Day 1 Arrive Ulaanbaatar – sightseeing &
shopping - dinner
Today you will arrive in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
This city, once the Buddhist and spiritual heartland of
the nomadic peoples of Mongolia, is now a thriving commercial
and industrial centre. The monasteries still remain, even
after the communist purges, yet they now rest alongside
Internet cafes, nightclubs and streets teeming with rush
hour traffic. However, Ulaanbaatar is still a capital where
a grazing cow, a traditionally dressed nomad or a truck
loaded with produce from the country can be found. It is
amongst these fascinating juxtapositions that our journey
begins. After arriving in Ulaanbaatar you will be met at
the airport and transferred to a 3 star hotel. After a light
lunch in the hotel there will be a program of sightseeing
in the afternoon, including a visit to the Bogd Khaan Palace, which
is a series of beautiful traditional buildings in which
the last religious King of Mongolia resided. We will have
dinner at a local restaurant and return to the hotel for
a well-earned rest.
Day
2 Fly to Uliastai
Today we will get a flight to Uliastai town either in the
morning or afternoon depending on the domestic flight schedule.
On arrival in Uliastai town we will meet our local staff and
driver and drive about 10 km. Dinner will be served and
we will have our first tented night in the wilderness in
this area.
Day
3 Mukhart River
After breakfast we will drive about 90 km to reach the Mukhart
River where we will meet our horsemen and today we will
ride for some time in the area to get acquainted with our
horses. Overnight in tents.
Day
4 Bor Khyaryn sand-dunes
We start early in the morning from the Mukhart Gol River and
ride through the enormous and picturesque sand-dunes at Bor
khyaryn. The Bor khyaryn sand-dunes
are 150km long and are the biggest sand-dunes in Mongolia.
A packed lunch will be served on the way. During the ride
we will have an opportunity to see theRock Gate or Senjit Tsokhio,
a natural gate formed by sun and wind erosion. We can also
see many unusual rock formations in this area.
Day
5 Lake Jaahan and Lake Khar
We ride across Tasarhai Pass and reach Lake Jaahan Nuur .
Lake Jaahan Nuur is a beautiful lake surrounded by golden
sand-dunes. It is a paradise for thousands of birds. We
will set up our base camp on the shore of Lake Khar Nuur.
Day
6 Children’s Ovoo
Today we ride along the shore of Lake Khar Nuur and visit
the Children’s Ovoo - shamanist worship site. This
ovoo, or holy rock mound, is worshipped on June 1 every
year in honour of children. There are two year old horse
races and a wrestling competition held for children at this
worship ceremony. Lake Khar Nuur is a picturesque lake surrounded
by sand-dunes and huge impressive mountains. It is 3 -
8km wide, 25km long, 57m deep and is 1,980m above sea level.
Right in the middle of Lake Khar Nuur there are two beautiful
islands, known as the Big and Small Avgash, which are rich with different
types of trees and bushes and different species of wonderful
wild flowers which form a huge carpet across the islands.
Birds gather here and spend the whole summer on these islands.
They include cormorants, swans and one ususual species of
duck which in Mongolian is called Angir. It is a great place
to do birdwatching. Today’s whole ride will take about
30 km. Dinner and overnight at our base camp.
Day
7 Mod Tolgoin Ar
We leave the sand-dunes behind us and drive for 160 km to
“Mod Tolgoin Ar” near the base of Mt. Otgontenger.
We set our campsite near the Uujmiin Bulan of Mod Tolgoin
Ar. Today we will meet our horsemen and horses.
Days
8 Tsagaan Bulan
Today’s ride will take about 25 km. Our cars and kitchen
truck will follow us on this day and lunch will be served
on the way.
Day
9 - 10 Otgon Hot Spa and Chuluutyn Pass
Today we will ride about 17-18 km and on the way to will
visit hot spring. Early in the morning we horseback ride
to Otgon Hot Spa. We arrive at the spa in the early afternoon.
This spa is good for fighting off diseases affecting internal
organs and joints (rheumatism). Those who come here for
treatment are mostly from the western part of Mongolia.
Here we will get camels for our luggage to carry for the
next few days of our horseback riding. Dinner and overnight
in tents around the hot spa.
Day
11 Chuluutin Am to Chuluutyn River
Today we will pack our horses and camels and continue our
horseback ride. Here we will have an opportunity to see
one very special flower found there with the name vansumberuu.
During the summer months, devotees travel long distances
to pray to these rare and unique flowers. Pilgrims travelling
to Mt. Otgontenger outnumber the local population. These
pilgrims, along with some of the local people, believe these
flowers to be holy. They think the flowers can cure diseases
and that wishes will be granted if they whisper into the
ear of the flower. Trekking to Mt. Otgontenger is challenging
and involves climbing above a 2,000m elevation to where
vansemberuu grows. Lovers come to the area because it is
believed that the vansemberuu blesses those in love.
