Solo female travel in Mongolia: arrivals, taxis, nights out and help

What the UK, German and French advice says about women in Mongolia

France Diplomatie is the most direct: it says sexual assaults, in particular against foreign women during the tourist season, are regularly reported, and asks women to avoid going about alone in little-frequented areas, especially at night. Germany's Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) says sexual offences occur occasionally in the capital and the countryside and can also affect foreign nationals.

In Ulaanbaatar, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) says violent incidents are rare, but foreigners have been assaulted and robbed; it asks travellers to avoid being out alone at night. Germany asks you to avoid the capital's poorer districts, the ger districts. That applies to those city districts, not to gers or ger camps.

No government advises against travel to any part of Mongolia. France places the whole country under increased vigilance because of the distances, the roads and weak medical facilities, not because of crime. In Buddhist monasteries, the FCDO asks you to show respect: always ask permission before taking photographs, and do not touch sacred images or objects.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Landing at Chinggis Khaan International Airport

Book the airport transfer and your first night before you travel: the FCDO's solo-travel advice says you are at your most vulnerable when you first arrive. Otherwise, take the airport's own taxi from the counter on the first floor of the terminal straight to your door: MNT 120,000 for a Standard car to the city centre. The airport prohibits unsolicited taxi offers and physical contact in the terminal; do not respond to or follow anyone who makes them.

The city's transport agency says buses serve the airport 24 hours a day, paid by card, but the night gaps are long. On its published timetable, the last X:19 leaves the airport at 23:10, night bus ШҮ:4 leaves at 00:50 and reaches Sükhbaatar Square at 01:55, and the next bus, X:19, leaves at 04:05. Both lines end at Sükhbaatar Square, so after dark take a licensed taxi or UBCab on from there rather than walking. Our Mongolia transport guide covers the bus lines and the daytime options.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Taxis, UBCab and city buses in Ulaanbaatar

Not every car that stops is a taxi. France says private individuals often use their own cars as taxis, and Germany says private taxis often charge greatly inflated fares. Use a licensed firm such as VIP Taxis, the trackable UBCab app (or its hotline 7780-7780) or the registered firms' hotline 1900-1950, ask the fare before you set off, and book through your hotel when you can. Sit in the back and do not let further passengers get in: Germany reports that travellers outside the cities have occasionally been robbed, in some cases by accomplices who got into the taxi, together with the driver.

On city buses, Canada says overcrowding is common, women have reported inappropriate physical contact, and pickpocketing is common. If a bus is packed, wait for the next one or take a licensed taxi, and do not hitchhike. Keep your phone, passport and money in a secured bag on your body.

Carry your passport: a 2017 law requires foreigners to have it at all times, and the FCDO says the police will not accept a copy and you could be fined. Canada reports people posing as police officers who have robbed foreigners, particularly around Sükhbaatar Square; ask to see their credentials or offer to go to the police station.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Bars, drinks and getting home at night

Plan the ride home before you go out: ask the bar, restaurant or club to order a car for you and wait inside until it arrives, because France warns that foreigners may be followed when they leave nightclubs. Germany adds that drunk people occasionally turn violent, also against foreigners.

Never leave your drink unattended, and check prices before ordering where none are clearly shown. The FCDO's advice for women says rape drugs also work in non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee and tea and are normally colourless and tasteless: do not accept drinks from strangers, and seek help if you feel strange, sick or drunk after only a small amount. Drinking alcohol in public places is forbidden, with a fine, and alcohol may not be sold or drunk on the first day of each month.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

Guesthouses, gers and the road out of Ulaanbaatar

In Ulaanbaatar, if you book a dorm, ask whether it is mixed or women-only, or take a single room; our where-to-stay guide for Ulaanbaatar compares the districts. In the countryside, ask when you book whether the ger is yours alone. Travel Gobi Mongolia, a tour operator, says that at the local ger guesthouses it uses, your ger is private to your travel group and its guides and drivers always stay in a separate ger. Our ger stays guide covers the camps.

Out of the city, the main choice is a shared group or a private car with a driver and guide. View Mongolia, a tour operator, runs its 9-day Gobi tour on fixed group dates (its 2026 departures were in July) at USD 1,580 per person for 2027, plus a USD 370 single supplement. Travel Gobi Mongolia's 8-day private Gobi and central Mongolia tour by car costs USD 3,440 for one person with tourist ger camps, against USD 1,350 each for six. It offers to match you with other travellers in groups of typically up to 6, but says matching cannot be guaranteed; its no-guide version is USD 400 cheaper in total but leaves you with a driver who does not speak English. Before you pay, ask whether you will be the only passenger, whether a female guide can be arranged and where the driver and guide sleep each night.

Track conditions, livestock and the lack of signs lead France to recommend a local driver, and Germany and France both advise against driving overland after dark. For adventure activities, Canada notes that tour operators may not adhere to international standards and advises never doing them alone and always hiring an experienced guide from a reputable company. Leave your itinerary with someone at home and agree how often you will be in contact: large rural areas have no network coverage, so the FCDO also suggests back-up communication such as a satellite phone.

Long-distance buses to the western provinces leave from the Dragon terminal, where the district office says theft is high because of the crowds. Book on eticket.transdep.mn, which has an option for foreign citizens, pay within 20 minutes and be at the terminal 30 minutes before departure: a missed bus is not refunded.

Outside Ulaanbaatar healthcare is limited and doctors may not speak English, and France says taking an injured person to the capital by road sometimes means more than 15 hours on tracks.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

After a sexual assault: police, hospital and the 72-hour window

The UK Foreign Office's guide for victims of rape and sexual assault in Mongolia sets out the steps. If you choose to report, do it as soon as possible and take the clothes to the police, because washing yourself or your clothes may make forensic evidence hard to obtain. Tell the police if you think you were drugged, and insist on a police report. You may request a female officer, but if none is on duty you would have to wait. Reporting carries no risk for you: extramarital sex, homosexuality and drinking alcohol are not criminal offences in Mongolia.

The police first take you to a court forensic lab for an examination, which is free; most hospital emergency departments can treat you after it, and other tests and treatment are charged. You can also get medical care without reporting, and the hospital will not tell the police without your consent. HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) needs a prescription and must be started within 72 hours; the guide says it is available only at the National Communicable Disease Centre and some free clinics for the LGBTQ+ community. Emergency contraception is sold in local pharmacies without a prescription, for around £2 to £3 (2022 price), and is also taken within 72 hours.

A case cannot be dropped once it is filed, and it takes from a month to two years. You may leave Mongolia once it is filed, but you must appoint a lawyer, and there is no legal aid. If the case goes to trial, you will not be expected to testify.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026

If something happens: the numbers to save

Save these before you land. The FCDO says there should be someone on the police number who can speak to you in English.

• 102: police, including traffic police; +976 102 from an international mobile phone.
• 103: ambulance. Hospitals ask for 80% of the treatment cost in advance, so keep your insurer's emergency number with you as well.
• 101: fire.
• +976 11 458133: the British Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, for British nationals. Other travellers: save your own embassy's number.
• Your tour operator: if you travel with one, the FCDO says it should be able to arrange someone to support you, and may go with you to the local hospital.

Prices and times checked 8 November 2026