28 Nov. 2018

Planning a holiday in Mongolia requires careful organization. When preparing for your trip, the question of budget is always an important point to address.

The budget for a trip to Mongolia can vary dramatically between different tour operators for what might appear to be an identical itinerary. It is essential to compare circuits with equal services and amenities.

To help you get a clear picture and define your budget, we've compiled a list of questions and elements you should consider and verify before committing to booking a tour in Mongolia.

• Does the circuit include a domestic flight? Between your flight ticket, your guide's ticket, and the vehicle's deadheading, there should typically be around €200 difference between a circuit that includes a domestic flight and one that doesn't.
• Are activities included in your program, particularly wildlife trekking?
• What type of accommodation is included? Camping costs relatively little, while circuits featuring only gers are more expensive, particularly nights in ger camps. Some camps are even quite pricey.
• What is the quality of the guides accompanying you? Here, the agency's track record is important. At Horseback Mongolia, we've been training our guides for over 13 years, and we do our best to retain them through competitive pay scales, as well as outings and evenings together as a team. This team spirit seems paramount, and we believe it reflects directly on the quality of service on our tours.
• Which hotel in Ulaanbaatar? Here, we're not talking about hotel categories since in Mongolia, these don't always mean much. Some "4-star" hotels located way out of the city with outdated facilities can cost the same as a brand-new 2-star hotel in the heart of the city.
• Group formula or private formula? Since the main costs of your trip are fixed, prices in Mongolia decrease rapidly for larger groups. A trip for 2, even with budget options, may cost more than a fuller group formula.
• Are there additional costs to my reservation (bank transfer fees, for example)? At Horseback Mongolia, there are no additional costs if you choose to pay by credit card online on our secure platform.

Keep in mind that although Mongolia is a Central Asian country, the bill can quickly add up due to the very nature of travel there. Vehicle rental, fuel, the presence of a driver, a guide, and sometimes even a chef on the tour mean that the destination is not necessarily budget-friendly. Also note that provisions locally are not always inexpensive, particularly in small shops outside the capital. A two-week trip can cost you less than €1,000 per person in a group with a budget formula, and more than €2,500 for two with premium services.

As you can see, many parameters must be taken into account when budgeting for your holiday.

At Horseback Mongolia, we don't claim to offer the cheapest trip in Mongolia, but we are confident that we offer the best value for money. Don't hesitate to tell us your budget constraints so we can propose a circuit tailored to your needs.

Charlène Nomadays SEO writer from the very beginning at Nomadays, now content manager and head of the communications department, Charlène has accompanied the adventure since its inception with passion and loyalty. After spending seven years in Asia—from China to Thailand, passing through Mongolia and South Korea—she has made travel a way of life. A lover of words, nature, and human connection, she strives to convey in her writing a sensitive, committed, and responsible vision of tourism. For her, each article is a bridge between curiosity, respect, and wonder.