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Overview

Independent Travel in Mongolia

Just south of the Siberian border, a handful of nomadic men and women follow the rhythms of the seasons, having resisted the call of sedentary life. Isolated from the rest of the world by the remote mountains of Northern Mongolia, the Tsaatan people herd reindeer in the forests surrounding Lake Khövsgöl. 300 remaining Tsaatan individuals live in the heart of a land that seems to stretch on forever, dedicating their lives to raising herds of reindeer. Reindeer are essentially the source of the Tsaatan way of life, providing them with food, clothing, and material for trading.

Prepare yourself for an unforgettable journey of discovery. These friendly people will welcome you into their world and share their lifestyle and traditions with you. Gilles Santantonio once said that “Living with these people, an overwhelming feeling of contentment fills us; they rise with the sun, take care of their herds, carry wood…they don’t do anything out of the ordinary, but they take care of these essential tasks on a daily basis.”

Uniktour offers you the chance of a lifetime on this private trip to Mongolia: you can meet these nomads for whom time seems to be standing still. A wonderful trip where the warmth of human encounters is key and the scenery breathtaking.

Contact Uniktour’s Mongolia expert for more information on this private encounter with one of the world’s most solitary and unique people.

Itinerary

Day 1| International flight

Day 2| Flight to Murun, the center of Khuvsgul province
Transfer to airport and take a domestic flight /1.5hour/ to Khuvsgul province. On arrival at local airport of Murun city, the center of the Khuvsgul we will greet & meet with our driver. Travel to Ulaan-Uul soum (a local administration unit) about 125kms for 3-4hours. In our way we will cross over several mountain passes. Evening you will enjoy a delicious meal prepared by our well experienced tour crew in local condition. Stay overnight in tent. (L,D)

Day 3| Travel to Tsagaan Nuur soum
Travel to Tsagaan Nuur soum covers about 90kms. Upon arrival at the central village of Tsagaannuur we will direct to the Administrative office of Border Troop Authority in order to get permission and authorization of traveling through border zone area. After lunch we will pack our luggage, food supply and equipments on the back of horses and start our trek to mystical west Taiga. From this day until our last trekking day no vehicle will support our trip, so the horses hired from local people will be used for transportation. First half of the day trek continues through the green valley of Kharmai and afternoon we will trek in the forested mountain as walking up to the mountain along narrow track, directs to the mountain pass. Everybody, even our pack horses will follow same trail due to the marshy condition and thick forest. Stay overnight in tent near to a fresh water mountain river. (B,L,D)

Day 4| Trek to unique reindeer community
Continue our trek to a summer living place of unique reindeer people. In our way we cross many small but marshy streams in mountain valleys, even on the top of the mountain we will encounter muddy streams. Our route goes through stone covered area about a half km, so we will enjoy complete wild scenery. After crossing over Bulag pass we will be getting near to Tsaatans and can see their traditional dwelling - teepees in the wide valley of Menge Bulag. Reach to the Tsaatan families in the late afternoon. We will visit a teepee of Tsaatan family to have first browse their unique life and culture. Stay overnight in tent (or teepee) near to Tsaatans. (B,L,D)

Days 5-6| Exploring Tsaatan culture
These days you will stay among Tsaatan people and will explore their daily life and unique tradition of herding reindeers. Involving some activities of milking reindeer, processing milk products, riding reindeer is available. Close communication with the reindeer people while observing, talking, exchanging gives you well understanding about the life of this ancient tribe... Stay overnight in tent (or teepee) near to Tsaatan families. (B,L,D)

Day 7-9| Into the mystery of Shamanic spirit
These days are dedicated for deep exploration into the spirit of Shamanism. Many Mongols believe that Shamans have strong power and mysteries. According to Shamanism there are 99 heavens, 55 of which are the heavens of the west and influence good to human beings, and the rest 44 are the heavens of the east and considered as bad. A Shaman's food, clothing, tools, and individual belongings are used as part of their ritual existence. Some Shamans never use tobacco and alcohol, whilst others have both in abundance during the ceremony. Some Shamans only wear light and bright colored clothes, whilst others dress in somber deels (traditional clothe). You will attend a Shamanic ritual ceremony once in the night. Stay overnights in tent (or teepee). (B,L,D)

