit.

Natural attractions of Mongolia: the deepest lake in Central Asia Khovsgol. By the way, it is very popular for fishing and ecotourism. Travelers also choose to visit the valley of the Selenga River, which flows into Lake Baikal. You can also visit sacred mountain Bogdo-Ula, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, the surroundings of which have the status of a nature conservation zone. And, of course, if you are primarily interested in nature, go to the Gobi Desert. This, of course, is a drop in the ocean from what you can see in Mongolia.

One lunch or dinner at an inexpensive restaurant will cost about 190 rubles. In a higher class institution - about 1200 rubles. The prices for food in supermarkets differ from those in Barnaul. More expensive in Mongolia. For example, a loaf of bread costs 44 rubles, and a carton of milk costs about 62 rubles, eggs (12 pieces) - 142 rubles. Vegetables and fruits are also more expensive than in Barnaul.

Accommodation, if you do not travel with tents, is also a significant item of expenses.