Marco Polo visited Mongolia in 1324. On his return, he said, “I did not tell half of what I saw, for no one would have believed me.” Mongolia is a country of 3 million people. It is bordered by China to the South and Russia to the North. It is the home of the Gobi desert in the South and mountains in the north. Much of Mongolia is covered in grasslands. The sun shines 250 days per year in Mongolia. This is why it is known as “the land of eternal blue sky.
Most of Mongolia is its own county. This is sometimes referred to as Outer Mongolia and the capital city of Outer Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar. A common misconception of people is that Inner Mongolia is a part of or at least associated with Mongolia. In fact, Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of China and the capital of Inner Mongolia is Hohhot.
This distinction is particularly important when you are planning a trip. If you are visiting China you can visit Inner Mongolia with your Chinese Visa but would require an additional Visa for the country of Mongolia. Although the name of the two regions may sound close, you will discover that each uses a different writing system. To this day, Inner Mongolia still uses the Mongol script. On the other hand, due to its proximity to Russia, the country of Mongolia adopted the Cyrillic script.
The Mongolian Bureau of Tourism offers dozens of tours. Classic tours of the Gobi desert and tours of the nomadic life experience are available. Adventure tours on horseback or camel are available for the thrill seekers. Lastly, Luxury tours are available to take you around the country in style.
When you visit Mongolia be sure to travel with your ECARD. It is accepted everywhere in Mongolia. Whether you are eating a restaurant of hitting the ATM for some Mongolian cash, ECARD has you covered.