Camera & Power Gear for Mongolia: How to Stay Charged Off-Grid

For a summer trip into the Mongolian countryside, pack one 20,000 mAh USB-C power bank per person, a multi-port charger for short ger-camp charging windows, a 12 V car charger for the drive itself, and a basic dust kit for your camera. Ger camps often run a generator for only a few evening hours, and the driving days between them are long. The vehicle and the power bank are your reliable power sources, not the wall socket.

This guide is based on how we plan countryside routes at eMongolia.eu: Gobi loops, Orkhon Valley horse trips and the long drive north to Lake Khövsgöl. It covers what to charge, how to keep camera gear working in dust and cold, and what is worth buying before you fly.

How power works on a Mongolia road trip

In Ulaanbaatar hotels, charging is normal: sockets in the room, all night. Outside the city it changes quickly. Many ger camps charge devices from a generator or solar system, often in a shared building and often only in the evening. Nomadic family stays may have a single small solar panel and a car battery. You can still charge, but in short windows and with other guests plugging in at the same time.

The practical answer is to charge from three sources: the ger-camp socket when it is on, your driver's vehicle during the day, and a power bank at night. Mongolia uses type C and E sockets at 230 V and 50 Hz (WorldStandards), the same as most of continental Europe. Travellers from the UK, US or Asia need an adapter. A universal travel adapter with USB ports covers this.

Where you are	Typical charging	What to rely on
Ulaanbaatar hotel	In-room sockets, all night	Top up everything before leaving
Tourist ger camp	Shared sockets, often evening only	Multi-port charger + power bank
Nomad family stay	Small solar panel, limited or none	Power bank + car charger
Driving day	Vehicle 12 V socket	12 V USB-C car charger

1. The power bank: size it for the flight, not just the trip

Your power bank must travel in carry-on luggage, never checked bags. Batteries up to 100 Wh are allowed without approval, 101–160 Wh need airline approval, and anything above 160 Wh is forbidden on passenger aircraft (FAA PackSafe). Airlines can be stricter, so check yours, including MIAT Mongolian Airlines if you fly domestically.

A 20,000 mAh bank at 3.7 V is about 74 Wh, comfortably under the limit, and charges a typical phone three to four times. That is enough for two nights without a socket. If you also carry a laptop, choose one with 45–65 W USB-C Power Delivery output. A 20,000 mAh USB-C PD power bank is the single most useful electronic item for Mongolia.

Solar panels: useful in the Gobi, not a main plan

The Gobi gets strong sun, and a foldable panel strapped to your bag or laid on the vehicle dashboard during a lunch stop can top up a power bank. Power banks with a tiny built-in panel charge far too slowly to matter. If you want solar, bring a separate foldable 20–30 W USB solar panel and use it to fill the power bank, not the phone directly. It earns its space on self-drive trips, long horse treks and family stays with no electricity. On a standard ger-camp route, skip it.

2. Charge everything in one short socket window

When the camp generator comes on, you may get one socket for an hour and share it with others. A 65 W multi-port USB-C GaN charger charges a phone, power bank and camera batteries from that one socket at the same time. Pair it with short cables so you can leave everything on a table and not across the room.

3. Use the drive: a 12 V car charger

Countryside driving days in Mongolia are often five to eight hours, which makes the vehicle your best power station. Most Land Cruisers, Delicas and the classic UAZ vans used by drivers have a 12 V cigarette-lighter socket, but the USB ports, if any, are usually slow. A 12 V USB-C car charger with Power Delivery turns the drive into charging time. Ask your driver before plugging in, and do not leave devices charging with the engine off. See our driver guide for what to expect on the road.

4. Camera gear: dust is the enemy

The Gobi and summer steppe tracks throw up fine dust every time a vehicle passes. It gets into zoom lenses, onto sensors when you change lenses, and into ports. Three habits save most cameras:

1. Change lenses inside the vehicle or a ger, with your back to the wind, and never on a windy dune.
2. Blow, then wipe. Use a rubber air blower and lens cleaning kit to remove grit before touching the lens with a cloth, or you grind sand into the coating.
3. Pack cameras in a sealed bag during off-road stretches. A roll-top dry bag (10–20 L) keeps dust out in the car and water out on river crossings and Khövsgöl boat trips.

A buff or neck gaiter also makes a quick camera cover in a dust gust.

Memory cards and backups

There is no reliable way to upload hundreds of photos from the countryside, as mobile data fades quickly outside towns (see our SIM card guide). Carry at least two cards and swap them daily, so one lost or failed card never means losing the whole trip. High-endurance 128 GB SD cards with a hard card case are a cheap insurance policy.

5. Cold: keep batteries warm

Lithium batteries lose usable capacity in the cold. That matters more in Mongolia than in most destinations. Ulaanbaatar averages about -21 °C in January, and even summer nights on the steppe can drop close to freezing (Climate-Data.org). Keep spare camera batteries and your phone in an inside jacket pocket, sleep with your power bank in your sleeping bag on cold nights, and expect a battery that reads 40% outside to recover some charge once warm again. For winter trips, pack twice the spare camera batteries you would take in summer.

6. Night sky photography

Away from Ulaanbaatar there is very little light pollution, and clear Gobi nights are among the most memorable parts of a trip. You need two things: stability and light you can control. A compact travel tripod that fits in a duffel handles 15–25 second exposures of the Milky Way, and a headlamp with a red-light mode lets you set up without ruining your night vision or other guests' photos. New-moon weeks in summer give the darkest skies.

7. Staying reachable without signal

Your driver knows the terrain and usually carries a local phone, and we keep WhatsApp contact with our drivers throughout a trip. Still, there are days without any mobile coverage. If you plan to self-drive, ride horses for several days, or trek away from your vehicle, a satellite messenger such as the Garmin inReach Mini lets you send messages and an SOS from anywhere with a view of the sky. It needs a subscription, so it only makes sense for genuinely remote plans.

Frequently asked questions

Can I charge my phone in a Mongolian ger camp?

Usually yes, but often only when the generator or solar system is on, frequently in the evening and sometimes in a shared building. Bring a power bank so you are not dependent on that window.

What plug type does Mongolia use?

Type C and E, at 230 V and 50 Hz, the same as most of continental Europe. UK, US and many Asian plugs need an adapter.

How big a power bank can I fly with to Mongolia?

Up to 100 Wh without airline approval, and it must be in carry-on luggage. A 20,000 mAh power bank is about 74 Wh. Some airlines apply stricter limits.

Is a solar power bank worth it for Mongolia?

Built-in panels on power banks charge too slowly to matter. A separate foldable 20-30 W panel is worth it for self-drive, horse treks and stays without electricity, not for standard ger-camp routes.

Not sure what your route needs?

A four-day Terelj trip and a two-week Gobi and Khövsgöl loop need very different power plans. Tell us your dates and route and we will tell you how many nights without reliable charging to expect. For the rest of your packing list, see things you need in Mongolia.

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