Western Mongolia Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Transport between western Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar is mainly by plane – so flights are often very full. Transport by land from Ulaanbaatar is a rough and tedious six days. The northern route via Arkhangai has several points of interest, but most share vehicles travel along the mind-numbingly dull southern route via Bayankhongor and Altai cities to Khovd city. The one-hour trip by air is well worth the money.

Though not a main traveller route yet, it is possible to enter or leave Mongolia at the Tsagaannuur border crossing (Bayan-Ölgii). With a bit of planning (you’ll need a Russian visa) it’s possible to tour the area and exit to Russia without hightailing it back to the capital. It may also be possible to fly between Khovd city and Urumqi in China; check with Air China for details.

Note that western Mongolia is in a different time zone from the rest of the country – one hour behind.