camping in mongolia? and suggested itineraries...?

Hi Araul,
I suppose you mean camping with your own tent right? If so, then there isn't any problem that I encountered with just camping wherever you want. I traveled with my own tent and just stopped every day wherever I was. In towns I don't know of any organized camping sites but if it's a small enough town and you can walk out of it there shouldn't be a problem. Once I was invited to pitch my tent in someones backyard (In Renchikhlumbe which is a bit west of Khovsgol Nuur) and once in Choibalsan (eastern mongolia) I just pitched it in a park in town.
I was never disturbed or not allowed to do so.
In big towns though I do suggest guesthouses (especially in UB).
Itineraries depend a lot on whether you want an organized tour or going independently. If you have a general Idea of what you want it will be easier to suggest.
Good travels,
Yoni

Do some reading. The usual destinations for people staying in Mongolia for more than a few days include:
Western Mongolia and the Altai region, the Gobi Desert and the Lake Khovsgul area.

Just because you plan to be in the country a longer period of time, doesn't mean that you should miss the things near UB so see this thread: 7 days in Mongolia

And finally if you are hoping to see some of the smaller nadaams outside of UB you should probably try to find the dates as they are not the same as Nadaam in UB. Otherwise you may discover that you are arriving after they have occurred.

Ruth

Mongolia is the perfect place to camp! I would totally recommend camping over staying in a ger camp (although you should do it at least once). That is because you can then pick an idyllic spot far from the cluster of ger camps that seem to appear everywhere and are never located in the best spot! We camped for almost the entire 2 months that we were there. It was incredible, stunning location after stunning location, we felt utterly spoilt!
3 weeks would allow you to visit Western Mongolia, but you will have to fly in and out. We did it in just over 2 weeks flying into Uulangom and out of Khovd, and found it the most stunning part of the country. It is remote and wild, yet totally safe, and perfect for camping! Otherwise you could do the northern and central loop.
Either way you could attend the Naadam Festival at the end of your trip, or the beginning. I highly recommend seeing the festival in the countryside as it will be less crowded and you will see the action up-close. Do check the dates are they are usually a few days before or after the Naadam in UB. We saw the on in Kharkhorin and it was fab!
Have a great trip!

hi maybe you can have some more conferm by readong my webpages http://www.terramongolia.com and found also some ideas for your trip?

have nice trip in Mongolia, we go often there and so we can also help if you need by giving you some address or ideas

hi there,

i have booked a tour of 17 days starting from 05 july, 2010 till 21 july, 2010, the tour name is 'Big loop'. already my UB based tour optr has got more than 4 pax including me for these dates, may be more. price per person is US $ 900, inclusive of accommodations - tent & gur, meals, transport, airport pick up & drop off, accomm in UB wherever appliacable etc etc.

Sights: Natural beauty Baga Gazryn Chuluu, National Park Gobi Gurvan Saikhan - Natural beauty Yolyn Am - Sand dunes Khongor - dinosaur site Bayanzag - Ongi monastery ruins - Karakorum ancient capital - Tsetserleg town - Mountain Pass Tsagaan - Rock Taikhar - River Canyon Chuluut - National Park Khorgo-Terkh - Mountain Pass Orookh - River Valley Toin - National Park Lake Khuvsgul - Extinct Volcano Uran - Amarbayasgalant Monastery.

call me back if you are interested to join. i will forward u details..

my duration in Mongolia would be 02 ~ 26 july, 2010.

jayanraj

My friend and I are going to Mongolia next May for about a month and we really want to camp for the majority of the trip. Not sure where abouts we want to go yet but what I really want to find out is does anyone have any advice for buying a tent? Basically, we're leaving the UK in about 2 months time, spending a good few months in India, then travelling through China and eventually into Mongolia! So we'd be carrying the tent with us (I imagine we'll still use it during this time though). Based on your own experiences of the terrain and climate could you guys recommend a particular make/model? Same goes for sleeping bag! Thanks so much, I look forward to some good advice! :)

P.S. Does anyone have any tips on using the Trans-siberian railway - best way to book etc?

emmahanusch - Below is what I call my transsib starter information.

Try the library or a used bookstore for either of the two TransSiberian guidebooks, one by LP and the other by Trailblazer.

Look at these websites for lots of useful information:
waytorussia.net
Man in Seat 61
New Russian Train sticky
For train schedules, try these sites:
Die Bahn (multiple languages including English but no prices)
Your Train - CIS train schedule (Russian and English but no prices - if you don't know the spelling, just put in the first letter or two and there is a pull down menu)
Russian Train Site (only in Russian, but tells you if seats are available within 45 days of travel and it gives the prices for available seats on travel within Russia. My website explains how to use it.)

Usual stops in addition to Irkutsk to see Lake Baikal include any or all of the following (from Moscow to the Mongolian border):
Yekaterinburg which is worth a day to see the old center of the city and the new church built to commemorate the Romanovs. Also get someone to drive your to see the cemetaries where Yeltsin's parents are buried and take a look at the local mafioso graves.

Novosibirsk which is worth a few hours to see the Stalin architecture and if you are in need of an Irish pub but otherwise can be missed in my view.

Krasnoyarsk which is worth a day or two. Be sure to see the dam at Dvinogorsk and to go for a hike in Stolbi, the national park. The ethnography museum in the city is very good as well.

Irkutsk which is worth a day on its own and then several days in the Baikal area. Just outside of Irkutsk visit the wooden architecture museum to get a sampling of old buildings. Visit the lake front. If you have time, get some rest and solitude on Olkhon Island or visit the hot springs near Arshan in the Sayan Mountains, or take a ride along the circumbaikal train to see the lake up close.

Ulan Ude which is worth a day for the Buddhist datsan outside of town, the bust of Lenin and the ethnography museum.

Other stops that are also highly recommended but a bit off the usual path:
Kazan which is worth at least a day to see the Kremlin (A UNESCO world heritage site), the university that Lenin attended and walk along the pedestrian mall in the center of town.

Tobolsk which is worth a day to see its kremlin and some of the old houses.

Tomsk a university town which is worth a day to see the wooden buildings and soak up some atmosphere.

Prices are impossible to provide as within Russia they depend on the dates of travel, the class of travel, the particular train. There are examples in the New RU sticky to illustrate this.

You cannot buy tickets or check prices or availability on the rzd.ru website until 45 days prior to departure. There are instructions on my website (link below) for how to see the prices and ticket availability.

Trains on the rzd.ru website are not listed by name but rather by number.

In order to purchase tickets on the rzd.ru website the first thing you must do is register. To do that you must start at this page: http://www.ticket.rzd.ru/wps/portal/register

Read the instructions for purchasing on this page: http://www.ticket.rzd.ru/wps/portal/pp

A tt user named miky76 has a website that will help you translate the pages. See How to Register and book tickets on rzd.ru in translation

It will ask you in which number wagon or train car you want to reserve a tickets and then for which range of berths within the car. Certain numbers are often avoided. In kupe people often don't want 1-4 or 33-36 as they are at the ends near the samovar or toilet. In platskartney they usually don't want the side berths 37-54 as they are shorter and more likely to be bumped. Also, berths no. 35,36 are a bit shorter, 33-36 are near the toilet.

Note that not all credit card companies allow you to purchase on Russian internet sites. The website requires that your VISA card be verified by VISA and that your MasterCard have a security code. Some cards appear not to be able to purchase these tickets even though the site itself is quite safe. Also you do not always get an e-ticket. More often you receive a receipt with a barcode. To obtain the tickets present this receipt with your passport and the credit card you used at a train station window with an @ sign.

Ruth

Edited by: everbrite