“WHO DRINKS WATER IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY MUST FOLLOW THE WAYS AND CUSTOMS”
(mongolian proverb)
ABOUT MONGOLIA: situated between China and Russia, Mongolia is well-know for its biggest steppes. 1 565 000 km2 for 2,500,000 inhabitants, lowest population density in the world: about one person per km2. Before it was totally nomadic now about 60% of the population lives in towns. Mongolian practice a mixture of Buddhism and shamanism.
On the North and West you find Altai and Khangai mountains (>13,800 feet) and on the East and South the desert highlands like Gobi desert. Only 1% of the land is arable and population lives mostly by farming. Capital Ulan Bataar (U.B.) was first called Urguu.
Language: Mongolian speak Khalkaha, from the name of the biggest tribe. Russian and chinese and also some German is spoken. Now English and French are starting to be studied.FORMALITIES: you need a visa and it’s valid for one month. For longer stay you need an invitation letter. As formalities change often we recommend that you ask for the most current information at the nearest embassy
To get visa on Beijing/ Irkoust/ Ulan de: necessary 5 days,
You can extend your visa on U.B: only one time for 30 days more and only on UB :go to the Immigration office with 3 photos to write a motivation letter , 4 days delivery and if hurry you will pay 12000T for service fee instead of 5000T plus the price of 2$ for each day you want more (7days= 15$ + tax , 30 days=61$ + tax) Price 2009
IMPORTANT: when you ask to extend your visa, who help you is responsible because on the apply form you will have mentioned his address. If they ask you to phone them during your trip do it! This is not to know about what you are doing but to know if all okay and so the Police will not search about you. Tell them also you are leaving for your own country especially if you will not use their services again. This is valid for any kind of agencies as for single Mongolian who help.
INVITATION LETTER: contact in English: mejet69@yahoo.com
VISA LONG STAY: contact www.consuls.net or others agency which visa application (http://www.traveldocs.com/index.htm …)
RUSSIAN VISA: for touristic visa + invitation letter go to Legend Tour on Seoul avenue with 100$ 2008 price! info@legendtour.ru
Useful information to get the tourist visa to Russian in Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar) in 2009:
The all process to get the Russian visa takes from 10 business days to 16 business days (after you will give all documents). It depends on citizenship. You can not arrange the Urgent Russian tourist visa in Ulaanbaatar.
You should have with your original passport with at least 2 blank pages (passport must be valid for at least 6 months after intended departure date from Russia, 1 photo. At out office you will fill in application form where you should write information about yourself correctly. You should have an original health insurance with you for traveling to Russia.
At the Russian consulate in Ulaanbaatar we can provide you with Russian tourist visa. For this you need to buy the tour package in Russia (minimum to reserve hotel accommodation in Russia) Invitation letter for Russia costs 25$ 2009 price!
HOW TO GET THERE:
- BY PLANE: connected with Moscow, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Berlin, Frankfurt… The airport is 25 km from U.B and taxi will wait inside, 10-15euro to go downtown
U.B -Beijing 250euro difficult to find seat in summer
GETTING THERE FOR LOW PRICE:
buy a ticket to Moscow+Moscow-Irkoustk+ Irkoustk -Ub (train)
LOW COST DOMESTIC RUSSIA
www.s7.ru/en/
www.alternativeairlines.com/aa/index.cfm
www.krasair.ru/2. BY TRAIN AND BUS
click here for train time table!
- FROM RUSSIA
with the TRANSIBERIAN: Moscow - U.B=5days. You need a transit visa for Russia and the train ticket costs less if you buy it on Moscow (No agency feet) Not daily except Irkoust-UB-Irkoust. More information: http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian-timetable.htm
http://www.nevsky88.com/Visa/default.asp
http://www.nevsky88.com/Transportation/Train/default.asp & http://poezda.net/en/indexYaroslavski railway station a moscou pour : Irkutsk, , Trans-siberian trains
How to read your train tickets? http://www.legendtour.ru/eng/train-ticket/train-tickets.shtml
TRANSIBERIAN transiberian map: click here!
