This is a note I wrote for a friend regarding his planned trip to Mongolia. It’s been a year since we went but the info and advice is as valid today as it was then. The trip in question was a nine day steppe, Gobi, wilderness road trip in a 7 seat, 15 year old [... Time-Lapse Mongolia]]]>

Riding shotgun...

This is a note I wrote for a friend regarding his planned trip to Mongolia. It’s been a year since we went but the info and advice is as valid today as it was then. The trip in question was a nine day steppe, Gobi, wilderness road trip in a 7 seat, 15 year old Russian military van. We booked the trip through Bobbi at the UB guesthouse in Ulaan Baator (UB) via email. She was extremely helpful and tailored our trip to our exact requirements. For instance, we preferred staying in a hotel before and after the trip so she arranged that as well as the airport transfers. Typically, the van trip requires 5 people which allows for a driver and a guide and the passengers. We were able to set the trip for our group of six and one driver who acted as our guide. The driver, Jack, was phenomenal, he really made the trip for us. Your trip cost is based on the number of passengers, if you are travelling alone or with a friend, Bobbi will pair you up with other travellers to fill a van and you then divide the total cost among all passengers. So even if you wanted to go with only one or two other passengers you could, provided you pay the total cost of the van between you.

We stayed with families that had a few extra gers (aka yurt) they use for travellers. It was a fantastic experience and we really felt we were getting to know a little about the people, customs, and traditions of the nomadic people of the steppes and Gobi. We went on the trip in mid June with a limited amount of time so the Lake regions were not an option. On our next trip, we’ll plan on spending more time in central Mongolia and then into one of  the Lake areas.

One thing many people are concerend about when contemplating this trip is safety and security. I really don’t think you need to worry about being kidnapped or anything like that. Everyone we met along the way was curious and friendly; or at worst, too busy to pay us any attention at all. You will have at least one vehicle break-down in one of the most remote spots on earth, and you may wonder just how long it will take the vultures and wolves to find you, rip the meat from your limbs, and leave your bones to dry and bleach under the relentless sun and blowing sand. But don’t sweat it, go for a little walk, and give the driver time to work his mechanical magic. Even if he can’t fix it (which would be rare indeed) another van, horse, motorcylce, truck, or whatever, will come by sooner or later to offer assistance. If you still think this trip is for you read on for further advice and notes from our experience.

If you go on the same route we took then you won’t be washing clothes anywhere along the trip and you won’t even be washing yourself very often. Shower houses are only in the large towns and there aren’t many towns (large or small). We had a shower stop about every third day, I can imagine that is what you should expect. It is basically camping so you should consider bringing your sleeping bag, too. None of us did and it wasn’t a real problem. The families had blankets for us at the gers but Corinne and I were very happy to have brought along our own silk sleeping bag liners, they made all the difference. Clothing wise, anything you would wear camping is good. A good idea would be zip off pants/shorts because it will get hot during the day and it will definitely get cold at night. So a decent light jacket (or windbreaker with a fleece) and good layering will be needed. Additionally, a good hat and sunglasses/sun screen are a must.

The families will feed you a small breakfast (tea and cookies) and a hearty dinner of meat and noodles or meat dumplings and of course more tea. We were on our own for lunch, though. We brought a good supply of trail mix, beef jerkey, granola bars, and dried fruit. Bring a decent size bag of stuff like that and maybe some extra for sharing with the driver/guide and families along the way. Your van should stop on the way out of UB at the grocery store where you can stock up on a few snack things and some other items to supplement the dinners if you want it (canned fruit/vegetables, other snack items, etc). But most IMPORTANT, buy a case of water there. Oh, and maybe a roll (or two) of toilet paper if you didn’t bring any…

You will need water. The families we stayed with boiled water for tea and we used it with no problems but aside from that you will need to bring water of your own. Don’t worry too much about the food, don’t think about what animal the meat is from, try things and share with the families, and you will have a fantastic time! Oh yeah, I would recommend bringing some small things for gifts for the kids. Small toys, small writing pads, pens, pencils, color pencils, toiletries, hair ties, berrets, bracelets, beads, magazines (there are a few teenage girls along the way that were surprisingly western savvy and they begged for fashion magazines or catalogs). Use your imagination but be careful not to pass it all out at once! We never ran in to anybodby who was demanding or pushy about these things, but they definitely loved getting the few things we gave out.

Don’t be shy about asking the driver/guide to stop when you see soomething interesting. If it has been a while he’ll probably be grateful for the cigarette break. Remember to smile at everbody, be friendly and sharing and they will treat you the same. Be careful in the city/towns, they have a real frontier feel about them, I think you’ll pick up on that. Hopefully your companions will be fun and adventurous and friendly. Most of the other groups we met along the way seemed like decent people, I don’t think too many jerks like to travel to out of the way places like Mongolia so there’s probably a natural selection process going on in the background.