Mongolia: Steppes, Deserts & Nomads - Nadaam Festival

Start in Ulaan Baatar. Those not travelling with the group from London will

join us at the hotel. There are no activities planned for today to allow for

different arrival times and to rest after the flight. However, for anyone who

arrives into Ulaan Baatar early, why not explore some of the city’s sites

including UB’s main square: Sukhbaatar Square, the National Museum and the

landmark State Department Store.

Before leaving UB we visit the Gandan Monastery, the largest functioning

lamasery in Mongolia and the seat of Buddhist studies in the country. Here we

may see monks praying and the 20m gold and bronze statue of Migjid Janraisig.

We then drive on the main road westwards towards Karakorum, making a detour

to the Khustain Nuruu National Park, 2 hours west of Ulaan Baatar. Khustain

Nuruu is famous for the re-introduction of Mongolia's wild horse. The Takhi

Horse (also known as the Przewalski's horse) was once native to Mongolia and

almost became extinct earlier in the 20th century. Through the efforts of

several Mongolian and international organizations, these magnificent wild

horses now roam in the steppes of the national park once again. We will visit

the Project Information Centre and take a guided hike to see the wild horses.

Tonight will be our first night staying in gers, traditional Mongolian felt

tents.

*Ger Camp*

Today we continue on our drive to the 13th century capital of the Mongol

Empire - Karakorum - making a brief stop to see the dunes of the Little Gobi

along the way. . Karakorum was established by Ogedei Khan and remained the

Mongols power base until Khublai Khan established Beijing as the capital.

Erdene Zuu (Hundred Treasures) monastery was the largest Monastery in

Mongolia, built in 1586 under the direction of Abtai Khan on the ruins of the

ancient capital. Much of the monastery was destroyed during Stalin's purges

of the 1930's, but an impressive wall with 108 stupas and a number of temples

still remain. After lunch, we visit the monastery, the modern Karakorum

Museum and the surrounding area

*Ger Camp*

We continue along the paved road to Arvaikheer, the capital of Ovorkhangai

Aimag on the northern edge of the Gobi Desert. On the way we will visit the

Shankh Monastery, once the home of the great Mongolian theologist Zanabazar.

We should arrive at Arvaikheer during the middle of the afternoon and check

in to our hotel. In the afternoon there will be time to visit the local

museum, which contains nature collections, stone figures and Turkic scripts

and possibly go to a local market.

*Arvaikheer Palace Hotel or similar, Standard Hotel*

Today is a long day as we head properly off the tourist route into some of

the wilder parts of the Gobi Desert. After an early breakfast we start our

journey and rapidly leave the tarmac behind. The landscape changes as we head

deeper into the Gobi and the majestic Ikh Bogd Mountain should be visible in

the distance, the highest mountain in the Gobi Altai Mountain Range.

Eventually, after about 9 hours travelling (with stops) we will arrive at our

Ger Camp in the wilderness. This is the longest day’s driving but is also a

definite highlight of the trip as we pass through some of Mongolia’s most

spectacular scenery.

*Ger Camp*

After going over a desert pass and visiting the quartz rich ‘White Cave’

our journey continues through classic Gobi desert scenery of flat stony

plains mixed with small rocky outcrops and patches of sand across the Khatan

Suudal Steppe. We stop for a picnic lunch on the way, with views of Arts Bogd

mountain to the north. We head off to the Kongoriin Els sand dunes and arrive

there in the late afternoon.

*Ger Camp*

We have a full day to explore the sand dunes and surrounding area. The

Khongoriin Els stretch for 200km and are as high as 300m in places. They are

known as the 'Singing Dunes' because of the beautiful sound that resonates

through the dunes on a windy day. The South Gobi has 100,000 camels,

typically used by herders for transportation of their gers. We will have the

opportunity today to visit a camel breeding family and get a glimpse of the

way of life of the nomadic herders of these parts.

*Ger Camp*

This morning we will drive through the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. Gobi

Gurvansaikhan means 'Three Beauties of the Gobi' and this range marks the

eastern end of the Gobi Altai mountain range. The park's landscape is

extremely varied, with rocky and sandy desert plains, precipitous cliffs and

ravines, salt pans and oases. We visit a spectacular natural sight of this

region - Yolyn Am. Yolyn Am means Vulture's Mouth and is a canyon so deep and

narrow that even in the height of summer winter ice can remain on the valley

floor. This region is also renowned for the diversity of its wildlife and

many endangered species can be found here, including Khulan, Ibex, Argali and

elusive Snow leopards. We visit a local museum and explore the canyon before

transferring to a nearby ger camp for dinner and overnight.

*Ger Camp*

Today we have time to relax in our luxury ger camp. Either in the morning or

afternoon we take a short drive to Bayanzag (70 km). Known as the Flaming

cliffs, the red/ochre colour can be striking and we have the opportunity for

a short hike amongst colourful sands of red, yellow and orange. Bayanzag is a

world-renowned dinosaur fossil exploration site, discovered in the 1920s by

Mongolian and American palaeontologists. We are free to explore the region

and may even be lucky enough to spot dinosaur fossils. We later return to our

ger camp.

*Ger Camp*

We leave the Gobi Desert behind and fly back to Ulaan Baatar. Depending on

what time our flight is will determine what time we get back to Ulaan Baatar.

The Naadam Festival celebrates the ‘three games of men’ (or Erin Gurvan

Naadam) which are wrestling, horse-racing and archery. More recently a fourth

game, knuckle-bone flicking was added to the competitions. The festival is

celebrated throughout the country but the biggest festival is in Ulaan

Baatar.

Over the next two days we attend the grand opening ceremony before we watch

Mongolians compete in all four sports. We also get to mingle with hordes of

Mongolian spectators as the grounds around the stadium (where wrestling,

archery and bone-flicking takes place) and the horse races are filled with

stands selling food, games, flags and various other things.

The atmosphere is a big part of the experience and many Mongolians dress in

their best traditional clothes for the occasion.

In 2010 the festival was entered into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

list and is great celebration of the Central Asian nation’s culture.

We leave Ulaan Baatar and head for Terelj National Park.

Terelj National Park is a large protected area of green mountain meadows

filled with edelweiss and other wild flowers. The contrast to the Gobi Desert

is striking and it feels like being in a different country.

We visit the Tibetan-style Aryabala temple, a meditation centre located on a

mountain side with sweeping views over the national park. As we follow the

walk up to the temple there are inspirational sayings on placards every few

steps. The climb to the temple is not difficult but does involve many steps

and can be tiring.

Tonight we have our final night sleeping in a ger.

*Ger Camp*

End Ulaan Baatar

**