Why Mongolia?

The idea of visiting Mongolia has always fascinated me. For a very long time, I’ve been dreaming about visiting this mysterious country that has a very rich history, culture, and traditions. Mongolia is the world’s most sparsely populated country, with just 2.2 inhabitants/km² and a population of only 3.3 million. Approximately 30% of the population in Mongolia remains heavily nomadic, living in gers (Yurts), and they are classified as nomads to this day. Mongolia is a landlocked country that is located in the great Eurasian steppe, bordered by Russia and China. It is the birthplace of Genghis Khan, who unified the Mongolian tribes in the Mongol heartland and founded the Mongol Empire in 1206, which became the largest contiguous land empire in history. It stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, extending northward into parts of the Arctic; eastward and southward into parts of the Indian subcontinent, and westward as far as the Levant and the Carpathian Mountains in Europe. The Mongol invasions and conquests changed the history of the world and led to the end of several powerful dynasties and reshaped the political and cultural landscapes of the territories they conquered that is still felt in different places to this day.

In June 2024, I visited Mongolia for the first time. I was immediately enveloped by a sense of wonder and excitement. Over the course of four unforgettable days, I had the opportunity to learn more about the history of this nation, taste traditional cuisine, and marvel at the breathtaking natural beauty of this country. In this blog post, I will share with you the details of my experience there, so join me!

The Flight

Generally speaking, it’s so expensive to fly to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, especially if you’re not flying from East Asia. This was a real struggle for me as I didn’t want to spend a fortune just to spend a few days there. I was doing my research online and I discovered that there are relatively not-so-expensive direct flights from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I flew to Almaty, Kazakhstan first from Kuwait with a low-cost airline called Jazeera Airways, spent 2 nights in Almaty where I met some old friends, and then on Monday, June 11th, I flew to Ulaanbaatar on a Mongolian Airlines called Hunnu Air. The return ticket from Almaty to Ulaanbaatar cost me $560 USD and I bought it from Trip.com. It turned out to be an excellent deal!

Prior to the flight, I had no idea about Hunnu Air, and I couldn’t find any information online reviewing the airline. I couldn’t even find any photos of what the cabin looks like. It was so mysterious. I couldn’t even manage my booking using their website or to check in online. I was ready to expect the worst. I arrived at Almaty airport, and checked in easily, but unfortunately, there was a 2-hour delay due to bad weather. Luckily, I had lounge access, so I was waiting for my flight in the lounge, but it felt bad that I realized I was going to miss the landing during the sunset.

We finally boarded the flight. Hunnu Air has a fleet size of 3 aircraft only. The one that took me to Ulaanbaatar is an Embraer 190 equipped with leather seats and a 2-2 configuration. The flight was very comfortable as the seats were relatively spacious with good legroom, and the service was quite good. They served a meal during the flight, and it tasted alright. It probably doesn’t look the best in photos, but the taste was just fine. I had the seat next to me empty, so I had a lot of space. The crew was nice and very professional and took safety procedures very seriously. Before takeoff, the flight attendant asked me to remove my headsets, which is not something all crew members in other airlines pay attention to.

The flight took around 3.5 hours. I arrived at the new Chinggis Khan airport, which is brand new but probably small. It’s obvious that Ulaanbaatar isn’t a busy international hub; that explains why the airport was quite small. It’s located outside the city, about 50 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar and cost me 100,000 in Mongolian currency, which is equivalent to $29 USD to reach the hotel. I paid the taxi counter in advance and the ride was very comfortable even though the driver didn’t speak any English or Russian. Luckily, I arrived after the rush hour, so the traffic wasn’t heavy on the way to the hotel. At around 23:30, I arrived at my hotel, Hotel Nine in Ulaanbaatar, which is located in the heart of the city.

Arrival and First Impression

I was impressed by how modern and clean the airport is. The passport control was like a breeze, thanks to my Canadian passport (you can’t imagine how grateful I am for having such a great passport). I picked up my suitcase and looked for a store that sells a local SIM card, but unfortunately, they were all closed. I proceeded to the airport taxi counter to arrange for a ride to my hotel in the center. I arrived at my hotel, checked in, and arrived in my room, which was rather small but clean and comfortable. I noticed that hotels in Ulaanbaatar are not cheap at all, and I was lucky that I booked my room 2 months in advance, that’s why I was able to enjoy a special rate. The 4-night stay in this hotel cost me around $280 USD (it normally costs more than double of this amount). I did my research before booking a hotel there and checked several hotels and apartments online and came to the conclusion that Airbnb doesn’t have great standards as in other countries, so I opted for a hotel.

