Mongolia Travel Blog & News

Yeah! Such great news! After a change in visa regulation, Mongolia is more accessible than ever. Find out if you need a visa to Mongolia here! Mongolia's immigration department has relaxed tourist visa requirements for 61 nationalities, including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, and Estonia. Mongolian government just announced that citizens from the below 34 countries do not need a visa to visit Mongolia for up to 30 days. This regulation is temporary and is valid until December 2025 at this point.

When walking through the streets of UB if you’re lucky, you can see someone throw a spoonful of milk into the sky as an offering. This ancient practice is a way to give an offering to the gods in Mongolian shamanic practice. People practiced shamanic religions centuries before Mongolia became a Buddhist country, and they had a deep effect on the lives of the people living in this country.

If you visit Mongolia, you’ll most likely pass through the capital, Ulaanbaatar. This city of around 1.5 million was founded in 1639 CE. Since then, the city has hosted many historic events – from the declaration of independence to historic tsam dance celebrations. Here is a list of 8 historic facts about Ulaanbaatar.

Travellers often ask “what is the population of Mongolia” and we used to answer “we’re almost 3 million”. Now we’re officially 3 million as Mongolia welcomes her 3 millionth citizen! The important person is a baby girl born in the morning of 24 January 2015 in Dalanzadgad town in the South Gobi. She was born to a young couple by the name of Azzaya & Khatanbold. Congratulations, Mongolia!

Lake Khuvsgul is one of the best sites to visit for travelers venturing to Mongolia. Located in the northern region of the country, close to the border with Russia, Lake Khuvsgul offers a host of activities and attractions for every type of adventure traveler. From hiking to boating, you’ll be plenty entertained on the shores of one of Mongolia’s largest lakes. Since travelers tend to flock to Ulaanbaatar when planning to go to Mongolia, we figured that a guide to visiting Lake Khuvsgul would be useful for those of you looking to go a bit more off the map. Here’s everything you need to know about Lake Khuvsgul.

Chinggis Khan did a lot for Mongolian nomads and the world. He administered an empire, enforced security so merchants could safely trade, and created military tactics that would inspire leaders for centuries afterwards. However, there’s one accomplishment that may surprise you – he brought writing to Mongolia.

Ger (aka Yurt) has been a reliable accommodation of the nomads of Central Asia for the last three thousand years. Surprisingly, due to its unique characteristics, ger is still used by Mongolian nomads nowadays. Interesting traditions involving gers include that the altar space usually serves as the traditional seating area for elders or respected leaders. Ger’s western half is considered the male part of the dwelling, while the eastern is where women lives and works. In 2013, the traditional craftsmanship of the Mongolian Ger and its associated customs was recognized as part of our Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Surviving two destructions and centuries of rejection, Erdene Zuu is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Mongolia, probably in East Asia. The building of the temple was ordered by the Abtai Sain Khan- grandfather of Zanabazar the Great when the Tibetan Buddhism was declared as the main religion of Mongolia in 1586. For Mongolians, who employed nomadic lifestyle, this kind of building or generally anything that stays in one place was not that common. So, the temple has naturally become the religious center, thus the heart of the Mongolia. The geographical situation was carefully thought out too, it’s built in Kharkhorin- near the old city of Karakorum.

Even though Mongolia might not be popular for its music or entertainment values, there are handfuls of places where you can jazz up your nights. Be it in a small indie club with local youngsters or classy jazz club where professional musicians perform, one thing is for sure- there’s no way you can spend your few nights in Ulaanbaatar hiding out in your hotel room!

Capturing many peoples’ imaginations, the Dukha, Tsaatan or reindeer people, live in the beautiful area North of Lake Khuvsgul in Mongolia. They are an enigmatic group; being relatively unknown because of the remoteness of the lives they live in the boreal forest. Read on to learn 15 facts about this group of people living as they have for centuries.