On summer It's difficult to find seats, better to reserve several months before departure. Tickets are on sale 45 days before the day you want to take the train,, If you buy the ticket through an agency ask before and so be on waiting list, so you will have more opportunities to get the train when you desire. Not dailyOn Moscow you can buy tickets at CHISTYE PRUDY subway. Prepare on Cyrillic all you want to ask (prices, time table, information…) nobody speak English but as not so much people they will have more time for you!
Transiberian to much expensive? No seat available? You might use the local solution! You will need an average of 2-3 days more than Transiberian (4-5 days according way).
In Moscow buy a train ticket for Perm or Yekatarinburg ,Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyark, Irkoust, Ulan De, Ulan Bator; according time table in that way you will reach Mongolia. Better to know some Russian to buy tickets in railway stations, if not buy a vocabulary and ask for translate some sentences in Russian to can buy tickets easy in the railway stations (same for UB- Moscow)
Time table: http://www.baikalcomplex.com/trans.htm#transSibIf your dates aren’t fixed you can find easier some solution.
Railway station in Russia: all booking-offices are not open with same horary and close on different time each others! Employees aren’t nice at all and can’t speak English .
Solution: use “servis tsentr” (service center), you will find them in all big railway station in Russia, employees are nice and sometimes knows some English, they will buy for you railway tickets charging around 200 rouble (price 2009)
Sometimes in the big towns you can buy tickets in some special booking offices and also outside the railway station in some travel agencies.
As even employees will say you the train is full you can try to ask directly to the hostess chief of the train (the provodnitsa): tell her your destination and the normal price of the fare you want to pay, if there is free seat, you will enter into negotiations and so arrive to find a solution!BUS: Irkoust –Ulan De- UB and return: from 2009 you must change at Ulan De. In summer better to reserve seat (1200 RB per way in 2009) payment vy Money transfert: ZA BAIKALOM, touroperator in Buryatia 670034 RUSSIA Ulan Ude, p.o.b. 11978 tel. +7 (9025) 648-278 fax+7 (3012) 463-828www.uude.info , zabaikalom@mail.ru even based in Ulan De they have in irkoust contacts to deliver tickets you order. Real good agency!
- Irkoust – Ulan De – Irkoust: each 2 hours from 7.30AM to 9.00PM with mini bus of 15 seats, 500 RB (2009)
- Ulan de – UB – Ulan De: 12 hours per way (departure 7.30AM from Ulan De arriving UB 9.00PM, from UB at 7.00AM and arrives at 8.00Pm at Ulan De) 1200 RB per way (2009) custom time: 2 hours
OPTION BUS AND TRAIN: Irkoust – UB- Irkoust and return: train 361 price 4000 RB (2009) 36hours (2 nights) trip, 6 hours waiting for customs. From Irkoust train arives at 6.00AM in Ulan De and you might take at 7.30AM the bus to Ub from the bus station at 15 minuts walking fron train station. Customs take 6 hours by train trip and only 2 hours by bus trip. IRKOUSTSK /ULAN UDE: if possible choose the window on the train, real wonderful view on the lake
IRKOUSTK: www.hostel.irkutsk.ru good place and they give many information about the aerea. baikal lake on May is still icy only from june you can go to Olkhon island.
