Planning a trip to Mongolia in 2016? Perfect, now it is time to think of when. Mongolia is a popular for its cold and continental weather that often fear tourists visiting winter and spring. Nonetheless, there are special opportunities to experience cold winter and cultural events such as winter ice festival and camel racing.

Then is the rest of the year considered as best time? YES. Please keep in mind that the country has four natural zones where the weather applies differently so here is the list of pleasant weather months together with destinations and weather assumptions.

May

Flourishing month when the first flower appears and the sun gets close day by day. Visiting southern region as Gobi desert is doable because the average day temperature is 13? and night temperature is 7?. The weather is dry and the only worst thing is strong wind. Bring your scarf, sun cream and cap to protect from it. The best thing about May is annual breeding time to see the new born baby animals and to share nomads’ celebration. As for northern and western Mongolia, maybe late May is ideal because most of the tourist camps open their door this time.

June

Another good month that the temperature raises daily but it never reaches hot. Night and morning are chilly as you would need your jacket or extra layer. It is a pleasant weather for most of the regions in Mongolia. Frankly, sunny and warm days ?. Bear in mind, the sun ray is strong and might cause headache if not wearing cap.

But don’t forget to bring your sunglass that protects the eyes from larvae of flies. You might meet with summer migration of nomads in search of new pastures for livestock.

July

July is mid-summer that everyone recommends to visit. The weather is sunny, quite hot in Gobi (desert), from mid of July rain comes. Not only the weather is enjoyable but is important time when the National Naadam sport festival is held all over Mongolia. You have a unique opportunity to experience local or national sport festival this time. However, coming year of 2016 is special for Mongolia that will host the 11th ASEM Summit of Heads of State and Government (ASEM11) in 15-16 July, 2016. The biggest hotels including Blue Sky, Ramada, Shangri-Lan and Best Western Tuushin are wholly booked for 5-20 July, 2016. If booking for hotel for your July trip, make sure to check with the hotel for the dates and availability. Also, usually locals take their annual leave this time to relax in nature in countryside.

August

We say after Naadam national sport festival the weather turns to autumn gradually. This means the sun travels back to the equator and the temperature falls at the slow pace. August is another celebration month for late local Naadam festival or any town’s anniversary, wedding and relatives gathering because it has many special days regarding to the lunar calendar. Also, there is a chance of seeing migration as nomads move to their fall spot finding shelter for livestock. Locals often take annual leave this time to relax in nature in countryside.

September

Warm or you call it bit cold days are left to discover Mongolia. Fortunately, southern region has sunny days and warmer nights than northern region. It is suggested to bring warm jacket and thermos trouser that might prevent you from catching cold or running noses. School is back and you can see children in school uniform. Enjoy taking trips to Southern region for most of the month but early September is ideal to travel to the other regions. The Ulaanbaatar, capital is crowded with many students from countryside and employee back to the job. The traffic will be terrible in rush hours and restaurants also are full with workers. The night life will flourish as citizens arrived and not much recommended experiencing it for safety reasons.

The author is a Mongolia travel specialist and passionate about travel to remote areas in Mongolia. Zoloo is a founder of Travel Buddies; tour operator based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Plan your trip with insiders http://www.travelbuddies.info