There are lots of mixed evaluations coming out of the Gobi Desert as well as for great reason. because of the large expanses of this land, there is an exhausting amount of driving included in this Mongolian desert tour, which leaves bit time to see the actual sites. You’ll spend an typical of 8 hours / day riding in the back seat of a Russian van bouncing around like you’re in a washing machine. Unfortunately, as well as much to the surprise of many travellers, there is extremely bit time spent enjoying the Gobi desert itself, as well as much more time taking a look at it with the van window.
Make sure your van is comfortable…you’ll spend a great deal of time in it!
Sound like fun?!
Well, the saving grace truly is the last few hours of every day when you show up at the amazing sites & household houses in the Mongolian desert. The sand dunes, gorges, cliffs as well as caves at the end of every day will truly comprise for the squandered time in the van.
The finest experiences when traveling Mongolia are with the families. It’s outstanding to be invited in to a ger (traditional Mongolian yurt) as well as see the age-old customs of these nomadic people very first hand.
Skinning a goat in the Gobi Desert
Planning For a Gobi Desert Tour
So, exactly how do you plan for a Gobi Desert tour? Well the very best method is to book it with your guesthouse in Ulan Bator. practically all of the traveler oriented hostels as well as guesthouses in the funding can organize a number of Gobi trip options, in addition to trips to all corners of this majestic country.
You very first requirement to discover a company/guesthouse that you can trust. We’ve compiled a listing below of some great operators based on genuine traveller’s reports on the ground, as well as on TripAdvisor. always do your own independent research study when planning a Mongolian desert adventure.
Planning a Gobi Desert Trip
Good Gobi Desert trip Operators:
Sun path Guesthouse – We utilized them to book our Gobi Desert trip as well as while the guide wasn’t excessively informed about the history, the trip itself was superb. We were able to stop for pictures when we wanted, our guide assisted us discover conventional food as well as drink that we were looking for, as well as she was an outstanding cook. Others utilized this exact same guesthouse for different trips as well as had a extremely positive experience as well. Ask to speak to your guide before setting out to get a feel for his/her level of English. sun path has numerous excellent guides available. Click right here for updated TripAdvisor reviews, as well as click right here to book a space at their guesthouse as well as get in touch with the staff.
Ger to Ger – most likely the most prominent travel company in Ulan Bator, Ger to Ger is a excellent neighborhood based program which prides itself on providing back to the households who host, as well as continuing a sustainable connection between tourists as well as regional families. (Update 2018: We can’t discover any type of recent evaluations on this company).
View Mongolia – We’ve just recently heard about this business as well as it has high evaluations on TripAdvisor.
Golden Gobi – While we hadn’t heard excellent things about this business back in 2013, according to evaluations it seems they’ve smartened up as well as are now providing a excellent stay at their hostel / guesthouse, as well as high high quality Gobi Desert tours. Click right here to checked out evaluations as well as compare costs on Booking.com.
There are lots of great operators in Ulan Bator so just look around as well as opt for the one that you have a great feeling about. one more choice is to have a look on TripAdvisor.com to see truthful evaluations about trip operators.
Questions to Ask before going on a Mongolian Desert Adventure
Before agreeing to a Gobi Desert tour, make sure to ask the business the complying with concerns to prevent any type of unwanted surprises.
1. Can I satisfy the guide as well as chauffeur before leaving?
2. Can I see the van we will be driving in?
3. Does the chauffeur have experience in the area, a map, and/or a GPS unit? (this is extremely important)
4. What type of food will be included?
5. are there any type of additional costs while on the tour?
6. are there spare tires & shocks in the vehicle? (a breakdown is practically guaranteed)
A spare tire, shocks as well as a somebody who understands exactly how to modification them is a must
Costs of a Gobi Desert trip (What We Paid)
We went with sun Path’s trip as well as we bargained the rate down to $45/day/person for 6 peoplein a comfortable van. This included all entrance fees, 3 meals a day (with snacks), camel riding, lodging in shared gers, 1.5L water / day / person as well as essentially whatever we needed for our 6 day tour.
Travel Companions
The next thing you requirement to believe about when planning a Gobi Desert trip is who you’re going with. If you’ve put together your own group of good friends or like-minded travellers then you’re prepared for the next step. however if the operator is pairing you up with others, you ought to seriously think about satisfying them before agreeing to the tour.
Remember, you will be in a little van with these people for 8 hours / day, sleeping, eating as well as travelling together, so you much better make sure that you get along! A quick satisfy n’ greet will typically provide you a great feel for your new travel companions. If possible, we suggest having a coffee or meal together as well as make your decision after satisfying everyone.
Make sure you get together with your travel companions!
