Aelfgifu Travels

Hi Aelf Crew,

Today I begin my journey through Mongolia – starting in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Over four posts, I’ll share my route, from long bus rides across vast landscapes to camels, ancient capitals, and my hunt for fermented horse milk.

When the idea of traveling to Mongolia crossed my mind, I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice my Russian and a breather before flying on to China. I couldn’t find a lot of information online so I went on my own compilation of research. Spoiler from Aelfgifu: they do not speak Russian.

All in all, I was there for one week and the blue arrows below is where I went: 

It doesn’t look very far, but in between Ulaanbaatar and Kharkoin is an 8 hour bus journey – to give an idea of the sheer size of the country.

✈️ Getting There from the UK

There are no direct flights from London to Ulaanbaatar, so from London Gatwick I took the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul for 4 hours, had a 2 hour layover and then took the overnight flight to Ulaanbaatar for 8 hours. 

Luggage-wise, I was allowed:

• One backpack-sized carry-on
• One personal item
• One 30kg checked bag

Top Tip from Aelfgifu: If you are going alone, be aware that you will be carrying these around the airport and onwards so a backpack and a suitcase is more than enough to sustain you. If you were to take the three bag option, just be wary of how you are going to lug these around.

🛬 Airport Arrival & Taxis

As soon as I passed through customs, I was bombarded by taxi men who were offering me a ‘good price’ to drive to Ulaanbaatar. Unless you have organised a pickup, they will be your only option. Luckily, I found another traveller from my flight who was going into the centre of Ulaanbaatar as well, so we split the taxi cost. 

This journey took over an hour and a half (which I was not expecting)! By splitting the fare the taxi price was not completely unreasonable so we weren’t overly ripped off. However, if you are alone do negotiate the price or prearrange a pickup.

📱 SIM Cards & Taxi Apps

Inside the airport, there was a SIM card shop where you can buy based on the amount of data or duration of your stay. I had purchased an eSIM from Holafly, but in mild panic at the taxi situation (and at the temptation of the 20 pence for 7 days price), I bought one in the hope I could download the taxi app recommended to me by a Mongolian lady on the flight. 

However, for UBCab you’ll need both a Mongolian number and local bank card to use, so not tourist-friendly. 

🏨 Where I Stayed

I use HostelWorld religiously when travelling solo. There were not a lot of options in Ulaanbaatar so I stayed at Top Tour Guesthouse Mongolia – which is a hostel hidden in a block of flats just off a main road. It was pretty well located with a lot of restaurants and sites within walking distance. 

🐪 My Semi-Gobi Desert Day Tour

Whilst in Ulaanbaatar, I went on a tour booked via my trusty Viator. This was a Semi-Gobi tour, which included:

• Lunch with a nomadic family in a yurt
• A ride on a two-humped Bactrian camel 
• Visit to the Khogno Tarna National Park and desert dunes

The tour company advertises that “our main philosophy is to be your best friends in Mongolia,” and I can agree that this was something they stuck by. I enjoyed my day so much that I ended up arranging further sightseeing with the same guide – including a visit to the Genghis Khan statue, the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the Zaisan Monument, and a ride to the airport – all at an agreed price. It wasn’t cheap, but for the comfort and convenience, this is something I was happy to spend money on.

🏛️ City Highlights

Chinggis Khaan Statue:

A little over an hour drive from the centre of Ulaanbaatar is the enormous silver statue. I had the opportunity to walk up and stand on the horse’s saddle.

Outside, there is the opportunity for visitors to interact with eagles – you can wear a glove and hold a large eagle with the backdrop of the statue – a great photo opportunity! 

Inside the base of the statue are souvenir shops – I did eye up a dagger, but thought it might be taken off me in my carry-on in the plane….shame.

Gandantegchinlen Monastery: 

Zaisan Monument:

This is a memorial that honours the allied Mongolian and Soviet soldiers killed in the Second World War. It features a circular painting that depicts scenes of friendship between the people of the USSR and Mongolia. 

Tip from Aelfgifu: it is a steep climb to get to the top but if mobility is an issue, there is an elevator in the mall opposite, where there is a bridge to connect to the halfway point of the stairs. At the top of the monument offered an amazing panoramic view of the city, well worth a trip to this free activity.

🌆 A Few Notes on Ulaanbaatar

50% of the population lives in Ulaanbaatar, which is crazy when you consider the size of the country. As a result, Ulaanbaatar has terrible traffic. Once outside of the capital, it is rolling countryside and mountains – all on a single carriageway road. Looking out the window when driving along, you can see little boys on horses training to be jockeys.

The tour guide company was called Nomadic Hospitality of Mongolia if you wanted to check them out!

💡 Things I Learned

• I do feel rather foolish in my desire to go there to practice my Russian. I saw they used the Cyrillic alphabet and that confirmed it in my mind. However, they simply just use the Cyrillic alphabet and do NOT speak Russian, or English for that matter.
  • Make sure you have a Google Translate app to hand to help with this as you will be communicating through hand signals otherwise.

Have you been to Ulaanbaatar? Did you experience anything different to me? Let me know below!

With love from the steppe,
Aelfgifu