september 2012

Hello! I am hoping to go to mongolia for sept 2012 and would love any tips, places to go, recommendations etc. Would also be intersted in poss travel with another as will be flying solo. Mongolia has been a dream destination for me for 20 years, can't believe will finally be gettng there. As I am limited by time will probably be flying there and back from UK unless I fly to moscow and get the train (have been on the trans siberian before frm beijing. Am interested in seeing some eagle action in mongolia! Also, any recomendations for a veggie in mongolia!?
I await your pearls of wisdom.
By the way am 32 (will be 33 in sept, boo!) and love wilderness hence the destination.

The Gobi desert is the must-see area in my opinion. Khuvsgul is beautiful and spectacular but in an Alpine way.
The Gobi is stunning wilderness and unlike any where else. Being veggie is fine in UB but trickier outside. Take some vegetables and noodles with you. The difficulty will be if you visit any herdsmen in their gers, where it is a bit impolite to refuse any meat offerred.
For the Gobi try looking at www.gobitiours.com

There are some guest houses in Ulan Batar that organise budget tours - two well-known ones are the Golden Gobi and Khongor. Basically you tell them where you want to go and they will arrange a vehicle with driver and a guide if you want one. They will also match you up with other travellers wanting to go to the same places so you can share costs.

If you have a guide she will also cook for you, and you just have to say up-front that you're a vegetarian and this can be accommodated. Some people do their own cooking to save costs - it's easy enough to buy things like pasta and bottled tomato sauces. Fresh vegetables are available but selection is limited - you shouldn't go hungry but might get a bit bored!

We organised a tour with the LG Guesthouse in UB, and luckily our guide/cook was vegetarian, so did us great meals everyday. I think we'd have found things a lot harder if not for her. Also be aware that Mongolia starts to shut down for winter in mid/late september. A number of the ger camps we stayed at literally shut up for winter right behind us.

Check out Ger to Ger (http://www.gertoger.org) for "nomad centered tourism". I have done this several times and enjoyed it.

Note - this involves a heavy dose of "roughing it" - both physically (sleeping on the floor of a ger) and culturally (attempting to communicate with people that have almost no English skills).

That said, if you are open minded, it will provide insight into the traditional Mongolian way of life. You will literally travel from ger to ger in the Mongolian countryside (ger is the traditional housing for nomads). I traveled by camel cart, horseback, and yak cart.

Good luck.

Be sure to negotiate the food issue specifically when planning your travels within Mongolia. You might want to bring along some camping meals or instant noodles as your dietary needs won't easily be met outside of UB. Search this forum for some other posts about being vegetarian in Mongolia.

As a single person, you will likely have to wait until arrival to find a group to join but you should also post on the travel companions branch. Also start contacting the guest houses as soon as your dates are determined and make known your desire to join with other travelers.

September is the end of the tourist season and already the weather will be getting cold so you will need to be flexible about when and where you travel. The two most popular destinations outside of the UB area are Lake Khovsgul and the Gobi desert. Each take about 5-7 days from UB. How long were you planning to spend in Mongolia?

Ruth

Gun-Galuut is the must see destination in Mongolia. There are many nationally and globally threatened species in the NR. For instance, Argali Wild Mountain Sheep, Siberian White Crane, White-naped Crane, Hooded Crane, Red Falcon, Black Vulture and Swan Goose... Also exciting nomadic festival of Mongolia is held annually on 17 and 18 September in the amazing nature reserve of Gun-Galuut.This fantastic cultural event is one of the biggest and most colorful festivals of Mongolian nomads and gives the best chance to experience the true Mongolian nomadic culture, traditions and customs within only 2 days. More information: bold(http://mongoliagercamp.com)

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