Today we're sharing a special article as we hand over the pen to Charlène, a faithful blog reader! She kindly agreed to share her experience with us on a visa-run between Mongolia and China, to help anyone wishing to extend their stay in Mongolia for any reason... Enjoy the read!

After two months in Mongolia thanks to an extension of a Mongolian visa, a short trip outside the country was necessary to benefit from an additional month in Mongolia. This is why I had to travel to Erlian (or Erenhot) for a quick round trip between Mongolia and China. To set the scene, my partner and I spent several months in Mongolia. Sylvain (that's his name!) had a work visa, but I had to make do with tourist visas. Following an initial three-month visa obtained in Japan and a brief return to France in August 2014, I settled for the one-month visa exemption for French citizens when I returned to Mongolia in September. Since my plan was to spend a total of three months in Mongolia, I used my first month, then requested a one-month extension at the Immigration Bureau in Ulaanbaatar, and finally organized a round trip to China to obtain a second one-month visa exemption. Following along? :)

Chinese Visa from Mongolia

Even though I was planning just a short round trip to China, it was necessary to obtain a Chinese visa. Ulaanbaatar has a Chinese embassy where you can obtain the famous Chinese tourist visa. Address of the Chinese Embassy in Ulaanbaatar:

Embassy of China in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Zaluuchuudyn Urgun Chuluu 5 C.P.O. BOX 672 Ulaanbaatar Mongolia

The embassy is only open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM. To apply for a Chinese tourist visa, you will need to gather several documents:

1- Form available at the embassy 2- Two passport photos 3- Flight tickets confirming your entry and exit from Chinese territory 4- Hotel reservation 5- Invitation letter from a Chinese citizen or resident in China with a copy of their ID card or passport and resident visas.

For those who don't have flight tickets or don't wish to purchase them right away, it's possible to request "dummy" flight bookings from Air Market agencies in Ulaanbaatar, where you won't be asked to pay. For the invitation letter, some guesthouses offer to provide you with one and a copy of an ID card for a small fee. The invitation can also be requested from your hotel in China, as some offer this service. A dummy hotel reservation can also be made easily and then cancelled on sites like Booking.com if you don't wish to actually book a hostel and search for accommodation on arrival. Note: This information was accurate in October 2014—it's advisable to check with the Chinese embassy to confirm what documents are currently required.

Train from Ulaanbaatar to Erlian

To make a round trip to China from Ulaanbaatar, the easiest and most economical option was to take the overnight train to Erlian. Tickets are purchased at the International Railway Ticket Office located on a street near the railway station, Zamchydn Gudamjbien, or through your guesthouse for a small commission. A train ticket to Erlian will cost you around twenty euros for the one-way journey.

A train departs daily for Erlian at 8 PM. Boarding begins at 7:15 PM, allowing you to settle comfortably into your cabin and get to know your Mongolian or Chinese neighbors. Each cabin has four beds, two of them bunks, complete with a plump pillow, sheet, and blanket. Hot water with tea sachets is also served during the journey. Remember to bring something to eat if you don't have time to dine before departure. The journey takes between 12 and 15 hours. After crossing the south through the steppes and deserts of Mongolia, the train arrives in the early morning at the border town of Zamyn-Üüd. Crossing the border is stress-free and very straightforward since you don't even need to leave the train. The controllers board to collect your passports. After a two-hour wait, they return with your documents and exit stamps. About ten minutes later, the train arrives in Erlian. Passengers disembark calmly, with controllers indicating the way forward to cross the border. The immigration posts are right in the station itself—you simply wait in the queues to pass through the border and enter China.

Arrival in Erlian

Outside the station, a swarm of Chinese locals approach passengers offering transportation to Beijing. Taxi, bus, or minibus—take your pick. Prices to Beijing are negotiated at around 200 yuan for approximately eight hours' travel. Overnight trains also depart from Erlian to Beijing. I had to go to the ticket office opposite the station to purchase my return ticket Erlian to Ulaanbaatar.

With the train to Mongolia departing at 5 PM, I had the whole day to explore the city a bit. I was fortunate to meet a Mongolian woman who had family in Erlian. With her, I was able to discover this rapidly expanding city!

The area around the station remains quite impoverished and underdeveloped, but once you venture further, you realize the scale of the city with its new high-rise buildings, giant screens, and luxury shops along the main avenue. I was struck by the contrast between these two worlds. The city is attempting to develop and expand further—there's a very large international school with striking modern architecture located slightly outside the center in the middle of the desert. New buildings, each more original than the last, seem to be springing up like magic.

Erlian doesn't have much to offer from a tourism perspective, but it's nonetheless fascinating to see this city being built while benefiting from its proximity to Mongolia. The young Mongolian woman accompanying me explained that Erlian indeed wants to preserve this Sino-Mongolian culture and develop it further through schools where Mongolian, Mandarin, and even English are taught from an early age. Her seven-year-old nephew, whom I met, could perfectly understand both Chinese and Mongolian. He was also very proud to show me his English classes and sing the alphabet in quite fluent English. Erlian can also be an excellent place for shopping, notably with its large indoor market where you'll find everything from clothing to home décor items. Prices are negotiable as they are throughout China, allowing you to strike some excellent deals.

Return Journey: Erlian to Ulaanbaatar

After these unexpected encounters and visits, I find myself back on the train with my new Mongolian friend. The journey is the same as on the way out—we depart at 5 PM and stop at Zamyn-Üüd to cross the Mongolian border again. Controllers board the train to collect our passports, and we wait patiently for two hours until they return them with our exit stamps. After retrieving our documents, a dinner break is permitted, and we're allowed to disembark to eat at one of the two restaurants near the Mongolian station. We resume our journey around 9 or 10 PM toward Ulaanbaatar. The train appears to be the same as on the outbound journey, equally comfortable. I take advantage of the night and moonlight to admire the landscape visible through my window. Sand dunes stretching endlessly, mountains, plains... in short, Mongolia in all its splendor. The night gives it an entirely different face—even more peaceful and grandiose—a feeling of freedom that fills me pleasantly before I drift off to sleep.

By early morning, the landscape is entirely different. We pass through small ger villages before catching sight in the distance of the urbanization and that characteristic gray haze of pollution so typical of Ulaanbaatar's arrival during the winter season. The train arrives in Ulaanbaatar around 10 AM. Taxis await passengers at the platform exit. My Mongolian friend helps me negotiate the price, and I'm back home. As you've observed, the procedures are straightforward and intuitive. This visa-run, though it initially seemed somewhat tiring, turned out to be a wonderful experience full of meaningful encounters!