JOURNEY AMONG
MODERN NOMADS SUMMER (WITH RURAL NAADAM)
24th June 2017 - 17 Days
Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
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Our Journey Among Modern Nomads - Summer - In Brief
Mongolia is firmly in the 21st century. This does not mean the traditional rural way of life
is dying out. It just means it is adapting and progressing. This summer based trip focuses
on the rural way of life for different families that we work with. Some of the families are
retired herders, some are herders who migrate twice a year, some are Gobi based, others
make their home in the central grasslands. It’s a combination chosen to give you an
insight into the summer way of life - whether that be the life of a working or retired
herder or a small town resident. It also includes a rural Naadam celebration as this
community event forms a major part of the calendar of most rural Mongolians.
It’s a balanced itinerary - allowing you to take the time to appreciate the detail of
where you are as you travel through the middle Gobi, the central high steppe and the
Khangai Mountains. Each landscape provides a different backdrop into a different way of
life.
The trip can be extended with the National Naadam Festival held in Ulaanbaatar on July
11th and 12th
Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
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Your Itinerary Overview
Ulaan Baatar
June 24th
City Walking Tour
Accommodation of your choice in UB
A more local introduction to this vibrant
frontier style city
Grasslands
June 25th and 26th
Gorkhi Terelj National Park
Get away from the ‘tourist sites’ and
experience life as it is for a herding
family
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Middle Gobi
June 27th
Baga Gazriin Chuluu OR Gobi
Oasis Tree Planting Project
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Spectacular granite rock formations with
a great hike into the hidden interior.
Home to the Batar family OR a family run
conservation project
June 28th and 29th
Erdenedalai
Rural community in middle Gobi. Home to
a majority of the EL team. Spend two
days living alongside one of the EL
families experiencing their way of life
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Central Heartland
June 30th
Khogno Khan Nature Reserve
Sacred granite mountain home to a
community of nomadic herders
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Khangai Mountains
July 1st and 2nd
Ulaan Tsutgalan - Orkhon
Waterfall
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Spend 1 day hiking ‘ger to ger’ and
experiencing the way of life for this
community of herders
July 3rd and 4th
Tsenkher
Stay with the Galbadrakh family in the
Khangai Mountains
July 5th and 6th
Suman River
Stay with Dondov - a retired herder in
a spectacular setting next to the
Suman River
July 7th
Kharkhorin
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Family operated ger camp
accommodation
Local Hotel
Home to Erdene Zuu Monastery
July 8th and 9th
Kharkhorin Naadam and
Orkhon River Valley
Family operated ger camp
accommodation and/or Local Hotel
Local Naadam
Ulaan Baatar
July 10th
Return UB
Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
Accommodation of your choice in UB
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Map Of Route
Pricing And Group Size
For all of our small group trips I offer a sliding price scale. I appreciate your holiday funds are precious
and so the more people that book so the price comes down and everyone benefits
Group Size - Minimum of two and maximum of six
• 2 Guests
US$ 3269 pp
• 3-4 Guests
US$ 2702 pp
• 5 Guests
US$ 2478 pp
• 6 Guests
US$ 2226 pp
Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
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21st Century Mongolia Versus Guidebook Mongolia!
Mongolia is frequently depicted as a pristine untouched wilderness where the traditional nomadic way of life still remains.
Well. It is. And it isn’t. Our trips focus on 21st Century Mongolia - we try to provide a ‘realistic’ overview rather than that
portrayed by guidebooks and other tour companies. To just want to experience the life of the traditional nomadic way of
life is to ignore a majority of the population.
Mongolians are not just divided between those who live in Ulaanbaatar and nomads. It's not just about the minority groups
of the Kazakhs or the Tsaatan either. Mongolians live in the cities of Darkhan and Erdenet. They also live in the other
provincial centres as well as the smaller town and rural communities. There are teachers and Christians and those
with disabilities and policemen and musicians and military personnel and accountants and miners and geologists and
drivers and shop owners and construction workers and street cleaners - they are all Mongolians.
Mongolia’s herders are under a lot of pressure. Yes, you want to experience their way of life but for them, their most
important focus is looking after their livestock. The guidebooks mention the traditional hospitality of Mongolia’s nomads,
but they don’t mention their daily workload and how this often means there is not time to welcome visiting guests with
tea. Don’t travel to Mongolia expecting to sit each evening discussing with your hosts about their way of life as nomads. It
just won’t happen.
So. What do you do? Ditch your expectations based on what you’ve read and watched. Instead come with an open mind
and be challenged and surprised.The landscapes are immense and weathered and stark and remarkable. But you will be
shocked by the amount of rubbish.Yes, there is still a nomadic way of life. But herders have smartphones. The traditional
culture still remains. But the literacy rate hovers around 97% (yes, 97%) and there is a drive for modernity and progress.
But it is a country that will impact on you greatly. Of that there is no doubt.
Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
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Any questions, queries or concerns? Just send them across to me at jess@eternal-
landscapes.co.uk. I am always happy to be of help!
Jess
Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
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Written by Jess! - Eternal Landscapes 2015
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