Immigration procedures and customs should be fairly easy as well. They might ask for your hotel/address in Ulaanbaatar. It can be a bit crowded around luggage pick-up and once they come out having passed customs.

You will be picked up by a driver holding a Wild Women Expeditions sign. Your airport pick-up time will be based on the flight information provided in your travel details form submitted to the WWE office. Don’t accept any taxi offers, and watch your pockets.

The drive from the airport to the hotel downtown is about 15 km, and it depends on the day of the week and time of day how long it takes. In the early morning and weekends, it may be 30 minutes, at rush hours it may be 90 minutes.

Group Rendezvous Point:

Date: Day 1
Time: TBA
Location: Front lobby of Hotel Nine

RECOMMENDED PRE-TRIP ACCOMMODATIONS

If you’re planning on arriving early, here are our recommended accommodations:

Hotel Nine. This is the same hotel as the first and last nights of the trip. Book with them directly, or through our travel agent partner, Now Boarding (Email: wildwomen@nowboarding.travel).
Guesthouses are generally nice and very affordable. Check out Zaya Guesthouse/Hostel, Chuka’s Guesthouse, and Modern Mongol Hostel In Ulaanbaatar. Book with hostels or guesthouses directly.

DEPARTURES FROM ULAANBAATAR

Departure times vary depending on your airline reservations. Transportation will be provided from your hotel to the airport.

Drop Off Point:

Date: Day 12
Time: In conjunction with your flight schedule
Location: Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN)

RECOMMENDED POST-TRIP ACCOMMODATIONS

If you plan to stay longer, here are our recommended accommodations:

Hotel Nine. This is the same hotel as the first and last nights of the trip. Book with them directly, or through our travel agent partner, Now Boarding. Email: wildwomen@nowboarding.travel.
Guesthouses are generally nice and very affordable. Check out Zaya Guesthouse/Hostel, Chuka’s Guesthouse and Modern Mongol Hostel In Ulaanbaatar. Book with hostels or guesthouses directly.

TRANSPORTATION ARRANGEMENTS

You are responsible for booking your own flights or other transport arrangements to the trip start location. These arrangements and any other independent arrangements that you may make are not a part of the trip booked with Wild Women Expeditions and are entirely at your own risk. Wild Women Expeditions accepts no responsibility, directly or indirectly, for any loss, damage or injury to property or person in connection with such arrangements. Should you require assistance with your travel arrangements, please contact:

Megan and Zale | Now Boarding Travel, Travel Specialists

Email: wildwomen@nowboarding.travel

Note: Now Boarding Travel only provides services of 3-star quality or greater. For budget alternatives, please refer to the Lonely Planet guide for your destination.

Important: For international and remote destinations, there is always the risk of flight delays, baggage delays and flight schedule changes which may cause late arrivals, which may, in return, result in you missing the group tour departure. We encourage you to consider arriving one or two days early, which will help you overcome any jet lag from traveling!

PASSPORTS & VISAS

You are fully responsible for your own visa requirements, permits, and certificates for your trip. It is the sole prerogative of each country or region to determine who is allowed to enter. It is your responsibility to check with the country's Consulate and your country's travel website such as Canada’s for up-to-date information about traveling internationally.

Passport:

Most countries and airlines recommend passports be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your expected return to your home country. Before you leave, ask your transportation company about its requirements related to passport validity, which may be more stringent than the country's entry rules.

Important: A copy of your passport must be emailed to the Wild Women Expeditions office office as soon as possible.

Visa:

U.S citizens (and a few other countries) can obtain a 90-day tourist visa upon arrival.

Canadian citizens do not need a visa for a tourist visit under 30 days.

Most other countries’ citizens need to apply for a visa. You can find online information on your visa requirements at sites like Visa HQ but double-check with the Mongolian Embassy or Consul in your country for the current regulations that pertain to your visa requirements. Addresses of Mongolian Embassies and Consulates are provided at the The Embassy Page or other sites. Visas can be issued within a few days if necessary, for an extra fee, but it’s better to apply early!

Note: As fees and policies can change, we highly recommend that you contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date visa requirements, or see your travel agent.