Day 10| Trek & meditate in mystical Taiga
Today you will have a day of trek into the Taiga forest where the area is so energetic and mysterious. Be inspired and gain power while meditating in untouched wilderness. Trek along Bor Khuyag river valley, is rich in crystals and other minerals, as well as feel the beauties of larch forest & wildflower patches. Stay overnight in tent near to Jolgo river. (B,L,D)

Day 11| Trek back to Tsagaannuur
Say goodbye to marvelous Tsaatan people, and travel to the direction of Tsagaannuur. We will trek through another trail rather we trekked to come. Along the way, several times we encounter and cross marshes. Crossing over pass called Evd, we will have a magnificent view over the valley. This day trek will take about 6-7hours until reaching Nomt pass. Stay overnight in tent near to a small river. (B,L,D)

Day 12| End of trek
Continue on trekking through valley of Gurvan Tolgoi and cross Khundlun pass. After 5-6hours walk we will reach to the Ger (yurta) of our local mountain guide. Our vehicle and driver will be waiting for us in the area. Late afternoon we will travel to Renchinlumbe soum for 70kms. Visit Darkhad family, one of the nomad ethnic groups live in this area. Our visit demonstrates you various differences of life among nomads and reindeer people. Stay overnight in tent nearby the nomad family. (B,L,D)

Day 13| Travel to Khuvsgul lake
Travel to blue pearl Lake Khuvsgul for 185kms, is Mongolia's largest and deepest lake. Located in the northernmost province, it is the largest tributary stream of Lake Baikal in Russia. Lake Khuvsgul is 136 km long,36 km wide, 262 metres deep and is located at an altitude of 1645 m above sea level and is frozen from January until April or May. Having rest in Ger camp or enjoy light walking along the lake shore. Stay overnight in Ger camp. (B,L,D)

Day 14| Visit to "Children's Eco-Club"
This day trek heads to Khatgal, a main village located at the southwest side of the lake. There you will visit the Children's Eco-Club and be introduced what they do in order to keep their living area. Back trek to Ger camp and stay overnight. (B,L,D)

Day 15| Travel to Murun & flight back to Ulaan-baatar
Early morning travel to Murun city for 110kms. Transfer to domestic airport and take a flight back to Ulaan-baatar. International flight back home according to arrival in Ulaan-baatar. (B,L)

Budget

**Rates published on this website are for information purposes only and are not legally binding (since departure dates are not given). Prices on this website are known to fluctuate frequently in relation to changes in currencies and hotel pricing. In order to obtain a definite quote, please click here.

Other fees

Important Note: This trip takes place in rustic and local living conditions. Trekking and horseback riding are the only way to reach the Tsaatans.

Accommodation in Mongolia
Every hotel in this program is clean, friendly, and includes a comfortable bar and restaurant. In Ulaanbaatar, you’ll be staying in a 4-Star hotel. All rooms have Western toilets, shower, IDD, cable TV with international channels, and a minibar. Many additional services are available, including a business center, laundry, and room service. As single rooms are in short supply, we strongly recommend booking in advance for the summer season.

Traditional accommodation: Yurts and Gers
The Ger is the traditional home of Mongolia’s nomads, and has been since the reign of Chinggis Khaan. These days, due to foreign influence, customs in gers aren’t as strict as they once were. This being said, it is still useful to familiarize yourself with the local code of conduct and to know what behavior is proper when living in a ger. Mongols are particularly generous and welcome all tourists coming into their country with open arms. Please keep in mind that you are in someone else’s home: it is therefore appropriate and courteous to respect their culture, lifestyle, and customs. Visitors are allowed to enter a ger without knocking at the door. They sit on the left side, while the host sits at the opposite end of the ger, facing the entrance. If the family offers you another place, you should accept it. After tea, dinner is served, often on a large dish placed in the middle of the ger from which everyone helps themselves. On special occasions, vodka or airag (fermented milk) are also served. If you want to move around inside the ger, go clockwise, and make sure you don’t walk directly across the ger. When you exit a ger, it is customary to give your host a small gift by way of thanks.

