Mongolia: Steppes, Deserts & Nomads - Nadaam Festival

Depart London.
**

Day 2

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.
*Bayangol Hotel or similar*

Day 3

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*

Day 4

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*

Day 5

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*

Day 6

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*

Day 7

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*

Day 8

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*

Day 9

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*

Day 10

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*

Day 11

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.
*Bayangol Hotel or similar, Comfortable Hotel*

Day 12-13

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.
*Bayangol Hotel or similar, Comfortable Hotel*

Day 14

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*

Day 15

As we make our way back to the city we visit the giant Genghis Khan statue at
Tsonjin Bolog. Standing 40m tall, the statue depicts the Mongolian ruler
astride his horse and sits atop the visitor’s centre (itself 10m tall). It
is possible to climb up onto the horse’s head to get a closer look of
Genghis Khan’s face.
This afternoon there should be some free time for some last minute shopping
or site-seeing.
*Bayangol Hotel or similar, Comfortable Hotel*

Day 16

Fly to London