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11 days - Join Mongolian herdsmen on horseback into the wilderness.
This journey on horseback is a close encounter with Mongolian horsemen and their horses, nomadic people who have thus far survived modern pressure and lifestyles. There is no other nation in the world that so much depends on horses. Mongol horsemanship is famous and strikingly different than anywhere else. The herders keep their horses in a semi-wild condition, allowing them to live freely in harem groups.
During the harsh winter of subzero temperatures, the horses fend for themselves and protect their foals against predators such as wolves. There are no fences or any stables anywhere. We will ride out on the steppe, which is the summer pastureland of Mongolian nomads. We will ride in two strikingly different areas; first, the treeless steppe and then through the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area, which is in the mountain and forest taiga zone.
This ride is yak supported.
Highlights include
- Explore two very different environments on horseback: First, we ride across the vast treeless steppe, summer pastureland of Mongolian herders
- Horse trek without vehicles, in wild terrain
- Visit Monastries and picnic in the wilds of Mongolia
- Day 1
- Arrive Ulaanbaatar
- Day 2
- The Steppes
- Days 3 - 5
- Steppe ride
- Days 6 - 7
- Sharbulag Valley
- Day 8
- To Jalman Meadows
- Days 9 - 10
- Jalman Meadows
- Day 11
- Return to Ulaanbaatar and finish tour.
- Start/End Place
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia tours
- Country Visited
- Mongolia tours
- Duration
- 11 Days
- Group Size
- 2 - 10
- Type
- Special Interest
- Suitability
- Strenuous
- Code
- MHT001
Details
Transportation
Mongolian families frequently move from one pasture to another using traditional wooden carts. These are hitched to the animals available in the region. Here we will use yaks, or rather yak-cow crossbreeds called hainag. The services of some herdsmen will be hired by the expedition and they will provide us with their animals.
Included
English speaking guide, break-fast every day in Ulaanbaatar, welcome and farewell dinner. All meals outside Ulaanbaatar. All overnights in hotels (2n.) gers (2n.) and tents (7n.) in shared double, camping equipment and all local transport.
Not Included
Drinks, laundry, lunch in Ulaanbaatar. Air or train tickets in and out of Mongolia. Visa fee. Please bring your own sleeping bag.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive Ulaanbaatar
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar. Transfer to your hotel. Tour briefing after dinner.
Meals
1 DinnerAccommodation
Ulaanbaatar hotelDay 2 - The Steppes
A.m. Visit the Gandan lamasery, possibly in time for the prayers, the center for the Buddhist revival in Mongolia. The Mongols follow the Tibetan version of Lamaism, the Dalai Lama being the supreme theocratical leader. We depart for the steppe and have a picnic lunch on arrival, pitching camp near some nomadic families. Here we will meet the yak carts and our horses.
Meals
1 Lunch1 Dinner
Accommodation
Twin share tentsDays 3 - 5 - Steppe ride
All our provisions, camping equipment and luggage will be loaded onto yak carts. Even a ger (yurt) will be brought, and we will learn how to set it up. We ride across open steppe, but also cover hilly terrain with occasional patches of birch forest. Throughout the ride we will have the chance to meet with local herdsmen, often relatives and friends of our local horsetrail guides. On the second day, forests will suddenly start to appear and we are now riding towards the Khentii wilderness area, which includes the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area and Gorkhi Terelj National Park. In Mongolia the Siberian boreal forest meets the Central Asian desert and steppe and we will be riding through the transitional zone between grasslands and northern Larch forests.
Meals
3 Breakfasts3 Lunches
3 Dinners
Accommodation
Twin share tentsDays 6 - 7 - Sharbulag Valley
The horses will enable us to ride through the Larch forests, up the slopes of the mountains and to follow ridges that offer views of superb scenery, whilst the yak carts will follow along the broad river valleys. We will arrive and pitch camp at Sharbulag Valley. We will spend two nights here, which will allow for some flexibility in the middle of our ride.
Meals
2 Breakfasts2 Lunches
2 Dinners
Accommodation
Twin share tentsDay 8 - To Jalman Meadows
We ride towards Jalman Meadows, famous for its wildflowers, and reach our semi-permanent ger camp, which is situated next to a beautiful wooded meadow on the upper parts of the Tuul River. Here we say good bye to the herders and their yak carts caravan. We will stay at Jalman Meadows Ger Camp for two nights, having a superb last day ride in the surrounding area.
Meals
1 Breakfast1 Lunch
1 Dinner
Accommodation
Twin share tentsDays 9 - 10 - Jalman Meadows
We will ride towards Jalman Meadows, famous for its wildflowers, and reach our semi-permanent ger camp, which is situated a next to 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.
Meals
2 Breakfasts2 Lunches
2 Dinners
Accommodation
Day 11 - Return to Ulaanbaatar and finish tour.
Return to Ulaanbaatar in the morning and check into your hotel or transfer to airport. See the capital city on your own. Distances are short. The local guide is standing by to assist finding out where your points of interest are located.
Meals
1 BreakfastPrices are per person. Tours depart 15 JUN, 30 JUN, 21 JUL, 17 AUG & 31 AUG 2020. There are other language guides such as French, German, Italian, Korean etc. available at additional cost, which need to be booked and confirmed ahead of time. Naadam Festival extention available on the 30 June departure.
10 Sep 2020
Important Information
Staff: A local guide who speaks English and Mongolian 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.
Meals: Our cook will prepare the meals. We pride ourselves in having cooks adept at 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.
Reversal of trip: Trips may be done in the reverse for operational reasons.
Please ask for details about other horse trails available.
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Visa Requirement
Visa Requirement
Please note for China, Mongolia and Russia, you will need to arrange your visa before you go. We have supplied links to these visa applications within our Visa section. It is your responsibility to do this before your trip but please don't hesitate to speak to us if you need any assistance. It isn't unusual for our guests to have questions particularly about the Russian visa so please call us if you are in any doubt.