The inaccessibility of this vast country from the mainstream noise makes it more magnetic, and I created this Mongolia Travel Guide for this very reason.
When I imagine Mongolia, I instantly think of a desolate, empty, isolated land. Yet, after visiting, I found it to be quite the opposite. I spent two weeks in this beautiful country in August 2024 and had the best time with a wonderful summer weather. I haven’t seen it in other seasons, but this is definitely a perfect month to visit because of the warmth that this season brings to one of the coldest countries in the world.
Mongolia Trip: How to Get There?
If you are coming directly from the Philippines, Mongolia looks like a long shot to go. However, I found that it is actually accessible via Hong Kong, China or South Korea. In my case, I took a flight from Hong Kong to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, with a three-hour transit in Beijing through Air China. Since I wanted to fly from hometown, Clark International Airport, I took an initial flight Cebu Pacific Air to Hong Kong and spent a day in the city.
If your passport allows you to travel through China or Russia without restrictions, then you can do a land travel. Here is a Mongolia travel guide you can check. Alternatively, you can take the flight offered by Hunnu Air which goes from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This does not operate daily so you need to check their schedule. It brings down your travel time to only 4 hours at a decent cost between $200 – $300 for a one-way ticket.
For Philippine Passport Holders:
If you’re transiting through China for less than 24 hours and staying within the airport on a single booking, you typically won’t need a visa. This is because we’re eligible for China’s 24-hour visa-free transit policy.
For Other Passports: Check your country’s updated transit visa requirements from the Chinese Embassy website.
Visa Requirements
Philippine passport holders do not need a visa to enter Mongolia for a maximum stay of 21 days.
Fast facts (Currency and More)
Currency:
Mongolian Tugrik (MNT)
100 PHP = 6,022 Tugrik
1 USD = 3,397.11 Tugrik
ATM Withdrawals:
You can withdraw your some local currency (MNT) from the airport and there are many ATM machines there. The one I used most is Khan Bank as it gave me the best exchange rate for my card.
Cashless Society:
If you don’t want to take out much cash, no worries. Mongolia is surprisingly and impressively a highly cashless society. Even in the provinces like Murun, you can use your ATM to pay on big local stores and supermarkets. Just take note that your card can get rejected on smaller stores, so it’s safer to have some cash with you.
Sim Card:
I bought a UNITEL SIM card at the airport with a 20G capacity valid for 15 days for 40,000 MNT (687 PHP). It was reliable and had strong LTE even in the provinces. However, if your phone allows you to install an e-SIM prior to your departure, just get that one. Just take note that signal can be quite inconsistent but still works well.
Mongolia’s Unique Taxi Service
Speaking from personal experience, Mongolia’s Cyrillic alphabets did not make it easy to use ride-hailing services. With their own ride-hailing app called ‘UBCab,’ using Google Translate to pin a location is not reliable most of the time.
So, in case you’ll need it in the future, let me introduce you to the country’s unique public transportation format. In Ulaanbaatar and in the provinces, you can get a ride by simply holding hand out and sticking your thumb up like making an “OKAY” sign. Some locals will openly take you in for a ride at a price they will determine after.
This is both good and bad because it means you can get a ride in the middle of anywhere and at anytime you want. However, it is not regulated and getting the price will be a surprise in the end. From all of my experiences, it’s still pretty cheap, and I never felt unsafe using this mode of transportation.
If you’re not open to this kind of format, then I highly recommend relying solely on UBCab. Since most of the places are written in Cyrillic, simply use the “use exact location” button or pin the destination on a popular landmark (like malls or tourist attractions) so that the driver can find you quickly. Most of them do not speak English very well and you need the trusty Google Translate to communicate.
Inter-city Travel: TapaTrip
If you are planning to do inter-city travel, I installed an app called ‘TapaTrip’ to book my buses in advance. This is important because buses get full especially on weekends. In my opinion, it’s safer to pre-book your transportation if you already have a well-planned itinerary. That way, you won’t miss on anything and need to cancel any plans.
I needed to type my Mongolian SIM card number for verification when I used TapaTrip for the first time. There are only a number of countries that are supported for the country code (e.g. South Korea, China, etc.). Needless to say, if you don’t have a local number and the list does not include your country in the list of country codes, it will be a minor inconvenience. Don’t worry, the simple solution to this is using a local’s number (you gotta make a friend :D) if you don’t plan on getting a local SIM card.
Mongolia Tours and Activities
As mentioned earlier, Mongolia is so much more than I imagined. It’s vast but not isolated. You’ll never run out of things to do. You can actually pre-book a lot of trips, particularly those that go to popular destinations like Gobi Desert, Taiga, and Orkhon Valley online.
Some local operators post their upcoming group tours on Facebook and I highly encourage you to join the Mongolia Travel Community to be updated. However, some of these tours are more expensive than booking when you’re already in Mongolia. On the other hand, tours only leave on certain dates, and could mess out on your plans if you don’t manage to join any.
Aside from the multi-day tours, which I did not do, here are some other activities you can do.
