Mongolia Travel & Tours

Traveling by train to Mongolia is often a dream for many people and a reality for few. In any case it is an adventure in itself which is well worth the experience. There are a number of options available to the traveler who takes the time to travel. The trains generally run between Moscow and  Beijing. While all the trains leave Moscow and arrive in Irkoutsk in Siberia there are then three options available. The first is to carry on with the Trans-Siberian and go on to Vladivostok, the second option is to take the trans-Manchurian which goes to the north of Mongolia in Siberia and then curves around to China without entering Mongolia to end up in Beijing. The third option is to take the Trans-Mongolian which goes in a direct line Irkoutsk – Ulaanbaatar – Beijing.

Traveling by air to Ulaanbaatar is generally considered as one of the most comfortable and fastest options available. The network of airlines and destinations is growing year after year with destinations such as London, Milan and Shanghai rumored to be in planning. The airlines flying in and out of UB vary in quality and reliability with Aeroflot very much at the bottom end of the scale and with ANA or Korean Air offering excellent flights, although flights to Mongolia from Europe with Korean Air go via Seoul, and therefore take longer than the more standard Aeroflot Service which goes via Moscow, and the same applies the other way round. The International airport of Mongolia is the Chinggis Khan International Airport of Ulaanbaatar. The airport is often subject to strong winds. While Mongolian pilots are renowned for being fearless and landing the plane in any conditions, other airlines will sometimes turn back to their original point instead.

Buddhism in Mongolia has been influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Traditional Mongols worshiped heaven (the "clear blue sky") and their ancestors, and they followed ancient northern Asian practices of shamanism, in which human intermediaries went into trance and spoke to and for some of the numberless infinities of spirits responsible for human luck or misfortune. In 1578 Altan Khan, a Mongol military leader with ambitions to unite the Mongols and to emulate the career of Chinggis, invited the head of the rising Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism to a summit. They formed an alliance that gave Altan Khan legitimacy and religious sanction for his imperial pretensions and that provided the Buddhist school with protection and patronage. Altan khan gave the Tibetan leader the title of Dalai Lama (Ocean Lama), which his successors still hold. Altan Khan died soon after, but in the next century the Yellow Sect spread throughout Mongolia, aided in part by the efforts of contending Mongol aristocrats to win religious sanction and mass support for their ultimately unsuccessful efforts to unite all Mongols in a single state. Monasteries (momg.datsan) were built across Mongolia, often sited at the juncture of trade and migration routes or at summer pastures, where large numbers of herders would congregate for shamanistic rituals and sacrifices. Buddhist monks carried out a protracted struggle with the indigenous shamans and succeeded, to some extent, in taking over their functions and fees as healers and diviners, and in pushing the shamans to the religious and cultural fringes of Mongolian culture.

Mongolia is not coldest and remotest part of the world as often portrayed in the Western media. Though winter last from November to March, - 30 Celsius real cold lasts only one month, from mid-December to January. The rest of winter temperature fluctuates around +10 +14 Celsius.

It should be noted that snow blizzard and dust storms often occur in spring making this period from snow melting in late March to first grass in late May the least comfortable.

Summer from mid-May to mid-September is usually warm with average temperature of + 18 to + 26. There are short rains in July and early August. On some days temperature may go above + 30 which can be felt hard, especially in South Gobi region.

In summer almost 70% of precipitation falls, but this does not mean rainy days. Rains rarely last for more than 2-3 days. Most of rains occur in mid- July and early August and wise herders prefer to move away from rivers and put up their dwellings on hills to avoid sudden flood.

1. The background picture, especially the denomination “20000” and inscription “Mongolia” in traditional scripts on the front side are printed in intaglio with high tactility when tilted with fingers.
2. The State symbol “Soyombo” with denomination “20000” appears on the holographic patch on the front side of banknote.
3. The inscription “MONGOLBANK” is printed in microprint on the lower-front, left corner of the banknote.
4. The portrait of Chinggis Khaan and the letters “МБ” appear in watermark on the right-front side of banknote when viewed against the light.
5. The circles on the both side of Chinggis Khaan’s order card perfectly coincide when viewed against the light.
6. The four horsemen on the lower right corner of the banknote will appear with different changing backgrounds when viewed from angles.
7. The inscription “MONGOLBANK” and State symbol “Soyombo” interchangeably appear on the 3 mm security thread on the back side of banknote.
8. The portrait of Chinggis Khaan, background of “Soyombo”, and Denomination “20000” will appear in green under UV-light.
9. The security fibres in the banknote as a whole, fluorescent in colors, are only visible under UV-light.

Distinctive and original culture, the old-time hospitality of Mongols, a remarkable variety of scenery, and the rich animal and plant kingdoms of Mongolia exert a fascination for tourists. Since Mongolia's transfer to the market economy in 1990, the tourism sector has evolved into a critical part of the country's development. It has been a major factor in Mongolia's union with the world trend of globalisation. Prior to 1990 there were arrivals mainly from the Russian Federation and Eastern and Central Europe. "Juulchin Corporation", the only state-owned tourist agency, exclusively handled leisure tourists. After 1990 the number of leisure tourist arrivals has grown due to the increase of tourists predominantly from Japan, France, UK, Germany and USA. Their number is steadily increasing over the years. 2003   was   declared   "Visit Mongolia" year by the Government. Notwithstanding SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) disease in Asia, the number of tourists increased 2.8 times compared to 1999 reaching 200,000.

