Go to the northern Taiga through the vast valleys surrounded by the Khangai mountains and live the enriched adventures of meetings with the Tsaatans (reindeer herders in their nomad camps) and cultural and historical visits.
You will feel closer to nature when you spend the night in a tent, in a guest yurt as an alternative with a few nights in furnished yurt camps …
As you arrive at the Chinggis Khaan international airport in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, your guide-interpreter and driver will welcome you at the airport and lead you on to the city tour. The capital has plenty to offer. On the tour you will visit the Gandan Monastery, a historical and spiritual Buddhist temple in the city. Then you can walk around the National History Museum and the Chinggis Khaan Square in front of the Mongolian Parliament house to help you get a general knowledge and information about the Mongolian history and culture.
FB, Night in a tourist hotel
Today you will be taking a local flight to Murun village, Khuvsgul Province. After landing, and before leaving to Tsagaan Nuur (White Lake), you will have an opportunity to explore the small town of Murun and stroll between the stalls of its typical market.
Along the route to Tsagaan Nuur, in the middle of endless steppes, you will have plenty of time to visit authentic nomad families who greet you, and enjoy their hospitality. You may have a taste of “White food” and notably Airag, a strong traditional drink made from fermented mare’s milk.
Upon arrival at your destination, you'll set off for a walk or horse ride on the shores of Lake Zuun and then spend the night in a yurt.
FB, Overnight in yurt
From here, you start 2 days of free range ride through mountainous Taiga to discover the life of the Tsaatan people. Logistics and your personal belongings will be transported on a pack of horses.
FB, Nights in bivouac tents
Today, your Tsaatan family will welcome you to their nomadic settlement. The Tsaatans, or otherwise known as Dukha, live in not in yurts, but in teepees, and live exclusively on traditional reindeer herding, which are their source of food, clothing and currency. Today, there are only 44 Tsaatan families left for a total of 200 to 400 people. They have a social and material tradition that has not changed since ancient times. On top of their special way of life, shamanism and totemic rituals are at the center of their social organization.
You will spend the next 3 days with them to share and discover their daily life, and spend nights in a teepee with lunches and dinners in a bivouac tent.
FB, Nights in teepees
This morning, you'll say goodbye to your Tsaatan friends after a superb adventure at their homeland; it's time to go back on horseback. You resume your ride towards the South, back to Tsagaan Nuur.
FB, Overnight in tent.
Departure in the morning to the small town of Khatgal, south of Lake Khuvsgul. Like every day, you'll meet herders there with whom you'll share warm moments. Once there, you spend the rest of the day by the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia, the Khuvsgul Lake whose beauty you can admire on foot or on horseback.
FB, Overnight in a yurt camp.
We reserved this full day for you to fully enjoy the region. In the morning you take your backpack and leave for a beautiful hike in the forest on the slopes of Mount Khyasa. You'll picnic at the top with a grand view to the east on Lake Khuvsgul and to the west on the Khoridol Saridag mountain range.
In the afternoon, you return to the camp where you can take all your time to rest and make friends with the locals.
FB, Overnight in a yurt.
Today you'll be on your way to the village of Ikh Uul. On the road you stop to discover the deer steles from the Ushigiin Uvur region, the artistic vestiges of the Bronze Age. You arrive at Ikh Uul village and can set up your tents.
FB, Overnight in tent.
You start this day by surveying the ruins of an old Silk Road trading post, one of few left by the Uighurs, whose Uyguro-Mongolian writing offered the country a legacy in the 8th and 9th centuries. You reach the natural reserve of extinct volcanoes Uran and Togoo. After a vigorous ascent you can enjoy its beautiful panoramic views.
FB, Overnight in tent
After a stopover in the city of Erdenet, the second largest city in the country thanks in particular to its open-pit copper mine, you'll approach the vast expanses of Mongolian steppes in the direction of the Amarbayasgalant monastery, a popular pilgrimage site, one of the most beautiful monasteries of Mongolia today and whose name meaning "quiet bliss" rings true.
FB, Overnight in tent.
After breakfast you return to the capital Ulaanbaatar and arrive at your hotel. Take this time to have a little rest, then you’ll go shopping in the State Department Store, the largest shopping mall in Mongolia, a leftover of the Soviet occupation. There, you can find cashmere, leather, and whatever you want for souvenirs, presents and gifts.
In the evening you’ll indulge in Mongolian culture with a folklore show, concert of traditional music and contortion. You’ll hear performances with the Traditional Mongolian instrument Morin Khuur, a two-string fiddle adorned with a carved horse’s head; overtone singing, previously only used by shamans to enter into communication with the spirits.
At last, a farewell dinner with your team to wrap up an excellent journey full of memories.
FB, Night in a tourist hotel
After having breakfast in the hotel, your team will drive you to the “Chinggis Khaan” international airport 2 hours before your departure.
Have a safe journey back!
