Day
1
Today you will arrive in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
This city, once the Buddhist and spiritual heartland of the
nomadic people of Mongolia is now a thriving commercial and
industrial centre. The monasteries still remain, yet they
now rest side by side with Internet cafes, nightclubs, and
streets teeming with rush hour traffic. Ulaanbaatar
is still, however, a capital where a grazing cow, a traditionally dressed
nomad or a truck loaded with produce from the country can
be found. It is amongst these fascinating features that our
journey begins. On arriving in Ulaanbaatar you will be met
at the airport and transferred to a 3 star hotel. After
lunch there will be a program of sightseeing in the afternoon,
including a visit to the Bogd Khaan Palace, which is a series of beautiful
traditional buildings in which the last religious King of
Mongolia resided. We will return early to the hotel for a
well-earned rest.
Day
2
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for
the morning flight to Ulgii. This is the center of Bayan Ulgii
province, and the only Muslim province in Mongolia. About
90% of the inhabitants in the area are of Kazakh descent,
having arrived from the western part of China in the 1800s
after the Mongolian Government gave them land. The flight
takes 4 hours, including a stopover for fuel. Your guide
will accompany you on the flight.
On arrival at the local airport our staff will meet you and
take you out of town for lunch. After lunch we will head west
out of Ulgii, towards the Altai Mountains, and set up camp
(near Ulaan Khus) in the late afternoon.
Day
3
Today we will continue driving until we reach the Tsagaan
River. This river lies near the foothills of the Tavan Bogd Mountain
and drains the Potanin and Alexander Glaciers. The entire
area is within the bounds of Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
We will set up our base camp near the river. Our vehicles
will remain at this base camp for the next 5 days while we
continue on foot towards the peak.
Day
4
Today we will begin hiking towards the Tavan Bogd Mountain. The
name of this mountain is ‘Five Kings,’ as the
mountain itself is comprised of five different peaks. The
highest peak is called Khuiten and is at an elevation of 4370m.
Our camp will be at an altitude of 3100m on the edge of the
Potanin Glacier, and is at the foot of another peak, called
Malchin Peak (4037m). Our hike to tonight’s camp will
take one day and all of our luggage - food and supplies -
will be carried on camel back.
Day
5
Today you will start climbing Malchin Peak. This peak provides
a long climb, mostly on scree, and requiring no technical
equipment, yet affords tremendous views over Russia to the
north and across to the glaciated peaks of Altai Tavan Bogd
to the south. We return to the previous night’s camp
in the late afternoon.
Day
6
Today you will hike up the Glacier to an intermediary campsite
at Khonog Tolgoi. It is a 7 hour walk, so we will need an early
start. We will each need to carry 15kg of luggage, but the
terrain is fairly easy, and we will walk with ropes securing
us, as required. Our mountain guide will walk ahead of us
as some of the crevasses are covered by snow. Our camp tonight
will be at an altitude of 3600m.
Day
7
Today we will climb Mount Khuiten (4370m) - the highest peak
in Mongolia. After crossing the glacier we will climb snow
slopes of varying angles (up to 45 degrees). There are some
crevasses on our route. Once we get to the top we will be
able to look down into Russia, China and Mongolia –
the landscapes of all three countries are distinctly different.
We return to the previous night’s camp via the same
route. It will take 8 hours to complete the trip.
Day
8
Today we will climb Nairamdal Peak (4082m). We will find this
an easy walk, on glaciated terrain, after climbing Mount Khuiten.
It will take 6-7 hours, roundtrip. On our return, we will
pack up the camp and return to our camp at the edge of Potanin
Glacier.
Day
9
Today we will trek back to our original base camp above the
Tsagaan River where we will meet our facility vehicle in the
area of Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
Day
10
Today’s schedule is flexible. Sometimes the weather
does not allow for climbing, so we have this day to use, as
we need. If we are free early enough, we can climb from our
camp at Tsagaan River to the Tsagaan Khairkhan Uul (3628m),
or have a day of rest for visiting local families and enjoying
the scenery of this beautiful valley.
Day
11
Today we will return to the vehicles and drive towards Ulgii.
We will stay overnight at Ulgii’s only ger camp, next
to Lake Shar.
Day
12
Today we will drive into Ulgii and take the local flight back
to Ulaanbaatar. On arrival, we will be met and transferred
to the hotel for dinner and the night.
Day
13
Today will be a full day sightseeing including visits to Gandan Tegchilen
Monastery and the National History museum. After lunch at
the hotel we will visit the Fine Arts Museum and the Toy museum.
The evening program will include a folklore show followed
by a farewell dinner at Hazara Restaurant. Overnight will
be at a 3-star hotel.
Day
14
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for
international departure.
Prices
include the following:
2 domestic flights, transportation within Mongolia, twin accommodation
in a 3 star hotel. Single accommodation can be arranged at
an additional cost. Tented accommodation while on trek, three
meals a day, English-speaking guide, all sightseeing costs,
transfers, camel or horse hire where specified, support staff
including drivers, horse/camel men and camp assistants.
Prices
do not include: International transportation, travel
insurance, visas, departure tax, alcoholic drinks, gratuities,
items of a personal nature.
It is
the responsibility of the client to be fully covered with
travel and medical insurance while traveling in Mongolia.
Please
note:
An additional ‘single supplement’ price is given
with all our prices. This refers to single room accommodation
in hotels only. Upon request, single supplement in the countryside
can be provided at the additional cost. In case single accommodation
in ger camps was not provided the amount would be calculated
based on the missing nights and reimbursed.
Nomads cannot be
held responsible for over bookings, as long as the company
can prove with sufficient documentation that overbooking has
been the error of the third party.
Should circumstances
beyond our control, such as the imposition of quarantine restrictions,
any changes of domestic flight or train schedules, require
a change of itinerary, we will inform your agent and propose
an equivalent itinerary. Again, Nomads cannot take over the
responsibility for the Airlines or the National Train Company.
The traveler is responsible for having proper travel documents,
such as a valid passport, proper visa and the necessary passport
pictures.
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