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Major city · Mongolia

HovdХовд

Go for 2 nights as a western loop stop: museum, main square, petroglyphs behind the airport. Fly in, don't bus 24 h from Ulaanbaatar.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
MNT
Best months
Jun–Sep
avoid Nov–Mar (deep cold, −25 °C and below)
Airport
HVD
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Mongolia ↗Check entry rules for your passport on the official government e-visa portal; some nationalities enter visa-free for a limited stay, others need an e-visa.
  • Mongolia ↗In a ger: step over the threshold (never on it), move clockwise, receive food and drink with the right hand, and do not point your feet at the stove or the altar.
  • Mongolia ↗Plan road trips by hours, not kilometres: paved roads are few, and 100 km of dirt track can take three hours.

Hovd (Khovd) is the capital of Hovd province in far western Mongolia, a town of about 26,000–30,000 people on the Buyant river, ringed by the Altai. It is a transport hub for western Mongolia and a base for Kazakh and Uriankhai culture, not a sight-heavy destination. Two nights covers the museum, the main square and the petroglyphs; most travellers pass through on the way to Ölgii or the Altai.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Hovd, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Sit-down mealMain course in a mid-range restaurant₮4,500–14,000
  • Street or quick mealHuushur or noodle soup₮3,000–6,000
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi around town, per km₮500
  • Budget bedGuesthouse bed, a night, per personMNT 15,000
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per roomMNT 80,000
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per roomMNT 150,000

A day, not counting the bed: Budget MNT 40,000 · Mid MNT 80,000 · High MNT 150,000

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Hovd Museum and its ethnic costume collectionBaatar Khairkhan mountain petroglyphsWestern Mongolia transport hubKazakh and Uriankhai culture
Airports
HVD Hovd Airport (About 6 km south of the centre; flights from Ulaanbaatar with Hunnu Air and Aero Mongolia, roughly 2 h)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Hovd: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

−16°C

−28°C

1 rd

Feb

−10°C

−23°C

2 rd

Mar

3°C

−11°C

3 rd

Apr

13°C

−1°C

7 rd

May

20°C

6°C

14 rd

Jun

25°C

12°C

26 rd

Jul

26°C

14°C

35 rd

Aug

25°C

12°C

26 rd

Sep

19°C

5°C

10 rd

Oct

10°C

−3°C

4 rd

Nov

−1°C

−13°C

2 rd

Dec

−12°C

−23°C

2 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is walkable: main square, big boots intersection, market and airport are the four anchors. A taxi around town is about ₮500 per km; agree the fare first. For soums and neighbouring aimags, shared jeeps and UAZ vans leave from around the central market — ask drivers, as most have no signs.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Baatar Khairkhan mountain petroglyphs

go

Door to door: Half a day

Taxi or walk south past the airport, about 6 km from the centre

Red-ochre rock art on the south and southwest slopes; the same mountain where the 1912 attack on the Manchu garrison was launched.

Tsenkheriin Agui cave paintings, Mankhan soum

caution

Door to door: 2 days

Shared jeep from the central market, then local transport

About 100 km southeast; the best-known cave art in the aimag, but it needs an overnight and a driver who knows the site.

Ölgii

overnight

Door to door: About 7 h

Shared van from the market

Vans are crowded and leave late; plan to arrive after dark.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Main square and government building

Hotels, the theatre and the museum within a few minutes' walk; best for a short stay.

Central market area

Cheaper guesthouses and the market; 3 blocks south of the big boots intersection.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
₮40,000–70,000 excl. bed
Mid
₮70,000–130,000 excl. bed
High
₮130,000+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 2 nights × MNT 80,000MNT 160,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × MNT 80,000MNT 320,000
Airport taxi, one way1 × MNT 10,000 · checkMNT 10,000
Museum entry2 × MNT 2,000 · checkMNT 4,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × MNT 30,000 · checkMNT 60,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeMNT 55,400
Trip total≈ MNT 152,400 per person per day, bed includedMNT 609,400

2026 estimate in tögrög; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Milk tea (suutai tsai)₮1,000–2,000
Huushur or noodle soup₮3,000–6,000
Main course in a mid-range restaurant₮4,500–14,000
Taxi around town, per km₮500
Shared jeep to a nearby soumDepends on distance; pay the driver directly.₮1,500–25,000
Traditional deel, made to ordercheck₮35,000–40,000

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Hovd is a quiet provincial town and feels safe by day; the real risks are winter cold, unlit streets at night and long-distance shared vehicles with no seatbelts. Agree taxi and jeep fares before you get in.
  • The central market is closed on Thursdays, so shared vehicles to soums are hard to find that day.
  • Most ATMs do not take Mastercard; Visa is more reliable, and euro exchange is difficult.
  • Domestic flight timetables are often out of date — reconfirm with the airline before you travel.
  • Winter is extreme: −25 °C and below from November to March.

Emergency numbers

Police
102
Ambulance
103
Fire
101

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

HovdХовд

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Энэ хаяг руу явна ууTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police102
  • Ambulance103
  • Fire101

Embassy

No embassies in Hovd; most countries' embassies are in Ulaanbaatar. Kazakh interests are handled through the Kazakh consulate there.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Hovd Airport → centre, taxi: about ₮10,000, 10–15 min (check)
  • Hovd → Ölgii, shared van: ₮20,000–30,000, about 7 h (check)
  • Hovd → Ulaanbaatar, bus: about ₮65,000, 24 h+ (check)

Say or show

  • Сайн байна уу — Hello (sain baina uu)
  • Баярлалаа — Thank you (bayarlalaa)
  • Хэд вэ? — How much is it? (khed ve)
  • Зах хаана байна? — Where is the market? (zakh khaana baina)
  • Такси хэрэгтэй — I need a taxi (taksi kheregtei)
  • Би ойлгохгүй байна — I don't understand (bi oilgokhgui baina)

Print this card before you fly: mobile data is patchy outside town.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Hovd. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jun–Sep · avoid Nov–Mar (deep cold, −25 °C and below) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 3 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for HVD: flight reconfirmation, taxi fallback, first-night rung.
  2. Walking clusters for the square, market and museum with opening-hour checks.
  3. Place pages for the museum, Baatar Khairkhan and Tsenkheriin Agui with verified access notes.
  4. Soum fare table with market departure points and Thursday closure.

Meanwhile

Back to Mongolia

Sources