I was starving, but it was hard to find any open restaurants. Luckily, the bar right next to the hotel had some bar food to serve, they had nothing to serve other than nachos and pizza. I ordered some nachos and was shocked by the huge portions. I had read somewhere while preparing for this trip that food portions in Mongolia are humongous, and it looks like it’s true. After the unhealthy late-night meal, I strolled to Sukhbaatar Square, which was only a 3-minute walk from the hotel and is also the heart of the city of Ulaanbaatar.

Exploring Ulaanbaatar

The next morning, I had my breakfast in the hotel and got ready to explore the city. The hotel breakfast was average at best. The first thing I wanted to do was to get a SIM card, and I didn’t realize it would be so challenging to find one that actually worked. I followed the advice of the hotel receptionist to get a SIM card from a company called Skytel and went to the mall to get one. It turned out to be bad advice and will tell you why. I went there, bought a SIM card, and waited for 5 minutes but it didn’t work. Thirty minutes later, I returned to the store and informed them about the issue, but they asked me to wait for the signal. I decided to ignore the whole thing and find a solution later, so I went to the square to see the city in the daytime for the first time. The beautiful blue sky truly impressed me, and the square was full of life. I noticed that during my stay, multiple events were happening at the square every single day. Summer is a very busy season in Ulaanbaatar because the winter weather is so harsh. Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital in the world, so you can imagine how cold it gets in the winter. Hence, there are many events happening during the summertime.

After spending about an hour in the square, taking photos, and admiring the beautiful eternal blue sky, I noticed that my SIM card was still not working. Lunchtime came, and I decided to try the Mongolian burger, which was mediocre, to be fair. I will write more details in the food section below. I returned to the store that sold me the SIM card, asked the guy if he could speak any English, he said yes, and I started to explain the problem to him, but it seemed that he didn’t understand anything because he kept staring at me without saying a word. I lost hope in these people and decided to go to another mall called Galleria Ulaanbaatar. It’s a modern and upscale mall where I found another mobile operator called MobiCom. I explained to them that I bought a SIM card from another company called Skytel, but it didn’t work. In 5 minutes, I had a new SIM card in my phone that was actually working, and the problem was solved. Bottom line, if you’re in Mongolia and you want to get a SIM card, don’t go to Skytel. Get it from MobiCom!

Zaisan Monument

In the afternoon, I went to visit a very special site in Ulaanbaatar. It’s called “Zaisan Monument”. It is a memorial in Ulaanbaatar that honours allied Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in World War II. It’s located on a hill in the southern part of the city, so it’s about a 20 to 30-minute drive from the center (depending on the traffic). The memorial features a circular mosaic that depicts scenes of friendship between the people of the USSR and Mongolia. The Soviet mosaic I saw there was definitely one of the most beautiful Soviet mosaics I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m a big lover of Soviet mosaics so I spent a long time admiring the beautiful paintings there. It’s so breathtaking to stand in front of this majestic piece of art and contemplate deeply and reflect. Such a beautiful piece of Soviet art that I truly adore. I regret not going back to this site again during my visit.

As I mentioned above, the memorial is located on a hill, so you can have a panoramic view of the city from there. The architecture of the city of Ulaanbaatar confuses me with new high-rise residential buildings next to each other. This modern look of the city might please some people, while some others may have a different opinion about it. I personally find the architecture of the city a bit non-homogeneous and maybe even disturbing. Besides, it’s very common to see Gers next to high-rise residential buildings.

The site is incredible, but you have to climb the stairs to get there, which can be exhausting but it’s defintely a good exercise. However, the reward you receive when you reach the site is breathtaking. When you finish your visit to the site and go down the stairs again, at street level, there’s a real Soviet tank from WWII and an illustration showing the route from Moscow to Berlin. Zaisan Monument is by far my favourite site in the city and as I said above, I regret not going there again.

Chinggis Khan Statue Complex

The next day, I was excited to finally go outside the city and experience the real Mongolia. I booked a full-day tour on Viator (a TripAdvisor company) for about $90 USD. The tour included a pick-up from the hotel by a knowledgeable English speaking guide, transportation in a comfortable car, a huge lunch, and visits to Chinggis Khan Statue Complex, Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, and Aryabal Buddhist Temple.

On the tour, I was accompanied by a very nice and friendly Canadian couple from Vancouver. We had many conversations about travelling and about Canada (obviously), and I’m glad I shared this tour with them. It was about a one-hour drive from the hotel to the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex. When we arrived, there weren’t many people there, giving us a great opportunity to get the best experience without having to queue to take photos. The statue is a 40-meter-high stainless steel structure and the world’s tallest equestrian statue. It is located on the spot where, according to legend, Chinggis Khan found a golden whip! The statue points east towards his birthplace. You can get a panoramic view of the area by climbing to the top of it, which is exactly what we did. Looking out over the area, I told myself, “It all started here, in a tent, and from that tent, he went on to conquer the world and create the largest contiguous empire in history”. There’s a museum at the complex where you can learn a lot about the history of the Mongol Khan and the culture of Mongolia. We had some interesting conversations about history with the guide during our visit to the museum. Later, we took some photos with a Mongolian eagle and two-humped camels. Normally, I don’t do such touristy things, but honestly, it was so tempting to have the opportunity to take a photo with a wild eagle or to briefly ride a two-humped camel. As we were about to leave, more people started to show up, so I am glad we arrived early to get the best experience.

