Mongolia tours with free WiFi during your trip – leave it to a local specialist travel company.　

A continental climate. In summer the daytime maximum can exceed 35 degrees, but nights and early mornings can fall below 10 degrees, a climate with a very large temperature difference. Even in summer, long-sleeved sweaters and fleece are must-haves.

Also, it is very dry, so wear a hat in the daytime and don't forget to drink water. From the second half of September it shifts to winter weather, and from October to early March it snows. In midwinter it drops to minus 30 degrees.

To enjoy outdoor activities such as horse riding, May to early October is recommended, but riding across the white steppe in winter and dog sledding are also attractive.

▶ For details:Guide to Packing, Climate and Clothing

Mongolian outlets are a mix of type B, B3 and type C, so we recommend bringing a multi-plug. The voltage is 220V. Some devices also need a transformer to adjust the voltage.

In the case of a homestay at a nomad home, many homes charge from solar panel batteries, so please bring a power bank.

We provide free WiFi from the start to the end of your trip.

At the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport you can buy a SIM card usable for 7 days for about $25.

▶ For details:Guide to Apps, Smartphones and the Internet

At the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport there are exchange offices open 24 hours on the 1st and 2nd floors. You can exchange at any time. When you return home, you can also exchange leftover Mongolian currency back into foreign currency.

▶ For details:Currency and Exchange Guide

Toilet paper is placed in each ger, but ordinary restaurants may not have it, so please bring your own. In case your stomach is upset from eating unusual flavors, we recommend anti-diarrheal medicine.

We provide a kettle for boiling water in each ger, so please bring your favorite tea, instant coffee and the like. Mosquito coils and insect repellent spray are also handy.

▶ For details:Guide to Packing, Climate and Clothing

• Light, comfortable walking boots
• Rubber slippers to wear to the toilet at the ger camp
• Waterproof, windproof raincoat or cape
• Warm coat or jacket, scarf, hat, gloves
• Casual pants, shirts, pullovers, skirts and the like suitable for wearing in town
• Short-sleeved shirts or T-shirts: 2–3; long-sleeved shirts, sweaters: 1–2
• A large pullover or jacket
• Light (quick-dry) pants or skirts: 2 sets
• Socks, underwear, sleepwear
• Scarves to cover your head: 1–2
• Non-aerosol insect repellent spray and anti-itch ointment (there are many mosquitoes at tourist camps in the countryside)
• Wet tissues and pocket tissues (sometimes there is no paper in toilets)
• Flashlight and lighter (power outages are frequent at night; also needed when going from the ger to the toilet)
• Medicines (those you are used to taking. Cold medicine, stomach medicine and anti-diarrheal are handy)
• Sunglasses
• Gloves (to prevent skinned hands when riding)
• Sunscreen (the altitude is high, so the ultraviolet rays are quite strong)
• Lip balm and skin cream (because it is very dry)
• Instant foods (such as miso soup; because meat dishes are central, your stomach may feel heavy)
• Disposable heat packs

▶ For details:Guide to Packing, Climate and Clothing

When staying at a nomad home or ger camp, a flashlight or headlamp is useful for going to the toilet at night.

• Full-length warm jacket: protects your body even at −35°C. Layering warm clothes (fleece jacket / sweatshirt) is also a good way. For extra warmth, we can prepare the traditional costume, the "deel", on request.
• Pajamas, tights and the like for staying warm at night.
• Warm boots lined with sheepskin and highly insulating wool socks.
• Wool hat, gloves, scarf and underwear for layering.
• Sunscreen: protects your skin from sunlight reflected off the snow.
• Shampoo, soap, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste: widely available in Ulaanbaatar, but not obtainable at ger camps, provincial hotels or nomad homes.
• Towels, dry/wet tissues, hand sanitizer: hotels and ger camps provide large and small towels, but if you stay at a nomad home we recommend your own towel.
• Travel insurance, medical insurance, passport and other documents.
• A camera with a spare battery or mobile charger.
• Power bank: check the capacity limit with your airline and put it in your carry-on baggage.
• Cables and adapters for charging mobile phones, cameras and tablets.
• Medicine for symptoms that often occur while traveling: motion sickness medicine, allergy medicine, stomach medicine, cream for cuts and insect bites and so on. Keep medicines in their original packaging, in containers with clearly attached labels, in your handbag.