- FROM CHINA
Beijing-U.B. with TRANSMOGOLIAN: 2/3 times /week according to the season. You have to buy the ticket on CITS office chenh@cits.com.cn, tel:0086-010 -l85228408
OR CONTACT: Richard Tian: richard@oceantravel.com.cn or oceantravelcn@yahoo.com.cn . They will provide for air or train tickets, real good agency, you will pay advance and take your ticket on their agency near Tian an men square.On Bejing transmongolian train lives from the railway station called “Central Station”Sometimes on guide books called as railway station of Bejing. This n^means nothing as many railway stations in Bejing! The one who interest usi s near BEIJING ZHAN SUBWAY (LINE2) and also called “Beijing Railway station” (situaed SE of the forbiden city)
If you can’t get tickets you can choose this solution from Bejing:
BUDGET OPTION: BEIIJING – UB - BEIJING
- Budget option, costs about €50 instead of €200-350 (price 2009)
- Take the bus from Beijing LuiliQiao bus station (LuiliQiao station can be reach by subway: line 1 Gongzhufen, then take taxi or walk 40 minuts) departure 4PM (please control) price 2009: 180 yuans (18€) to Erlian, a border city on the China/Mongolia border. Another bus station, 2km South of LuiliQiao join each day Erlian for same price and departure 5PM
- The ride takes about 12 hours, you will arrive early in morning in Erlian, to finish your night in an hotel you must take special taxi for big luggage for 10 yuan per person; then from your hotel in China to railway station in Mongolia it will cost you per each 90 yuan.
- Also a train exist from Beijing to Erlain: just control about time table and price to railway station
- opening border at 9.30AM
- From Erlian cross by jeep the border (make a group, 70 yuans per person), or take the noon bus to Zamyn-Uud on the Mongolian side,
- take the daily local train to Ulaanbaatar ( leaves 4PM from Zamyn Uud arrives at 7am in UB cost around 16 euro, control price and time table)
- Same on the way UB-Beijing (UB- Zamyn Uud daily train 4PM and Sun/Thu direct UB- Erlian, 12/15h trip)Other solution: Beijing- KHOKH KHOT - UB and way back change in Jinning 2/week (UB-KHOKH KHOT : Mon/Fri)
http://www.china-train-ticket.com/index.html#beijing , http://www.chinatripadvisor.com/english/ and http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/
http://www.china-train-ticket.com/PS: Some difficulties to buy on UB train tickets for Moscow and Beijing for Transiberan and Transmongolian , be careful if you don’t have time to wait because it isn’t possible to reserve seat for all trains. Be careful also at the beginning of university as students will reserve seats so long time before as they return in China or Russia to study.
PS: Don't rush out of the train, it is then that the pickpockets operate! Some board the train to rob the unaware. Look after your luggage, and DO NOT use porters!
TRAVELING IN MONGOLIA:
Traveling in Mongolia is not always easy as depend also how you will discover this country and how many days you have vacation. Traveling by jeep can be sometimes tiring because of bad climate or bad roads, so better to not want to make many KM! prefer do less Km but take time to enjoy countryside and its nomadic life. Agencies and especially independent drivers really often don’t have a shop downtown so it could be difficult when on UB to choose the best one for you.
1. BY LAND: public transportation isn't reliable: delayed, canceled… Roads are running tracks in very bad condition. Vehicles can be rented from private owners for about 50 cents $/km in town. BUT WRITE ALL DESTINATIONS WITH CYRILLIC LETTERS as nobody will understand you (ask at your hotel), also good for all the taxi running in U.B. For longer stay the price will depend of what kind of deal you can make, the number of persons, the price of gasoline. Often you will find different prices: one for local people, one for Russian (a little more expensive) and one for others (more expensive).
- RENT A JEEP: around 110€/day/jeep all included (petrol and driver) for 4 people plus the driver. If you rent a mini bus (van) enough for 6 p with all luggage. The price can be higher than for a jeep Sometimes the drivers are not well versed in directions so they will make all kinds of excuses not to take you somewhere: the truth is that they don't know where you want to go. So inquire beforehand and be sure they are familiar with all the places you want to go so you are not disappointed. Some drivers won't want you to sleep in yurts but instead insist you go to tourist camps.
With a good driver, taking a guide is not necessary, as a good driver can make you discover all you want to see.
