Backpacking Gobi Desert Guide

Gobi Desert is more than just sand dunes. During the tour you will get to see some the most amazing landscapes that include rocky mountains, canyons, yurt camps and sand dunes of course.

Important part of the trip is sharing and learning from the warm and welcoming nomadic mongolian families. You will sleep on the traditional yurts and experience their way of living or at least get a glimpse. Their life hasn´t change much since the old days but in some cases they have incorporated some technology to their daily life such as electricity, cellphones and motorcycles.

There are mix reviews about this experience, manly because you must drive long hours to reach the dunes from Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. 

Camel Riding

Best time to Visit?

Unexpected snow on our visit to Kharkhorin

To decide when to visit you must consider mainly the weather. Mongolia is an extreme country, Gobi Desert temperatures can range from 40ºC on summer to -40ºC during winter.

Winter (November to February): Extreme cold weather. Most guesthouse and gerts are closed. I would recommend avoid going during this season.

Spring (March to May): Windy but dry season. It´s going to be chill. Some gerts and guesthouse are closed but it´s cheaper and easier to find tickets.

Summer (June to August): Peak tourist period since it´s the warmest and mostly dry season. Most activities are celebrated during this time such as famous Naadam Festival. If possible, try booking in advance or expect a lot of demand.

Autumn (September to October): Expect high chances of rain. Your last chance of visiting before the frezing temperatures of winter.

Best period to visit would be from May to July since May is still low season but the weather is alright and during August you can expect high chances of rain. I went on April and it was cold but fine. Not a lot of tourist.

How much time to spend?

Local Mongolian girl teaching us how to gather the lambs

I always prefer doing things by myself an avoiding tours but in this case is really difficult to do it by your own. Gobi Desert is a really remote place. You don´t have any kind of transport you can take such as buses or trains. Your only option would be renting a car but finding gas stations and accomodation can be really hard and it would just be worth it if you gather a couple of other tourists with you.

I was forced to take a tour which is vey common between backpackers. You can book them on hostels or tour agencies on Ulaanbaatar. Tours will last from 4 to 8 days. The main difference is that a 4 day tour won´t reach Gobi Desert and it will just go up to Semi Gobi Desert which has sand dunes but not as impressive as the other ones. The other activities will be similiar. Activities that every tour should include would be sleeping in yurts, riding a camel on the sand dunes, visiting Kharkhorin and nation parks.

It´s important to mention that a complete 8 day tour to Gobi Desert will include between 6 to 8 hours of driving every day on bumpy roads. A 4 day tour will include between 3 to 4 hours driving every day. 

How much does a tour cost? – Where can I book it?

Me, The driver, the guide and Francine

Something strange happens with Gobi Desert tours. Going on low season can be more expensive than high season. This happens because the more people you put on the van, the cheaper it gets. I went on April and it was really hard finding people to go on our van. I even went to other hostels and tour agencies but most didn´t even had any tour planned since nobody had booked. Finally we went 3 on our van besides the driver and the guide.

Prices per person per day of tour should be around $40 USD considering a full van. Remember to bargain always since nothing in Mongolia is completely fixed. After some hours of bargain we finally got to pay $50 USD per person per day even though we where just 3 on a van that can take up to 7 tight tourist.

Whats included?

• Guide (also translator)
• Driver
• transportation (usually russian model van)
• Food (3 meals a day)
• Accomodation
• Entrance Fees

Where can I book a tour?

Most hostels and tour agencies are located on Ulaanbaator city center. You can book the tours with them. It´s important you check that it´s trustfull tour since that can determine your experience. If you flatten a tire and you don´t have a spare one it could take you hours to even cross another car before fixing it. Also very important is that you have a friendly and bilingual guide since he is your only chance to communicate correctly whith the mongolian families where you will be staying.

My best advice would be to ask other tourist that just arrive back from a tour about there experience or check on the web. I can personally recommend Sunpath hostel to book the tour. The driver and the guide were amazing. The guide had studied on Alaska so he spoke english perfectly and the mongolian families where you stayed where really nice too.

Where do you sleep?

Traditional Mongolian Yurt

During the tour you will sleep on traditional yurts owned by mongolian families. Some of the yurts had been built for tourist but keeping the general characteristics. Most are the ones that the families actually live on and they move to another one for the night for you.

Yurts are basic but solid round tents with enough space to have 4 beds and a fire in the center. They are good enough to keep you warm and isolated from the extreme cold outside. You must consider that they are basic constructions so don´t expect any luxury. Actually, don´t expect to be clean during the complete tour since you won´t have access to a shower. You don´t have toilets neither,  you must go to the nature or use the small wooden houses with hole on the floor that they use. Some places have access to electricity with solar panels that let them have light inside.

Yurts are not the most comfortable place to sleep but that´s part of the experience and I personally loved it. You get to share with the families which are really welcoming and get to know their traditions and their way of life. Mongolians are honestly friendly and I never felt they were interested in tourists money.

How is the experience?

Terelj National Park

If you are a luxury traveler, this is definitely not for you. The important part of the tour is the landscape and being able to share with locals. The conditions where you live can be really hard for some unless you take it part of the whole experience

Pros

• Being able to admire one of the worlds most beutiful scenery that has been almost untouched by men
• Get to share with mongolian families that are honestly friendly
• Getting to enjoy from different activities and landscapes during the tour
• Everything included with lots of great mongolian food

Cons

• Having to drive long hours on bumpy roads and basic van
• No access to shower or toilet during the complete tour (unless you find one on the villages that are on the way but they are usually broken)

For me, the experience was awesome. I enjoyed every single time with the families that are truly awesome and welcoming. I never felt that they did it for the money, they where really opened to show you there traditions and there way of life. The scenery is absolutely wonderful. Mongolia is the least densely (independent) country on the world so most of the landscape is untouched or you can barely see anyone. For some people, not being able to shower in so much time or having to use nature as toilet could be hard. For me, it was part of the experience that made it even more honest and less touristic. Driving so much hours on a van can be boring and even exhausting and that´s really the worst part for me. We were just 3 in the back part and it wasn´t uncorfomtable but I could imagine it would be with more people on the tour.

In the overall I will recommended it 100% but just be prepared to know what to expect.

Tips and Considerations

Our ride: A classic Russian van popular in Mongolia

• Ask your driver or guide to take you to a supermarket to buy some things that can be usefull during the tour.

• Take baby wipes and toilet paper. They are very useful while travelling but espeacially here that you can´t shower for so long and you don´t have toilets.

• Take an external battery or extra batteries for your electronic devices because you won´t have access to power outlets most of the time.

• Buy a bottle vodka to share with local families, they are heavy drinkers.

• Take a book or something to spend time while driving long hours on the road.