| Mystical Mongolia Tour |
This convenient and beautiful journey offers a wonderful introduction to the mystical and inspiring Mongolian landscape with Journeys to all different directions of the main capital Ulaanbaatar. Offering various geographies and landscapes this journey is an essential for first time visitors looking for an excellent adventure. Your trip will encompass beautiful fields of wild flowers, beautiful mountains populated by forests of pine and birch, exotic rock formations and ancient meeting places of the Mongols not to mention the rich cultural treasures to be found at the ancient capital and the various monasteries that Mongolia has to offer.
Mystical Mongolia Tour
Highlights
This ten day tour of some of the most spectacular views in all of Mongolia will enable you to enjoy numerous activities and adventures as yo make your way around the Hovsgol area and then meander back to Ulaanbaatar by van. Created for the moderate adventure seeker this tour is a must do on the list of things to experience in Mongolia.
The younger sister of Siberia's Lake Baikal, it is the deepest lake in Central Asia( 265m) and the second-largest lake in Mongolia( 136kms long,30 kms wide) Imagine 2,760sq km of alpine lake, with water so pure you can drink it. Lake Hovsgol contains more than 1% of the world's fresh water and is surrounded by mountains as high as 3492m, populated by thick pine forests and lush meadows with grazing yaks and horses. We drive from the airport to the ger camp with a beautiful view of Hovsgol lake.(35kms drive)
Hovsgol lake is full of fish such as lennok and sturgeon although there are 9 species of fish in the lake. The best time of fishing is from late July to early October and even beginners can make a catch from the lakeshore using spinners or a fly rod. The area is home to argali sheep, ibex, bear, sable and moose, as well as over 200 species of birds, including the Baigal teal, bar-headed goose, the black stork and Altai snowcock. We go fishing in the morning, which we will barbeque for lunch. After lunch we will go kayaking on the lake for the afternoon.
The Tsaatan, also known as the reindeer people, are the smallest ethnic group among other 17 ethnic minorities in Mongolia. Largely due to the persecution in Russia during a 1930's about 10 families moved to northern Mongolia. Since then they have been adhering to their way of life including living in teepees and breeding reindeers. Because of climate change and other reasons, the number of Tsaatan people has decreased from 1,000 to 250 in last 10 years.
We will make our way to the Tsaatan family by horse and will visit their teepee, one member of which is a shaman. We will camp next to the family in beautiful valley.(15 km of horse riding)
Khar Us is a series of springs surrounded by meadows of beautiful wild flowers. In June locals flock here to eat the bailius fish for its medicinal properties. Horse riding is a great way to see the region and to experience the Mongolian way of life. Even if you have no previous experience you will have an enjoyable and safe ride with western style saddles. We will ride a horse with beautiful view of Hovsgol Lake to get here and stay over night in the tent. (35kms horse riding)
Day 6 Mountain walking and trekking This region offers great hiking opportunities and the view of the lake from the mountain tops is breathtaking. The mountains are easily climbed on foot, no technical climbing is required. Of the mountains in the south-western region the most accessible is Tsartai Ekh Uul (2,515m), where the hiking is excellent. We can also offer opportunities to climb other high mountains using a horse to carry equipment on the approach to the mountains and climb the lower slopes: Berkh Uul (2593m), Uran Dush Uul (2792m)
Another good way to see the landscape and nomadic way of life is traveling by car. We recommend taking a Russian jeep or van as Russian automobiles are perfect for Mongolian road conditions. Optional along the way this is a perfect spot to enjoy some mountain biking. We recommend you bring your own bike with you, although we may have an extra handy.
The area that we will pass is a natural meeting of the Siberian forest and Mongolian grassland. There are many nomadic families living in this beautiful valley which we will pass. (300km driving)
This monastery is considered the second most important in Mongolia and the most intact architectural complex in Mongolia. It is surrounded by alpine forests of birch and conifer, with knee high grass full of wild flowers. Amarbayasgalant monastery was originally built between 1727 and 1787 by the Manchu emperor Yongzheng, and dedicated to the great Mongolian Buddhist and sculptor, Zanabazar. The communists destroyed 10 out of the 37 temples and statues. The monastery was restored between 1975-1990 with help of Unesco. These days, around 50 monks live in the monastery, compared to over 2,000 in 1936.
We will visit the Buddhist monastery to get a better understanding of religion in Mongolia .
A special religious ceremony for the ten Dharma Protectors, especially for the deities of the Tsama Dance, will be held at that monastery annually every September. If you are traveling with us in September, you will see and experience that ceremony. After driving 2 days, we arrive at Amarbayasgalant Monastery. We will stay overnight at a ger camp.
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