Mongolia: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Mongolia feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 89 written places.
Nomadic hospitality is a code, not a gesture; guests are taken seriously in even the remotest ger.
✓ Considered polite
- Accept offered milk tea and food with your right hand, left hand supporting the elbow
- Taste at least a sip or bite of whatever a host offers - refusing outright is rude
- Move clockwise inside a ger and step over the threshold, never on it
- Shake hands straight away if you accidentally step on someone's foot - it cancels the offence
✗ Better avoided
- Lean on the central support columns of a ger
- Whistle indoors - it is held to invite misfortune
- Touch another person's hat or step over someone's outstretched legs
- Point your feet at the altar or hearth when sitting
Worth knowing
- Ulaanbaatar takes cards, but the countryside runs on cash - carry tugrik in small notes
- Vodka comes with ritual - hosts dip a ring finger and flick drops skyward as a blessing before drinking
- Distances are enormous and many roads unpaved - a 300 km hop can fill a whole day
- Tipping is not traditional, though rounding up for guides and drivers is now common
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.