Trip Details
We always enjoy hearing from folks to help plan a great Mongolia adventure!
Please contact us regarding specific departure dates, rates and availability.
We are on the river June – October.
We request a 50% advance payment to hold your reservation. Final payments are due March 15 of your trip year. All payments are non-refundable.
It’s nice to have a private hotel room after a long airplane ride.
All guests will have private, single-accommodation hotel rooms in Ulanbaatar, unless requesting to share.
Two anglers share double-accommodation at the river.
The gers and tent-tipis are very spacious.
Each boat accommodates two guests and one guide. The guides generally rotate so everyone gets a chance to fish with a variety of great guides.
Almost everything is covered once you arrive in Mongolia.
Price includes: Two nights hotel in UB, airport transfers, transportation to/from the river, conservation and fishing permit, trout and taimen flies, guide services, and all meals, lodging, soft drinks, beer, wine, and classic Mongolian vodka while at camp.
Price does not include: International airfare, meals and drinks in UB, and gratuities. Any gratuities are given to the head-guide at the end of the trip who then disperses these to guides and staff.
On all MRO trips, we meet you at the airport upon arrival in Mongolia and take it from there.
A private driver and guide will meet you at the airport and shutle you to the hotel. After an overnight in Ulanbaatar, you’re off for an adventure-filled 4×4 journey across the Mongolian steppe to reach the river. You should reach camp in plenty of time for afternoon tea. Then you’re onto the river for a Buryat, Upper, Lower, or Combo float.
Anglers fish new water every day from ClackaCraft drift boats, drifting downstream between a set of comfortable camps. Your trip will be supported by a very experienced team of private cooks, camp hands and guides. When guests arrive downstream at each evening’s new camp, the staff will have your bags waiting, beds made, fires lit, and dinner prepared. It’s luxury in the wilderness!
You can see photos and read more about the meals and camps here.
When your small group of anglers finishes exploring a great stretch of river, you’ll jump in the 4×4’s and return to the capital. Most guests head home the next day. Your private driver and guide will get you to the airport.
Charter flights to/from the river can be arranged.
Our guests often request a charter flight to/from the river. Landing zones approved by the Civil Aviation Authority are strategically located near several of the camps. Flight time between Ulanbaatar and the river is between sixty and ninety minutes. The route flies over some scenic back-country. Charter flights are not included in the trip price. Please enquire regarding additional charges and options.
Mongolia is an “at your own risk” travel destination.
You will be in an extremely remote location with limited communication and quite far from adequate medical care facilities. Our teams are highly experienced, but please come prepared for wilderness travel conditions and accept personal responsibility for those risks.
We require all guests to secure their own comprehensive medical and evacuation insurance. We work closely with Global Rescue and have used their services to evacuate guests. We highly recommend that you also secure travel insurance.
Mongolia is surprisingly easy to reach with great non-stop international flights.
The capital city, Ulaanbaatar (UBN), is served by regularly scheduled non-stop flights from Seoul, Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Tokyo. There will soon be non-stop flights from the USA.
Guests usually fly via Seoul or Istanbul. Both are international hubs with very modern airports. Flight time from Seoul to Mongolia is 3+ hours with multiple flights daily. Flight time Istanbul to Mongolia is 8+ hours with non-stop flights six days a week.
Most international visitors, including persons from the USA, do not currently require a visa prior to arrival in Mongolia. However, there are exceptions. We will request a scanned copy of your passport at the time of booking.
We have a fully staffed, full-time office in Ulaanbaatar. Our team can easily facilitate any necessary visa process and is always available to help you along the way. We help a lot of traveling anglers reach Mongolia every year and we are more than happy to discuss best international travel options.
Mongolia is called the “Blue Sky Country” for a reason.
Mongolia enjoys a dry, continental climate. Warm, summer temperatures usually extend through September. Evenings are cool year-round. However, Mongolia’s weather can change quickly with rain or even snow possible any month. Our camps are well outfitted for chilly weather with plenty of cozy, wood burning stoves.
We provide guests with a comprehensive packing list prior to departure. Guests are responsible for bringing their own rods, waders, and other fishing gear. We supply flies. Although you are welcome to experiment, we provide proven patterns for both taimen and trout. Many evenings after dinner, a couple of the guides will likely be sitting at a corner table tying flies. You’re welcome to join them whether you’re experienced or just want a few pointers.
International anglers must have a fishing permit allocated through Mongolia River Outfitters to legally fish this river.
Mongolian law requires that every angler obtain a variety of fishing permits, including a specific national permit for taimen. We arrange for all permits well in advance. These permits cost approximately US$ 500/per angler.
We have worked with national and local authorities for several decades to protect these rivers. Designated as special Taimen Sanctuaries with additional restrictions and very active enforcement, this river was the first in Mongolia to be legally require catch-and-release, single-barbless hook, fly-fishing only for all international anglers.
If you choose another outfitter on another river, please be certain that you are fishing legally. The outfitter must have an official management agreement providing access to a healthy taimen river before they can even purchase permits for you. Each permit costs hundreds of dollars. Beyond fishing permits, one must also obtain permission from national, state, local governments, protected areas, and even border authorities. Without the proper permits, you risk a heavy fine, loss of equipment, deportation, or imprisonment. This sounds harsh, but too many innocent anglers have ended up in this unfortunate situation.
Taimen need cold, clean water. That means we pay attention to carbon.
All of MRO/FM’s wilderness camps are designed with minimal impact. Each camp is temporary, with no permanent infrastructure. There is no cement, glass, or other permanent building materials anywhere. Our camps are designed to leave no more impact than a traditional nomadic herding family would. The carbon footprint is negligible. There are no generators and corresponding fuel consumption. Heat comes from a traditional stove and uses local fuel like animal dung and wood. The toilets are long-drop with natural decomposition. All trash is separated. Showers are portable with water heated over wood stoves.
Guest numbers are limited to minimize impacts. The remote rivers are difficult to reach. The use of motorized vehicles to transport guests to/from the river and equipment up to the put-in’s is unavoidable. However, once we are on the river, people and equipment are moved from camp to camp primarily by boat. None of our boats are motorized. They are all zero impact rafts or drift boats.
We support off-sets for international travel and encourage our guests to do the same.
In Mongolia there is much to experience beyond fishing.
Our fly fishing visitors commonly add-on additional travel to other parts of the country. Very often, non fishing companions will join the float trips and/or visit other parts of the country while you’re out chasing taimen. Our autumn taimen fishing trips match well with the annual Eagle Hunting Festivals. It’s very easy to put together trips to the Gobi or arrange train travel to Beijing. Many guests simply choose to spend a few extra days in Ulaanbaatar before and/or after their trip to relax, sight-see, and shop.
We are more than happy to provide ideas for add-on excursions.