Mongol survival kit

About this kit

Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia, spoken by around 5 million people. Written in Cyrillic since 1946, it is progressively returning to the traditional vertical Mongolian script, whose use is set to become official again by 2025. With this kit, you have the bare minimum to get by from Ulaanbaatar to the Gobi steppes.

Mongolian (Khalkha Mongolian) is the official language of Mongolia and has around 5 million native speakers, mainly distributed between independent Mongolia, the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in China and several communities in Russia. Since 1946, Mongolian has been written in a Cyrillic alphabet enhanced with two specific letters (Ө and Ү), a legacy of the Soviet era. But the country is now officially returning to the traditional vertical Mongolian script, whose general adoption in public documents and schools is announced for 2025. Travelling in Mongolia means crossing landscapes of rare immensity: endless steppes, Gobi dunes, Altai mountains, glacial lakes of the north. Distances are colossal and road infrastructure remains limited outside Ulaanbaatar, which makes every trip a small adventure. Mastering a few Mongolian phrases radically changes the welcome you receive. Nomads, breeders of horses, camels and yaks, gladly open the door of their yurt (ger) to those who can say hello and thank you in their language. Mongolian culture rests on three pillars: hospitality, respect for elders and love of the horse. The Naadam festival in July brings together the three traditional manly sports and is an ideal moment to discover the country. This kit gathers the bare essentials to handle an arrival in Ulaanbaatar, a taxi ride, a meal in a local canteen, a medical emergency and a departure to the steppe with a guide. Memorize these expressions before leaving and you will gain confidence from the very first hours on site.