What to pack for Mongolia

Miscellaneous:
Byambasuren Davaa
The Cave of the Yellow Dog
2005

In the film, the young girl NANSA finds a small puppy in a cave. She names it ZOCHOR (Mongolian = colorful). But the father demands that NANSA get rid of the dog, becourse of the dog’s uncertain origin – possibly from a wolf – could pose a threat to the family.
NANSA must follow her father’s orders and set little ZOCHOR out, but get lost. She comes upon an old, gray-haired woman, who is singing with all her might across the valley.
An important meeting takes place here; the old and the new find a common bond in the fable of the yellow dog, which stands for the pinnacle of little NANSA’s journey in life. NANSA’s little dog becomes the YELLOW DOG.
The concrete story line melts with the higher-ranking metaphoric dimension. NANSA gets to know her cultural and spiritual roots. The fable shows the viewer a new appreciation of life. The old woman demonstrates picture-perfectly just how difficult it is to be reborn as a human.

Luggage and bags: So as I mentioned before the real Mongolia is Out of UB, so be ready for your adventure without map, Bumpy road with full or stones, and for the weather, it?fs really changeable like *Spring Sky* as Mongolians say.
Because in Spring weather changes in just second, the sun shines then the cloud cover it,
thunder rolls, rain falls. Then it clears up again.
The nature is formed by the *extremes* of hot & cold , Cool & warm
So make sure that you have following stuffs when you go camping in countryside, Don?ft expect that you will find shopping More in middle of somewhere!!!!!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: -Extra shoe or slippers to use when you cross the river
-rain coat and pants warm tops, gloves Don’t forget them even in a middle of hot summer, at night it’s always very cool )
-WindProof jacket
-Gloves will help you a lot when you ride a horse
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Toiletries and Medical Supplies: - Pain pales for headache or some more things!! you know how you're!
-mosquito protect （ Cream, net for hat ）
-Sun cream with a high degree ( Mongolian sun shines very strong )


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Photo Equipment: -Make sure that you have enough battery in your camera or take some extra battery pack and films
-In Summer specially in August it rains a lot so it’s good if you have a waterproof hood for your camera. So you don’t lose all the moments in a film
-If you love hunting or animals take pair of binoculars if you don't want to miss seeing some wild huge Eagles, Vultures,and Mongolian Wild Sheep, Black tailed Gazelle.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: The nicest thing of traveling in Mongolia is that you can put your tent in anywher and camp./ if it's national park or protected area you should pay some money for camping in that area/
so if you have these following stuffs you'll easily survive in there!!!
-Double sleeping bags and mattress / in August summer already finishes in Midnight/
-Stable tend with nets that the air can come through
-Gas stoves ( enough gas because it’s impossible to find them in countryside even in small village.
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Miscellaneous: -Natural water might be hard for your hand take bottle of hand disinfectant so you don't need to rinse
-Mongolians just drink from river, but for some tourist have problem of pure water, so if it’s convenient buy some mineral water in stopping point, Remember to take a Pain peal just in case,
-Please don't forget to bring some little gift for kids! but some nice book with pic is better than candies! you'll see how they get happy with really tiny things

Luggage and bags: A backpack or duffel bag is probably the preferred type of bag as it can be crammed into a small space and hoisted across the desert quite easily. A daypack is a good idea for any hiking that you might do, a good place to store the water that you'll always want with you.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: The season you travel will affect your clothes and shoes. We took fleece and wool layers as it was early spring when we travelled. You'll want a warm hat and gloves and also a pair of hiking shoes is a good idea. You can buy coats quite cheaply in Ulaanbaatar so you might want to just buy one there. A ball cap or hat with a brim is a good idea for keeping the sun off your face and don't forget sunglasses!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Bring along baby wipes or wet wipes as you might not find a place to wash up. This was how we kept clean while staying with the nomadic families. They're also refreshing if you've been caught in a sandstorm. I brought along camping shampoo which didn't require water, you just squeeze it on your hair and it lathers up as you work it in. Then you just wipe it off with a cloth, worked brilliantly.
My doctor gave me an all-purpose antibiotic which would help if I became sick and couldn't immediately get to a hospital. Some sort of meds for diarrhea or upset stomachs is a good idea as well. I brought along my travel sickness pills as we spent lots of time in a bumping, jolting van, otherwise I would have been deathly ill. Mine are 24hr pills which are great as you don't have to remember to take them several times a day.
Almost forgot to mention toilet paper, better bring a roll (at least) of that with you as well.

Photo Equipment: A polarizing filter might be good idea as the sky is extremely blue and you want to capture the best image. You might want to bring along a plastic bag to protect your camera while you're out in a sandstorm.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: I brought along a down sleeping bag and was toasty warm in the freezing night temperatures. My friend had an old sleeping bag, not down filled and he suffered greatly, even though he wore several layers to bed.
I'd also pack a small flashlight or the kind of light that you can strap to your head. When you have to answer the call of nature in the middle of the night in the dark countryside you'll want a light to be able to see your way, you also wouldn't want to accidently stick your foot down a dark pit toilet.
Bring a thermos along so you can have hot chocolate, coffee or tea during your long drives.

