Mongolia

[Decodus00]

Anyone been there before? I'm planning a trip with my friends in April 2017.

Any past experience and advice will be greatly appreciated..

 

[purplewave]

never been but always wanted to go, there are no direct flights to ulan bator which means no special deals.

 

[_Dave_]

I've been there for work. I feel that most people there don't speak English well, so maybe public transport is out. When I was there, the air quality wasn't that good, so if you're sensitive, maybe bring a mask?

Sent from ~ using GAGT

 

[Decodus00]

Hi, the plan is to take a plane to Beijing then transit to Ulan Baatar as the rail option takes up too much time.

Are they able to communicate in Chinese ? I came across some reviews, mostly recommend don't spend time inside the city as air is terrible. The trip aim is to go grassland and camp in the yurts a few days

 

[SOS9112001]

Hi, the plan is to take a plane to Beijing then transit to Ulan Baatar as the rail option takes up too much time.

Are they able to communicate in Chinese ? I came across some reviews, mostly recommend don't spend time inside the city as air is terrible. The trip aim is to go grassland and camp in the yurts a few days

Mongolians don't like Chinese, i advice you not to attempt to speak Chinese to them... especially when you are not in UB.

 

[dilphinus]

Mongolia is a waste of time. They don't speak Mandarin. Too many days in the grassland can be a killer. Everyone I met, regretted spending too much time in the grassland. UB is probably too 'developed' with high rise buildings now.

Was there a couple of years ago.

Beijing to UB by train takes slightly more than a day. You can make a stop in Datong and/or Hohhot. Consider going to the grasslands in inner Mongolia (China) as it will be cheaper than (outer) Mongolia.

 

[_Dave_]

Mongolians don't like Chinese, i advice you not to attempt to speak Chinese to them... especially when you are not in UB.

this is quite true. i was there for work, so i had a couple of mongolian contacts with me who can speak very broken english. they described how mongolian punks will randomly beat up chinese-looking dudes at traffic intersections..

 

[Din0saurus]

just saw this:

http://travel.asiaone.com/travel/destinations/are-tours-inner-mongolia-really-worth-paying

don't spend more than 2 nights unless it is a tourist-luxury yurt. I did my yurt camping thing in Kyrgyzstan to get away from the hordes of tourists and gave up after 6/7 nights. my guide/driver hiked out overnight to pick up the car and I arranged for a horse the next morning to ride out and meet him at the road.

 

[beanstalk6]

Inner Mongolia is distinct from Mongolia proper and also other regions where the nomadic lifestyle can still be experienced closer to its original form. It will be hard to find ethnic Mongolians who live as nomads anywhere in Inner Mongolia or all of China. What you will be able to find, as per the article described, is theme-park style experiences in Inner Mongolia.

 

[Din0saurus]

Article was on Inner mongolia which is part of China. Am assuming that TS is asking about Outer Mongolia.

Im surprised that you last 6 nights! Most people dont know what the outback really mean.

it's a recommendation from kinda knowing TS.

i'm surprised i had to cancel the last day and head back to civilization 1 day earlier. i'm not exactly like most people. it was a combination of having seen enough and physical/mental fatigue. my feet had blisters since day 3 from the seemingly endless walking and horse rides.

Inner Mongolia is distinct from Mongolia proper and also other regions where the nomadic lifestyle can still be experienced closer to its original form. It will be hard to find ethnic Mongolians who live as nomads anywhere in Inner Mongolia or all of China. What you will be able to find, as per the article described, is theme-park style experiences in Inner Mongolia.

there are nomads west of ulugqat in china but i don't think most people are ready to embark on something like that...

 

[Decodus00]

alot of good info here, thanks all..

i think i will use english and malay over there instead LOL..

im pretty curious about Hohhot in inner mongolia too after reading the articles, seemed like more easier to travel around as more commercialized n tours available.

will update accordingly as we go by.... hopefully can confirm soon

 

[dilphinus]

alot of good info here, thanks all..

i think i will use english and malay over there instead LOL..

im pretty curious about Hohhot in inner mongolia too after reading the articles, seemed like more easier to travel around as more commercialized n tours available.

will update accordingly as we go by.... hopefully can confirm soon

Hohhot is just like any other Chinese city. I got the day trip to the grasslands from the hotel i was staying in. went horse riding. had to pay additional as it wasn't part of the package to go to the grassland. the only highlight of going to the grassland is the horse riding.

 

[beanstalk6]

alot of good info here, thanks all..

i think i will use english and malay over there instead LOL..

im pretty curious about Hohhot in inner mongolia too after reading the articles, seemed like more easier to travel around as more commercialized n tours available.

will update accordingly as we go by.... hopefully can confirm soon

Hohhot resembles any other Chinese city, except for some ethnic-looking buildings (mostly in bad taste- imagine malls with yurt tops) and the mandated Mongolian script on signboards. I actually had a problem finding Mongolian restaurants. The Mongolian quarter in town is supposedly crime-ridden. Many parts of Hohhot are under redevelopment, like many other Chinese cities.

 

[vogriphach]

I went to Mongolia last month.
Didn't do any yurt stays as I wasn't interested in being out in the wilderness for a couple of days (am a city boy).

I did UB and went out to Terelj and Nalaikh for day trips. The capital has quite a few things to keep one occupied for a couple of days. I was there in winter and it was very polluted in the evenings (worse than the haze). But it was OK in the day.

Wrote about my experience here: http://iwandered.net/2017/04/18/things-to-do-ulaanbaatar-mongolia/