Later, we made a stop for an early lunch in a ger. The lunch was extremely generous and really tasty. I am going to write about it extensively in the food section below.

Gorkhi Terelj National Park

Gorkhi Terelj National Park is one of Mongolia’s many national parks, located about 60 kilometres from Ulaanbaatar. A small portion of the park is developed for tourists, featuring cafes, souvenir shops, ger camps, and rental horses and camels. However, the majority of the park remains undeveloped and is difficult to access. The park is known for its striking rock formations, such as Turtle Rock and Old Man Reading a Book Rock, which are popular with rock climbers. We climbed the Turtle Rock and crossed a very narrow path that made me feel extremely claustrophobic, but the magnificent view from the top made it all worthwhile.

Aryabal Buddhist Temple

Later, we made a stop near Aryabal Buddhist Temple and from there, we had to walk and then climb for about 30 minutes to reach the magnificent temple. The views from there were stunning and it felt so beautiful and peaceful. I went inside the temple and it was my first time inside any Buddhist Temple. It’s very well kept and the place as a whole is very peaceful and quiet.

We returned to the city after visiting the temple, arriving around 4 pm. At the beginning of the tour, I chatted with a Canadian couple and told them about the Zaisan Monument, which I had visited the day before. The guide mentioned he might be able to drop us off there, but he ultimately didn’t. I wish I had pushed him to do so, as I really wanted to visit the monument again. Who knows when I will be able to visit Mongolia again. Maybe never! Honestly, the tour was very good but not perfect. The guide, although he’s knowledgeable, didn’t say much after the stop at Chinggis Khan Status Complex. It felt that he ran out of things to say after that. I arrived in the hotel and I was truly exhausted. I took a nap because I didn’t have a good sleep the night before, woke up, and then went for dinner and called it a night.

National Museum of Mongolia

The next day, I decided to explore more places in Ulaanbaatar, such as museums and galleries, try more local food, and buy some souvenirs for friends and family. I started my tour at the Mongolian National Art Gallery. In short, it was a waste of time. Nothing impressed me in that gallery apart from an amazing brutalist stained glass piece. Besides that, nothing stood out, but maybe I’m the one who lacks taste.

Later, I visited the Mongolian National Museum, an impressive place due to my immense interest in history. As I stepped into the museum, I felt excited knowing that I was about to embark on a journey through the rich history of Mongolia. The museum exhibits sections from the ancient history era to the complex dynamics of communist and modern Mongolia. I spent a good 90 minutes there navigating through the diverse content. I was particularly fascinated by the vast Mongol empire on a large detailed map, which reveals the extensive reach of an empire that once conquered more than half of the known world, the world world.

There’s a souvenir shop that is located on the right as you enter the museum and to enter it, you don’t need to buy a ticket to the museum. The shop sells a variety of Mongolian souvenirs for very good prices.

Later at night, I went out with a friend from Mongolia and went to a local place that plays Mongolian Rock music. It was an interesting experience although very loud music (or maybe it’s me getting older). Anyhow, it was a nice evening and it was cool to experience it and to see many excited Mongolians around me enjoying the music on a Friday night.

Food

Here comes one of my favourite things to do when I travel to a new country: food! Mongolian cuisine relies heavily on meat, dairy, and animal fat, reflecting the nomadic lifestyle of the people and the extremely harsh winter climate. I noticed that the portions there are really big. I was shocked by the amount of food served every time I went to a restaurant. However, the taste wasn’t always spectacular. I had some tasty meals, but not all the time. I went to a burger place to try the Mongolian burger (I like to try a burger in every new country I visit), and it was mediocre at best.

The other meals I had in restaurants were slightly above average. However, the meal we had in a ger during the tour stood out. The taste of everything we tried there at the ger was truly delicious. The Mongolian meat pie, called “khuushuur,” was very tasty. We also tried some dishes with noodles and beef or noodles and lamb, and they were very tasty. We also tried camel meat, which tasted good albeit a bit dry. So if I were to give the food in Mongolia a score, it would be 7 out of 10, which is not great but also not terrible 🙂

Summary

Here comes my favourite section of my articles where I can express my thoughts spontaneously. I recently spent 4 delightful nights in Mongolia. As I mentioned before, Mongolia is an unusual place to visit. it’s a truly off-the-map destination; remote and out of the way. Still, if you ever get the chance to go there, you absolutely must do it and experience the uniqueness of this mysterious country.

