Mongolia

[stabone]

Anyone here been to Mongolia? I am thinking of flying in September to Beijing, then off to Lake Bakail in Russia, then take the trans-Siberia railroad from Russia, through Mongolia, and back into Beijing.

Has anyone been there? It seems like it would be a hell of a nice shock to the system.

 

[ryskey]

When I was in China I spent a lot of time with a few people who traveled in Mongolia. All of them did the whole Moscow-Mongolia leg on the train as part of a round the world trip.

All of them said it was their favorite place in all their months of traveling. I don't recall many of the attractions (other than that they were mostly nature-oriented), but one I do remember was a trip across the steppes in a Land Cruiser to visit various nomadic tribes. What made it an adventure was that there aren't any roads in rural Mongolia, and the guides never really knew where the tribes were at any given moment, so they really never knew where they were going.

Once they found a tribe, they experienced the famous Mongolian hospitality. They said the tribes were just eaten up to have visitors- especially westerners- and they would have gladly given all they owned to help them out or make them feel comfortable.

At some point in my life, I'm definitely going. That particular trip will start at the Trans-Caucasus countries, go through Russia, then Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan (if I can bribe somebody), Tajikistan, Xinjiang in China, and finally end in Mongolia. That trip is currently2nd in my queue, and I hope I can do it within the next 5 years.

You should go. Americans don't even need visas.

 

[Uninformed]

The closest I have been is Novosibirsk. I have heard that a 4wd trip from there through the Altai Mountains and Mongolia is pretty exciting.

 

[Gen. Applewhite]

biking the silk road

i was intrigued by this series and, while i dont really travel internationally, have been considering making a promise to myself that i will one day visit the region.

 

[stabone]

Thanks for the replies. I have found some interesting deals leaving from the capital for three days or so, to go find the nomadic tribes. Sounds like a blast. I hope to buy tix here within the next week or so.

 

[FanofBurntOrange]

Can't speak of Mongolia but can speak of Beijing and Xian. If you need anything, hit me up.

 

[Macanudo]

What's the weather like in September? Make sure it's not going to be too cold. Seriously. 40 degrees sounds all fun but when the temps start dropping below freezing, like they could by the end of the month, it might be worth going earlier in September or even August.

 

[Uninformed]

Good point. I was in Novosibirsk in Jan. and it never reached above 0 farenheit for the week. I think the avg. low was in the minus 20 range. And yes there was wind.

 

[SouthernSooner]

I have a relative who went to Mongolia on a fishing trip and he raved about the scenery and hospitality of the people (as well as the fishing...the world's largest species of trout reside in Mongolia, the taimen which reaches weighs of more than 200 lbs.). He compared the Mongolian grassland region as being very similar to southwest Montana in climate, terrain and overall looks.
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