▶ For details:Guide to Packing, Climate and Clothing

Snacks and miso soup from home are recommended. For a homestay, bringing toys to play with the children is also fun.

Giving small presents to the nomad children is not required; it is up to you. Candy is ideal for children and adults. Others include small toys, hair ribbons, children's books, teaching materials, paper and pencils. For adults: sewing kits, face and hand cream, cigarettes, cigar-related items, snuff and the like.

In Mongolia there are accommodations that use the "ger" as lodging for tourists. Inside the ger there are 3 to 4 beds, and in the center a wood stove, a table and chairs. Even in summer, if mornings and evenings are chilly, the stove is used.

Together, these tourist gers and the adjoining separate buildings with a restaurant, toilets, shower rooms and so on are called a "tourist camp".

Deluxe gers are at tourist spots such as Terelj National Park, Burd and the South Gobi, and have luxurious facilities with a shower, toilet and cottage. A stay in a deluxe ger incurs an additional charge, so please ask us.

According to your travel style and budget, you can choose from a variety of Mongolian tourist camps, from elegant luxury tourist camps to budget economy and standard tourist camps.

There is always a watchdog near a ger. It may bark, but it also acts as a doorbell telling the host a guest has come, so do not approach until the host comes out and stops it.

• Take off your hat before entering a ger.
• Enter a ger with your right foot first.
• Do not step on or sit on the threshold of the entrance.

▶ For details:Manners for Visiting a Ger

• The seat of honor is at the back, facing the entrance, the left side is the men's seat, and the right side is the seat for women and children. Guests sit in the seat of honor or the men's seat even if they are women, but women must not sit further back than the two central pillars (bagana).
• Always receive things with both hands.
• It is better to eat everything that is offered, but if you can't, the courtesy is to at least touch it to your lips.

▶ For details:Manners for Visiting a Ger

• Do not walk between the two central pillars (bagana). The two pillars represent man and woman, and passing between them means splitting the couple of that household.
• Do not put trash in the stove.

▶ For details:Manners for Visiting a Ger

In Mongolia, camping on the steppe is not prohibited, and even foreigners can pitch a tent. Camping on the steppe is probably the best way to experience Mongolia's great nature and skies full of stars.

Please see the winter tours listed on our website. Mongolia's winter, with its spreading snowfields, is recommended for dog sledding, visiting the Chinggis Khaan equestrian statue and stargazing. From the end of November to mid-March the grand steppe is covered in pure white snow, and you can enjoy superb views.

Nomad gers generally have the following facilities.

• [Guest ger] There is a guest ger for you (if you join alone, you may share with the nomad family).
• [Toilet] A pit toilet built on the steppe. It is enclosed by walls around it, but you can see the blue sky and it feels very good.
• [Electricity] At night the ger lights are turned on. Charging is not possible.
• [Heating] A wood stove is installed in the center of each ger. On cold days the staff light the fire. On especially cold days the stove is fired with Mongolian-style coal. If you feel the room is too hot, open the ger door to adjust the temperature.
• [Meals] Meals are taken at the ger where the nomads live. It is polite to eat everything served, but if you cannot, adjust beforehand, for example by asking for smaller portions.

Please Watch Out for the Stove
The stove gets very hot, so those with small children should be careful not to take their eyes off them. Please do not let them run around near the stove.

• The toilet is an eco facility with a proper toilet seat. (Sometimes it is a toilet with a hole dug in the grass and walls around it. You can see the blue sky and stars, which feels good.) Toilet paper is provided.
• Hot water and tea can be used freely. You can also eat food you have brought with you.
• For washing and brushing teeth, please use the handmade wash basin placed in the guest ger.
• When going out in the dark, please use the flashlight you brought.
• When it is cold, the local people light the wood stove, so it is warm and comfortable.

• It is a portable round dwelling, resistant to earthquakes and strong winds, with a history of hundreds of years. Imagine that Chinggis Khaan too was once born and raised in a ger.
• Lodging is arranged with you in a separate ger, and our staff staying at the nomad's house.
• Beds, cushions, duvets, clean sheets and pillows are provided, as well as warm blankets for when it is cold.