Things To pack For a Mongolian Desert Tour:
Here are a few things that we discovered vital while on the Gobi Desert Tour.
1. damp Towelettes (wet-naps): There are NO showers in the Gobi Desert, unless you’re paying for a top end lodge/tourist ger camp. Be prepared to be covered in dirt as well as dust at the end of each day. A quick rinse off in the laundry basin, complied with by a rub-down with wet-naps can save the day.
2. Bug Spray or lotion: There are times when the desert is full of flies as well as mosquitoes, don’t fail to remember to safeguard yourself just in case.
3. sun Screen: The sun is extremely intense – obviously.
4. A Hat: Again, the sun is intense in the desert.
5. A Bandana: Great for putting around your mouth as well as nose when driving with extremely dirty areas.
A bandanna is available in extremely handy
6. A Sleeping Bag: It’s good to have since many gers don’t offer sheets as well as if they do, they typically odor like goat… seriously.
7. A cars and truck Pillow: Remember, 8 hours / day of driving on bumpy roads, you’re going to want something to safeguard your head when it slams against the window.
8. Snacks: There are in some cases long breaks in between meals. pick up some road snacks at the specify department store in Ulan Bator. There are a couple of little shops in bit villages along the way, however they only offer extremely fundamental goods.
9. additional Water: 1.5 litres each / day just isn’t enough. get yourself an additional 1.5L/day in the funding before you leave as well as then get much more along the method if you need.
10. laundry Detergent: After 4 days, your clothes will odor like goat, sheep as well as camel, so unless you bring an entire wardrobe on your back, think about bringing some soap.
11. Toilet Paper: Ger camps don’t have any.
12. movement Sickness Pills: If you’re vulnerable to cars and truck sickness, then you’ll many likely feel nauseous when or twice on this trip. Bring some pills.
13. A Book: particularly if you can checked out during roller coaster rides, it’s a excellent method to pass the time in the van. Late at night or when waiting on dinner, it’s good to have some reading material.
14. A bottle Of Vodka (or 4): The bottle of vodka has numerous different uses. You can offer some to the seniors at the ger camps, as well as you can ward off any type of unwanted bacteria by taking a shot after eating potentially dodgy desert meat.
15. A headlamp or flashlight: The majority of the gers won’t have electricity. Candlelight is nice, however when you requirement to discover something in your bag or do a midnight toilet run, it’s a should have.
16. A Deck Of Cards: You’ll be costs a great deal of time chatting as well as hanging out with your trip mates at the end of each day. Cards (or some other game) are a excellent method to link with your new friends.
17. Music: The Mongolian equine music that will many likely be playing in the van is excellent on your very first day, however after the exact same 6 tunes are repeated for 6 days, you’ll most likely want to hear a few of your own tunes.
Accommodation in the Gobi Desert
In the Mongolian desert, the only location to sleep is in a ger, or in your van! The gers are normally quite comfortable with private little beds with thin mattresses. typically the whole group will sleep together in one ger. You’ll want to bring your own sleeping bag, or lease one from Ulan Batar…who understands exactly how commonly the blankets in the Gobi Desert are washed, if ever.
Accommodation in the Gobi Desert – like the view
Brace yourself for outhouse (long-drop) style toilets. Unless you’re in the capital, or other bigger cities, this is the common toilet when traveling in Mongolia.
Get gotten ready for the toilet situation!
Highlights of The Gobi Desert
The Flaming Cliffs
Wild Camels
Local households as well as Gers
Sand Dunes
Drinking arak
Yolyn Am Gorge
Riding Horses
Temples & Caves
Trying “snuff”
Ready For The Gobi Desert?!
Once you’ve discovered an operator that you trust, satisfied your guide & chauffeur as well as packed your bags, all that’s delegated do is head out as well as delight in the diverse Gobi Desert!
Apart from hiring a cars and truck as well as driving yourself (aka, getting lost in the desert), taking a Gobi Desert trip is your only option. This trip is essentially just a few like-minded travellers getting together as well as hiring a guide as well as chauffeur to show them around. If you have a excellent group of travellers, it’ll feel much more like a road trip than a trip as well as you’ll be totally free to do as you please many of the time.
Make sure to speak up if there are any type of detours or specific regional experiences you desire to have, many guides & chauffeurs are extremely accommodating.
Meeting the regional people of the Gobi Desert is a highlight
Backpacking with Mongolia is outstanding as well as a Gobi desert trip is a certain should while in this nomadic land. in spite of the numerous hours in the van, this is one experience you won’t want to miss out on.
For much more information, inspect out our articles:
Good Times In The Gobi Desert, part #1
Good Times In The Gobi, part #2
Also, inspect out our video of the Gobi Desert Tour!
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