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If Mongolia is good for hitchhiking in terms of the rate of people stopping for you plan to hitch ; it is bad in terms of the actual number of drivers (some roads are very isolated) and road conditions. Like in '''Mongolia'''Iran, it there is good to know that a culture of using private cars like taxis (especially in the capital, Ulaanbaatar), so most drivers will expect to be paid, though you can still hitch for freeat first. It just takes more patience, and effort, but the rides come relatively quickly, nonetheless. Before entering the car make it clear that you have no money, unless you don't mind shelling out a few bucks for every ride. Some will just turn forward and continue driving, leaving you in the dust, but most will say or gesture not to worry about it and tell you to get in anyway. Also expect a jam-packed car, packed with amazingly friendly people, food and house invitations!

Due to the extreme weather differences between summer and winter, hitchhiking in mongolia Mongolia seems to be a completly completely different experience depending on the season. Instead of talking about hitchhiking in mongoliaMongolia, it would make more sense to talk about hitchhiking in mongolia Mongolia in the summer or in winter as if it were two different countries.

Expect flat tires, overheating jeeps and cars not much more than 100km a couple of hundred kilometres per day, due to the lack of traffic, and extremely poor condition of the roads. The easiest place to find rides in small towns is in the local markets, where locals look for shared rides and trucks are picking up and delivering supplies, though there, you will probably have to pay. Otherwise just stand by the road anywhere (even in the middle of absolute desolation) and stick out your thumb when a vehicle comes by. The classical hitchhiking method works just fine, though they don't always know that you mean you want a free ride, so they will usually ask you up front for money, by rubbing their fingers and thumb together and saying "money, money" or "dengi, dengi" (Russian for money), but you should still make sure, before you get in the car, you should make it clear that you are looking for a free ride by saying "nye dengimonk bahgui" ("no money" in RussianMongolian). However, if you get too bored, or worried that you might not get a ride before dark, you can always just madly wave down whoever is passing. They will stop (no need for a [[signs|sign]]), though they will probably expect money when you do it like that. Asking the locals is also a good way to get information on rides and routes, if you can find a local that speaks English. Be warned you probably won't be able to leave before endless cups of tea and milk cookies.

In mongoliaMongolia, half of the population lives in Ulaanbataar and the other half has a very good reason to go to Ulaanbataar. Therefore, it is common to find direct rides to Uaanbataar Ulaanbataar from all parts of the country. From Ulaanbataar to elswhere elsewhere however you will have to put up with village to village hitchhing.

Jeeps are the prefererredpreferred, confortable comfortable and only transport means that is adapted to the Mongolian terrain. However the mongolian Mongolian drivers are skilled and can drive pretty much anything through pretty much any terrain. Do not ignore that small car that wouldn't dare to take a dirt road, would it have been in europeEurope. The mongolian Mongolian will successfully take it through the worst of mountain passes.

Talking to people trying to fill up their cars works but Mongolians will have trouble understanding that you want to go for free. Your However, they usually accept you in the end. Not as common as in Iran but even the taxis may take you without charging. In some cases though, your success might depend on wheather whether somebody is willing to pay for your ride. This is likely to succeed in villages for short distances (<200 km). The price for that sort of ride can be 10,000 or 20,000 MNT (Jan 2014).

There is an effective way how to get rides in Mongolia. However it is not a way anyone should recommentrecommend. In Mongolia, it is very easy to put yourself into danger. If you really want a ride, especially a free long one, walk to the middle of nowhere and wait for someone to drive by. It is very easy to stage your suicide in Mongolia, be careful to make it make-believe only. There are thousands of Yurts spread accross across the countryside, especially by the main roads. Position yourself somewhere a few kilometers from such yurt and wait. If someone drives by, you will appear as an irresponsible stupid tourist who will die if not save. And the mongolian Mongolian people will save you. Be careful with this tactic, you should always consider the risks when you play with your life. Unexpected weather conditions may occur, temperature can drop very fast, what you thought to be make-believe may become reality very fast.So be very careful!

Be even more careful if you try these stunts when approaching the chinese Chinese border. While you can almost be sure that mongolians Mongolians will help you, the chinese Chinese will not. The same stunt performed in a chineseChinese-influanced influenced region may just leave you to freeze in the desert with nobody caring. Also, do not mistake innerInner-mongolia Mongolia inhabitants for mongoliansMongolians, they are not! Inner mongolia Mongolia is more china China than mongolia Mongolia and such a mistake would be a fatal one.

There are many paved roads in mongoliaMongolia. When there are no paved roads, there are also very good dirt roads. You should not be worried about road quality if you are going from UB to Teserleg (North-West), Bayankhongor (South-West) and Zamiin-Uud (South). Further west, the quality of road varies from "OK" to "just disastrous or inexistant". Sometimes you just drive through snow tracks. However vehicles do not get stuck in snow that often. Expect a flat tire every 400 kilometers, even on paved roads.

Do not worry about sleeping in mongolia Mongolia in winter. Just knock on the door of any yurt, you will be invited in, it is automatic. Nobody will think about asking you for money. Everybody understands that it is just too cold to sleep outside. Usually they will also introduce to their friends who will also invite you, you will quickly have a network of aquaintances acquaintances and sleeping places so big that all your stay in mongolia Mongolia will be covered for free [http://takemeeast.blogspot.com/2013/12/degrees-of-separation.html source]. You can go to a hostel sometime if you need some privacy.

Nothing to be alarmed from this side. Mongolians drink occasionalyoccasionally; however they are peaceful drinkers at least compared to their neighbours neighbors. It is difficult to refuse a drink though as most Mongolians will insist and think you are usually given a choice wheather being rude or not to drink. Your choice should be respectedwussy if you don't accept.

However not so few mongolians Mongolians speak either English, German or Russian so if you know those languages you should find common speakers quite often.

A good place === Russian Border at Kyakhta/Altanbulag === This is probably the easiest border crossing in Mongolia as there is a paved road all the way to hitch Ulaanbaatar. Decline all taxis and walk for a ride few minutes after you cross the border and start hitching. === Russian Border at Erentsav === This Northeastern border is a terrible idea unless you have a good reason to talk go there. Hitchhiking from Ulaanbaatar to the people during passport checks in the Khenti is pretty straightforward but things get tricky after that as there is no-manpaved road. If you are lucky enough to find a ride to Choibalsan, you won's landt be so lucky when you try to hitch to Erentsav. Many will speak either english or russian There is almost no traffic and can you are likely to take you with them probably all the way train which leaves twice a week (on Mondays and Thursdays from Choibalsan to the capitalErentsav).

Keep your morals up and be very persistantpersistent. Explain that your visa will expire if they don't take you. They will insist that it's impossible, they will try to get your money by every means but keep your head up until they realize that the energy put into convincing you to pay is greater than the energy they would put into convincing the taxis to take you for free.