Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated country has many taboos and customs that are unique to them. Our humbling visit to Mongolia taught us to respect the relatively unexplored country, breakdown stereotypes and uncover facts.
Here are the 8 things we have learned:
1. 1/3 of the population are staying in Ulaanbaatar
Although the country takes pride in its nomadic culture, it is nowhere near easy to be a nomad due to the harsh climate. Livestock struggle to get through 45°C below zero and every passing animal meant a significant decrease in the assets. They were sometimes forced to live in the city for a better life.
Also thanks to the fast development in the capital city, there are increasing opportunities for the younger generation to earn a living in the city and lead a more comfortable life than being a nomad. As a result, 1 out of 3 million of the entire population lives in the capital city.
2. Any car that stops is your Uber
It is not easy getting around Ulaanbaatar as they were no official taxi in sight. We observed and noticed a unique action by the locals – they flag for private cars along the road. These are your “Uber”.
You may think it only applies to the locals but the trick here is to act like you know your stuff and they won’t charge you a tourist price. Simply show them your destination on Google Maps and monitor the route closely.
Important to know:
- They are able to manually restart the odometer every time they pick up someone so make sure the meter reading is zero when you board.
- The basic fee is 1,000₮ per km, it’s an unspoken rate but it might change so best is to agree on a rate before you set off. The only exception is when there is traffic congestion, they might ask for a little more or you can take the initiative to tip them for their time.
Tip! Avoid this at night especially for females! Book a taxi with your accommodation if you need to get to the airport.
3. You should get on and off a horse from its left only
As a first-timer in horse riding, I did not know about this. Like everywhere in the World, all horses in Mongolia are trained to mount and dismount from its left only.
Mongolian horses are small and mighty but despite their physique, they can gallop up to 10km at once. Horse trekking is highly recommended to experience a true and authentic journey if you have an extended time in Mongolia.
4. Livestock roam freely during the day and will be herded home in the evening
In Mongolia, livestock is semi-wild. The nomads let them roam and graze freely throughout the day and herd them back only in the evening. Very interestingly, they actually recognise their own livestock!
It is also not unusual to see them feeding a group of lost livestock that does not belong to them as culturally, herders tend to look out for one another. Stealing livestock is completely out of the equation.
5. They will not reject anybody who visits their house
It is normal for Mongolians to travel on the road for days to their destination and it is also normal for them to visit any ger for a tea or even for the night.
The warm and friendly Mongolians are very welcoming of guests unless the family is holding a funeral at the moment where they will indicate by leaving the top of the ger opened.
6. Never knock on the ger doors
As much as they are welcoming of guests, one should never knock on the door if the door is closed as knocking on ger door is deemed as rude. Instead, the guest would ask to “Hold the dogs” as a way of informing that someone has arrived since there are fierce guard dogs surrounding the gers.
7. Internet connection is way better than you think
We were obviously prepared for a digital detox but things didn’t turn out that way. So unless you are deliberately going on a digital detox, your data SIM card will bring you a better connection in the desert than you think. Small towns have absolutely no problem in getting even 4G reception.
8. Forget about your daily showers
In exchange for the true nomadic life, the reality is that showering facilities are not readily available. We only had the chance to shower once every 3 days – either in tourist camps or small towns at a small fee.
Tip! Bring along wet wipes and powder! You can also purchase them in local supermarkets. The climate in Mongolia is cold and dry so our hair doesn’t grease easily. It is doable surviving a couple of days on wet wipes and powder.
I am sure there are many more to add to this list – are there any unique customs or lifestyle tips you have learned while you were in Mongolia?
Save to Pinterest!
