A trip to Mongolia was another unexpected experience to happen for me in 2025. I did dream of visiting that country in the past, so, it was definitely a welcome surprise.

With only a few days left, the cheapest yet convenient flight we found was via Cathay Pacific, with a stopover at Hong Kong, then via Mongolian Air to Ulaanbaatar. Despite the difference in airlines, we did not have to check out and check in luggages at the layover. Booking the flight was even made through AirAsia move website. Interesting.

Speaking of interesting, at the NAIA’s immigration counter, the officer asked me, “Bakit (Why) Mongolia?”  I said, it’s unusual, plus we’re visa-free anyway, so it’s a good travel opportunity. He let me go with a “you do you” kind of smile. Time to fly.

Upon arrival to Chinggis Khaan International Airport, passing through immigration was pretty smooth. There weren’t a lot of visitors to the country it seems.

A taxi driver spotted us, offered to give us a ride and insistently waited, while we got ourselves together, in preparation for the travel ahead. He didn’t seem threatening so even with him following us around, we proceeded with the hotel transfer with him. His name is Sanjaa.

Sanjaa is a very friendly, talkative guy who barely speaks English. But armed with a translator app, we managed to spend 5 days with him as the driver and guide. We liked his enthusiasm, that’s very apparent. Just some minutes after leaving the airport, he randomly stopped along the freeway just so he could show us Mongolian horses. With the amazing sunset sky and steppe sprinkled with snow, I already knew, we would enjoy this trip.

Prior to reaching Mongolia, I was cautioning my travel mates, who are picky eaters, to eat well. I also bought a few snacks at the layover airport for emergency. That’s because I have a friend who mentioned that he did not like Mongolian food. But once we arrived at Ulaanbaatar, we saw how bustling it was. And so, there’s not much to worry about since there are international options should we not like the local food.

In spite of the rapid progress happening in the capital, the novelty was still high for me. It’s exciting to feel that you’re in a totally different country, i.e. when surrounded by unfamiliar spoken and written language. But, our first meal was Korean. Hahaha! We stopped by such restaurant to get dinner over with, as the traffic was pretty bad once we entered Ulaanbaatar.  

Further in, we noticed Korean businesses are quite common in Mongolia. A lot of Korean investment money are being thrown to the country it seems. 

I picked a hotel that was near the Sükhbaatar Square, as we did not intend to stay in Ulaanbaatar for the most part. So, we were able to walk to the historic monuments before leaving the city. I walked there twice. First time alone, while it’s still dark outside and before eating breakfast. Then second time with my party after we had breakfast. It’s just the end of October, but the weather was close to Seoul winter already.

Okay, time for the road trip!

We first went to the east outskirt of Ulaanbaatar, to the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex, where you find a big, big silver-colored equestrian statue of the said khan. This statue stands atop a museum. Within the area are a few tourist-y Mongolian things, i.e. a tied eagle that you can try to call to your arm; some camels stationed for a photo op, and souvenir vendors. It’s quite windy in the area, so the cold really hits.

After the monument, it’s time to appreciate nature. We started traveling back west so we can turn northwards to Terelj. Sanjaa spotted reindeers along the way and pulled over. As we were taking photos and videos while at the car, the owner of the reindeers approached, inviting us to pet or ride on the animals. We declined, and the woman got upset at us, because she didn’t want anyone to just take photos and leave. We had to pay. We confirmed this with the driver when we left. Actually, he argued slightly (and calmly) with her while maneuvering, as he disagreed with her principle. 

Before turning north, we made a stop for lunch. It’s at a food strip with a lot of gers (yurts) – each a restaurant. With the help of our driver and guide, we chose our meals. The meals were just okay, and as expected, meat is prevalent. There were a few vegetable options. Kuushuur is a stand out – the one thing I would definitely order again. There is also a vegetarian version of that. 

Time to head north to Terelj. Our intended stay was far in the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park. But we found out during the day, that the accommodation operate at a limited season. So we had to book a different place while on the road. And we realized we can just get a closer accommodation along the Terelj Road.

Road tripping in Mongolia reminded us of different places in America. Parts of the desert look like Arizona or Nevada; the rocky mountains look like parts of Wyoming; the hilly areas along the Tuul River and beyond, where pine trees are abundant, look like Alaska.

We stopped by one area with rock formations, and the driver told us to go up the shallow cave. I hiked up the snow-sprinkled hill, but didn’t go to the cave itself. I was just appreciating the landscape, also thinking, we’re barely scratching the surface. We drove further north, and chose the scenic Turtle Rock as the last stop before turning back.

We checked in Green Crown Resort, which is still along Terelj Road. This resort has a mix of lodges and gers for accommodation. We chose the ger area, for the cultural experience. But it is a glamping style ger, with the toilet adjoined. We also had our dinner at the resort’s restaurant, which has a tight menu but with international options. 

Waking up to nature was such a treat. The sky is amazing in Mongolia. Our accommodation is amidst the rocky hills. So I advice that if you don’t do random stops, you may choose to check-in a resort in nature, and hike at the back of the property. 

