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.

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.