The Tourism Law of Mongolia was enacted in May 5, 2000 for the first time, since Mongolia shifted to the market oriented economy. Its purpose is to regulate all relationships between state, private citizens and economic entities engaged in tourism business. The law outlines a definition for tourism, responsibilities and obligations of the state, tourism organisations, special permission requirements, structure, rights and responsibilities of state administrative and overseeing organisations for the tourism sector, arrangements for the development of tourism related infrastructure and penalties in case of violation of the law. The tourism Law was then amended in November 30, 2001 by enacting the classifications and grading of tour guides, operators and hotels as mandatory. The Government explains that these regulations are necessary to improve the quality of services provided by tourism and related entities. In connection with this law, several regulations were adopted including the following: "State Monitoring Regulation for Tourism" by the Government Resolution dated November 8, 2000. "Regulation of Classification and Grading of Tour Guides" by the Order No. 149 of Minister of Infrastructure dated on May 15, 2002. "Regulation of Classification and Grading of Hotels and Tourist Camps" by the Order No. 150 of Minister of Infrastructure dated May 15, 2002. "Temporary Regulation of Classification of Tour Operators" by the Order No.229 of Minister of Infrastructure dated July 31, 2002.

The colorful festival of Holi is celebrated annually among Indian communities across the world on the day after the full moon in March (this year Holi falls on March 22). It marks the arrival of spring, with hopes of good harvest and fertility, but also commemorates various events in Hindu mythology. Considered the least religious of all Hindu festivals, Holi is now considered an excuse to set aside the very traditional lines drawn by color, caste, gender and religion and enjoy a good party.

Microsoft and Emirates will set up an Innovation Lab in Dubai to develop new products and services for the travel industry using Microsoft's technologies and tapping on Emirates' expertise and experience in developing IT solutions for the aviation and travel industry.

Both companies will invest in the project. Emirates' Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum and Microsoft's Bill Gates signed the agreement in Dubai.

Emirates Airline is partnering with London Heathrow, Dubai International and Hong Kong International airports, to trial the latest RFID technology in baggage handling.

Emirates will be investing close to AED2 million, to test the effectiveness and benefits of RFID against the existing barcode tracking system. The largest-ever trial of its kind for the airline industry, some half a million bags on Emirates flights will be tagged with RFID chips over the 6-month duration of the trial.

The Dubai-based airline hopes its investment will help revolutionize the way bags are tracked and monitored, and present innovative solutions to handle the increasing volumes of baggage every year as more people around the world use air travel more frequently.

Dale Griffith, Emirates' divisional senior vice president airport services said: "This is about embracing the latest technology for the benefit of our customers, and we are very glad to be able to embark on this extensive trial together with our airport partners. Our investment in this project is a small price to pay to give our customers greater peace of mind.

Think of it as the great American road trip -- in Iran.

The Islamic Republic may not make the shortlist for your next vacation, but should you end up in Tehran with a taste for something different you might consider a road trip to the northern province of Golestan.

The drive takes roughly eight hours each way, but leads you through some of the most beautiful scenery in Iran. In a country known mostly for its architectural gems like Perspepolis and Isfahan, Golestan is a natural wonderland home to wildlife, wheat fields and a fair part of the Caspian Sea coastline.

One of the first things you'll notice along the drive is the clean air -- in contrast to the smog of Tehran, the air in Golestan is a joy to breathe. What will take your breath away, though, is the scenery, starting at a view of the Alborz mountains and Damavand peak, Iran's tallest at more than 18,600 feet.

(Tribune Media Services) -- The Loire Valley, two hours southwest of Paris, offers France's greatest array of chateau experiences.

Wander through sumptuous interiors, cared for by noble families who've lived there for centuries and still put out bouquets fit for a countess. View packs of carefully bred hounds yelping for red meat, as they await their next chance to hunt.

Standing on a rooftop the size of Notre-Dame amid countless chimneys, imagine you're the king's mistress watching proudly as your man's men flush the deer out of the woods and your Louis or Henry or Charles proceeds to shoot them dead. Paddle a canoe alongside a fairytale chateau that lopes gracefully atop an arcade over the Cher River.

The challenge for any visitor: how to choose among the countless castle thrills of the Loire Valley.

MONGOLIANS and Russians should once again be able to travel to each other’s country without requiring visas. The old system is likely to be restored in the near future, maybe as early as the beginning of next year, according to reports on the talks held by Mongolian Foreign Minister N.Enkhbold in Moscow on October 3-5. “Specific under-standings have been reached with our Mongolian friends on the conclusion of two agreements – on visa-free trips and on readmission,” said Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

A couple of weeks ago, Mongolia had sent drafts of the text of these agreements. “Work on them is now being completed, and we will hold additional consultations in the near future,” said Lavrov.

A MONGOLIAN woman, Goyotsetseg ‘Goyo’ Radnaabazar, has won the global silver award for travel guides instituted by Britain’s Wanderlust magazine. The winners of the second Paul Morrison Guide Award were announced at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London on October 4.
The judging panel was led by Bill Bryson and included Lyn Hughes of Wanderlust, top naturalist Mark Carwardine, and Mark Ellingham, founder of Rough Guides.

Goyo works as the chief guide and operations manager for a UK travel company Panoramic Journeys. She is the first female guide to reach the finals of the awards. 
Set up to recognize the difference that a great guide, whether a naturalist, a sherpa, or a tour leader, can make to one’s travel experience, a shortlist of six was whittled down from more than 160 guides from around the world who were nominated for this year’s award.