18 Tips for Camping in Mongolia
The most comprehensive and useful advice for camping in Mongolia. Follow these tips to have a safe, fun, and fulfilling adventure.
Dreaming of overlanding, car camping, doing a motorcycle tour, bike packing, trekking, or even hitchhiking your way across Mongolia? What are you waiting for! Mongolia is the perfect place for all those things, and so much more.
That’s why I love living here. The adventure opportunities are endless. One minute I’m in Ulaanbaatar having a fancy dinner and drinks and the next I’m in the countryside surrounded by semi-wild horses without another person in sight. It’s the perfect mix of remote, but still accessible.
In fact, Mongolia is the place that taught me how to camp. Mongolia forced me to get off my phone and out of my comfort zone and connect with nature, and the people around me. Even if they didn’t speak my language. This is where I learned that human connection and bonds are formed by our shared love and respect for the things around us. Our family, our animals, our land. I have learned so many lessons not only about life, but about myself here. And I hope that when you visit Mongolia will show you the same.
Now that you’ve read my short love letter to Mongolia, let’s get into my camping advice. Follow these tips to have a safe, fun, and fulfilling adventure.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments or join my private Mongolia Facebook travel group and ask other travelers for their advice and recommendations.
Let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
1. Wild camping is allowed in Mongolia.
Unlike Europe and the US, wild camping is legal in Mongolia, and it’s the norm. Locals, foreigners, everyone travels and camps this way. During the warm summer months, you’ll see locals camped on the side of the road, on riverbanks, next to lakes, in the middle of fields, you name it.
Like anywhere, practice a leave no trace mentality, even if you don’t see locals following the same ethos. Set the example, don’t become the example.
2. Set up your campsite before dark.
This is usually a given if you’re an avid camper, but it’s so important I feel like I need to say it loud and clear. I’m emphasizing this point for a few reasons.
First, the weather here changes quickly. You do not want to be setting up a tent when the wind and rain decide to unleash their furry.
Second, animals outnumber people 20 to 1. That also means animal dung is everywhere. If you’re setting up your tent in the dark, you might just set it up right on a big, fresh pile of poop. And, honestly, if you didn’t listen to this rule, you’ll deserve it.
Finally, things almost always go wrong here. Tent poles break, tarps fly away, sleeping bags accidently get drenched. Always allow yourself extra time to do just about anything in Mongolia.
3. It’s easy to find clean, potable water in every town.
Overlanding and need to refill your water tank? Car camping and want to fill some reusable water jugs? You’re in luck, every town, big and small has a water pump you can pay to use.
Since running water isn’t always common in households, and certainly not in gers (yurts), each town has water pumps you can pay to pump water from for a small fee. You’ll even find these water stations in Ulaanbaatar, on the outskirts of town where residents live mostly in gers.
The cost is usually about 4 tugrik per liter and there is typically a very short, but manageable hose that pumps water quickly.
Because the stations are attended by someone who will charge you after pumping water, you’ll need to go to these stations during “business hours.” It’s hard to tell what these hours will be where you are, but assume late mornings and afternoons are safe times to visit. And bring cash.
To find these stations, ask anyone in town. In Mongolian, the word for water is pronounced “os,” You can even call the station a “os ger” or “water house” and anyone will get the point, hopefully pointing you in the right direction.
I recommend filtering this water before drinking or cooking with it. When it comes to showering, washing dishes, and anything else, this water is safe to use.
4. Plan to be completely self-sufficient.
Since this is wild camping, don’t expect to find “campgrounds,” RV parks, or other camper-friendly places.
This is the wild west when it comes to camping. Bring solar panels for charging. Bring your own food. Pack enough drinking water for the night. You aren’t going to find places to “plug in,” refill water bottles or have a hot shower, or even park/pitch a tent with other campers for the night.
