My Mongolia Wish List

I know Mongolia is a large country. At roughly a quarter of the size of the continental U.S., it may be difficult to see everything you want in one trip, but maybe not, if you plan strategically. The country doesn't really have a good tourism network yet, which means you'll likely be one of very few tourists wherever you go, you may have to wait until you arrive to arrange tours and tickets.

Photo by Batgerel Batkhurel on Unsplash

Yes, I enjoyed learning more about Mongolia at home, but nothing beats actually traveling and engaging with local people, eating local food, and learning your way across a city or country. Here's my wish list of things I want to do when I finally plan my trip. 

Photo by Amit Gupta on Unsplash

Yak tour

This is actually the number one thing I'm excited for in Mongolia. The Yak Trek is basically you following yaks pulling wagons carrying supplies. you can walk or ride a horse, and you make camp each night, eat outdoors, and meet nomads along the way. Knowing that I hate hiking and camping, this 3-day walk across the wilderness sounds pretty amazing. 

There are also yak-riding tours, which I'm also 100% in for, despite probably having major allergies by being so close to them. I'm willing to suffer for this amazing experience though, so maybe I'll just hope for the best, where I'm not allergic to horses or farm animals, and carry a lot of hand sanitizer and extra meds to be safe.

Photo by Tuguldur Baatar on Unsplash

National Museum of Mongolia

Located in Ulaanbaatar, the largest museum in Mongolia will walk you through the entire history of the country and everything else you need to know. Discover how Mongolians live in daily life and how they have evolved over time through permanent exhibits and rotating, temporary exhibits like Mongolian Traditional Dishes, which focuses on utensils and textiles and household items, including furniture, luggage, and serving trays.

Photo by Jéan Béller on Unsplash

Ghengis Khan Statue Complex

Found approximately 30 miles from Ulaanbaatar, this complex is actually topped by the world's largest statue of Ghengis Khan. Say what you will about him in regards to his grisly and dictatorial methods, but he was all for freedom of religion and created the largest contiguous empire in history. He also united many nomadic tribes across the area. He solidified Mongolia's space regarding politics and culture and created quite a far-reaching lineage of his bloodline. 

At the complex, you can learn more about Khan, try on traditional Mongol costumes, and even eat at the restaurant upstairs. The museum is also in an area that has fantastic birdwatching, plus you can meet a golden eagle or vulture, which you know I'm all about.

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

Stay in a Ger

Gers, or yurts, are the traditional nomadic dwelling. You can find these all over, including near the large cities, because people want to live in the traditional way, but still have the convenience of city living. You can rent one near Ulaanbaatar, with internet access, for under $60/night.

Photo by Usukhbayar Gankhuyag on Unsplash

Visit the Gobi Desert

Honestly, I never knew where the Gobi was, but the photos are beautiful and I'd love to visit for the day to see what it's like. You can ride camels here, which may or may not be for me, so I'll see when I get there. 

There's a great less-desert-y area called Yolyn Am in a gorge of the Gobi where you can just enjoy the views and yaks grazing.

Photo by Lightscape on Unsplash

Try Airag

While I'm not one to drink that much alcohol when I travel, I always look for unusual foods and drinks and want to try everything at least once. Airag is one of those things. So, what is it exactly? It's fermented mare's milk. Yeah, maybe it'll be gross, but I'll never know if I don't try it. Maybe it's one of those things I like that other people aren't a fan of, like haggis. 

Photo by Lightscape on Unsplash

Visit during the Bayan-Ölgii Eagle Festival

Falconing is one of my favorite things and I greatly enjoyed when we did it in Scotland. If you ever get the chance to do it, I highly recommend it. Eagles and other raptors are amazing birds, who are smart, and have great relationships with their handlers. This festival happens in late September or early October every year and includes different events. There are even opportunities to meet eagles up close and personal. 

Kharakhorum

The original capital of the Mongolian Empire, Kharakhorum was founded by Genghis Kahn in 1220. This once cosmopolitan city is no longer thriving, but it is home to a great museum, the first Buddhist monastery in the country, and a handful of temples. 

I think there are plenty of other awesome things to do in Mongolia, but I feel like many of those things may be found while traveling around the country, which will be part of my travel plan. That'll be interesting, since I almost never go anywhere without a full plan, but I look forward to getting in a car and exploring as much as possible. 

Have you ever wanted to visit Mongolia?

Traveling Tips for Mongolia

We're looking a bit more at Mongolia today, with an infographic that gives us all the necessities, including were to go, what you need, useful phrases and important cultural norms. As I mentioned in my post for our staycation, Mongolia is pretty different from anywhere we've ever traveled, but those differences are what make it so interesting and special.

Have you ever wanted to visit Mongolia? If not, do you have a non-traditional travel destination on your list? What makes it so appealing to you?

