Tipping is not expected in Mongolia but the staff of restaurants, café’s and bars are always appreciative and will accept a tip. Remember that there is a 13% sales tax on top of menu prices. If you wish to leave a tip, 10% of your total order is plenty.
 
Most shops and markets have fixed prices and you should not attempt to barter for a better price. However, the black market in Ulaanbaatar is still a place where bartering takes place. As a guide don’t offer a price less than 60% of the merchant’s offering and only barter if you are serious in buying. The merchants in the black market tend not to overcharge tourists except on jewelry, antiques and historical items.

Cultural Crossroads Tours of Mongolia at a Glance

• Mongolia: Cultural Landscape and Diversity
  

  Join Cultural Crossroads for a cultural trip to Mongolia, a country with ancient Tibetan-Buddhist traditions, monasteries and friendly spiritual people. Meet lamas, hear the low tones of the horns used to call the lamas to the temple and observe their daily rituals. Our travelers have special access to the Arts Council of Mongolia and its art collection. Meet local artists and crafts people. Enjoy the Hustain Nuruu National Reserve, home to the last remaining species of wild horse, the Takhi. Learn about current conservation efforts and the status of the herds found within the reserve. We will see the Kharakhorum, site of the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire of Chinggis Khan. Take in the remote and stunning wilderness of Mongolia when we stay in South Gobi, home to Bactrian camels, Argali mountain sheep, goitered gazelle, golden eagles, saker falcons, jerboas (similar to kangaroo rats) and many endemic reptiles. The Gobi is also home to some of the Northern Hemisphere’s rarest and most elusive mammals such as the dhole, snow leopard, wild camel, and Gobi bear. Cultural Crossroads travelers will stay at the Three Camel Lodge in gers (Mongolian tents), an eco-lodge located near the Gurvansaikhan Gobi National Park. Our trip ends with a visit to a nomadic family leading a local movement to protect and preserve the Bactrian camel populations