Mongolia

Visa requirements for Mongolia depend on which passport you hold. Check the Traveller visa tool to see whether your passport needs a visa and, if so, how long you can stay.

June–August is the only comfortable window for the Gobi Desert, Khövsgöl Lake, and the steppe. July sees Naadam Festival (traditional wrestling, archery, horse racing) — one of Asia's great cultural events; book everything months ahead. Spring (May) and autumn (September) are possible but cold and unpredictable. October–April is brutal (−40°C in winter).

• Warm layers at all times — temperatures plunge even in summer at altitude and at night
• Practical outdoor clothing for the steppe and Gobi
• When entering a ger: step over the threshold (never on it), move to the left side if a guest

• When entering a ger (yurt): remove shoes, step over (never on) the threshold, move clockwise and take a seat on the left
• Always accept food and drink offered — refuse gently by touching the bowl to your lips if you truly cannot drink
• Pass and receive objects with the right hand or both hands
• Mongolians are direct and quietly proud — do not over-praise or be falsely effusive
• The horse is sacred in Mongolian culture — ask before approaching or photographing someone's horses

• LGBTQ+ activity is not criminalised but social attitudes are conservative — discretion is strongly advised
• Driving in the countryside: there are almost no roads — follow a guide's track and carry spare fuel, water, and equipment
• Archaelogical sites: do not remove stones from ovoos (sacred cairns) or disturb ancient burial mounds
• Photography of military and government buildings restricted