Lonely Planet Mongolia [ペーパーバック]

I recently returned from a trip to Mongolia, where the Lonely Planet Mongolia guide was my principal source of information.

I am an experienced world traveler, and have had both up-to-date and out-of-date guidebooks with me. I have had books where I agreed with the characterizations in the books, and others where the characterizations seemed far off. Despite being a few years out of date when I bought it, this guide performed extremely well by both standards. The objective information all remained remarkably accurate and up-to-date, and the subjective characterizations were pretty much on the mark as well. Right on down to the small details, such as which museums make you pay a photography fee, which ger camps are more attractively located, and so forth. The history provided in the book is also very relevant; though not extensive, I was struck by how, during my travels, the history I encountered had pretty much all been laid out in the Guide.

I had a splendid time in Mongolia, and have come away with a warm feeling towards Mongolia and the absolutely wonderful people there. I would definitely object if, as some other reviews here have stated, the book took a patronizing or negative tone towards Mongolia. I frankly do not see this at all. It is candid in noting a few of the issues that confront a traveler to Mongolia, but this is vital information to know. I followed the instructions on "things to pack" for Mongolia, and I'm very glad I did; I used all that stuff along the way at some point -- the flashlight, the extra batteries, the bar of soap, the gifts for ger visits, the WetWipes, the bug repellent, etc. Rarely have I been so well prepared by a Guidebook.

If anything, I believe the book understates some of the things for which travelers should be prepared. It describes Ulaan Baatar as a "pleasant" capital city with many interesting restaurants, similar to a middle-sized European city. I enjoyed UB very much, but I know many people who would not regard it as "pleasant" at all: it is filled with hideous Stalinist architecture, it is polluted, and in many places very dilapidated. I found it stimulating and having much to offer, but many vacationers would not enjoy it, and the LP Guide probably downplays these aspects a bit. It also downplays the fact that even at the "touristy" ger camps, you're more likely to have a swarm of insects in your tent at night than to encounter any hot water pressure in the shower at the communal bathroom.

Mongolia is a wonderful place to visit, but it is not for everyone. I saw the LP Guide on the person of many a tourist there, and with good reason; it's an outstanding and indispensable guide.

Why not 5 stars? Well, there could be more. Mongolia is a big country, and this is a thin book by LP standards. Could use a little updating for some of the more recently constructed accommodations. Also could simply use more of everything -- it was a little hard to get a sense ahead of time as to what was worth visiting, because some of the regions of the country are not discussed in significant detail.

Bottom line: great guide, could be improved simply by offering more of the same.

Some of the negative reviews on this website actually got me wondering whether I should buy this book or not. Now that I'm back from the trip, I have no doubt about it: it's pretty much a must. Had I not brought the book along, I would've had to keep borrowing other travelers' copies during my visit. The information's extremely useful and complete, whether you agree with every single comment or not. I'm not familiar with other similar guides on Mongolia in English, but every foreigner that I met there seemed to be carrying a copy of this one.

Perhaps it is because Mongolia is changing so fast (individual visas were only issued from 1 June 1997) but this book is one of Lonely Planet's worst - and that's sad because Mongolia is a fantastic country. For example, almost all the backbacker accommodations mentioned in the UB section have closed down, and it doesn't mention Gana's Guest House which is the only place to stay if you're on a budget. Also, it underestimates the travel times between different towns, and makes some of them sound quite big when in fact they are tiny. But don't wait for a new edition - go to Mongolia before it changes!