February
Lunar New Year
Tsagaan Sar and deep Mongolian winter — the coldest, quietest way to see the country.
The questions
travellers ask.
Answers to the things we get asked most — weather, food, gers, plugs and paperwork. If yours isn't here, email it to us and we'll answer you and add it for everyone else.
Short answer to the big one
The season runs May to October. September is the quiet favourite.
Month by month
What each month is actually good for, if you're choosing dates around an event.
March
Camel and ice festivals
Two of the most photogenic events in the calendar, both on frozen ground.
April
Nomadic life up close
Along with September, the best month for spending real time with herding families.
May
Season opens
The steppe greens up. Safest weather, sunny days, and far fewer travellers than July.
June
North opens up
June to August is the window for Khuvsgul Lake and the reindeer herders in the far north.
July
Naadam Festival
Wrestling, archery and horse racing. The busiest weeks of the year — book early.
August
Danshig Naadam
A religious naadam with masked Tsam dancing, on the edge of Ulaanbaatar.
September
Airag, foals and autumn colour
Wonder of Airag, foal stamping and the Aduuchin horse-training competition. Not hot, not cold, and the countryside at its most picturesque.
October
Golden Eagle Festival
First weekend of October in Bayan-Ulgii, western Mongolia. The season's last act.
Everything else
Mongolian tourism is about nature, nomadic life and the places in between, so the main season runs from May to October — including the short spring and early autumn either side of summer.
That is the safest part of the year for weather: sunny days across the whole country and enough rainfall to keep the steppe lush and green. September is the quiet favourite — enjoyable, colourful, neither hot nor cold, and the month when nomads have the widest variety of dairy products and are busy preparing for winter.
Travel tools
Visa information
Who needs one, and what we can send to support your application.
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International flights
Routes into Ulaanbaatar and which carriers fly them.
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Domestic flights
Getting to the Gobi, Khuvsgul or Bayan-Ulgii by air.
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Trans-Siberian Railway
Arriving or leaving overland through Russia or China.
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Useful facts
Currency, time zone, electricity, holidays and the practical basics.
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Online payment
Pay a deposit or balance by card once your trip is confirmed.
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Terms and conditions
Booking, cancellation and liability for tours we operate.
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Privacy policy
What we do with the details you send us.
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The climate, in numbers
Extreme continental. Hot summers, very cold winters.
Mongolia sits at the heart of continental Asia, far from any sea and in the lee of high mountains — which is why it is so dry, and why they call it the Land of Blue Sky.
3,200Hours of sunshine a year in the south
−35°CJanuary average, the coldest month
150mmAnnual rain in the Gobi — 500mm+ in the mountains
220VMains power at 50Hz — bring a converter
Still wondering something?
Send it over. We answer by email, and the good questions end up on this page for the next traveller.