Mongolia Country Guide

The Tourist Information Centre provides travellers with reliable information about Mongolian tourism organizations (hotels, restaurants, tourist camps, tour operators, shops selling traditional products and souvenirs, museums, air and railway ticket offices, currency exchange facilities, guides and transportation) and gives advices on how to reach to specific destinations in Mongolia. The centre is located in Central Post Office near the Sukhbaatar Square in UB.

The Tourist Information Centre has several branches located in Chinggis Khaan Airport, International Railway Station in the city, several others in certain countryside destinations and in Beijing and Japan. While you are at the Tourist Information Center, you can check your e-mail, buy maps or take an organized city tour.

If you need advice on any aspect of your trip please email them with your enquiries. 

Ambulance : 103

Fire Station : 101

Police : 102

Traffic Police : 976-11-321008

Domestic Distant Call Inquiry : 117, 118

International Call Inquiry : 106, 116

Ulaanbaatar telephone inquiry : 109

Airport Inquiry : 198

Railway Inquiry : 976-21-24194

City taxi : 976-11-300000

Mongolia's climate is dry, with short, mild summers and long, harsh winters from October to April. Summer sees a small amount of rain, while it snows quite heavily in winter. Very warm, thick clothes are required for anyone wishing to visit during winter.

Follow the link to our Mongolia weather page for more information about the climate in Mongolia, the best time to visit and for a six-day Mongolia weather forecast.

Telephone

The country code to dial in to Mongolia from overseas is 976, followed by the area code (Ulaanbaatar is 11).

The mobile network is a GSM 900 network, and is operated by Mobicom.

Internet

Internet access in Ulaanbaatar is available at business centres, hotels, internet cafes and at the telephone exchange office located at Suhkbaatar Square. Internet access outside of the capital is rare.

Post

The main postal service in Mongolia is Mongol Post Company. Several international express mail services such as DHL, UPS and EMS are available. There are post offices all over Ulaanbaatar. Normal size letters cost 600 tugrug ( Mongolian currency )  and postcard 400 tugrug. The postal services is reilable but can often be very slow. Allow at least a couple of weeks for letters and postcards to arrive Mongolia. In most cases, you will have to post your letters from the post office.

The city's main place for postage and international calls is Central Post Office ('tuv shuudan') near the Sukhbaatar Square. You can send your letters, greeting cards and parcels by ordinary and express mailing services here. There are counters selling greeting cards, calling cards, papers, magazines and souvenirs. Also, there is a tourist information centre providing foreign travelers with useful information about tourism, tour companies, public services and offers internet, fax and IDD services. 

The official currency of Mongolia is the Tugrik (MNT). Notes come in denominations of MNT10,000, 5000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1, whereas coins come as MNT500, 200, 100, 50 and 20. Current exchange rates can be found on Oanda.com, the currency site.

Commercial banks and bureaux de change at specific hotels in Ulaanbaatar are officially authorised to exchange foreign currency. The easiest to exchange, with the best rates, is the US Dollar.

Credit/debit cards are accepted by the main banks, large hotels and some of the larger shops and restaurants in Ulaanbaatar. Be sure to check if they are accepted before ordering in places such as restaurants. Travellers cheques can be exchanged quite easily at banks in the capital, with American Express being the most widely accepted. They may be difficult to exchange outside of Ulaanbaatar.

Standard Banking Hours:
Mon-Fri 09:30-12:30 and 14.00-15.00.

Banks & ATMS in Ulaanbaatar include:

- Golomt bank (24 hour) Tel: 311971. Currency exchange and cash advance (Amex, VISA and others) 
- Trade Development bank. Tel : 327095. Currency exchange and cash advance (Amex, Mastercar, VISA and others) 
- Khaan bank. (24 hour). Tel : 460666. Currency exchange and cash advance (Amex, Mastercard, VISA and others) 

VISA and Mastercard can be used in the ATM mashines that are spring up around town. The five most easily located ATM mashines are: Chinggis Hotel, Ulaanbaatar hotel, Bayangol hotel, and Trade development bank's headquarters, Trade Development Bank's south of Sukhbaatar Square.

Population - 2.3 million people
Total Area - 1,564,116 square kilometres
Capital - Ulaanbaatar (over 1,000,000 people)
Time Zone - GMT/UTC +7/+8

The current time in Ulaanbaatar can be found by visiting TimeAndDate.com.

The official language of Mongolia is Khalkh Mongolian. Kazakh is spoken by about 5 per cent of the population. Throughout the country there are a number of different Mongolian dialects.

Hello: sain - bai - nuu
Good bye: ba - yar - tai
Thank you: ba - yar - la
My name is: Mini ner 'John'
I don't understand: be oil-goh-ghui baina
I understand: be oil-goj baina
I am sorry: uch - la - rai
I don't know: me - deh - ghui
How much?: Yamar une - tai vay?
1: negh
2: khoyor
3: ghurav
4: dhuruv
5: t'av
6: z'urgaa
7: doloo
8: nay'm
9: yus
10: arav
25: khorin t'av
50: t'avi
100: dzuu
1,000: myanga
1,000,000: negh say

Mongolia is a land-locked country in Northern Asia lying between Russia & China. To view a map of Mongolia, click on this link to WorldAtlas.com.

