The Questions
Travellers Ask

The focus of Mongolian tourism is nature and the environment, the nomadic way of life and places. Summer (including the short spring and early autumn) is the main tourist season, starting in May and ending in October. This is the safest time of year to travel to Mongolia in terms of weather, with sunny days throughout the country and enough rainfall to make the steppe lush and green.

September is enjoyable, colourful, not hot and not cold. Nomads have a variety of dairy products and are busy processing milk and preparing for winter, and the beautiful Mongolian countryside is even more picturesque in its autumn colours.

September is the best time to see authentic Mongolian outdoor celebrations such as the Wonder of Airag, foal stamping and the Aduuchin best-horse training competition. August is the time for the Danshig Naadam festival, and July for the Naadam Festival. June to August is the best season for northern Mongolia, Khuvsgul Lake and the reindeer people.

The first weekend of October is a great chance to see the Golden Eagle Festival in Bayan-Ulgii, western Mongolia. February is the best time to experience the Lunar New Year and the Mongolian winter, and March the Camel and Ice festivals. April and September are the best months to explore the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle.

Mongolia has an extreme continental climate: hot summers and very cold winters. The country lies at the heart of continental Asia, far from seas and oceans and in the lee of surrounding high mountains, and all of these factors make the climate dry. Cloudiness decreases markedly from north to south, where annual sunshine reaches 3,200 hours, which is why Mongolia is called “the Land of the Blue Sky”.

In winter the weather is dominated by a stable high-pressure system over north-western Mongolia, bringing little cloud and little snow but intense cold. Precipitation exceeds 500 mm a year in the mountains, 200–300 mm on the steppe and less than 150 mm in the Gobi. January is the coldest month, averaging around −20 °C in Ulaanbaatar and falling below −30 °C in the north.

We choose restaurants based on our experience, customer satisfaction, location and food. We usually include three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) every day of the trip. In Ulaanbaatar you can expect a good variety of quality restaurants serving international food. Breakfast is usually served western-style at your hotel.

For lunch and dinner on the city tour we mostly use Modern Nomads, BD's Mongolian Barbeque and Altai Barbeque, serving western and sometimes Mongolian food. We always have breakfast and dinner at the tourist ger camp, and on longer trips we sometimes take a packed lunch, carried in suitable containers so nothing spills or spoils. Tourist ger camps serve both Mongolian and international food, usually with a choice of main dish.

On request, we can provide vegetarian and vegan food. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know so we can inform the restaurants beforehand.

In Ulaanbaatar there are a few restaurants serving halal food, and on tour we can arrange halal meals if you tell us in advance.

A tourist ger camp is traditional-style accommodation with full-service facilities, used mostly outside the city. A ger is a round structure of lattice walls and poles with a peaked roof, covered with canvas and felt and tightened with ropes.

Camps have solar power providing 220V, plus showers, bathrooms and the basic necessities. All accommodation is chosen and checked by Sunpath Mongolia to ensure the best quality.

A nomadic ger camp is a traditional Mongolian ger next to a nomadic family in the countryside, with solar power providing 220V.

Staying there is a great opportunity to experience the nomadic lifestyle, but the facilities are more limited than at a tourist ger camp.

We use tents on some trips, in places with no tourist ger camps or local hotels. Mongolia offers fantastic camping in beautiful nature. On all our camping trips we provide high-quality two- to three-person tents, mattresses and other necessary camping equipment. There are no formal toilets or showers: you will use a sheltered toilet pit and a sheltered shower, and we provide water for washing.

On camping days we usually send vehicle support with an expedition chef for group tours. Groups of fewer than five travellers may not have a cook; the guides and drivers will cook for you instead. All our guides have basic cooking training, but not all of them are great chefs, so they will be happy to let you help. On tours without vehicle support, dried and canned food is available, but fresh fruit and vegetables often can't be carried beyond the first couple of days. For groups of more than six we usually send a cook, so you don't need to worry: the food will be excellent.

Under the Mongolian rating system, 2- to 5-star hotels are approved to receive foreign guests. Our accommodation is carefully chosen, based on our research, our experience and feedback from clients, to give the best combination of quality, affordability and convenient location. Depending on the tour, you stay in 3- to 5-star hotels in cities and the best tourist ger camps in the countryside.

Hotel check-in is usually from 14:00 and check-out by 12:00 noon. If you need to check in early, please let us know in advance, as it depends on the room being free on the day you arrive. Late check-out may cost extra.

Due to local fire codes, hotels in Mongolia can accommodate a maximum of three people in one room, so we will book your family two double rooms. We will request adjoining rooms, which are limited in Mongolian hotels, or rooms next to each other.

Hotels on our itineraries offer currency exchange, a business centre with internet access, postal service, a gym, sauna and massage. Housekeeping can usually provide a hair dryer, iron, converter and adapter (subject to availability). Some 4- and 5-star hotels have swimming pools.

Most starting-point hotels can store your excess luggage free of charge.

Internet access is available at almost all hotels on your itinerary, and most offer free Wi-Fi. Outside the city, some tourist ger camps offer internet access, free or for a small charge, so you may want to bring your own laptop.

Throughout Mongolia the power supply is 220V/50Hz, so bring a converter for any 110V appliances. Four- and five-star hotels usually provide adapters, but we still suggest you bring your own.

Mongolia uses 220V electricity, higher than in North America, and sockets take European-style two round-pin plugs. Bring an adapter so your devices work during your stay. If you forget, don't worry: your tour guide or the hotel staff can easily find you an adapter or converter.

Depending on the season, it's a good idea to bring warm, thin layers, a waterproof jacket, sandals, hiking boots, a hat and a headscarf.

Other useful items include photography equipment, audio and video entertainment, and health items such as insect repellent, sun cream, lip balm, a first aid kit and general medicine for minor ailments (headaches, colds and digestive problems), plus any prescription medicine you need.

Our tours are designed around learning, discovery and people-to-people experiences. For instance, all of our tours include a visit to a nomadic family to see their way of life. If you would like to bring them gifts, we suggest pocket knives, torches, sweets, small toys, colouring books and pencils.

But remember: whatever gift you choose, the recipient will be happy.

Mongolian and western food are both available throughout Mongolia. If you need special meals for religious or medical reasons, please tell us in advance so we can arrange your food.

Most front-of-house staff in 5-star hotels speak English very well. In the 3- and 4-star hotels Sunpath Mongolia works with, English is no barrier for simple conversation. If you need anything, ask at the front desk; they will be happy to help.