As it was apparently a non-busy season, we had to wait for a few staff at the restaurant before we’re able to have breakfast.  Since the area is still within the greater Ulaanbaatar, our driver went home after our tour the day before. So, we waited for him to arrive.

We would head south for the next destination, and requested a stop before crossing the bridge over Tuul River. We hiked down the river, that has quite clear water. The sound of water in the cool morning is just soothing. There is an old wooden bridge, beside the modern one, that’s no longer used. It’s more a historical structure now. 

After that, we headed south of Ulaanbaatar to Chingisiin Khuree Tsogtsolbor. It is a tourism complex that’s designed based on historical research on ancient nomads. A site to preserve Mongolian national heritage and culture, and promote them to the world. There are many ger accommodations in there. A massive ger, the Khan Ord, at the center houses the common restaurant and some intricate sculptures and artifacts. It is modeled after the palace of the emperors. 

The food is pretty good at Khan Ord. I got what looks like khorkhog (barbecue cooked with hot stones and water) but plated in a Western way. 

Other large gers in the complex are used for special occasions. We were given access to one, and it’s filled with gold ornaments and snow leopard taxidermy. And a quick search about it revealed to me that it actually houses rare ancient relics and artifacts!

We saw up close the cute Mongolian horses in this area as well. They’re available for horseback riding and to pull sleigh. We rode on a sleigh 😀

I thought our day would be filled with activities in the area. But we already had enough early on. Instead of checking in early at a nearby hotel, my cousin decided that we start our travel to the Gobi desert instead.  We would just look for a hotel somewhere in or near the desert. So, Sanjaa braced for that change of plan. He informed his family that he wouldn’t go home that night. He drove to an auto shop for some car maintenance fluids. We also dropped by a supermarket to buy snacks and other essentials. Then, we started our long drive to the Gobi desert. 

As recommended by our driver, we aimed to go to Kharkhorin, a geographically central town in Mongolia. The afternoon sun is shining in front of us as we started heading west. The brightness made it hard to see while ascending on a sloped road… careful… and scratch! A car, driven by a young guy, slightly collided with the taxi. So we had to stop on the road; Sanjaa had to argue and negotiate; the guy asked for assistance from probably his brother. And before you know it, the sun had already set.

Once we finally got out of the city, we were seeing the endless steppe under the dimming golden daylight, and our mood just went up. We were definitely road tripping, in a way reminiscent of America, which we loved.

We underestimated the time. We were okay with traveling in the dark for a few hours. But we had to also rest. So, by 8PM, my cousin was already weary about continuing all the way to Kharkhorin. Sanjaa had been saying we’re just over an hour away, but no. As there’s no signal, I could not confirm how long we still needed to travel, and what accommodations can be found along the way. At past 8:30 PM, we stopped by a restaurant that’s closed already. Behind that looks like a hotel. So, we drove towards it, but we cannot enter immediately. Gates were closed, and there didn’t seem to be anyone at the lobby. Sanjaa honked the car, and flashed its lights, to no response. He drove to the other side of the property and stopped by the gate along the highway. There is a contact number in the signage, which he called. Good thing someone answered! We finally found an accommodation. It’s another property with a mix of gers and cabins. But there’s also affordable hotel rooms or bed spaces, that are just good enough to sleep. There is a common shower at the first floor of that building. We got Sanjaa one of the budget rooms. And as for us, we rented another ger. 

The next day, we had another peaceful morning in nature. We drove to Kharkhorin, enjoying the scenery, and stopping randomly to photograph herds of cattle and horses. Mongolia is now a mix of modern and nomadic living, and I hope the nomads don’t disappear. Sanjaa offered to let me drive his car, and I accepted; driving up to another random stop. 

At last, we arrived at Kharkhorin. It was a good call to not drive all the way there the previous night. The travel time was still pretty long and we would have missed the nice scenery. The town is significant because it’s near the former capital of the Mongol empire in the 13th century: Karakorum.

We went to the Erdene Zuu Monastery – a large property enclosed by a wall of 108 stupas. In there, we also met the brother of Sanjaa. He’s not a monk. Kharkhorin is actually Sanjaa’s hometown! So, we were going around while the brothers were catching up. After the monastery, Sanjaa’s brother went his way, and we headed for lunch at the fanciest place in town: Ikh Khorum Hotel and Restaurant. After the filling meal, we decided to drive back to Ulaanbaatar.

The landscape we were traveling on was not a full-blown desert. I was wondering if we actually reached Gobi. But on the way back I saw sand dunes from afar. So, I instructed our driver to turn towards that area. That’s the Gobi desert landscape we wanted to see! 

From there, we decided to drive back without doing random photo stops anymore. We arrived to Ulaanbaatar by nighttime already. We dropped by the old airport, just because there’s an ATM there. Then, we headed to the relatively new Khubilai hotel. We paid Sanjaa for the rest of the trip, then upon check in, hurried to the restaurant to catch dinner before the kitchen closed. 

We had to wake up and travel to the airport in the wee hours. That was the last drive with Sanjaa. He gave us candies as a gift, which he bought the night before. He treated his family out after our road trip – the Mongolian road trip I will forever remember.