Flights and Travel Information
By air: Airlines serving Mongolia is Korean Air, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Air China and Mongolian Airlines (MIAT). AeroMongolia also fly to Irkutsk and Höh Hot.
Travelers out of Europe frequently use flights to Ulaanbaatar via Moscow or Beijing. MIAT Mongolian Airlines fly direct to Ulaanbaatar from Berlin. The cheapest airfare is always offered by Aeroflot via Moscow, almost always resulting in an overnight stop on the return at the airport hotel at Moscow Sheremeteyvo II airport. Air China offered very competitive through fares via Beijing since 2003. Many carriers fly to Beijing and from there to Ulaanbaaatar there is a choice of Air China and Mongolian Airlines.
For North Americans Korean Air via Seoul Incheon airport is a very convenient alternative. If you live on the east coast, you could also check options with Finnair to Moscow and then to Ulaanbaatar by Mongolian Airlines or Aeroflot.
For Australians and Kiwis Air China have seemed to offer the best alternatives via Beijing. Or Korean Air via Seoul.
By rail: You can travel on direct trains to Ulaanbaatar from Moscow, Irkutsk (daily), Ulan-Ude (daily), Höh Hot and Beijing. Train schedules are not frequent. Usually once of twice a week, with the exception of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude which has daily trains in both directions. Nomadic Journeys is a consolidator for Mongolian Railways, and we make reservations and issue tickets for trains that originate in Ulaanbaatar. We cannot assist with ticketing and reservations for trains that originate outside Mongolia.
Domestic Transport : Mongolia is a large country devoid of tarmac roads. Air travel is the mode of transport domestically. In 2004 there were only 5 aircrafts flying the entire Mongolian domestic network. For 2005 two aircrafts have been taken out of service, why only 3 remain. It means early reservations are necessary. The number of flights in different directions has been reduced considerably, and some airports such as Uliastai and Bayanhongor will have no flights whatsoever. Hence, advance planning is becoming more and more important. Please, also consider that if visibility drops, due to rain or fog, flights will cancel. Why it is important to allow for at least 2 overnights in Ulaanbaatar after having arrived from the interior by air. Flights may also cancel if there is a minor technical problem, which will cause delays and affect the flight schedule of the entire day. Why it is important to have enough time to deal with any delays, so that you do not loose your international connections out of Mongolia and onwards.
Most Mongolian vehicles are Russian and most of them suffer from a lack of spare parts. These cost hard currency. Breakdowns of jeeps are frequent but the drivers are masters at fixing them on the spot, and they are prepared. Buses cannot usually be used far outside of Ulaanbaatar (except for the Gobi) due to the lack of suitable roads and obstacles like river-crossings.
We cope with this problem by using motorized transport as little as possible. In the Gobi, a bus is used to and from the start and end points of treks. Sudden continuous rains are always unexpected, and wooden bridges may be washed away. Rivers swell quickly. If this happens, impassable rivers may cut off the areas we want to cover. Re-routing is always possible, and we will just change the direction of our journey.
Most Mongolians still prefer the horse to be the best mode of transportation in the countryside.
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