A Guide to Independent Trekking in Mongolia

One of the most interesting parts about traveling Mongolia is the fact that the people living there are nomadic and the land is all Crown owned! Locals (and travellers) can spend the night, or live, wherever they want, for free. The country of Mongolia is basically one big campground.

The local people live in homes called gers (other countries call it a yurt). This round, traditional home is made in layers. Wooden lattice-work forms the walls and is the main frame of the home. Two support beams are in the center of the ger with a round piece of wood on top (essentially, the roof). Wooden rods are put in place around the top of the lattice-work and are attached to the round piece of wood. All of this forms the frame of the ger.

Making a Ger: the center columns and lattice work, putting the wooden rods into place & stretching the fabric over the walls

Sheep wool is pulled and stretched to make a thick fabric to cover the lattice-work, sometimes more than one layer of wool is used for insulation. Lastly, a white canvas is wrapped tightly around the entire structure, forming the outside layer.