5. Only plan to camp outside if you have waterproof, wind-sturdy tents.
Mongolia’s weather is crazy. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting inside my car hiding from a crazy lightning storm with high wind, heavy rain, and even hail that’s making it look like it’s been snowing. And it’s August! But this is normal.
When tent camping, make sure you put your rain cover on at night. Even if you don’t think you need to. Trust me, you do. If you’re camping and it’s raining, be aware of flash flooding and flooding in general. Set your tent up far enough away from a riverbank or river to not have to get up in the middle of the night and move everything.
Also be aware that if you’re overlanding and sleeping in a rooftop tent, be sure all your poles are secure, and everything is zipped as needed. Then brace for a very noisy night if there’s wind.
All of these things being said, I think sleeping inside a car is the best option.
Personally, I prefer this because of the weather. As I mentioned, it’s raining outside and I’m warm, dry, and cozy inside my car without having to listen to tent flaps make noise in the wind or be worried about flooding. I understand this is a luxury and not possible for everyone, but this is always my preference.
6. If you’re nervous about sleeping completely remote, ask a nomadic herding family if you can stay near their ger (yurt).
Chances are they’ll say yes, and even host you for tea, cheese, and possibly even dinner. As a thank you, be sure to leave them something nice (unopened bread, soda, etc.) in return for their kind hospitality. You can offer 50,000 tugrik as payment, which they may or may not accept.
While the unwritten rule with Mongolian hospitality is that they should graciously accept every guest that needs help, please don’t take advantage of this. Families get shy about accepting money, so offer them something equally as kind in exchange. Even if it’s something you don’t think is a big deal to offer, like candy, a bag of rice, or a bottle of soda.
Here are a few gift ideas when visiting a family. A kind gesture like this goes a long way.
7. The best months for camping are June, August, and September.
Come October, temperatures start to become too cold to sleep outside. It’s also possible to overland and car camp in May, but you can still expect freezing temperatures at night.
It’s only possible to camp in April, May, October, and November if you have an overland vehicle with a diesel heater. Depending on your vehicle, comfort level driving in the snow, and openness to -40 C temperatures, December, January, February, and March are only for the bravest, and most-equipped, overlanders.
July is the worst month for camping in Mongolia as a foreigner. Why? Because of Naadam, Mongolia’s national holiday. With the entire country shut down for the holiday, everyone heads to the countryside to visit family and enjoy the beauty of their homeland.
Lakes become crowded, country roads become congested, gas stations have long lines. If you can avoid traveling to Mongolia in July in general, unless you want to experience Naadam specifically, I highly recommend traveling here during other months.
8. Make your own bathroom stops and toilets.
The infrastructure in Mongolia is improving, but it still has a way to go. For example, if you’re driving from Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin, there are four new and modern rest stops along the way that make the journey bearable.
After that though, good luck. You will find outhouses along the road, no matter where you are, but follow the lead of the locals on this one and just go anywhere you feel the need on the side of the road. Try to keep your business to a number one only, and reserve number twos for when you can dig a proper hole or find a proper restroom.
Ladies, if you want some privacy, an oversized umbrella, Mongolian deel, or light blanket can shield you from flashing everyone driving by. But trust me when I say this, no one actually cares.
When it’s time to set up camp, designate a bathroom area for the group. Don’t leave tissues, toilet paper, wet wipes, feminine products or anything else behind, even if you’re digging a hole, which is 100% what you should be doing.
9. Don’t wash your dishes in the river or lake and don’t leave behind any food waste, even if it’s biodegradable.
The first religion in Mongolia was Tengerism, which is essentially the belief that the sky is God. It’s the belief in nature and the spiritual world and is the root for Mongolian Shamanism.
What does this have to do with you washing your dishes in the river? Well, this means it is incredibly disrespectful to wash your dishes in any of Mongolia’s bodies of water, which are considered holy.
Additionally, don’t throw a tissue or any trash into a fire, especially inside a ger (home). These elements are pure and powerful, and Mongolians respect them more than anything else. Which means you should too.
