Hostels in Mongolia Hostels in Mongolia

You are looking for hostels in Mongolia? Good news, you have come to the right place.

On this page we list every single city with hostels and other budget accommodations. Hostelz.com helps you to find your Mongolia hostel and compare its prices on the major booking sites such as Hostelworld, Hostelsclub and Booking.com. So you can sleep on a budget and save money while backpacking Mongolia.

All Cities in Mongolia

We list every single hostel in Mongolia and the world. In total, we have 4 cities in Mongolia for you. Please note that not all cities actually have a hostel to stay in. Below you can filter for cities with hostels and with no hostels-type accommodation, but guesthouses and budget hotels. This will help your planning.

All Mongolia hostels on a map

Alright, you are more the visual type? Planning your trip with a map is always handy.

Therefore, this map shows you all cities with hostels in Mongolia. It will help you to plan your trip. Just zoom in the map and click your destination for more details. Just so you know: If we do not have a hostel in a city, it is likely that there is no hostel in that city.

Our handwritten guide on Backpacking Mongolia

Mongolia is a big, beautiful and vast country that everyone should add to their travel list. Not only are the landscapes stunning (so many mountains!), but the nomadic people of the land are also very friendly and welcoming. If you’re lucky, you may even get invited into one of their homes – traditional ‘ger’ tents that can be packed up and moved in a day.

Despite its huge land mass of approximately 1.565 million km², the population of Mongolia is only a little over 3 million. Tourist numbers in Mongolia are also relatively small but growing and provide an important source of revenue for the country. A popular time to visit is during the famous Nadaam Festival in July, which in 2010 was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage event. At this festival, Mongolians compete in a number of traditional sports, such as wrestling, horse racing and archery.

Mongolia’s capital city, Ulan Bator, is the country’s main access point. For this reason, most travellers here are likely to pass through this town of approximately 1 million people. Although this city is interesting on its own, most visitors to Ulan Bator will continue on to do tours of places nearby (in Mongolian terms), such as the Gobi Desert, Terelj National Park and the White Lake. Others choose to go much further afield to places such as Ölgii, Khovd and the Altai Mountains in the far-west, or to Choibalsan in the east. In Mongolia, however, it is usually the journey rather than the destination that makes the experience particularly spectacular.

Those travelling outside of Ulan Bator should be aware that, although the Government has embarked on an ambitious project to construct a nationwide highway, most of Mongolia’s roads are unpaved and sometimes even change with the weather! The most common way to get around the countryside is to either go on a group tour or hire a driver. While hitchhiking is also an option, travellers should be aware that there is usually not much traffic on the roads outside of the main paved roads and so it may be quite difficult to find a ride.

Tourist season in Mongolia is usually from June to September when the temperatures are warmer. In late September tourism usually starts to drop off ahead of the cold season, which roughly runs from November to February. During winter the temperatures in Ulan Bator, the world’s coldest capital, can get as low as -30 degrees Celsius, with the temperatures outside of the capital city dropping even lower. During this period most of the ger camps are closed and camping is not wise, so it’s important for travellers to find a warm hostel or other accommodation to stay in.

Travellers should have no trouble finding a hostel in Ulan Bator, where hostels and guesthouses with hostel-style dorms are both plentiful and cheap. Here the price of a dorm bed typically starts from about USD$5 per night and a private room starts from about USD$9 per night, per person. Most of Ulan Bator’s attractions and sights are within walking distance from the city centre, so paying a little extra to stay somewhere more central, for example near the State Department Store or Chingghis Statue is probably worthwhile. Hostels in Mongolia are quite standard, with all the usual amenities such as bunk beds, western toilets and showers with hot water. Shared kitchens may be quite small since local food is cheap to purchase and common areas are provided but are not catered towards the ‘partygoing’ traveller.

Outside of Ulan Bator hostels are unfortunately few and far between, though many of the guesthouses in the larger towns / regional capitals may offer shared rooms. During summer traditional ger camps are also available across the country. Beds in these also start from about USD$5 per night. Those staying in guesthouses and ger camps outside of Ulan Bator should expect outdoor ‘long drop’ style toilets (i.e. a hole in the ground) and no showers.

expert for Mongolia hostels

Handwritten by local expert for Mongolia hostels Cat MacGregor

Travel Tips for Mongolia - from the Community

Hey fam! Here are a few more tips from the community, from them to you, and you to them. This space is dedicated for travellers to share their best tips on backpacking Mongolia. Have a closer look - the Hostelz community share real hidden gems, insider knowledge and overall impressions of Mongolia. Everyone is welcome to add something useful, funny, unexpected and the "absolutely necessary to know before you go" - share, share and then share a little more!

FAQ on Hostels in Mongolia

There is a lot of travel planning to do. So let us help you once again by putting together the frequently asked questions:

Finding Hostels and Prices

What hostel booking sites are best to use?

There is several hostel booking sites, such as Hostelworld.com, Hostelsclub.com and Booking.com. While every platform has its pros and cons, there is a universal truth you as a traveler should be aware of: Not a single booking site can always offer the best prices.

This is where Hostelz.com comes in. You can compare all major booking portals with one click.

For you as a traveler, Hostelz.com is the best booking site to actually save money.

How much are hostels in Mongolia?

Prices always vary, depending on various factors. Weekends tend to be more expensive, same goes for special holidays. Please also take into account local vaction time.

You can search for exacty hostel prices in Mongolia here on Hostelz.com. Pick your destination and pick a date. The system will track down the prices to give an idea of what budget and prices you can expect.

When to book hostels?

If you want to stay at the best hostels, it is a good idea to have your hostel booked around 1 month before you travel. For the regular hostels, booking one week before should be okay. Yet again, this always depends.

We dedicated a full article to the topic of when to book hostels.

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Safety and Packing

Are hostels in Mongolia safe?

Generally speaking, hostels are as safe as you make them. We highly recommend always to bring your own padlock, using the lockers and taking care of your belongings. Make sure you pick a safe hostel, offering lockers and a safe location. Please always pay attention to the reviews; they can give you a great insight on what to expect and safety tips.

What to pack when staying in hostels?

There is a few basics you should always pack when staying in hostels.

  1. Padlock
  2. Earplugs
  3. Sleeping Mask
  4. Quick Dry Travel Towel
  5. Head Lamp

There is more actually. We wrote a complete guide with more details. Read our full hostel packing list.

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