Why We Ask Travellers To Bring A Reusable Water Bottle To Mongolia
One of the questions we’re increasingly asked by travellers preparing for a journey through Mongolia is surprisingly simple:
“Can I drink the water in Mongolia?”
The short answer is: yes — but it works a little differently here.
Travelling in Mongolia often means spending long periods far beyond major towns and cities, moving through landscapes where infrastructure is limited, distances are vast, and waste management systems are still developing. That reality shapes many practical parts of travel here, including how drinking water is accessed, stored, filtered, and transported.
At Eternal Landscapes, we ask all travellers to bring a reusable water bottle with a built-in filter. This isn’t simply about sustainability messaging or asking people to be “greener.” It’s a practical response to the realities of travel in Mongolia itself.
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Drinking Water In Mongolia
In many parts of Mongolia, families do not receive drinking water directly from household taps. Instead, towns and communities rely on local water supply stations where residents collect clean water and transport it home themselves.
These water stations are a normal and important part of everyday life across the country.
On our journeys, rather than purchasing large quantities of disposable bottled water, we refill traveller water bottles and our backup group water supply from these local water stations as we travel.
Each vehicle carries large refillable water containers for the group, and your team also carries backup water purification systems should they ever be needed.
For us, this system simply makes more sense for the kind of travel we do.
Why We Don’t Bulk Buy Bottled Water
Mongolia’s landscapes are immense, but outside of Ulaanbaatar, waste management infrastructure remains limited.
Recycling systems are still developing and rubbish collection can be inconsistent, particularly in rural areas. Plastic waste that enters the countryside often has very few opportunities to be properly processed afterwards.
That doesn’t mean travellers should feel guilty for every plastic bottle they buy. The reality is more complicated than that. Cold drinks in plastic bottles are sold everywhere, particularly during summer, and some travellers still prefer to occasionally buy bottled water during their trip.
We completely understand that individual travellers may choose to do that, particularly while adjusting to travel in Mongolia. However, as a company, we choose not to bulk purchase bottled water for our tours and instead encourage the use of refillable filtered bottles wherever possible.
We’re not pretending to have solved the issue.
But reducing the number of disposable water bottles used across an entire travel season is one small, practical step that genuinely makes a difference.
How Water Works On Our Tours
Before each journey, our vehicles are stocked with large refillable water containers for the group. Throughout the trip, we refill these from trusted local water stations in towns and provincial centres.
We ask travellers to bring:
- a reusable water bottle
- ideally with a built-in filter
- preferably around 1 litre in size
- and ideally wide-mouth for easier filling and cleaning
For most travellers, the system works smoothly after the first couple of days and quickly becomes part of the rhythm of overland travel in Mongolia.
Choosing A Water Bottle For Mongolia
A good water bottle for Mongolia should be:
- durable
- easy to clean
- suitable for outdoor travel
- and comfortable to carry during long driving days or walks
Wide-mouth bottles tend to work best, particularly for refilling from larger containers.
Filtered bottles are especially useful because they provide flexibility and reassurance during long journeys through remote regions.
Over the years, we’ve partnered with Water To Go to offer travellers a discount on filtering bottles that work well for Mongolia travel.
Eternal Landscapes travellers can receive a 15% discount through Water To Go Europe and Water To Go NZ using the code EL15.
US & Canada travellers can use the following link to purchase bottles although a discount is not currently available Water To Go USA
If you’re based elsewhere, just ask and we’ll see what options are available.
The Bigger Picture
Like many things in Mongolia, the reality around waste and sustainability is layered and imperfect.
In Ulaanbaatar, recycling systems are improving slowly, and small local projects and organisations are increasingly focused on waste reduction and environmental education. Outside the capital, however, infrastructure remains far more limited.
As a small company, we try to focus less on grand claims and more on practical decisions:
- reducing unnecessary plastic use where we can
- reusing and refilling wherever possible
- improving our systems gradually
- and encouraging travellers to think about what they bring — and leave behind
We certainly don’t get everything right, and we know there is always more we could do.
But travel inevitably leaves an impact somewhere. For us, responsible travel has never been about perfection. It’s about paying attention, making better decisions where possible, and being honest about the realities and limitations involved.
Travelling Through Mongolia Well Prepared
Preparing well for Mongolia isn’t just about clothing and gear. It’s also about understanding the country you are travelling through and adapting to how life works there.
Something as simple as carrying a reusable water bottle quickly becomes part of that experience.
And, over time, those small practical choices really do add up.
