The Nomad Journal

Stories & Guides from the Steppe

Practical planning guides and real stories from the Gobi, the steppe, and the far northern taiga, written by the same team that runs your trip.

Culture & Nomadic Life
8 min read

Who Are the Tsaatan? Inside Mongolia's Reindeer-Herding Culture of the Siberian Taiga

In the forests of far northern Mongolia lives one of the last reindeer-herding peoples on earth, a community of only a few hundred people whose entire way of life is built around an animal most of us have never seen up close.

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Trip Planning
7 min read

Mongolia Travel Guide for First-Timers: Visa, Currency, and What to Pack

The practical questions that come up before every trip: whether you need a visa, how money actually works once you're outside Ulaanbaatar, and what's genuinely worth packing.

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Travel Tips
6 min read

Horseback Riding in Mongolia: A Beginner's Guide to Riding Like a Nomad

You don't need any riding experience to get on a horse in Mongolia, but knowing what to expect beforehand makes the difference between a stiff, nervous hour and one of the best parts of your trip.

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Destination Guides
8 min read

First-Timer's Guide to the Gobi Desert: What to Actually Expect

Most people picture an endless sea of sand. The real Gobi is stranger and more varied than that, and knowing what you're actually walking into makes the trip far better.

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Trip Planning
7 min read

The Best Time to Visit Mongolia: A Season-by-Season Guide

Mongolia's weather swings harder than almost anywhere else on earth, and picking the wrong month can make or break your trip. Here's what each season actually looks like on the ground.

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