Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GER DISTRICT DIGS
As Ulaanbaatar's centre booms with high-rise construction sites and multimillion-
dollar property developments, its ger (yurt) districts remain trapped in time. By
staying in one you'll get a real sense of traditional Mongolian family life, and at the
same time gain an appreciation of the difficulties that ger residents must endure in
these unplanned areas with bare-bones infrastructure. Several tour companies of-
fer walks through ger districts, but to achieve the full living experience contact
Rinky Dink Travel Mongolia (
Click here
)
, which can set you up with a homestay in a
ger district and place you as a volunteer in its social development projects. A typic-
al stay might include digging a pit toilet, repairing a fence, doing art projects with
street kids or teaching English. You'll live like the locals (pit toilets, no running wa-
ter, difficult transport) but you'll also encounter some of the friendliest people any-
where, and gain a rare perspective on the city. Visits can last from three days to
several weeks.
Sun Bridge (Narny Guur) Area
Idre's Guest House
GUESTHOUSE$
( 7011 0846;
www.idretour.com
;
Undsen Khuulin Gudamj; dm US$7, r with/without bathroom
US$28/24; )
This single-floor guesthouse has several dorms and small private
rooms. It has a central lounge, a small kitchen and a book exchange. Bathrooms are small
and slightly decrepit. The hostel is on a busy road near the new bridge over Narny Zam,
not the flashest neighbourhood in town. It's about a 20-minute walk from the hostel to
the centre of the city.
LG Guesthouse
GUESTHOUSE$
( 7011 8243, 9985 8419;
www.lghostel.com
; Narny Gudamj; dm US$8, s/d US$25/30; )
With 34 rooms, this is the largest guesthouse in the city. It has dorms and private rooms
with attached bathroom, a common area, a kitchen where you can cook your own meals
and a restaurant on the ground floor with dishes for T5000 to T8500. Bathrooms are
clean and have hot-water boilers - important in summer when other places only have
cold water. It's a little out of the centre, on the road towards the train station. It also has a
small annex close to the State Department Store.
Voyage Hotel
HOTEL$