If you would like additional assistance in securing your visa, we recommend you consider using the services of CIBTVisas.

Click HERE if you are in the USA.

Click HERE if you are in Canada.

TIPPING

There is no obligation to tip your guides, drivers, and cook, but many participants do when they feel they were provided great service. Recommended amounts are below: More or less is still acceptable!

Lead Guide: $100USD per trip
Driver: $50 - $100USD per trip

ACCOMMODATION DETAILS

Rooming Arrangements:

Our trip prices are based on shared accommodations (minimum of two women per room/yurt), so we’ll team you up with another solo wild woman to share with if you’re on your own, or of course, you can share with your travel partner.

Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags are provided. It is recommended that you bring your own lightweight liner (cotton or silk are the most common) to use inside the sleeping bag.

Overnight Arrangements During Your Stay
Hotel Nine
Family Ger Camp Dorm Style (3-4 People)
Khangain Tugul or Ashid Bekei Hotel
Secrets of the Silk Road

POTABLE WATER

Do not drink unfiltered tap water in Mongolia. Purchased bottled water is generally safe – check the seal is intact. Avoid ice unless you know it has been made with purified/treated water. Filtered, potable water is provided throughout your riding trip.

If you would like to join Wild Women Expeditions in its commitment to reducing single-use plastic, you can travel prepared with your own water treatment system!

Lifestraw

GRAYL Canada | OnePress™ Global Protection

Travelers Against Plastic | Take the TAP pledge

Water-To-Go

QUICK FACTS ABOUT MONGOLIA

Geography

Mongolia has a varied landscape that is composed of mountains, hilly plateaux, and desert areas. The country has one of the biggest freshwater lakes of Asia (Lake Khovsgol), many salt-water lakes, marshes, sand dunes, meadows, alpine forests, and permanent glaciers. North and West of Mongolia are seismically active areas, so we can find here many thermal springs and volcanoes.

Climate & Weather:

Most days in Mongolia during the riding seasons are sunny with pleasant daytime temperatures and somewhat cooler evenings, especially in the higher elevations where we will travel. However, riding in the mountains of Mongolia can turn wet and cold for short periods at any time during the riding season between May and October so it’s best to be prepared. It can also be very hot, especially for the months of June, July and August, but turn chilly in just a few hours if a cold front moves down from Siberia. Mongolia is a place where you can experience all 4 seasons in one day. Generally, inclement weather only lasts a short while during this time of year.

Common Animals

Mongolia has a number of large mammals, including grey wolves and Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), as well as more endangered species such as the wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus), the snow leopard (Uncia uncia), the Gobi bear, (rarest and unique to the desert region), the takhi (both wild and domestic types of horses) and the Asiatic wild ass. Other species of mammals reported include: argali (Ovis ammon) (in the rocky mountains of the Gobi desert), common wolf, Mongolian saiga (Saiga tatarica mongolica), musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), Pallas's cat (Felis manul) or manul, black tailed gazelle (Gazelle subgutturosa), stone martin (Martes foina), and wild cats in the Altai ecoregion; wild boar (Sus scrofa nigipes), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer in the forest areas and muskrat, red fox, steppe fox, and sable in the forest and steppe margin areas.

Wildlife of Mongolia - Wikipedia

MONEY MATTERS

Wild Women Expeditions recommends that each participant should bring enough cash in local currency or available credit/debit funds to cover their meals during travel to and from their destination. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, meals not included in the trip package, shopping, etc., and we also suggest you have access to emergency funds.

The currency is the tugrik (MNT) or the tögrög (₮), often spelled tugrik because it reflects the more accurate pronunciation. It comes in notes of T5, T10, T20, T50, T100, T500, T1000, T5000, T10,000 and T20,000. (T1 notes are basically souvenirs.) The highest-value note is worth around $12 USD.

Currency Exchange Offices & Banks:

Banks and exchange offices in Ulaanbaatar will change money with relative efficiency. Banks in provincial centres are also fine; they change dollars and give cash advances against debit and credit cards. Remember to change all your tögrög when leaving the country, as it’s worthless elsewhere.

