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This journey on horseback is a
close encounter with Mongolian horsemen and their
horses.
A nomadic people who to date have
survived the modern pressures and lifestyles. There
is no other nation in the world, that so much
depends on horses. The Mongol horsemanship is
famous, and strikingly different to anything else.
The herders keep their horses in a semi-wild
condition, allowing them to live freely in harem
groups. During the harsh winter in subzero
temperatures, the horses are able to fend for
themselves and protect their foals against predators
such as wolves. There are no fences or any stables
anywhere.
We will start this horse ride without
vehicle support in wild terrain. The luggage will be
loaded on to yak- and horse-carts. A 'ger' will be
carried to house our mobile restaurant unit. Camping
will be along rivers. After a few days on the
treeless wide open steppes, where some of the most
famous horse trainers of Mongolia live, forests will
start to appear. The journey will continue in the
breathtaking mountain forest taiga zones of
Gorkhi-Terelj National Park.
The wranglers are
the adult sons of some of the famous horse trainers.
This trip can be combined with the
world famous Naadaam in Ulaanbataar ! Reserve early!
This is a extraordinary event you don't want to
miss.
IT-MNRT01
Included: Leadership, breakfast every
day, and all meals outside Ulaanbaatar. All
overnights in hotels in shared double (2n.), ger
camps (2n.) and tents (7n.). Camping equipment and
all local transport.
12 days/ 11 nights $
1,890
Single if requested:
+$220 (hotel, tent, ger)
Nadaam Extension: $695 (3 nights)
Extra hotel nights:
~$ 120 per room/night
2008 Dates:
06/03-06/14 *07/13-07/24
08/05-08/16
08/19-08/30 09/02-09/13
Check
Availability
* Naadaam Extension
3 days/ 3 nights $695
Single + 175
2008 Dates: 07/10-07/13
Meeting: Ulaanbaatar
Level:
Good intermediate
for the 12 days trip and good novice to
intermediate for the 8 day trip
Tack:
Mongolian Buryat
Military Saddles
Horses:
Mongolian
Pace: Moderate, long trots and canters, 5 to 8
riding hours daily
Min/Max Riders: 2-10
Excludes:
Imported drinks, airport tax on departure (approx. $
13 p.p.), laundry, Lunch and dinner in Ulaanbaatar.
Air or train tickets in and out of Mongolia. Visa
fee.
Brief Outline Itinerary
"Mongol Horsetrails"
Day 01
Ulaanbaatar
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar.
Transfer to your hotel. Tour briefing after dinner.
Day 02 To the Steppes
A.m.
Visit the Gandan lamasery, possibly in time for the
prayers, center for the Buddhist revival in
Mongolia. The Mongols follow the Tibetan version of
Lamaism, Dalai Lama being the supreme theoretical
leader.
We depart for towards the steppes and
have a picnic lunch on arrival. Pitch camp nearby
some nomadic families. Here will meet the yak carts
and the horses.
Day 03-05 Steppe ride
Ride
over the treeless steppes. We will ride across
rather hilly terrain with occasional patches of
birch forest. Throughout the ride we will make
contact with local herdsmen, often relatives and
friends of our wranglers. Our support structure is
free from vehicles. All our provisions, camping
equipment, luggage will be loaded on to yak carts.
Even a ger (yurt) will be brought, and we will learn
how to use it.
On the last day suddenly forests
will start to appear, and we are now riding towards
the Hentii wilderness area consisting of Khan
Khentii Strictly Protected Area which is the
interior parts of Gorkhi Terelj National Park. In
Mongolia the Siberian forested nature meets the
Central Asian deserts and steppes while all the time
riding in this transition zone.
Day 06-07: To Sharbulag Valley
The horses will now permit us riding through the
larch forests, up the slopes of the mountains
following the ridges with superb scenery whilst the
yak carts will follow the broad river valleys. We
will arrive and pitch camp at the Sharbulag Valley.
We will spend two nights here, and it will allow for
some flexibility in the middle of our ride.
Day 08: To Tuul River
Cross a pass and ride into the upper parts of the
Tuul River Valley. We are now near the main ridge of
the Hentii Mountains. The horses will help to get up
on to the ridges where the panoramic views are
extraordinary. It is a partly forested area.
Day 09-10: To Jalman Meadows
We will ride towards the Jalman Meadows famous
for its wildflowers and reach our semi-permanent ger
camp. It is situated a next a beautiful wooded
meadow on the upper parts of the Tuul River. We will
overnight for two nights at Jalman Meadows, making a
superb last day ride in the area.
Day 11: To Ulaanbaatar
A,m.
Return to Ulaanbaatar and check into the hotel. See
the capital city on your own. Distances are short.
The local guide is standing by to assist where your
points of interest are located.
Day 12 Departure
Optional:
HUSTAIN
NURUU STEPPE RESERVE full day excursion $80
p.p. incl. picnic lunch. One additional day in
Ulaanbaatar is needed to make this trip.
Przewalski´s horse (Equus przewalskii), or the takhi,
as the Mongols calls this wild horse, was seen in
the 1960s for the last time in the wild. In the
Dzungarian Gobi. A sizable population of Takhi have
been kept in zoos around the world, and for the last
years, a unique attempt to reintroduce these horses
back into the wild have been launched in Mongolia.
Naadam: There is a Naadam
Festival extension in connection with the early July
ride.
Nadaam: July 10th-13th 2002.
Transport: Mongolian families frequently move from
one pasture to the other using traditional wooden
carts. These are tied to the animals available in
the region. Here we will use yaks, or rather yak-cow
crossbreeds here called Hainag. The services of some
herdsmen will be hired by the expedition, and they
will provide us with their animals.
Staff: A Mongolian local guide will
accompany the group at all times. A cook will
follow, with an assistant. In addition, the services
of the local herdsmen will be hired along with their
animals. The horsemen will come from Ganbold and
Batbadrakhs families. They follow a traditional
lifestyle in the areas where we will be riding.
Meals: The meals will be
prepared by our cook. We pride ourselves in having
cooks adapt to both western and Mongolian cooking on
our trips. There are always vegetables available,
and we have no problem accommodating vegetarians on
our trips. For breakfast we can usually buy fresh
yogurt from the herdsmen in the local area.
Transport:
Mongolian families frequently move from one
pasture to the other using wooden traditional carts.
These are tied to the animals available in the
region. Here we will use yaks and horses: the
services of some herdsmen will be hired by the
expedition, and they will provide us with their
animals.
Nadaam
Ancient medieval
games still survive in Mongolia and are part of the
Living Cultural Heritage of our country.
Wrestling, horserace and archery are still the most
popular sports. In July, the National
Nadaam is held all across the country.
The largest being in Ulaanbaatar itself. Herdsmen
arrive on horseback from distant provinces,
simultaneously training their horses. Such a journey
lasts for anytime between one to three months! A
giant nomadic camp is being set up on the Jarmag
Steppe area, between the city and the Bogd Khan
Mountain Biosphere. Reserve during the night of July
10th.
Our Nadaam Extension is a close encounter
with the Mongol Three Manly Games of horseracing,
wrestling and archery. Skills required and practiced
during the medieval times of Gengis Khan armies, and
perhaps as way back as during the time of the Huns.
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