The post recounts a four-week trip to Mongolia during winter, highlighting the extreme cold and unique landscapes. The author shares experiences in Ulaanbaatar, encounters with locals, and cultural insights, including a visit to a herder’s family and camel rides. The journey combines travel, work, and personal exploration.
Any maps and map views are for general information only. Do not rely on them for navigation or to determine legal boundaries.
Mongolia is landlocked between Russia to the North and China to the South. In the previous post, WAAAYYY Beyond YEGVille – Mongolia!, I described how I found myself in this country for 4 weeks in nearly the dead of winter.
Cold on a Whole New Level
On that note, when it wants to be, Mongolia is bitter cold. Add in strong prevailing winds and a -35C suddenly turns into a WHOLLY Fudge this cold. Fortunately, most of the time was spent indoors or driving between being indoors.
Organizing the Photos
Given that the four weeks was a bit of a whirlwind, the following photos are my memory jog for the trip. I met some great Mongolians while I was here. Got to drive 7 hours multiple times, listening to Mongolian rap and traditional music. Mongolians are proud of their country and their history. I was glad I was able to share a slice of it for a few weeks in 2025.
Ulaanbaatar City (UB)
The acknowledged coldest capital city, UB lives up to its reputation. Fortunately, I missed some of the smoggier days when the coal-fire generation plants were working at full blast. Coal is a primary fuel source in the city and in the outlying towns and even the gers (the word ‘yurt’ is a Russian word so ger is preferred).
(On smart phones, swipe to advance the pictures)
Looking East into the Ulaanbaatar Park, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Looking North at the Garden Pagoda and towards the downtown, under construction, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Looking South towards the National Flag Pole which stands 60M high, located in the Ulaanbaatar Park, Mongolia, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Yampai / Guardian door, walk about Ulaanbaatar, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Main entrance of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, walk about Ulaanbaatar, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Detail artwork and tiles hanging above a side door of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, walk about Ulaanbaatar, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Marco Polo, the Venetian trader alleged to have entered China, walk about Ulaanbaatar, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Cheek by jowl shops lining a busy walking street, walk about Ulaanbaatar, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Looking South and across Sükhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, 2025-11-21, P. Potter. 
Sükhbaatar Square, looking North toward the parliament building, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, 2025-11-21, P. Potter. 
Statue of Chinggis Khan in front of the parliament building, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, 2025-11-21, P. Potter. 
Ulaanbaatar sign at the corner of Seul Street and Chingis Khan Ave, 2025-11-21. 
Statue Dervish Dancer, walk about Ulaanbaatar, 2025-11-22, P. Potter. 
Heavy smoke coming from one of the coal fired thermal plants in UB, 2025-11-17, P. Potter.
Landscapes of Mongolia
The upside of traveling to Mongolia in the winter is that the place is not filled with tourists. Of course there is a darn good reason there are no tourists, too cold! Nevertheless, the light snow cover and heavy frost clearly defines the steppe and hills. Some photos from three different regions of Mongolia, Uvs in the East, Darkhan in the North, and Soukbaatar in the East.
Winter road scene, rural Mongolia, 2025-12-02, Sukbaatar Drive Out, P. Potter. 
Looking roughly NE across the town of Ulaangom, 2025-11-17, P. Potter. 
Looking west into the frozen Mongolian steppe, 2025-12-07, P. Potter. 
Looking SW from the Buudai Hotel, Darkhan Mongolia, 2025-11-26, P. Potter. 
Looking roughly NW across the sand dunes of the semi-Gobi, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
Windswept and desiccated fences on the semi-Gobi’s dunes, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter.
Art and Interesting Scenes
Statues, art work and interesting scenes across the country. They range from the tourist-icon of a giant statue of Chinngis Khan to typical villages to coat wearing cows.
Statue of Chingis Khan, 2025-12-02, Sukbaatar Drive Out, P. Potter. 
Statue of Sükhbaatar, credited with Mongolia’s independence, 2025-12-02, Sükhbaatar Training, P. Potter. 
Grandmother’s statue, 2025-12-06, Sukbaatar Drive Back, P. Potter. 
Typical small settlement in Mongolia, 2025-12-02, Sukbaatar Drive Out, P. Potter. 
Looking due North from the viewing platform on top of ‘New York Hill’ Darkhan, Mongolia, 2025-11-26, P. Potter. 
Viewing platform on top of ‘New York Hill’ Darkhan, Mongolia, looking North across the city, 2025-11-26, P. Potter. 
Stainless steel rings atop of the ‘New York Hill’, looking NE across the western portion of Darkhan, Mongolia; 2025-11-26, P. Potter. 
Fire pit on top of ‘New York Hill’ Darkhan, Mongolia, 2025-11-26, P. Potter. 
Coal fired thermal power plant used for the steel mill as well as providing energy and heating to the city of Darkhan, Mongolia, 2025-11-26, P. Potter. 
This is the national men’s dish, sum deer garaarai. Apparently you don’t marry a woman who can’t cook a good variation. Basically noodles and leftover meat but the spices make it. 
One of the many impossibly tall loads of hay seen on the highway, 2025-12-06, Sukbaatar Drive Back, P. Potter. 
Cow wearing a makeshift jacket to keep the chill off, 2025-12-06, Sukbaatar Drive Back, P. Potter.
Work Locations
Catalyst+ paid for the trip and I would say they got their monies worth. Nearly 200 hundred hours of travel, training, and developing content. These were some of the work places.
Looking South from the main square of the government building toward the impressive mountain range, Ulaangom, Uvs province, 2025-11-18, P. Potter. 
Nutgiin Udirdlagiin Ordon or governor’s palace, Baruun-Urt, 2025-12-02, Sükhbaatar Training, P. Potter. 
Meeting venue, 2025-12-02, Sükhbaatar Training, P. Potter.
A Visit to a Herder’s Ger and Camel Ride
Although a busy four weeks, I was able to squeeze in one touristic trip. A 9 hour (round trip) drive to see how a herder family lives, ride a bactrian camel. They were incredibly gentle beasts, beautiful creatures seemingly coming out of the Star Wars universe.
Two cuties, the sticks in their nose are used to control them, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
Camel ready to be mounted, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
The herder’s brand, inside their ger, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
Dried yogurt, homemade, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
Buddhist shrine inside the ger, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
Top of the ger with a modern plastic shield around the stove pipe, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
Stove for cooking burning both coal and animal dung, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter. 
An invertor for the solar panels outside to run the fridge and other appliances inside the ger, 2025-12-08, Camel ride, P. Potter.
Notes and Reference
- [NOTE]
- DONOVAN, LARRY. ALBERTA PLACE NAMES: The Fascinating People & Stories behind the Naming of Alberta. Canada: DRAGON HILL PUB, 2007.
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