The
majestic vansemberuu grows only in pairs (known as the king
and queen) in only a few rocky mountain areas. It has a
circular brown head which is silky smooth and grows to a
full height of 30 – 40 centimeters.
Day
12 Mt. Otgontenger (4,031m/13,225ft)
The Khangai mountains in central Mongolia and the Altai
Range in the southwest are the higest mountains in the country.
Mt. Otgontenger, the highest peak in the Khangai Range,
forms the centre of the newly created Otgontenger Strictly
Protected Area and is one of three holy mountains in Mongolia.
The mountain has an abundance of many different flowers,
plants used for medicinal purposes and wildlife. History
says that Chinggis Khaan’s funeral procession travelled
from Tangad state to this holy mountain. There is golden
sand found near this mountain which is thought to be good
for internal organs and believed to melt in the mouth of
humans. There is a lake nearby which is called Duut Nuur.
Different shaped stones tossed ashore by the waves are also
said to melt in the mouth. Five types of fragrant herbs
grow on Mt. Otgontenger. Burning these fragrant herbs once
is said to be equivalent to reciting a Buddhist prayer one
thousand times. Overnight nearby at the Bogd River. We explore
the area today, possibly as far as one of Otgontenger’s
glaciers. Lake Batar Khundaga is located on the lower slopes
of Mt. Otgontenger. In the past, Mongolians offered silver
and gold ingots here so that blessings and bounty were delivered
to them and today we will also explore the site of saint
Ochirvaan’ God which is the shuteen of this holy moutain.
We will camp after passing Shar Davaa in a beautiful valley
next to a small stream.
Day
13 Khukh Nuur or Blue Lake
In the morning we will start riding to Khukh Nuur for about
30 km.
Day
14 Lake Nart and Lake Tsagaan
In the morning we leave Khukh Nuur to reach Nart Nuur we will
ride for about 18 km and there we will meet our trucks and
have our base camp. Lake Nart is a beautiful lake surrounded
by forests and the name of this lake means “Sunny
lake”, because at that spot you can see the sun
first compared to other areas. There you have a great opportunity
to see the peak of Mt. Otgontenger from a distance, and to hike
and ride your horses for the last time during your trip.
For dinner, we will have the Mongolian traditional meal of “Khorkhog”.
Day
15 Uliastai Town
After a relaxed morning, we will drive to Uliastai town.
In town we will visit Javkhlant Tolgoi Hill where we will
see nine memorial stupas for nine Buddhist saints. These
saints were all born in this province.
Day
16 Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast we will take a local flight back to Ulaanbaatar.
The flight takes one and a half hours and your guide will
accompany you. On arrival, you will be taken to your hotel.
Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day17
Sightseeing & shopping in Ulaanbaatar – evening
cultural program
Today will be a full day of sightseeing in the city including
visits to Gandan Monastery and the the National History Museum. After
lunch at the hotel we will visit the Fine Arts Museum and
have some time for art and cashmere shopping. The evening
program will include a folklore show followed by a farewell
dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight will be at a 3-star
hotel.
Day
18 Departure
In the morning you will be taken to the airport for departure.
Prices
include the following: 2 domestic flights, transportation
within Mongolia, twin accommodation in a 3 star hotel. Single
accommodation can be arranged at an additional cost. Tented
accommodation while on trek, three meals a day, English-speaking
guide, all sightseeing costs, transfers, camel or horse
hire where specified, support staff including drivers, horse/camel
men and camp assistants.
Prices
do not include: International transportation, travel
insurance, visas, departure tax, alcoholic drinks, gratuities,
items of a personal nature.
It is
the responsibility of the client to be fully covered with
travel and medical insurance while traveling in Mongolia.
Please
note: An additional ‘single supplement’
price is given with all our prices. This refers to single
room accommodation in hotels only. Upon request, single supplement
in the countryside can be provided at the additional cost.
In case single accommodation in ger camps was not provided
the amount would be calculated based on the missing nights
and reimbursed.
Nomads
cannot be held responsible for over bookings, as long as
the company can prove with sufficient documentation that
overbooking has been the error of the third party.
Should
circumstances beyond our control, such as the imposition
of quarantine restrictions, any changes of domestic flight
or train schedules, require a change of itinerary, we will
inform your agent and propose an equivalent itinerary. Again,
Nomads cannot take over the responsibility for the Airlines
or the National Train Company. The traveler is responsible
for having proper travel documents, such as a valid passport,
proper visa and the necessary passport pictures.
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