Don’t even think of renting a vehicle without a driver because no street lights and no road sign! GPS won't help you much, the drivers use their instincts and use landmarks such as mountains, forests… and in case of a problem they will ask the nomads who will welcome you with airak or milk salt tea…
- BE AWARE: if you take a tour organized by a guest house, they will prefer to look at the real costs than the quality of the tour you will do: no possibility or really difficult to ad days or finish before the tour, also difficulties to change the itinerary as even for few KM, so ask what is included on the price as often a low price doesn’t include the driver, the gasoline, the food or depend of the number of people going on tour and sometimes at least the price will be almost the same or higher then a independent renting. Example if they ask you for 45€ day/person all including and you are 3 persons you will pay 135€ day, so more than with a honest independent driver without the freedom to do as you want and choose your itinerary and how long you want to rent. If on the price taxes for national parks are not included be sure to not pay for all your trip more than 10€ per person. Be aware if food included, as many tourists talk to not have had enough to eat during the trip, so take with you some more food! If food not included in the price, it’s better for you as you can choose what you want and the qualtity you need, , you will spend around 4-5€ day so this can't justify some high prices you will find as on the way outside UB you will never find famous restaurants!
CALCULATE WELL BEFORE FINAL DECISION AS MAYBE YOU CAN SAVE MONEY!!!
This can happen also with independent drivers they will ask more if you are less than 2 person or only 2 by example. Also is good to optimize the renting, so we recommend you to ask more and more what is including on the price, if price by person or per vehicle telling how many persons you will be and so make the addition.
Often drivers will not drive you to nomad families to sleep at night and so where you can divide nomadic life under the ger, same for guest house who organize or agencies, you will sleep under your own tent and no difficult to have contact with nature and nomadic life. Sometimes they will choose to stop in guest ger who is a good choice as gers beyond to nomad and so you will participate at local business. As even now many agencies in UB it’s always difficult to localize them or to find the one good for you, or to compare them often because no time to search them. As advice we can give is to search information before you go in Mongolia and so choose the agencies or independent drivers who can be the right choice for you without doing definitive reservation and so when it will be time, or also in UB, make the better choice for you. In summer, july-august, it’s the high season and so it will be difficult that the agencies or independents drivers you think okay for you have a drivers for you. Maybe you will have to wait some days before to leave, or to short your program or to accept the first driver you will find without have the choice to compare with others. An advice could be to reserve if during your search you think to have find the right person for you and so no have surprise after.
It’s also important to verify the qualities of your driver, it’s not easy, some drivers say they know all but outside UB they have difficulties or don’t know what to show you on the area you choose to visit.
Language problem is easy to jump as the kindness of your driver as well a phrase book and speaking by hand will help to communicate easy, so no need really an translator.
Another point to think is the difficult life you can have if you join a group in a guest house as not everybody have same ideas and same interests.
BE AWARE: since some years now you can find Japanese jeeps and mini bus, if more confortable than the traditional Russian WATZ, you have to know that modern vehicles are electronic and if you have some engine troubles it will be really hard to repair on countryside. The traditional Russian WATZ always can be repair anywhere in countryside as only mecanic. It’s also an important point to verify with your agency or independent driver as according where you want to go as even if Japanese jeeps are 4wheels they can’t go any where especially if your choice is a difficult destination.*NEED A DRIVER? we can recommend you Mejet who has been a wonderful traveling companion and was always ready to help us. Mejet, for 90/95€day/jeep, will show you his marvelous country which he knows perfectly. You can be sure that almost every night will be spent in ger (sometimes in cool season it can be an idea to go on guest ger who beyond to nomad families where you can heat all the night the ger: according the program you choose and also according the choice offer by the area you will be you will do the better choice)
Mejet will pick you up free on your arrival and he can arrange your accommodation in his small guest house, but the important with him you will always decide about program, how many days, stop, changing program on the way of course all of this according logic!