Exploring Mongolia at Home

I know I'm behind on my last few staycations, but that means you're getting a double dose back-to-back. A few weeks ago we traveled to Mongolia, which has always been a destination on my travel list. I know it's weird pick, especially for someone who doesn't really love outdoorsy activities, but for me, the outdoor part of Mongolia is the whole point. 

I'll be following up with a wish list, but for now, let's talk about our first actual outdoor (like in the yard, not just the covered porch) staycation of 2021. I apologize in advance for the wavy backgrounds, as it was super windy when we decided to do this and there was no way to take a perfectly flat photo.

I went a bit crazy when I saw some new melamine serving ware at Target and bought most of it, including a great tablecloth that looked similar to one on my list for Mongolia. Since much of the country outside of the cities is very plain-like. I wanted to bring some of that, and included a bit basket of wildflowers as a centerpiece, but also included a camel (as those are pretty prevalent) and a cow skull to represent the large yaks and similar animals found there. 

I had two backgrounds customized, because Mongolia isn't a big sought-after destination for such things. The bad things about that is that they only come in a limited range of sizes (the biggest being 7'x5') and they take a long time to receive. The plus side, though, is that I can use any photo I upload. So, I chose an iconic photo of Mongolian falconers for one and then one with the traditional yurt and animals found where the country's nomads live.

Now, there is a distinct lack of Mongolian restaurants that aren't buffets like Changs Mongolian Grill or Asian hot pot places, and I wasn't going to spend all my time in the kitchen, so I looked at Asian restaurants that had items I was interested in eating and were close enough to authentic dishes, and also where I wouldn't have to go to multiple restaurants. I ended up, believe it or not, ordering and picking up from P.F. Changs and was pleasantly surprised by the price and the food.

Almost all Mongolian food is meat, cheese, bread and lard-based. It gets quite cold there and the added layer of fat is helpful to keep warm. Stew seems like that would fit in that mold, so I opted for a family meal which started with wonton soup, then got chicken fried rice and Mongolian beef (this also came with lettuce wraps, but we saved those for lunch the next day). Mongolia has their own thicker, spicier dumplings, but I couldn't find any anywhere, so I ordered shrimp dumplings with chili sauce.

For dessert, I actually made a traditional cheesecake-like dessert called pashka that is rooted in Russian and Polish culture. It's made with dried fruit, cottage cheese, cream cheese and honey. Since I sort of went off script by combining two recipes and not using a regular mold, I wasn't sure it was going to be edible (spoiler: it was and it was delicious!). As a backup, I ordered bao doughnuts as a dessert that is as close as possible to boortsog, dough fried in animal fat. 

The only drinks I could find that were strictly Mongolian were vodka-based and fermented horse milk, neither of which sounded all that appealing, so I decided that tea was a universal beverage. I steeped an Earl Grey, added ice, sugar and crushed blueberries, and we found it really refreshing with our meal.

I found a new favorite music genre while we were eating. I put on Tuvan throat singing, which is also known as khoomei and the Mongolian band The HU came up. Not only do they have awesome music videos, but the music is really upbeat and makes you want to dance. I'm in the process of finding other bands like them that I enjoy. 

We sat and ate and talked about what we thought was the most appealing parts of Mongolia were. We learned some interesting facts about the country and its people. We learned that the capital, Ulaanbaatar, is actually the most polluted capital city in the world, and most of the nomads are younger people under 30. I can see why this would be preferable to living where the air actually makes you sick to breathe. Also, there are more horses than people in Mongolia, so you're more likely to get to hang out with animals if you aren't living in the city, and I'm into that. 

Their takhi horse is the only wild horses still in existence. Thought to be extinct in the 60s, some captive takhis were carefully bred and reintroduced to the wild in the 90s. Though they were kept in captivity, they are the only horses that have never been domesticated. They look different than regular horses and are still on the endangered species list.

Maybe this staycation doesn't seem as exciting as some of my others, because it's not a normal or very desirable destination, but that doesn't make it less interesting and there's a lot you can learn and activities you can do with your family. Here are some of the things I used to bring Mongolia to life in our house:

• A cool background
• Herd of Mongolian horses
• A field of sheep
• Or make your own with a photo of your choice
• A natural feeling tablecloth
• Eco-friendly plates
• A woven vase
• wildflowers
• Another focal point, like this cool Mongol dagger
• Mongolian travel guide
• A good music or YouTube list:
• A quick 30-minute documentary
• 10 top-rated tourist attractions
• 5 must-see tourist attractions from MONGOLIA Travel
• A short vid on eagle hunters
• Khan's Kitchen cooking show
• The HU music videos
• Mongolian cookbook (if you want to try your hand at authentic foods)

I like learning about less well-known destinations, because it's like you're discovering something special. Not that places like Paris and Munich aren't special, but they are also popular and hard to have a super unique visit. Places like Mongolia aren't glamorous, but there's a different sort of charm to it and I can't wait to visit for real someday.

What's the weird, but wonderful, travel destination you have on your wish list?

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!