- Visit Terelj National Park – there no better way to start your trip to Mongolia visiting Terelj. You can book them through any hotel/hostel at a price ranging $100 – $150 to be shared by a maximum of three people. In my case, I came across YouTube video with a recommendation of a local driver. The price per person is only 100,000 MNT or 1650 PHP ($30) and there were only two of us on the tour (a fellow Filipina!!). You can contact me on Instagram (@mirjhipolito) and I’ll share his WhatsApp contact.
- Go to the Chinggis Khan National Museum – definitely something to not miss out, this 8-floor building walks you through the evolution of Mongolia’s societal structure — from nomadic times up to Genghis Khan’s successors. Each floor represents a different era, moving from the oldest to the most recent, making it easy to follow and understand history in an organized way. There was a special exhibit at the time I visited, and I payed 50,000 MNT or 825 pesos ($14) for the entrance fee. You can skip exhibits altogether and you’ll pay a cheaper price.
- Watch the performance of the Tumen-Ekh Folk Song and Dance Ensemble – definitely a highlight of my trip. I watched a live cultural performance of the Tumen-Ekh Folk Song and Dance ensemble at the Children’s Palace Ulaanbaatar (Google Map pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/V43nBzx5EPZvbMv49). It’s an hour-long performance with a variety of throat singing, dancing, and acrobatics — each of them are amazing and entertaining. For the summer schedule, the performance is goes everyday (Monday to Sunday) at 6:00 pm. I highly advise that you arrive at the location at least 30 minutes before the start of the show since seats get filled fast (free seating). You can also buy some souvenirs (like post cards and a small yurt keychain) at the facility for reasonable prices. Ticket price is 50,000 MNT or 825 pesos ($14) and it’s sold at the door.
Where to Stay: Hostel Recos
I stayed only on hostels, and can only give you recommendations for this budget tier.
Top Tours & Guesthouse Mongolia
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8cbWQPBVRWczP2XU8)
This is my first accommodation in Ulaanbaatar and is in a pretty central location. I stayed with them for 2 nights and I paid a total of 1200 pesos or 72,674.766 MNT ($21) for the entire duration of my stay. This rate already includes *free breakfast* which has a simple line-up of bread, a slice of meat, and a choice between tea/coffee. Not much but gets the stomach filled.
Danista Nomads
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/sHsLXNez94cuPPGP7
After coming from my vounteering experience in Murun, a province in the North, I stayed in Danista Nomads. I paid a total of 2,237 pesos or 140,000 MNT ($40) for four nights.
Sincerely, this is my favorite hostel ever. It’s cheap, clean, accessible, the staff are nice and very attentive, and there’s free breakfast too (very good one)! I like that the location is central but still very quiet at night. There’s also a good work station near the reception area with reliable wifi if you need to get some work done at some point.
Trying Out Local Food
I tried a lot of local Mongolian food, thanks to my volunteer host Saraa who cooks very good meals. However, they are pretty difficult to pronounce (not an excuse, I know!) and the majority of them are written in Cyrillic which I am not sure if I get the right translation.
The key to ordering on restaurants that do not have an English menu is to take a photo of the food displayed at the counter. Afterwards, it’s a guessing game. Most of the time, they will give you a number which will be called when the order is ready. If you can’t count in local language, best is to just wait at the counter and see if the food waiting there looks like the one you showed in the picture.
While I can only recommend you the Mongolian national dish to try called ‘Buuz,’ a meat dumpling, or Goulash, here are two restaurant recommendations you should not miss out on. Note that you’re visiting a meat-loving country, and it’s kinda hard to load up on veggies. But if you try harder, you’ll find one for sure.
- Khan Buuz
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/aHv5Tj9oWTmYPpox5
This is a local restaurant chain with multiple branches all over Mongolia catering to casual diners. The location I pinned above is located near the State Department Store, right at the city center, and safe to say you’ll pass through it at some point. The food is cheap and fast, and their specialty is buuz — a safe choice if you’re just starting out with the local taste. There’s also free suutei tsai which is a salted Mongolian milk tea at the counter — DO NOT MISS OUT ON THAT! 🙂 - Modern Nomads
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PrHpN1V5nbZA7QbK7
For higher budget dining and more available choices, Modern Nomads is a great choice. The choices of dish is close to 100, and it also helps that there is an English menu which explains a bit of every dish. It’s reasonably priced, though the serving size, I would say, is quite smaller than I expected. But if you’re going there for the vibe, it’s a cozy place to dine in. This branch I pinned is located near the famous Sukhbaataar Square, making it pretty accessible to go to.
How to Stay Safe
Mongolia is a pretty safe country. I never felt unsafe nor got scammed. You’ll meet a handful of drunk men (and women) along the road, whether you are in Ulaanbaatar or in the provinces. If you are not used to this kind of setting, it will be quite a shock in the beginning. They normally stay in their lane, But in case they do approach you, simply dismiss them and they’ll GTFO.
In addition, take note that traffic in Ulaanbaatar can get very hectic, and you might get a taxi driver who drives recklessly at times. Keep your belts fastened at all times.
You’ll Love Mongolia
Hope you enjoyed my Mongolia Travel Guide for 2025. This is a beautiful country — one you should never miss out on. It may look like a desolate place from a distance, but once you’re there, you’ll realize that the world is small, even in such a huge country. I wish you an amazing travel!
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