Mejet will help you by choising your program, will show you where can be the difficulties and find with you the right solution according your needs and time you have to visit Mongolia. He can propose you some ideas as well some programs where nobody go and of course not the agencies or programs make by guest houses. Just contact anf feel free to express yours ideas, doubts and desires!
You will have from Mejet help for everything: the can go with you for formalities if necessary, buy/reserve air plane/train tickets, to buy specific things, medical problems…
CONTACT FOR THE DRIVER: www.mongoliatours.org
E-mail: mejet69@yahoo.com
Tel/Fax: ++ 976 11 45 41 67 (English, Russian) mobile ++ 976 99 164 335BE AWARE THAT MEJET RECEIVES A LOT OF REQUESTS…SO DON’T WAIT TOO LONG…AS SOMETIMES TO FIND GOOD DRIVERS IS NOT SO EASY …AND AUGUST IS FULL SOON EVRYWHERE
TIP: according your satisfaction and of course you aren’t obliged…
Public transportation is almost non-existent. Actually a bus system runs to the major cities but later if you want to visit the area you need a private vehicle and you can have serious difficulties to find one out of U.B and cities.
*TRUCKS can take passengers but really trying and no intimacy and autonomy!*MINIBUSES AND COLLECTIVE JEEP: : in the steppe there exists a good network but they only cluster towards the capital or aimags capitals: example: U.B.- Arvaykheer-U.B. (price 10-15€ for 400 km), leave only if full and they almost never stop along the way to take passengers. Be aware as trip by bus can be tiring as they optimize the trip by taking many passengers, and on long trip as by example UB- Olgy there is 2 drivers and they drive nights and days non stop and the trip takes 4 days.
The collective jeeps to not make a mistake with the tour by jeep organized by the guest houses with “private driver” leaves from the bus station in UB or from the Black Market (in the others towns ask, but generally it’s from the market), 6 to 12 persons for a real cheaper price and go faster than the busses but only go in the capitals of the different areas (U.B-Tseterleg: 12 hours trip for 400km=15$, Tseterleg-Tariat: 10 hours trip= 10$) prices 2009
You can go in countryside by local bus because every towns or village have a bus stop where to find a collective taxi to go next village or town. The taxi will go only if full or you have to buy all the seats or to pay for the remain seats, in that case the taxi will go immediately towards the destination. Price will depend of the KM to do, petrol price, if you rent all for yourselves and your capacity to bargain. The difficulty will be to understand each other especially if you want to rent for some days or special destination as nobody will speak English. To travel in that way request more time e in ayn case will not you permit to go out of the village towards nomadic families as of course no bus will drop you in front them or make ger to ger (except if you rent only for you the taxi)TRAIN: only a railway line crosses the country from North to South going to Irkutsk in Siberia or Beijing in China. There are 3 routings, one for Edernet, the other to Sharyn Gol and the last to Baganuur. Not expensive at all. Mongolian Railways tour bureau. room 331 PO box 376 Ulaanbaatar 13 Mongolia
UB- MOSCOU: 2-3 times week
UB- IRKUSK: everyday
UB- PEKIN: 1-2 times week
UB -ERLIAN: Sun/Thurs
UB- ZAMUN-UUD: Everyday; 15H journey
UB- ZAMUN-UUD: Fri/Sun; Express 12H
UB- SUKHBAATAR: Everyday; 8H journey
UB- KHOKH KHOT: Mon/ Fri
Can change so just inform you again!PLANES: flights to major cities with Aeromongolia & Eznis. Luggage limited at 15 kg (3$/kg extra).. Be careful: flights can be delayed and cancelled because of bad weather or damage to the runways. Reserve as soon as possible your tickets as often tour operators reserve all the seats! Price are higher now (Mongolian will pay 3 time less than you) by example UB-Olgy one way is 250€ and round way 460€ (price 2009) Khatal only in summer.
If you arrive by plane in local place you can find some taxi waiting passengers.
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