Visa and entry requirements Mongolia:
Passport required
No visa is required

Information from the Federal Foreign Office about your trip to Mongolia:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/mongoleisicherheit/222842

Mongolia is a landlocked country in Central Asia with around 3.2 million inhabitants. The country borders Russia in the north and China in the other directions.

The official language of the country is Mongolian and the Mongolian tugrik is used as the national currency, with 1 euro being equivalent to around 3,000 MNT.

The largest cities in Mongolia include Ulaanbaatar, Erdenet, Darkhan, Mörön, Tschoibalsan, Ölgi, Nalaich and Ulaangom. A large part of the Mongolian population adheres to the Buddhist faith.

Mongolia is the world's most sparsely populated country and consists primarily of a hilly steppe landscape and the Gobi Desert in the south of the country. The highest point in Mongolian territory is the 4,374 meter high Chüiten peak in the western Altai Mountains.

Mongolia, with an area of around 2,400 by 1,300 kilometers, is one of the countries in the world richest in raw materials. The numerous mineral resources include gold, silver, diamonds, petroleum, molybdenum, copper, coal, tungsten and zinc.

Another important economic sector in the country is livestock breeding, where, among other things, goats, sheep, horses, yaks, cattle and camels are bred. Agriculture plays a minor role because of the harsh winters and poor soil. Potatoes, grain, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, onions and peas are grown there primarily for personal use.

Although Mongolia's vast landscape offers some fantastic scenery, the tourism industry in the country has so far been very little developed. The often very long and cold winters as well as the long distances make the country rather unattractive for foreign visitors.

The most important sights in Mongolia include the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, the Hustai National Park, the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, the Yolyn Am Valley, the local history museum and the Erdene Monastery in Kharakhorum, the Gobi Desert, Lake Hovsgol -National Park, the Orkhon Valley, the Terkhlin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, the Amarbayasgalant Monastery of Amar Hiyd, as well as the Chenresig Temple, the Manzshir Monastery, the National Art Gallery, the Statue of Marco Polo, the Bogd Khan Uul National Park, the State Opera, the 13th Century National Park, the Central Railway Station, the Genghis Khan Square, the Zaisan Memorial, the Local History Museum, the Gandan Monastery, the Lama Temple Museum, the Ghengis Khan Statue Complex, the Golden Statue of the Goddess Janraisig, the Winter Palace of Gogd Khan, the Dsaizan Monument, the central Sükhbaatar Square, the Parliament Building, the Dashchoilin Monastery, the Orthodox Church, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Peace Bridge, the Town Hall and the Ulan Art Museum Bator.

The capital and by far the largest city of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar with around 1.6 million inhabitants. Ulaanbaatar, also known as Ulan Bator, is the political, cultural and economic center of the country and lies at an altitude of around 1,400 meters. Almost half of the entire Mongolian population lives in the capital.

In September 2016 I visited Mongolia for three days, the only time so far. My previously booked hotel, right on the central square of Ulan Bator, was the starting point for my all-day tour and a subsequent evening walk.

My inexpensive tour with a local taxi driver first took me to the very impressive Ghengis Khan statue complex, about an hour from Ulan Bator. We then drove to a monastery in the fantastically colorful autumn mountains and a longer visit to a local nomad family who had just slaughtered a goat. In the afternoon, all the highlights of the capital Ulaanbaatar were on the agenda.

After this eventful and exciting day, I ended the evening in my cozy hotel restaurant with delicious Mongolian specialties. Before going to sleep for the night, I treated myself to a short walk to the nearby and beautifully lit Sükhbaatar Square, the absolute center of the capital.

The next day I flew back to Beijing, where the next adventure in North Korea awaited me.