What budget to travel en Mongolie? Money and currency

Life in Mongolia is not very expensive for Europeans. Food is cheap, especially in popular restaurants. Travelling by bus is cheap in Mongolia but hiring a driver is expensive. Yurt accommodation is cheap but spartan. In Ulaanbaatar, there are however comfortable hotels. The currency is the tögrög, the exchange is done in town and the use of the card is reserved for the big cities. For tipping, the rule is the same as in Europe.

What budget for activities and outings en Mongolie?

If you want to do sport without spending a cent in Mongolia, the best plan is to go hiking. The country abounds in national parks and nature reserves, some of which are located just outside Ulaanbaatar. No need to go far!

Many outdoor activities can be organized at low cost: horseback riding, canoeing on the country's lakes and rivers, fishing, climbing in the mountains... It would be a shame not to take advantage of Mongolia's grandiose landscapes and natural treasures. The country is especially renowned for horse riding, and its steppes lend themselves well to the practice of this discipline. It's not difficult to find tours and guides, or to hire horses by the hour or day in tourist areas.

In winter, snowshoe trekking is particularly popular. There is only one ski resort in the country.

Life in Mongolia is much cheaper than in France. So you'll have no trouble getting bargains. However, foreign products and brand names are priced much the same as in France. Stores are located in shopping malls, and globalization has brought with it the same major brands that can be found everywhere. Department stores accept credit cards, but you'll need cash to pay for items bought in markets or small shops.

Generally speaking, going out in Mongolia doesn't cost much. In Ulaanbaatar, the large number of English pubs will surprise visitors. Japanese, European and Chinese beers land easily in Mongolia. National beers have also emerged. You'll find Chinggis, Borgio, Senguur, Fusion, Khan Brau... Pint prices are around T10,000. Bars also serve wine, which will be a little more expensive: around T12,000 a glass. If you're more into strong spirits and cocktails, the bill can quickly climb.

What budget to eat en Mongolie?

The capital now offers a wide range of restaurants and specialties from all over the world: Chinese, Korean, Mexican, Italian, French, Indian... Prices remain very reasonable: you should expect to pay between T€30,000 and T€50,000 per person for a hearty Western-style meal. Meat is generally excellent.

Numerous small restaurants offer the full range of traditional dishes(khuushuur, buuz, soups...) for eating on the run. These guanz are generally the only places where you can eat in sum or aimag. They cost between T€5,000 and T€7,000 per person.

In the countryside, the only way to eat is either to stock up on your own food, or to share meals with nomads, to whom you should not arrive empty-handed, but with gifts, however modest, for the whole family.

In recent years, the number of cafés and bakeries in Ulaanbaatar has multiplied. It's easy to find a nice place to take a gourmet break, as the big Korean coffee chains are located all over the capital. Cappuccino, mocha, latte... expect to pay between T7,000 and T9,000 for a hot drink.

Mongolia's other major cities, such as Erdenet and Kharkhorin, also have a few cafés, but it's still very rare and difficult to find cafés and bars in the towns of the Mongolian countryside.

What is the budget for accommodation en Mongolie?

There are many different types of accommodation in Mongolia: hotels, yurt camps, bed & breakfasts, guesthouses... Travelers on a budget will have no trouble finding economical accommodation by staying directly with local people, in guesthouses or camping.

Bed and breakfast. Hospitality is not an empty word in Mongolia, which is one of the few countries in the world where home-stay accommodation is so widespread. You can always ask to stay with a nomadic family, and it's extremely rare, if not impossible, to be refused. Guests are invited to share the family dinner before bedtime. If you arrive in the ger with one or two people, the parents will probably ask their children to squeeze into a bed to free up one for the guests. Mattresses can also be set up on the north side of the ger, on the floor. If there are more guests, it's likely that the whole family will move to a neighboring ger to give up their home to the guests! Whatever solution the family adopts, it's best to have your own sleeping bag, or even a small foam mattress, so you can sleep next to the stove without forcing the locals into a game of musical beds. In principle, nomads do not expect any payment for their hospitality, except sometimes in very touristy areas. On the other hand, it's a good idea to have a supply of small items to offer host families. Avoid offering alcohol, as men drink enough without being encouraged to do so. It's better to give useful items (flashlights, candles, pencils, toys, notebooks, even candy for children) or food (rice, pasta, cookies and especially fruit, which is much appreciated).

Camping is not only the cheapest and simplest solution, but also the best suited to the country. You can camp anywhere, the only advice being to avoid setting up too close to sacred sites such as temples and övöos , as well as tourist accommodation (hotels, yurts...). However, some parks and protected sites prohibit camping and indicate this with signs. It is imperative to respect the environment by not leaving any litter behind, and above all to be very careful with water. Campsites must be located at least sixty meters from watercourses, and no detergents (soap, washing-up liquid, shampoo, etc.) must be thrown into lakes or rivers. Ideally, you should use a basin or solar shower to wash yourself, and scatter the water on the ground far enough away from the watercourse to give the soil time to filter the wastewater before it reaches the water table. For the same reasons, wild toilets should be located as far as possible from watercourses, preferably more than 100 m away. It's advisable to make a hole and burn the paper.

Campfires should also be avoided in areas where they are possible. It's a good idea to use the rings of old fires, so as not to multiply the number of burnt areas, and to mark out the hearth with stones. When you leave, make sure the fire is out: you need to be able to get your hands on it without getting burned.

Campers should plan to be totally self-sufficient. The best camping sites are obviously far from towns and tourist campsites, and located in very wild areas. You'll need to bring enough food, gas or kerosene for your stove, and gasoline for your vehicle.

Yurt camps are the most common form of accommodation in Mongolia, and often the only option in rural areas. Please note, however, that very few are open in the off-season, i.e. between October and May. The comfort of these tourist camps varies widely, from the most luxurious to the most basic ger. Rates vary accordingly, from the equivalent of a few euros to several dozen euros a night.

Guesthouses. The country has a good network of guesthouses to accommodate budget travellers. Expect to pay at least US$10 per night in a dormitory. In the capital, many have the advantage of being interconnected. They organize tours of varying lengths throughout the country. If you're traveling alone or in a small group and don't want to break the bank to discover Mongolia, you'll be well advised to use them to find fellow travelers and reduce the cost of your itinerary.

There are enoughhotels in the towns and capitals of aimag to be able to find accommodation at all times. Their comfort is sometimes very basic, with showers more often than not cold than hot, shared toilets and so on. Once again, you'll find them at all price levels, depending on the level of comfort and standing you're looking for.

Travel budget en Mongolie and cost of living

By exchanging euros for tugriks, any visitor can quickly become a millionaire. Life in Mongolia is not very expensive on a Western salary. Food is inexpensive: you can easily eat for T10,000 in a guanz and have a gourmet meal for T30,000.

Small budget: 30 €/day: this is a very tight budget for those who want to discover the Mongolian countryside in depth. You'll need to use the few local means of transport, not use an agency, eat in the guanz and camp most of the time, or take low-end guesthouses.

Medium budget: €100/day: this budget allows you to travel in Mongolia in a small group, via a travel agency that provides driver, guide, accommodation and food.

Big budget: €250/day: with this budget, you can organize a tailor-made trip. You can sleep in good hotels, fly from one end of the country to the other and hire a private guide and driver.