FOLK guide to Mongolia
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5 min read
In brief
Where we go. Arvaikheer, the Orkhon Valley and the Gobi Desert; Ulaanbaatar, Ölgii and the Altai mountains.
Languages. Mongolian. In Bayan-Ölgii province, Kazakh.
Currency. Mongolian tögrög.
Time zone. Eight hours ahead of GMT in Ulaanbaatar.
Visa. Not needed for Italian citizens until 31 December 2026. For 2027 it has not been decided yet.
Best time to visit. June to September.
FOLK trips. The silence of the Gobi, from 1,578 €. Where the steppe ends, from 1,800 €. Both 14 nights.
Where it all began
FOLK was born here. In 2018, on a trip with friends, we put ourselves at the disposal of the community of Arvaikheer, and we realised this was how we wanted to travel.
Mongolia is five times the size of Italy and has just over three million people, half of them in Ulaanbaatar. Outside the city, for hours you see only grass, sky and now and then a ger. Around the capital is the other Mongolia: the ger districts, home to hundreds of thousands of herders who came from the steppe after losing their livestock in winters that were too harsh. Our two trips cross both.
Best time to visit Mongolia
June to September. The rest of the year Ulaanbaatar often drops below minus thirty.
June is green and still fresh. July and August are the warmest months, with a few short showers. In mid-July there is Naadam, the national festival of wrestling, archery and horse racing. In the Gobi days are hot and nights cold; in the Altai it is cold even in summer.
Our departures are between June and August. Dates are on the trip pages.
Mongolia visa and documents
Until 31 December 2026, Italian citizens can enter Mongolia without a visa, for tourism and up to 30 days. The exemption is renewed year by year: for 2027 it has not been announced yet. If it does not come, you will need an e-visa, applied for at evisa.mn, which usually arrives within a couple of days. We follow it and let you know as soon as there is news.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months. For the lakes in the Altai you also need a border permit: it is included, we take care of it.
Rules change often. Before you leave, check your government's travel advice again, in the UK the FCDO page on Mongolia, or write to us.
Vaccinations and health in Mongolia
The first step is a travel clinic, six weeks before you leave. There are no mandatory vaccinations. For rural Mongolia, hepatitis A and typhoid are usually recommended, and for the Altai also rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Your doctor decides. There is no malaria.
What matters most is distance: in the Gobi and the Altai there is no signal for days, and the nearest hospital can be many hours away. If you take medication, bring all of it, plus a spare supply. Drink boiled or filtered water, and the tea, which is everywhere, helps.
How much does a trip to Mongolia cost?
The trip costs 1,578 € (The silence of the Gobi) or 1,800 € (Where the steppe ends) for 14 nights. It includes accommodation, almost all meals, a guide and driver with a 4x4 and entrance fees; with Where the steppe ends, also the domestic flight to Ölgii. The full list is on the trip pages.
Not included: the flight from Europe, which you buy once the departure is confirmed, vaccinations, tips and your own spending. Today the visa costs nothing. The insurance included in the trip covers cancellation. Health insurance is paid by you, and with hospitals so far away we recommend it with evacuation and repatriation.
Getting there
You land in Ulaanbaatar. For The silence of the Gobi you head straight to Arvaikheer: 437 kilometres, five or six hours by 4x4, transfer included. For Where the steppe ends you stay in the city for the first week, then a domestic flight takes you to Ölgii. Seats on that flight are few: it pays to sign up early.
Outside the city you travel by 4x4, on long tracks. They are not the price you pay to get somewhere: they are part of the trip.
What to see in Mongolia: the Gobi, the Orkhon and the Altai
With The silence of the Gobi the first week is in Arvaikheer, with the Consolata Missionaries: homework, sport and games with the children at the after-school centre. Then you go up into the Orkhon Valley, where the capital of the Mongol Empire once stood, and down into the Gobi Desert: the red cliffs of Bayanzag, the dunes of Khongoryn Els by camel, the Yolyn Am gorge.
With Where the steppe ends the first week is in Ulaanbaatar, with Caritas Mongolia: you cook, spend time with the people at the centre and go with the staff into the ger districts, house by house. It is not a light week. Then you fly to Ölgii and reach the Altai Tavan Bogd mountains, among glaciers and lakes, as guests of Kazakh families for two nights.
Inside a ger
A ger is never closed to anyone who arrives, but it has its rules. You enter without stepping on the threshold and move clockwise. When you are offered milk tea, take it with your right hand and taste at least a little: you do not have to finish it, you have to accept it.
Always ask before taking photos, and in the ger districts even more so. We do not bring gifts to hand out: if you want to bring something for the mission or for Caritas, ask us first.
And then there is silence. On the steppe there are hours when nothing happens, and nothing means nothing.
What to pack for Mongolia
Layers, because you go from afternoon heat to night cold: a light down jacket, a fleece and a hat even in July. A warm sleeping bag for the Altai, hiking boots already worn in, comfortable trousers for riding. Then sunglasses, a scarf against the dust, a head torch and a power bank. And cash: outside the capital, cards are of little use.
Frequently asked questions
Do we really sleep in gers?
For part of the trip, yes. In the Gobi you sleep in ger camps, with real beds and shared bathrooms. In the Altai you spend two nights in the gers of Kazakh families.
How many hours are spent in the car?
Many, and it is right to say so up front. In Mongolia distances are measured in hours of track.
Can I ride a horse if I never have before?
Yes. You go at walking pace, with people who know the horses.
Which of the two trips should I choose?
The silence of the Gobi has a gentler pace and shows the Mongolia of landscapes. Where the steppe ends is more intense: it brings together the city and the most remote nature. If in doubt, write to us.
FOLK small group tours in Mongolia
The silence of the Gobi: a week at the after-school centre in Arvaikheer, then the Orkhon Valley and the Gobi. 14 nights, from 1,578 €.
Where the steppe ends: a week with Caritas in Ulaanbaatar, then the Altai, as guests of Kazakh families. 14 nights, from 1,800 €.
Not sure which to choose? Write to us and let's talk.
Other FOLK guides
A guide for every place we visit: when to go, visas and vaccines, what it really costs.
