Western Mongolia - Mongolia - page 549

» At Ongiin Khiid and Khongoryn Els you can arrange camel treks. A few travel agencies
include a ride on a camel or yak in their program. Otherwise, you can always ask at a ger.
Hitching
Hitching is never entirely safe, and we don't recommend it. Travellers who hitch should
understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk. Hitchers will be safer if
they travel in pairs and let someone know where they are planning to go.
Hitching in Mongolia Because public transport is so limited, hitching (usually on trucks)
is a recognised - and, often, the only - form of transport in the Mongolian countryside.
Hitching is seldom free and often no different from just waiting for public transport to turn
up. It is always slow; after stopping at gers to drink, fixing flat tyres, breaking down, run-
ning out of petrol and getting stuck in mud and rivers, a truck can take 48 hours to cover
200km.
Hazards Hitching is not generally dangerous personally, but it is still hazardous (because
getting stranded in remote areas is a real possibility) and often extremely uncomfortable.
Don't expect much traffic in remote rural areas; you might see one or two vehicles a day
and sometimes nobody at all for several days. In the towns, ask at the market, where
trucks invariably hang around, or at the bus/truck/jeep station. The best place to wait is
the petrol station on the outskirts of town, where most vehicles stop before any journey.
Limitations If you rely on hitching entirely, you will just travel from one dreary aimag town
to another. You still need to hire a jeep to see, for example, the Gobi Desert, the moun-
tains in Khentii or some of the lakes in the far west.
Payment Truck drivers will normally expect some negotiable payment, which won't be
much cheaper than a long-distance bus or shared jeep; figure on around T5000 per hour
travelled.
Bring Take a water- and dust-proof bag to put your backpack in. The most important
things to bring, though, are an extremely large amount of patience and time, and a high
threshold for discomfort. Carry camping gear for the inevitable breakdowns, or suffer
along with your travel mates.
Local Transport
Bus, Minibus & Trolleybus
In Ulaanbaatar, crowded trolleybuses and buses ply the main roads for T200 to T400 a
ride. Cities such as Darkhan and Erdenet have minibuses that shuttle from one end of
town to the other, but you are unlikely to need them because most facilities are located
centrally.