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[edit] Ground Transportation
Quick Tip: Hovd's Black Market is closed every Thursday, this makes it much more difficult (if not impossible) to find a ride on a Thursday in Hovd.
Although we've made an effort to present as reliable of pricing information as possible, the exact amount paid could end up being different at the time of travel. The prices in this Ground Transportation section are current as of June 8, 2008.
[edit] Rides to Hovd from Ulaanbaatar
By Van: Rides to Hovd can be found from the Black Market, "Naran Tuul" (Наран Туул) in Ulaanbaatar. Look for the grey Russian vans with yellow stripes down the side and a sign for Hovd (Ховд) in the windshield. The price for a seat in one of the vans varies, depending on how many people will be riding. It's difficult to predict the exact cost, but this could be used as a general rule of thumb: the drivers tend to collect about 900,000T for the trip, and the amount will be divided evenly between the passengers, so if there are 15 people riding it should cost about 60,000T per person, if there are 10 it will cost about 90,000T per person.
By Bus: There is also a bus service that connects Ulaanbaatar to Hovd. The buses leave Ulaanbaatar on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the early afternoon from the Dragon Center and seat between 30-40 people. By most accounts the buses are a more comfortable ride than the Russian vans, and also reach their destination a bit quicker (45 hours). A one-way ticket should cost 55,000T per person.
[edit] Rides to Ulaanbaatar from Hovd
By Van: While in Hovd, to find the rides heading back to Ulaanbaatar walk east down the street the Black Market is on and make a right turn when the road dead-ends. After about 100 yards on your left you will see a cluster of grey Russian vans with yellow stripes inside a small iron-fence enclosure. There are usually a few of the vans parked there and all of them are headed to Ulaanbaatar. For pricing information, see the "Rides to Hovd from Ulaanbaatar" section above.
By Bus: The buses back to Ulaanbaatar from Hovd park next to the enclosure for the Russian vans heading back to Ulaanbaatar (see above). They are scheduled to depart from Hovd every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at about 12 noon, though actual departure days may vary slightly in practice. For pricing info see the "Rides to Hovd from Ulaanbatar" section.
[edit] Rides to Other Western Aimags from Hovd
Once in Hovd, rides to the other western aimags can be found across the street from the Black Market's main entrance. Every week there are several cars leaving to Bayan Ulgii (Баян Өлгий) and Uvs (Увс) aimags (rides to Zavkhan (Завхан) aimag can also be found, though they appear far less frequently), these cars are readily identifiable by the sign placards placed under the windshields. Look for the aimag names written in cyrillic:
Bayan Ulgii - Баян Өлгий - 15,000T
Uvs - Увс - 15,000T
Zavkhan - Завхан - 25,000-30,000
If a ride to the aimag you want to travel to cannot be found in front of the Black Market, check the road in front of the Pink Market or the street behind the Black Market. Sometimes travelers get lucky and find rides to places that aren't as heavily-traveled to from Hovd.
[edit] Rides to the Soums of Hovd
Rides to the soums nearer to Hovd city can usually be found outside the Black Market (though the rows of sedans lined up directly in front of the market entrance are taxis, not rides to soums). The soum vehicles do not have sign placards in their windows, in order to find a car going to your soum you will need to ask around. Approach the driver of a vehicle, and let them know which soum you're trying to get to, either in writing or verbally. The soums of Hovd with approximate prices is listed below in English and Mongolian, soums with very regular rides to them are listed in bold.
Altai - (Алтай) - 20,000T
Bulgan - (Булган) - 25,000T
Buyant - (Буянт) - 1,000T
Chandmani - (Чандмань) - 12,000T
Darvi - (Дарви)
Dorgon - (Дөргөн) - 6,000T
Duut - (Дуут)
Erdeneburen - (Эрдэнэбүрэн)
Hovd - (Ховд) - 2,500T
Mankhan - (Манхан) - 6,000T
Monkhkhairkhan - (Мөнххайрхан) - 12,000T
Most - (Мөст) - 12,000T
Myangad - (Мянгад) - 2,500T
Tsetseg - (Цэцэг) - 12,000T
Uyench - (Үенч) - 25,000T
Zereg - (Зэрэг) - 10,000T
It can be difficult to find vehicles in front of the Black Market that are heading to some of Hovd's more distant soums. It never hurts to ask around in front of the market, you might get lucky, but it is more likely that you will need to hire a vehicle to take you there. Vehicles for hire can also be found in front of the market, though you might want to bring one of the local guides to help you negotiate a price and discuss places of interest you might want to see along the way. Or you can visit the list of drivers we have accumulated.
[edit] Air Transportation
For those wishing to bypass the multi-day journey to Hovd by car, flying is always an option. Though for winter 2008 the only airline offering flights to Hovd is Aero Mongolia.
[edit] Aero Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar Branch Main Phone Number: 976-283029
Ulaanbaatar Branch Ticketing Office Phone Number: 976-11-330373 or 976-11-312807
Ulaanbaatar Branch Fax Number: 976-11-379943
Hovd Branch Phone Number: 976-11-88433903 or 976-11-99164050
Email Address: reservation@aeromongolia.mn, management@aeromongolia.mn, marketing@aeromongolia.mn
Web Address: www.aeromongolia.mn (there is an English language option)
The Aero Mongolia Summer 2008 Schedule is as follows:
Direct flights from Ulaanbaatar to Hovd travel on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Saturdays the flights leave Ulaanbaatar at 6:40 a.m. and depart again from Hovd at 9:00 a.m. The Thursday flights leave Ulaanbaatar at 11:30 a.m. and depart again from Hovd at 2:50 p.m. The price for a foreign traveler is $223 One-Way ($439 Round-Trip) though additional taxes are not included in that amount.
To find the Aero Mongolia office in Hovd look for the Zoos Bank building near the Main Square. Their official office hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., though the office shuts down whenever an Aero Mongolia plane is arriving at the airport so the workers can go meet the plane.
[edit] EZnis Airways
EZnis currently is not flying to any western aimags. They're going to reevaluate their schedule around February 2009.
Hovd Branch Phone Number: 0143222880
Email Address: service@eznis.com
Web Address: www.eznis.com (there is an English language option)
Normally the price for a foreign traveler is $242 One-Way ($482 Round-Trip), though additional taxes of about $21 are not included in that amount.
The EZnis Airways office in Hovd is located on the second floor of the bright yellow XAC Bank building. Their official office hours are Mon-Fri 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sat 10 a.m. - 4 p.m, though whenever an EZnis flight is landing at the Hovd airport the office closes down so the workers can go to the airport to meet the plane. The office staff is quite friendly and speaks some basic English.
[edit] MIAT Airways
MIAT discontinued its domestic flight service at the end of June 2008.