The weather was perfect during my stay. The temperature ranged from a high of around 19 degrees to a low of about 6 or 7 degrees. While it may sound a bit chilly, it was relatively warm the whole time, except for one night when I had to wear a sweater. The sunny weather was ideal for activities such as hiking outside the city. Ulaanbaatar, known as the coldest capital in the world, experiences extremely cold winters from October to May. Thus, visiting during winter might not be a good idea. Hotel prices can be quite high during the busy summer season. Luckily, I booked my hotel in advance, avoiding the steep prices. I also noticed that there aren’t many accommodation options like hotels or Airbnb apartments in Ulaanbaatar, which drives up prices, especially during peak seasons.

Ulaanbaatar is a modern city. There are plenty of upscale shopping malls, stores, restaurants, and high-rises in the city. However, I personally didn’t like the architecture and found the buildings to be not homogenous. Even though many places in the city are incredibly modern and developed, you start to see many underdeveloped areas once you go outside the city. Gers are everywhere, as, from my understanding, land in Mongolia belongs to the people allowing anyone to set up their ger anywhere, even next to a high-rise building. There’s also a ger district on the outskirts of the city, which I unfortunately didn’t visit.

The traffic in Ulaanbaatar is terrible. I believe that the urban planning of the city wasn’t done properly. The population of the city increased massively due to many nomads settling in the city with their gers, doubling the population of the city in a short time. The traffic is so bad that it’s often faster to walk than to be in a car stuck in the traffic. Speaking of traffic, there’s a taxi app in Ulaanbaatar called UB Cab. You can simply download the app and start using it if you have a Mongolia SIM card to receive SMS to activate it. You can’t use it without a Mongolian number and you still need to pay the driver in cash once you reach your destination. The taxi fares are usually affordable.

The Mongolian people I met were all generally nice and very polite, though I noticed that they could be a bit reserved. This isn’t necessarily a good thing or bad thing but it’s just an observation. They may seem reserved and not the most open to meeting foreigners, possibly due to the harsh climate, the challenging nomadic lifestyle, or the language barrier. Despite this, I found them to be incredibly polite

Even though I don’t like to go shopping while travelling because when I travel, I don’t have time to go shopping, there’s an upscale store in Ulaanbaatar called “Gobi” that sells Mongolian cashmere clothes. The items they sell are quite expensive but the quality is fantastic. I highly recommend visiting this store if you want to buy a piece of clothing such as a sweater, jacket, or scarf that will last a lifetime.

The next morning, I ordered a taxi to the airport using the UB Cab app. Upon arriving at the airport, I was standing in the check-in line when I noticed a woman who seemed a bit lost and unsure where the line started. She looked confused, so I offered her my spot. As she stood in front of me, I realized she looked remarkably familiar. A moment later, it struck me that she closely resembled my very good friend and colleague in Canada, who is Russian from Kazakhstan.

I thought I should mention it to her, so I started a conversation and told her that she looked just like my friend in Canada. She told me later that she was wondering “Is this a pickup line or what?” 🙂 . Her immediate reaction was, “Show me her photo.” So I showed her my friend’s picture, and she pleasantly smiled and said, “Oh yeah, we do look similar.” We ended up sitting next to each other during the flight back to Almaty and talked non-stop for over four hours. It was an amazing coincidence. Interestingly, she had also been on the exact tour I went on but in a different day. Despite Mongolia being a massive country, it seems the tour options are limited, especially for those not too far from the city. Tours to more remote sites can be costly, costing around $700 for a night in the Gobi Desert.

I believe tourism in Mongolia still has room for improvement, but with small steps in the right direction, I’m sure things will rapidly improve in the next few years. They recently opened a new airport, Chinggis Khan International Airport, which indicates they are moving in the right direction to enhance tourism.

I landed in Almaty and I had to run to clear immigration and pick up my suitcase and check in for another flight to Astana, where I flew next. I will not write an article about Astana next because I wrote one 2 years ago but I am going to write a review of my business class experience with Air Astana on a flight from Astana to Aktau, a city on the Caspian city.

This is all what I can say about Mongolia for now. If there’s one particular word to describe the feeling I had in Mongolia, it would be the feeling of fulfilment. I felt fulfilled for reaching such a remote and exotic land. I felt like a true voyager, like Marco Polo – albeit an Arab one but with a powerful Canadian passport, just like the golden tablet Marco Polo had, which authorised him to receive throughout the Great Khan’s dominions such horses, lodges, food, and guides as they required and provided him with protection 🙂

Stay tuned for the next blog about my incredible Air Astana business class experience.