Please check online for current exchange rates. Wild Women Expeditions likes XE Currency Converter

We highly suggest you read this article: Where to Exchange Currency Without Paying Huge Fees for more information about this for your trip.

Credit Cards

U.S. dollars and credit cards are accepted in hotels and some restaurants, mainly in Ulaanbaatar.

If you have a credit card, you can use the ATM to purchase currency directly. Your monthly balance usually shows the exchange rate you received on purchases made with the credit card.

Cash

This is the best way to pay for items throughout your trip. Carry local currency, especially in rural areas.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Recommended Reading:

Women of Mongolia by Martha Avery
The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford
Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong
All this belongs to me by Czech writer, Petra Hulova

Useful Websites:

GETTING FIT

Please be sure to provide complete, accurate, and up-to-date information about your health & fitness level and keep us updated if there are changes. Wild Women Expeditions trips travel to remote areas where limited or no sophisticated medical facilities exist.

A medical emergency situation is extremely unlikely; however, should it arise we need to be prepared with the necessary information to help you.

Important Note: If you choose not to disclose a condition, infirmity, injury, or ailment herein and are subsequently deemed to be unfit for expedition travel due in whole or in part to such condition, infirmity, injury or ailment, Wild Women Expeditions guides, and partners shall have the right to remove you from the trip with no refund or compensation payable. Any evacuation expenses incurred are payable by the evacuee via their medical travel insurance or personal expense. Generally, our expeditions are intended for travelers in reasonably good health for their safety, along with that of their fellow travelers.

Tips:

You don't have to be a professional athlete to enjoy your Wild Women expedition. Not by a long shot! You'll be surprised at what you can achieve with our experienced guides at your side and a little camaraderie.

That said, you’ll definitely enjoy yourself far more if you do some preparation so your body is conditioned and ready to enjoy and make the most of the outdoors.

Here are a few ideas to help you get ready:

Take every opportunity you can to be active.

You can improve your fitness a lot just by adopting some new habits; take the stairs at work, go for a walk at lunchtime, park your car away from work and walk. Aim for 30 minutes a day and keep a diary so you can look back on it and feel proud. These may sound trivial but they’re all building blocks!

Rev up your ticker!

Think ‘interval training’, which means doing short bursts of high-intensity work with recovery time in between. Depending on how fit you are this can mean strolling with bursts of power walking, or jogging with sprints. Either way, the aim is to get your heart rate up.

Hill Training.

The most spectacular views aren’t from the bottom of a valley – so the places we go on our trips aren’t flat. A little time training on hills and stairs is an investment that’ll pay off big-time when you’re on your trip. When it comes to hills there’s no hurry – get into a slow steady rhythm and you’ll be at the top before you know it.

Join a local walking or running group.

This is a great way to get fit and you’ll also see new places, meet great people… and make them all jealous when they find out what you’re about to go on your travels.

Warm up, cool down and stretch.

If you’re doing a workout then make sure you start and finish gently and stretch any tight muscles – this will help you avoid any aches, pains and pulled muscles. If you’re a member of a gym try some yoga, tai chi or pilates classes to build up your flexibility, stability and balance.

Hydration.

When you suddenly ask your body to walk or be active, it needs a bit more fuel than it needs when, say, sitting at a desk all day! The main thing your body needs is water, so stay hydrated and practice sipping water often. Getting a water bottle or hydration bladder is a great way to make sure you have it on hand at all times. Make a habit out of taking a bottle of water with you wherever you go.

Nutrition.

Eating little and often will keep your body well fuelled for outdoor exercise, especially food like nuts, dried fruit and bread. The odd bit of chocolate and a few boiled lollies are good for keeping your blood sugar levels up while you’re hiking as well!

Have fun!

The most important point of all! You are about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. You’re going to meet some amazing people, see some wonderful places and create memories that will stay with you for life. The more prepared you are to tackle the various challenges, the more fun you will have. Also, with all the endorphins you create from all this training, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear! It’s a great way to boost your happy vibes.

GENERAL FAQ'S

For general Wild Women Expeditions FAQs please click [HERE].