The ger is perfectly suited for this country’s harsh climate, offering protection from cold winter temperatures and strong winds blowing across the steppe. The word ‘Yurt’ is actually of Turkish origin and is a translation of ‘Ger’, the original Mongol name for these nomadic homes. A ger is made up of many layers of felt carefully placed on a wooden frame. It is erected directly on the ground and always oriented towards the south. Depending on its size, it takes about 1-2 hours to set up (the average yurt covers an area of roughly 18-20 square meters). Taking down a yurt and carrying it around is a relatively simple operation: all you need to do is put everything down on a cart, which will then be pulled by an animal. The ger’s interior symbolizes intimate space and is seen as a reflection of the cosmos. Nowadays, young Mongols prefer to live in the comfort of modern apartments in the city, spending their vacations in gers.

Beds in a ger are either traditionally decorated wooden frames (1.8 to 2 meters long and 1 to 1.2 meters wide) or standard hotel beds (1.8 to 2.1 meters long, 1 to 1.2 meters wide), and come with clean sheets, mattresses, pillows, and blankets. Hot water is always available. Most gers have enough room for 2-3 beds. If you stay in a ger on your own, there will be extra fees. The camp supplies restaurant and bar services, Western toilets, and showers.

Camping in Tents
During this adventure, you will also spend some time sleeping in tents. We will supply you with lightweight and spacious tents with enough room for two adults. Our team can help you set up your tent. A central tent will also be set up for groups of more than 6 travelers. Though each traveler will be given a mattress, we recommend that clients bring their own sleeping bag, for reasons of hygiene – this being said, note that we can also provide clean sleeping bags on demand, at no extra cost.

Staying with a Family
Staying with a local family is often the best way to discover Mongolia and learn all about its inhabitants, traditions, and customs. Some nomad families travel with a second ger, which they are happy to share with guests. You can opt to experience this rustic lifestyle for yourself by staying in a traditional home in the steppe. Your host family will provide you with traditional meals made from fresh local ingredients and will happily invite you into their ger to share some tea or airag. Immersing yourself in a local family’s lifestyle and participating in their daily routine is the best way to learn about traditional Mongolian life, allowing you to truly get a feel of what it means to be a nomad.

Overview

Though few travelers make it here, everyone has heard of Mongolia: horses galloping freely in the steppe, remote yurts, and the Great Gobi Desert: this is our universe, and we’re glad to have the opportunity to tell you all about it. Take a deep breath and let the freedom of the steppe fill your lungs. Traveling to Mongolia means choosing wide open spaces where the steppe stretches to the horizon and Mongol horsemen ride with the wind.

Of course, there’s more to Mongolia than the vast expanse of the steppe: kissing the sky, the Altai mountains make for an interesting visit, as do Dornod plain, the verdant landscape around Selenge, and of course, the arid world of the Gobi desert.

With a current population of about 2,750,000, Mongolia is one of Asia’s least populated countries. About 60% of the Mongolian population is urban, with more than half living in Ulaanbaatar. The population for this city is estimated at around 1,150000 people, half of which live in apartment building in the city enter.

Ulaan-Baatar’s population almost doubled in the last five years, due to mass rural exodus from provincial towns and the countryside, particularly following the two years of dzud. Most of these migrants now live in yurt communities set up around the capital.

Seventy percent of the population is less than 30 years old and life expectancy is about 65-70 years. Close to 36% of the population lives in extreme poverty, living on less than 0.68 USD per day. Public services are constantly deteriorating, particularly in the health and education sectors. Statistically, population density is 1.52 persons per square kilometer, making it the world’s lowest. Yet 38.3% percent of the population lives in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where population density reaches 211.6 persons per square kilometer.

