From Hovd Travel in Mongolia
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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 to someplace far away on a Thursday from 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 May 20, 2009.
Air Transportation information can be found below, and is current as of May 1, 2009.
In April 2008 Hovd City got its own public bus system. It costs 200T, and they circle through the city center and the outlying ger districts. Try one out and get a cheap trip around the city anytime from 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. The bus system is run by the owner of the Hovd Hotel, which is the reason that hotel is closed for summer 2009 so the owner can focus on the new endeavor. Taxis cost 500T per kilometer in Hovd.
Rides to Hovd from Ulaanbaatar
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 (around 1 p.m.) 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, to be safe the tickets should probably be bought a day in advance. The ride will take you from Ulaanbaatar, through Tuv aimag, Uvurkhangai aimag, Bayankhongor aimag, Govi Altai aimag, and finally the eastern side of Hovd. The bus has been known to arrive in Hovd anytime between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m., so it might be a good idea to know where you're staying and how to get there before arriving. The majority of the time the bus will drop off its passengers at the Main Square in Hovd.
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, but expect to pay somewhere near 65,000T per person. Vans are typically slower and more expensive than taking the bus.
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 (see map below). 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 within the same 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 p.m. or 1 p.m., though actual departure days may vary slightly in practice. For pricing info see the "Rides to Hovd from Ulaanbaatar" section.
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 - 18,000T
Zavkhan - Завхан - 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.
Rides to the Soums of Hovd
Rides to the soums nearer to Hovd City can usually be found outside Hovd's Black Market (though the rows of sedans lined up directly in front of the market entrance are taxis, not rides to soums). Many of 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. Listing prices to soums is a tricky business, as the prices can fluctuate considerably depending on the driver, but these prices were recently offered as rates to get to the following soums. Soums with very regular rides to them are listed in bold.
Altai - (Алтай) - 20,000T
Bulgan - (Булган) - 25,000 - 30,000T*
Buyant - (Буянт) - 1,500T
Chandmani - (Чандмань) - 12,000T
Darvi - (Дарви) - 16,000T
Durgun - (Дөргөн) - 7,000T
Duut - (Дуут)
Erdeneburen - (Эрдэнэбүрэн)
Hovd soum- (Ховд) - 2,500T
Mankhan - (Манхан) - 6,000T
Monkhkhairkhan - (Мөнххайрхан) - 15,000T
Must - (Мөст) - 15,000T
Myangad - (Мянгад) - 2,500T
Tsetseg - (Цэцэг) - 18,000T
Uyench - (Үенч) - 25,000 - 30,000T
Zereg - (Зэрэг) - 12,000T
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 behind the market as well, you might get lucky. But it is more likely that you will need to hire a vehicle to take you there, check the list of drivers we have assembled. 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.
- As of June 2009 a weekly ride to Bulgan and Uyench soums could be found in a van from the same enclosed area where the buses to U.B. depart in Hovd. The driver quoted a rate of 25,000 - 30,000T one-way.
Air Transportation
For those wishing to bypass the multi-day journey to Hovd by car, flying is always an option. At present, the only airline flying to Hovd aimag is EZnis Airways. Information in this Air Transportation section is current as of May 1, 2009.
EZnis Airways
Hovd Branch Phone Number: 01432-22880
Email Address: service@eznis.com
Web Address: www.eznisairways.com (there is an English language option)
After June 1, 2009 through the summer season, the flights between Ulaanbaatar and Hovd will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
The ticket price for a foreign traveler is $304 One-Way ($608 Round-Trip), though an additional tax of 2,000T applies for the flight from UB to Hovd, and a tax of 1,000T applies for the flight from Hovd to UB.
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.
Aero Mongolia
Aero Mongolia has suspended its service at the present time.
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)
MIAT Airways
MIAT discontinued its domestic flight service at the end of June 2008.