If you’re staying near to a nomadic family’s home, be sure to ask them where you can throw dirty dish water, where you can brush your teeth, etc. At a minimum, at least try to do these things far away from where the animals graze.
10. You’re never really alone in Mongolia.
Herders always have a monocular handy so they can keep a watchful eye on their herds. This is something to be aware of if, like me, you like taking an end of the day outdoor shower.
In the morning, don’t be surprised if they ride by on their horse or motorcycle. Usually, the herder will just stare at you and is simply curious to see what you’re doing. If they don’t speak, it’s usually because they are too shy. Don’t take their curiosity the wrong way.
11. Animals are your tent’s worst nightmare.
Horses, cows, goat, sheep, this is their land and they aren’t shy about letting you know. If you feel something rubbing against your tent in the middle of the night or early morning, it’s most likely one of these guys.
If you walk away from your tent and come back to find it surrounded by a herd of goats, be warned they’ll eat their way through your guy lines, tarps, rain covers, and anything else you have sitting out. Leading to my next point.
12. Don’t leave anything out at night.
Dishes, clothes to dry, anything. Chances are an animal will wake you up licking your dirty dishes or the wind will have stolen your dirty underwear.
13. Avoid camping next to an ovoo.
You’ll see these temple-shaped sacred sites everywhere as you travel across Mongolia. They’re usually perched at high points on the road or in the mountains, so be sure to avoid setting up camp near them. Unless you want to be visited by some angry spirits in the night.
14. Stay up late enough to look at the stars.
Mongolia’s dark skies are some of the best in the world. Without light pollution you can easily see the Milky Way with your naked eye. Which, if you’ve never experienced that before, its something you need to see for yourself at least once in your lifetime.
15. Avoid anyone who looks or acts drunk.
Especially if you’re a female and a male approaches you. Do not engage. Ignore and continue on your way. This will hopefully encourage them to move on to doing, and bothering, someone else.
It also these instances where I reach for my OLIGHT Marauder Mini, which I use as my weapon of choice.
First of all, it’s really heavy even though it’s small in size. Because of that most people don’t assume it’s a weapon, which makes it a bit less obvious if I grab it to keep it close. It’s a bit less conspicuous to grab a knife when someone approaches you.
Besides being the perfect weight, its 7,000 lumens are also the perfect way to blind someone. So, there’s all of that.
If you’re invited into a ger and there’s a party going on, be sure to stay aware of your surroundings. When you’re out in the countryside, you’re at your most vulnerable since help may be hundreds of miles away.
16. Mongolian nights are cool, pack, dress, and camp accordingly.
Wind, rain, hail, or perfect weather, you never quite know what you’re going to get when you’re camping in Mongolia.
I always pack layers, usually one Merino wool long sleeved shirt, warm socks, and a beanie, depending on the month. Rain jackets, dry shoes to wear at camp, and scarves are also never a bad idea to pack for a Mongolia trip.
17. You’re probably not going to find wood to build a fire. Bring it.
You’ll quickly notice there aren’t many trees in most parts of Mongolia. That means if you want to build a campfire, you’re going to have to bring your own wood. Wood can be bought on the side of the road, or in some grocery stores by the bundle. The pieces are usually small and burn quickly, so you want to buy at least two bags.
18. Don’t stay in one place more than two nights.
This is one of my top tips for staying stay safe in Mongolia.
Staying in one place too long attracts too much attention, especially since you won’t exactly be blending in.
Local families will know you’re in this spot, they’ll have time to see what you have at your camp, and they might even keep an eye on if you leave camp for a hike, swim, or something else.
Author: Breanna Wilson
Hi! Sain uu! I’m Breanna, an American travel writer and adventurer living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for more than 5 years. I’ve written for and been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, CNN, Forbes, and the New York Times, among others. Read more of my Mongolia travel articles here.
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