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 enlarge | Author: Michael Kohn
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
List Price: $28.99
Buy New: $17.99
You Save: $11.00 (38%)
New (31) Used (5) from $17.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 74948
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 312
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1741045789
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781741045789
ASIN: 1741045789
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Mongolia's development hotly debated July 5, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I think one of the reasons why this guide book comes in for criticisms has to do with Mongolia's mixed development since the collapse of communism. There was initially a great deal of optimism that the economy would take off and that Mongolia would become another asian tiger. At that time the Ghengis Khan hotel was thrown up. But in fact the country has endured a topsy turvy road to economic stability, with widespread poverty and crumbling infrastructure. People look at China, and its breakneck development, and think Mongolia must be improving at the same pace.
Tourists seeking the sanitised and comfortable journey they can experience in China, end up feeling very disappointed. Tourists must be forewarned: Mongolia is still an adventure destination and one that takes an adventurous spirit to tackle successfully. Don't expect things to work well, or food standards to be high, or the infrastructure to be new. It is a ramshackle country with a fantastic culture and great people.
The people's pride comes in to this. Being a democracy, Mongolians hotly debate the state of their country, and many are not happy with the path taken so far. This pride and anger comes out in its attempts to pretend the place is more advanced than it is, or to take offence when people comment frankly on the true state of the capital. But it is better to tell the truth because then people will know what to expect. I can think of equally volatile debates over guidebooks about the UK. But I had to agree with LP,since its writers point out the true state of a place.
Extremely useful and complete September 3, 2005
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
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 not 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.
I have found this book to be very helpful. August 27, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I used this book to prepare for my visit to Mongolia and I continue to use it as a great reference resource while here. I have recommended "Lonely Planet Mongolia" to several others here visiting Mongolia.
 Just a note - reviews below do not apply to the new edition! June 27, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Note: the reviews posted below apply to the old (2001) edition of the Mongolia guide. This new edition (2005) is truly better in terms of content and usability compared to the old version. I will use it on my trip to Mongolia this year with confidence.
An Excellent Guidebook Receiving Inexplicably Bad Reviews August 20, 2004
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
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.
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