The tour in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, the agency to contact for a stay and a unique adventure, here are the travel tips not to be missed for those who are thinking of visiting Mongolia.
Choose the agency for my tour in Gobi desert it was hard work, because being bold is positive but traveling insecurity, fundamental, especially in the desert.
My research has therefore expanded and amplified beyond measure, but in the end the choice was a winner.
The chosen one was the Mongolian Vision Tour, an agency / hostel like many others in Ulan Bator, we stayed with them and with them we organized our 6 days tour in the Gobi Desert, once we arrived on site. Not before. Even this choice was fought due to the high cost that a tour in Mongolia can reach, which includes a car, guide and driver. In short, after many travelogues and various readings from different sources, the message was: do everything on site, you can bargain on the price.
And so it was, but let's proceed in order.
Mongolian Vision Tour
Pro of the Mongolian Vision Tour
Small structure and family atmosphere, convenient to the center, clean common areas and furnished in Mongolian style:
the living room with attached tour desk, the kitchen, the three bathrooms (one with toilet and shower / tub, one with toilet only, one with shower only), breakfast included in the price, free wi-fi throughout the hotel, free coffee and tea available 24 hours, free transfer from the train station to the guesthouse. There are many backpackers who arrive in Mongolia by train from Siberia, making the Irkustk-Ulan Bator route: tell them your arrival time and they will be there, on time, waiting for you. breakfast included in the price, free wi-fi throughout the hotel, free coffee and tea 24h.
Cons of the Mongolian Vision Tour
The guesthouse has other accommodations and dormitories located near the central structure. Personally, as soon as we arrived we slept in a double room, booked from Italy, which was located in one of these structures a few minutes walk from the central one, the only one that has a tour desk and a common living room, so to speak.
Upon returning from the tour, we asked to be moved to the dormitory, because that particular structure is decadent, with a gloomy atmosphere, a common area that includes only the kitchen, with just a few cups and a few plates / glasses, humid, not very clean and above all it seems to be totally abandoned to themselves because the only person of the Mongolian team present is a girl who does not speak English and in the morning she prepares breakfast for you because you have woken her up and they told you that it is she who owes you ask for anything (the girl in question sleeps in one of the dorm beds). Breakfast which, for the same price, does not include the same things you have if you sleep on the other side but only tea or coffee and omelette vs tea or coffee, omelette, bread, biscuits, butter and jam.
Finally, the dormitory is totally without doors, while the door of our double room was without a key, anyone could come and go as they pleased.
Book explicitly a room ONLY in the central structure.
Other guests I spoke to have stayed in other lodgings and haven't complained about it, I haven't seen them so I give the wise benefit of the doubt.
That said, there were no problems either during the stay or during the excursion and I would go back to them.
The tour was absolutely reliable, the guide and driver prepared, nice, friendly and attentive: I felt safe all the time.
The staff are generally friendly, the manager speaks English and personally sells the tours.
Before leaving, I asked for a quote for a tour that included only Anna and me, but the prices were out of budget for us, ranging between 85 and 95 dollars per day each, all included.
If it becomes clear that you want to save, they offer you to join other travelers and the price drops significantly.
We met our travel companions in the hostel and we relied on our first impression, in short, let's face it: among travelers we "smell" each other before understanding if we can mutually agree with the idea of sharing small spaces.
Our instinct was never more appropriate and our six days in the Gobi, between the landscapes and the company, were something unforgettable.
What does the agency offer?
We left in 5, the agreed price was at the end of dollars 55, with the premise that if a sixth person were added they would have reached $ 50.
Total paid for the tour, 6 days and 5 nights: 330 dollars (you can pay in cash or credit card before leaving, a regular receipt is issued).
The daily price includes: all meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner; one and a half liters of water per person per day; overnight stay in gher; the camel ride to those interested (we didn't do it anyway you can decide on the spot), driver and guide.
If you haven't brought your sleeping bag, they will provide it to you.
Tips:
- ask what the price includes and if there are any extras;
- ask them for honeycombs to see with which vehicle you will leave and if they are prepared for any breakdowns (our van has often overheated but it was enough to stop and leave);
- introduce you to your travel companions, if they have joined you with other tourists, but above all ask to know the guide before departure to verify that they actually speak English and can communicate;
- communicate special dietary needs, having complete vegetarian meals is possible!
Mongolia is magical, abandoning the rationality of preparation will leave you speechless.
It happened to me.
