I've been dreaming about visiting Mongolia for years, and we've decided that we're going to take the bus, hitch hike, plan our own routes, camp and do it all ourselves. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now I'm TERRIFIED! Any words of advice or encouragement?
2
bodiekern
There aren't a whole lot of buses in Mongolia. Generally you go to the black market and there are jeeps and vans with signs saying where they are going. When there are 9 people in the jeep or 17 people in the van, they go. Sometimes you can get them to pick you up at your hotel or call you when they are almost full so you don't have to wait all day at the black market. You can get a Mobicom SIM card for $7 US including minutes.
You can also rent a van and driver for very little money if you hook up with a few other people and do your own cooking.
Mongolia is the best--I'm back for my second summer here. Go for it!
Advice: learn the cyrillic alphabet before you come (LP phrasebook). You'll be glad you did.
Will
3
joyandamy
Hi!
try to contact destinationnew@gmail.com for renting car with driver. They rent cheap good cars with experienced driver.
good luck joy
4
themadcat
Definitely go go go! There isn't anything that should stop you and you won't regret it.
I've been by myself (female travelling alone) several times and the infrastructure used to be way worse than now. As Will said, buses not going to get you that far. You need to be aware that the vehicles from the black market (Naran Tuul) generally get completely packed full and you'll likely have someone on your lap. It can be potentially dangerous if the vehicle hasn't been well maintained. I have broken down in quite spectacular style in Mongolia before, but luckily no one was injured.
As well as van hire (getting pricier mainly because of rising petrol prices), you should consider horses as a good way to get around. It's an awesome way to see the country - hiking can be good for exploring areas, but not so good for travelling between destinations - remember it takes several days to drive from one end of the country to the other. However, if you get a horse, you should really take a guide with you.
Learning the Cyrillic alphabet (plus the couple of extra Mongolian characters) is also very sound advice from Will. Russian can get you quite far with the older generation, and by my view is easier to learn that Mongolian :-)
Have a fab adventure!
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