• While traveling to the main sightseeing spots, you can use flush toilets at restaurants and supermarkets along the way.
• If there is really no flush toilet, you will use a wooden toilet over a dug hole, or relieve yourself in the grass. Honestly, the grass is cleaner and safer. Put used toilet paper and the like in a bag you carry and throw it in the next trash bin.

Mongolia's currency is the tugrik (Tg). As of October 2026 the rate is 1 USD = 3,610 Tg.

11 denominations of banknotes are in circulation: 1 Tg, 5 Tg, 10 Tg, 20 Tg, 50 Tg, 100 Tg, 500 Tg, 1,000 Tg, 5,000 Tg, 10,000 Tg and 20,000 Tg (coins are not in circulation).

▶ For details:Currency and Exchange Guide

Currency exchange is possible at the airport, hotels, banks and exchange offices in the city. At hotels you can exchange at any time, but banks and exchange offices give a far better rate. Exchange offices are concentrated around the Flower Center and around the TEDY Center.

Many currencies can be exchanged, including the Japanese yen, US dollar, euro, Korean won, Chinese yuan and Russian ruble. Leftover tugrik can also be freely exchanged at exchange offices. Within the country tugrik are basically used, but many hotels, souvenir shops and ger camps accept payment in dollars.

In the countryside there are few places to exchange money, so if you travel outside Ulaanbaatar we recommend exchanging into tugrik or dollars beforehand.

▶ For details:Currency and Exchange Guide

You can exchange money at a bank counter or withdraw cash from an ATM. Services such as VISA, MASTER, CIRRUS and PLUS can be used, and with the cards you use at home you can easily withdraw local currency from ATMs. ATMs are plentiful from Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and Golomt Bank, installed at bank branches and at hotels, department stores and supermarkets in the city.

Beware of Pickpockets
There have been cases of pickpocketing after withdrawing money. Take care in handling cash.

▶ For details:Currency and Exchange Guide

International calls can be made from landline phones in hotels and elsewhere. Generally, many people use public phones with cheap international calling cards. There are several kinds of cards, such as Mongol Telecom and MobiCom. Most have instructions written in Mongolian, so it is best to have an interpreter or guide teach you how to use them or help you.

Domestic calls also use public phones in the city, with cards in the same way. Phone cards are sold at post offices and convenience stores, and there is no card common to all phone companies. The safe choice is Mongol Telecom.

There is also a more convenient phone called the "white phone". All over town, people in masks sit with a phone and cigarettes in a box. Local calls can be made from 100 to 150 tugrik per minute, paid in cash afterward. It is handy if you know the other party's contact number.

As of October 2026, there are four mobile carriers in Mongolia. The largest is MobiCom, and the others are Skytel, Unitel and G-Mobile. MobiCom also offers a mobile phone rental service.

For long stays, we recommend buying a local SIM card and a cheap handset. With an international calling card for mobile phones, you can call overseas directly. Mobile phones from home can also be used if they support international roaming.

▶ For details:Guide to Apps, Smartphones and the Internet

In major cities there are internet cafes everywhere, with signs reading "Internet". Most PCs run Windows XP or later and can be used in Japanese. The charge is 300 to 5,000 tugrik per hour. In Ulaanbaatar, the number of shops offering Wi-Fi service is also increasing. Hotels other than upscale ones tend to offer little internet service.

▶ For details:Guide to Apps, Smartphones and the Internet

To send letters, postcards or parcels overseas, go to the Central Post Office west of Sukhbaatar Square, where it is easy. A postcard is 880 tugrik, a letter up to 20 g is 1,100 tugrik, and beyond that 880 tugrik per 20 g. Registered mail is possible from 20 to 500 g, with 20 g at 2,800 tugrik, and beyond that 880 tugrik per 20 g. EMS (international express mail) is also handled. In addition, in Ulaanbaatar you can also use international courier services such as DHL and UPS.

All car rental services in Mongolia come with a driver; you cannot rent just the vehicle. A Japanese international driving permit cannot be used either. It can be arranged through a specialist company, a travel agency or a hotel reception. The market rate is from 200,000 tugrik for a day's rental (fuel extra).

A tour guide can arrange a rental car suited to the purpose of your trip. Once your specific trip is decided, consulting your guide is another way.