One third of the population is considered nomadic (or semi-nomadic), living in traditional felt tents called Ger, following the movements of their herds and resettling at least twice a year in search of greener pastures. In the winter, most of them migrate to the nearest city.

In terms of ethnicity, Mongolia is a rather homogenous country. The most notable ethnic minority are the Kazakhs who live in Western Mongolia and make up about 5% of the total population.

Though Mongolia is a free and democratic country, its economy was greatly scarred by the collapse of a once-dominant communist system. It is now largely dependent on a wide variety of semi-domesticated herds that outnumber humans by a ratio of 10:1. Thousands of sheep, horses, camels, goats, and yaks graze freely in this immense territory. The terrible winters of 2000 and 2001 had a horrible impact on the country, many nomad families losing all their cattle and forced to move to the city. Most people fled to the capital, whose population jumped from 850000 to over a million in the last two years.

Considering centuries of Russian and Manchurian rule, it’s almost a miracle that this country managed to stay independent and that their way of life and culture remained unchanged for so long. Renewing interest in their unique blend of Buddhism and animism, proud of their history and their glorious past, Mongols live in perfect harmony with their powerful neighbors. Mongolia is opening up to the world, despite its geographical isolation. Most Mongols hope their country continue widening its international presence, seeing this potential change as a chance to test the strength of their identity, and, perhaps, as an opportunity for the powerful winds of the Steppe to breathe a message of harmony and tolerance into the world.

Tourism

Language
The official language is Mongol. Mongolian language is a blend of various Ataic languages, with a grammar and syntax that closely resemble that of Turkic. There are two main dialects: Oriat in the West, and Khalkh dialects in the east. The latter is the dominant one, being the language of the Khalkh Mongols, who represent 79% of the total population. The rest of the population is divided into twenty or so ethnic groups of Mongolian and Turkic origin.


It should also be noted that more than 4 million Mongols live in Inner Mongolia (China), and another 500 000 Mongols live in Russia, mostly in small towns in Siberia and the Khalimags.

Traditional written Mongol reads vertically from left to right. In 1946, the Cyrillic alphabet was declared the official way of writing Mongol and imposed on the population, while traditional handwriting was forbidden.

Geography

In the heart of Central Asia, Mongolia is sandwiched between two large nations: Russia and China. In the north, the Russian border stretches for 3485 kilometers, while the southern border with China is even longer, at 4670 km. The great Altai Mountains rise in the West, while the north is covered in Siberian forests. The east presents a flat landscape: the Mongoliin Tal is a flat steppe that stretches for hundreds of kilometers. World-famous Gobi desert is in the country’s South.

Culture

Despite its seemingly endless deserts and desolate landscapes, practically all of Mongolia is inhabited: Mongols have been traveling all over this vast land for centuries and know every last isolated corner of the country. These warm and friendly people have come to love and cherish their homeland’s inhospitable and untamed nature, on which they depend for their survival.

Half of the two and a half million inhabitants freely roam the steppe, mountains, and deserts as nomads, living off their cattle and the few natural resources available in these lands, following ancient centuries old traditions. Though ‘urban’, the other half of the population still never turns down an opportunity to wander through the infinite steppe, whether it’s for pleasure, or by necessity. Mongols are nomads at heart, but, contrary to other traveling cultures, they way of life is naturally recognized by their leaders and countrymen, and there is no lack of space and fresh air here – yet.

Climate

Mongolian climate is continental: very dry and cold in the winter, warm in the summer. Summer and fall are the best seasons to visit. In the summer, the further south you travel, the warmer it gets, while temperatures remain relatively cooler in the North and Northwest. Peak climbing and trekking season in the high mountains of Altai and Khangai runs from June to August: come September and October, we recommend heading south to the Gobi desert.

Despite being threatened by natural hazards and the excesses of modernity, the country’s fauna and flora are extraordinarily diversified and exuberant, especially in the peak travel seasons.