Miscellaneous: Buy lots of bottled water before you set off into the countryside. You will be able to stock up along the way. I'd suggest bringing snacks as well to supplement the rather bland meals you might find, I bought a lot of almonds and cookies which I shared with the driver and our guide. My friend purchased meals with noodles that just needed hot water added as he was not having a good time with the meals we were offered.
I also brought along my MP3 player so that music accompanied me during the very, very long drives across the desert.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: - In the Gobi you will need good well worn trekking or hiking boots, as you'll often find yourself walking in sand or water streams etc.

Even in Ulaan Baatar roads and pavements often have huge puddles filled with water or cracks and you can't navigate well with normal shoes. Even though locals don't seem to mind.

- Also get the warmest jumper or pullover for night time, when temperatures drop drastically (even in August).

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: What we found very useful, was a bottle of hand disinfectant that you don't need to rinse.

Photo Equipment: If possible, get a small tripod with you. It is essential if you want to take pictures of the night sky in the Gobi.

Also, bring with you a polarising filter, as there is very strong sunshine somedays.

Some other summer days however it rains a lot, and it is good to have a waterproof hood for your camera.

Also you may find yourself in conditions where you may not be able to recharge camera batteries as often as you want.

Miscellaneous: - Regarding money, if you have a choice, it is best to bring US Dollars rather than Euros. I found out that in the Gobi Mongolians accepted Dollars instead of local money, but not Euros.

- In the Gobi, if there is one thing you must bring with you, apart from travel neccessities, is toys for nomad children. Even the smallest gift, will bring them so much joy you will find yourself wondering. I got them some ballons and some plastic jewlery and they were celebrating. These kids often have no toys at all except the dust on the ground, so anything else is vastly welcome.

Luggage and bags: Use easy luggages as backpacks or travelingbags, not suitcases. Backpacks and travelingbags are easy to staple in busses and jeeps and take less space.

Bagagelocks can be handy if you're traveling with expensive stuff and planing to stay in gers with strangers....you never know!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: It's handy to bring a (fleece)jacket of a longsleeve shirt, when traveling to the countrysides and mountains. Even in the summer it can be a little chilli at night.

A hat or cap can be useful on hot summer days, and believe me...it can get very hot!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Tissues can be useful for many things for e.g. to dept the sweat on a hot summer day or to use when the restaurant you've just had dinner run out of toilet paper:-)

I also carry a package of babywipes (waterbased, not oily). It was handy to use as frech-up towel (instead of a shower) in the countryside touristcamp. (There was no water to shower for 3 days)

Photo Equipment: I think i'ts better to bring your own photo equipment.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Campinggears like a cup or bowl, fork, spoon, knive can be handy if you will like to make a "cup of soup" or noodles. A jug with hot water is always available in gers and hotel rooms.

I even carry my own teabags to make a cup of tea before going to bed:-)

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Bring a telescopic, collapsible fishing rod from home, including reel, line and lures. Don't bring your most expensive gear, nor the type that will break down once you look at it.
Dimension your equipment for fish up to about 3-4 kg (line, reel etc.). 0.30 mm regular fising line worked fine for me.
Small lures and spinners (unless you go for fly fishing, og pike and taimen fishing) in the range 4-10 grams, copper, red, yellow colors seemed fine.
Local advice didn't seem too smart. I wanted small, edible fish, while locals tried to make me catch 10 kgs pikes and 50 kgs Mongolian river salomon types - taimen. I went my way with a considerable degree of success.
Try to catch the local trout type "lenok", which gets up to about 4 kgs; and arctic grayling that gets up to 2 kgs. Both are abundant, and very tasty fish for the pan, and fairly easy to catch.
In tourist-geared stores in UB you can pick up a map that shows which rivers have fish and what sorts of fish.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Waterproof hiking shoes (need I say more?). If you are planning to swim, bring some water shoes as the bottoms of the lakes and rivers could be very very rocky.
Bring some light-weight long sleeves and long pants to wear in the summer (instead of shorts and tees) - Mongolian sun is merciless and plus if you visit families in the countryside long clothes will protect you from ticks etc. And no, I've never heard of Lyme disease there, so if you get one - don't panic.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sunscreen, repellent. Some good medicine for digestive problems (whatever you use in your country) - Mongols are very hospitable and will treat you with tea, milk, airag or more and if you're polite or curious enough you better have some backup. Food is very rich and wholesome (unprocessed), so even a Mongolian gal like me had some digestive problems on the 5th day of my feasting off the generous offerings (no regrets here, and now I even regret that I didn't have more!). And don't forget the TP!

Photo Equipment: Leave chargers at home and bring some extra batteries. Or better yet bring a car charger. Do invest in a good camera and a decent lense - I really did regret that I brought a tiny portable camera instead of a real deal.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Good pair of binoculars (not cheap stadium type ones) - if you don't wanna miss seeing some wild animals on a mountain top etc.

Miscellaneous: GPS! Even if you do find a good map, you might get lost in a vast steppe or Gobi with numerous dirt roads going in every direction. My friend who works for a gold-mining company told me that even their experienced driver got lost in the Gobi, and the only thing saved them was a GPS.

Miscellaneous: Ready for the steppe and the fermented milk, sour cheese and other interesting dishes from different critters? I don't like sour things... and I knew this, and therefore packed some small tin cans of bread spread of various kinds. I guessed bread of some kind would be available.
Proved to be a very good solution and really worked as a mood raiser when (or rather afterwards, on the sly...) the others were guzzling their airag, goat vodka (yes, I tried that, too) and very old sour cheese. The locals definitely took a liking to tinned mackerel in tomato sauce. Next time I'll bring a ton as gifts.