Anyone ever been to Mongolia?
 

I am interested in going to Mongolia. What is there to like and what is there to dislike?

That depends on your tastes. Suggest you read some guidebooks. I was there in 2004, and when it comes to Ulaan Baator my info would be out of date. If you are going to stay in a yurt, aim for warmer weather.

If you want to read some trip reports on Mongolia, go to the top of the page and choose the view by country drop-down menu. There have been a number of excellent reports here on Mongolia. Of course, as thursdays says, you will want to read some guidebooks as well.

Yes - I went in 2008 and I'm still dreaming about going back! I really loved the country.

What is there to like: Amazing diverse landscapes. Beautiful countryside. Very friendly people. A place like no other. A few of our favorite places: Lake Hovsgol, Three Camel Lodge in Gobi Dessert, Yol Valley. And we didn't get a chance to get to the far west of the country where a lot of the big mountains are. Driving around the country is just breath-taking.

What is there not to like: The food - you aren't exactly in France. The food can be a little interesting to say the least. But if you are thinking about going to Mongolia, you are probably not a timid person and not afraid to try new things. That being said, we strangely had some great pizza and spaghetti while we were there. And we still talk about the yak mild we had with our breakfast cereal! Also, I wouldn't recommend going in Winter - too darn cold. We were there in May, and in the North part of the country, it was still freezing at night.

We went with Nomadic Expeditions and had an amazing trip!

I haven't been to Mongolia, but not for lack of interest. I remember that this old thread caught my attention:
https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...ngolia-676378/

I took the train from Beijing to UB, 10 yrs ago. An excellent ride complete with lifting carriages and swapping wheel dollies when entering Mongolia, this at 2am. UB was interesting in a wild west way as daily life was organized around the yurts springing up in downtown parks, dog packs hunted down by the Korean settlers, camels in the streets and high quality crafts made of various wools. The food followed a Russian mold since the country was for many yrs a part of the USSR. Thus, sheep meat, borsch and rye bread with gobs of butter.
Lots of vodka bottles littered the landscape and Genghis Khan statues were, like, everywhere. Might be different now as more and more nomads move to town, abandon the horse and take up the 13 yr old Chevy/Toyota smoking pick-up truck.
Next time i go i'll bring my bicycle and take a nice long flat ride thru the stark empty plains on some very modern hiways.