Tour guides are $70–$100 per day. There are many newcomers just out of university, so it is better to check beforehand their language level and experience as a tour guide.

For business-specialist guides, from $250 per day. To secure an excellent guide matched to your specialty, we recommend requesting one in advance. It is safest to ask a travel agency to arrange a guide.

Electricity in Mongolia is 220V, 50Hz. If you use 100V Japanese appliances, be sure to use a transformer. The main plug shape is two round holes. If you have a plug adapter that can be freely changed, there is no problem.

If you drink tap water at a hotel or elsewhere, it is better to boil it once. It is best to buy mineral water at supermarkets and convenience stores (delguur) in the city. There are several kinds, sold for around 2,000 tugrik per 500 ml.

Mongolian food is basically meat-centered. The meat is often mutton, and goat, beef, pork, chicken, horse and camel are also eaten. Typical dishes are "buuz" (something like steamed dumplings), often eaten at New Year, and "khuushuur", like fried dumplings, both containing mutton. Other common meals include piroshki, mantou, goulash and vegetable soup.

They can be eaten at canteens called guanz, and buuz and khuushuur are very cheap at around 5,000 tugrik each. Traditional milk tea called "suutei tsai" also goes well with Mongolian food. It is lightly salted, but delicious once you get used to it.

A dish served at celebrations and when hosting guests is "khorkhog", in which mutton, together with vegetables such as potatoes, onions and carrots, is steamed with heated stones. The meat itself is tender and delicious, but above all the vegetables and soup are superb.

Dairy products are something you cannot forget in Mongolian food. Beginning with yogurt, there is plenty of fresh milk, cheese and more. These are best enjoyed at a nomad's home, but in town the products of the SUU company are the most popular. If you find them at a supermarket or elsewhere, please do try them.

▶ For details:Mongolian Food Guide

Ulaanbaatar has a great many restaurants and bars. You can enjoy cuisines of the world, starting with Japanese, as well as Korean, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Turkish and Russian. On the other hand, in provincial cities there are few restaurants other than Mongolian.

The Irish pub popular in Ulaanbaatar is full day and night all summer and is used by many tourists. It is a place well worth stopping by to feel Mongolia today.

There are also several Japanese restaurants. They are becoming more numerous, such as the "Sakura Bakery" often used by Japanese residents, "Sakura" at the Kempinski Hotel with a Japanese head chef, and the Japanese izakaya "Yorimichi". Mongolian restaurants are found everywhere, and there are many popular places liked by foreigners too, such as MODERN NOMADS.

At restaurants that serve foreigners, menus also carry English and English is understood, which is reassuring. Major cards such as VISA and Master can also be used.

The most drunk in Mongolia is, after all, "arkhi" (Mongolian vodka). When many people gather, such as for business talks and celebrations, they almost always drink this arkhi. The alcohol content is around 40%, and it is drunk straight in one go, so please take care not to get drunk to the point of collapse. Prices range from 8,000 tugrik for cheap ones to over 150,000 tugrik for expensive ones.

In summer, airag (fermented mare's milk) is also liked and often drunk. Like beer, it is enjoyed for how it goes down the throat. The airag you drink at a nomad's ger is fresh and especially good.

Beer is also often drunk. The brand "Chinggis Beer" is the country's representative local beer. It is smooth, light and easy to drink, and many people buy it home as a souvenir. In summer evenings, beer gardens enjoying draft beer on outdoor terraces can be seen all around the city and have become a feature of summer.

Recently popular is wine. There are many kinds, and if you go to a supermarket you can get delicious and cheap ones.

For shopping in Mongolia, the Narantuul Zakh (market) or the 3rd district are good. The zakh has many pickpockets, so much that even Mongolians avoid it, but as long as you are careful it is a tourist spot you should visit once. Most goods are imported from China and Russia, but there are many cheap things, which is fun. It is also good to get things you need during your trip here. There are riding boots and the Mongolian traditional costume, the "deel", and you can also buy souvenirs.

The 3rd district is an area with many young people, and shops of famous brands have also appeared. Clothes, shoes, bags and so on are sold. Watch out for pickpockets here too. On the 2nd floor of the Bumbugur Zakh there is also a place selling a lot of clothes, which may be a surprising hidden gem.