Mongolia Travel Guide 2018, Mongolia tourism & vacations, Mongolia travel vlog, Mongolia trip 2018 Travel Vlog 4K https://www.youtube.com/TravelVlog4K Mongolia is an amazing country to travel around in, due to its fantastic landscapes and total otherworldliness. Even in booming Ulaanbaatar, you’ll find that the city stands poised on the edge between East and West: Western-style restaurants next to traditional restaurants selling dumplings and soups; people wearing jeans and teeshirts walking beside people wearing the classic deel; taxi drivers listening music made on the morin khuur discussing American soap operas that they watch on TV… Because tourism is still in its infancy in the country, Mongolia can sometimes be a bit challenging to travel around. In fact, many travel companies even in Ulaanbaatar still don’t have a web presence! But don’t let that deter you from taking the trip of a lifetime. 1. Visit Ulaanbaatar Chances are, you’re going to arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city, whether you’re flying or coming via the Trans-Mongolian train from Moscow to Beijing. And Ulaanbaatar is a great place to start! Not only will you find a plethora of museums, monasteries, and other interesting places to visit, but it can also make a great base for planning the next stage of your Mongolian adventure. I recommend choosing a reputable hotel or hostel to stay in for at least the first couple nights of your trip so that you can familiarize yourself with the city and culture prior to jumping out into the countryside. 2. Learn about the History When I arrived to teach in Mongolia, I knew approximately four things about the country other than its geographic location: horses, nomads, Ghengis Khan, and that Ulaanbaatar is, on average, the coldest capital city in the world. Of course, that wasn’t going to fly with my students and their fierce national pride—it wasn’t long before I knew more about the culture, language, history, and traditions than I ever thought I might know! 3. Stay in a Ger Mongolian gers, or yurts, are the traditional nomadic style of housing in the country—but plenty of people still live in them today! Even on the edges of Ulaanbaatar, you’ll find sprawling ger districts full of families who want to live in the classic style while still enjoying all the conveniences of life in the capital city. Staying in a ger during your stay is definitely an experience that you won’t want to miss out on. 4. Ride a camel in the Gobi Desert Speaking of the Gobi Desert, this is one part of Mongolia that’s not to be missed if you’re going to be getting out into the countryside. It’ll take you a little while to get to—even if you take the train, you’ll be looking at an overnight or full-day journey! But it’s well worth the trip: there’s nothing in the world that’s quite like these vast expanses of no-man’s land. I recommend basing yourself in the small city of Dalanzadgad so that you can easily get out to see three of the main attractions of the Gobi, including the flaming cliffs of Bayanzag and dunes as far as the eye can see in Khongriin Els, although there are plenty of other places to explore as well. 5. Sleep in a Monastery Although many Mongolians claim to be atheists, Buddhism is still the predominant religion in the country, and you’ll see monks walking around Ulaanbaatar and most of the other major cities. And the country’s impressive monasteries can be quite interesting to visit. But why stop at just visiting them for a brief period of the day? Manjusri Monastery, located only a short distance to the south of Ulaanbaatar in Bogd Khan National Park, is a great choice for this. You can hike out to the monastery, explore the ruins of the monastery, and then spend the night in their dormitory for some quiet contemplation and zen relaxation time before you hike out in the morning. 6. Go Horseback Riding Mongolians are famous for their horses, and riding horses across the expansive, unoccupied Mongolian countryside is a real treat. In fact, if you wanted to, you could spend days out there on your own seeing no one except the other people you’re traveling with. 7. Drink Airag I always like to try the local brews when I travel; no matter where you go, you’re sure to find something special that you wouldn’t find back home. Airag, or fermented mare’s milk, is a drink that you won’t find in most parts of the world. The taste? Something between normal alcohol and that taste that coats your mouth when you stand next to a horse for a day. As I said, something of an experience—but it’s considered rude to turn down a sip if you’re staying at a ger and the family begins passing around a bowl of the stuff. Be careful, though: it’s got an extremely high alcohol content that can definitely catch a person unawares!

• published: 24 Feb 2018
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