Follow the link to view a current list of public holidays in Mongolia.

An important holiday for all Mongolians is Independence Day or Naadam Holiday held from July 11 - July 13.

All travelers to Mongolia require a visa, except national of the USA who can stay as a tourist without a visa for up to 3 months. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from date of arrival.

All foreign nationals wishing to stay longer than 30 days are required to register with the local police within 10 days of arrival.

Visas are generally valid for 30 days from date of entry (and 3 months from date of issue); and can be extended in Mongolia by a maximum of 30 days.

Types/Costs are:

Single-entry: US$65
Double-entry: US$105
Multiple-entry: US$135
Single-transit: US$65
Double-transit: US$75
Multiple-transit: US$85

Under The Power of The Eternal Sky!' This speech is found in the ancient manuscript "Mongoliin Nuuts Tovchoo", written in Chinese script in 1240, which in Mongolian means 'The Secret Chronicles of Mongolia', or, more commonly, ‘The Secret History of The Mongols'. The man who gave this famous address was definitely Chinggis Khaan, who conquered and ruled half of the world.

The difficult process of establishing the Mongolian State was acutely described in the famous manuscript by one of Chinggis Khaan's close supporters. In 1206, at the Great Khurildai (convention) of Mongol princes and noblemen on the bank of the Onon River, the feudal nobility proclaimed Temujin as a supreme ruler of the unified Mongol State and conferred on him the title of Chinggis Khaan.

In the autumn of 1209, Chinggis Khaan set out against the Tangud, emerging victorious after having conquered them. In 1211, Chinggis Khan, accompanied by his sons Zuchi, Tsagaadai, Ugudey, Tului and brother Khasar, launched a campaign against the Chin dynasty and, in 1215, conquered its capital Beijing.

In 1216, the Khar (Black) Kidans were subdued and thus, the Mongol Empire occupied several states of Central Asia and Eastern Turks, its outlying areas reaching the borders of the Khorezm State.

In 1218, as a sign of good-neighbourliness, Chinggis Khaan dispatched a caravan with ambassadors on a diplomatic and commercial mission to the capital city of the Khorezm State, Urgench, but at the frontier town of Otrar the caravan was pillaged and the ambassadors murdered. Furthermore, three Mongolian emissaries sent to Khorezm to investigate the incident were subjected to unprecedented humiliations.

Accordingly, when invading Khorezm in 1221 after capturing Bukhara and Samarkand, the Mongol troops took Urgench. Chinggis Khaan's youngest son Tului led the Mongol troops into Afghanistan and northwestern India.

The troops, under the command of Zev and Subeedei, invaded Georgia and Azerbaijan in 1221 and battled with Russian forces for the first time on the bank of the Kalka River. The Russians were defeated. After only six years of warfare, the Great Mongolian Empire expanded as far west as the Black Sea.

In the autumn of 1225, after six years of campaigning in the West, the Great Khaan returned to his homeland. Chinggis Khaan then received the news that the rulers of the Tangud State of Si-Sya had entered into a secret alliance with the Chinese Chin Dynasty and were undertaking hostile policies towards the Mongols.

So, in 1226, another major campaign was launched against the Tangud and in 1227, its capital city Irgai was captured. In the same year Chinggis Khaan was wounded while out hunting and on 25 August 1227, he - the founder of the Great Mongolian Empire, expander of its borders throughout Central Asia and Middle Asia - passed away.

There are many rumours about Chinggis Khaan's graveyard among researchers. Some say his body was burried in 'Oglogchiin Kherem' in Khentii Province, Mongolia, where ancient noble people were buried, and where many archaeological findings have been dug up, whereas others argue that he was buried in Inner Mongolia.

Along the procession journey for Chinggis Khaan's grave from the South, every human that might become a witness was killed. 50 soldiers who dug his grave were killed by another 50 soldiers, and they were also killed. There is still a place named 'Zuun Tsergiin Bulsh' ('Graveyard of 100 Soldiers') in Khentii Province, Mongolia and there are many other interesting places connected to this great man's life and historical events in the province.

According to historical recordings, such as The Secret History of Mongols (written in 1240 AC) and other sources, his remains were brought to his birthplace in Mongolia and re-buried. His saddle, stirrups and a sock were shrined in the Land of Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Under the order of his functioneries, a Mongolian tribe was arranged to start guarding the shrine from generation to generation in Inner Mongolia.

A few years ago, the Chinese Government built a multi-million dollar tourist exhibition compound in the region. The items have still been kept in the main, restored shrine dome.

For the last few years, the Government of Mongolia has been investing in the tourism industry. Multi-million dollar projects were supported by the Government, such as the compound at Sukhbaatar Square in the capital city, where travellers can witness artistic works including massive bronze statues for Chinggis Khaan and his successors.

Another big investment is the Japan - Mongolian joint venture, staging a live show "Chinggis Khaan's Cavalry Rides Again!" held in July and August every year on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar City.