Day
1 Arrive Ulaanbaatar
On arrival you will be met and transferred to a 3-star hotel
for rest. After lunch at the hotel restaurant you can do afternoon
sightseeing in the city, including visits to the Bogd Khaan Winter Palace
Museum where Mongolia’s last king and religious leader
resided. There will be some time for shopping before a welcome
dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day
2 Fly to Ulgii – Sagsai river – 40km
After an early breakfast you will be taken to the airport
for the morning flight to Ulgii. Ulgii is the center of Bayan Ulgii
Province, which is situated in the far west of the country. This
province is populated by the Kazakh minority of Mongolia, which
are of Muslim origin. The flight takes about 4 hours including
a stopover on the way for refueling. Our guide will accompany
you on the flight. On arrival at the local airport our staff
will meet you and drive you out of town for lunch. After lunch
we will drive until we reach the Sagsai River. We will have
tented overnight by the side of the river.
Day
3 Lake Khurgan – Lake Khoton – Zagastain River
Today we drive for another day. We will drive for some time
along the edge of the Khurgan and Khoton lakes until we make
our camp at the edge of Lake Khoton at a place called Zagastain
River. The lakes have crystal-clear water and are fed by many
rivers and streams originating in the Altai Mountains. The
landscape around the lakes is very beautiful and picturesque
with the snow-capped mountains surrounding them, green meadows
at their foothills and larch forests in the middle. Overnight
in tents.
Day
4 Hike to Lake Aral Tolgoi – 15km
Today we start our linear hike along the mountainous valley.
The terrain of today’s hike is quite easy with a lot
of flat areas and valleys. Along the way there are some ancient
burial sites to explore, and rock paintings to see. Today
we hike about 15kms having lunch on the way. Our vehicles
will drive ahead and set up camp at Aral Tolgoi Hill alongside a
small river.
Day
5-6 2 days hiking – Tsagaan Us Valley – visit
Kazakh families
Today we will continue our linear hike. The vehicles will
again drive ahead and set up camp in Tsagaan Usny river (White
Water) Valley in the Altai Mountains, and await our arrival.
The next morning we will hike in the forested hills through
a mountainous gorge before returning to camp for lunch. In the
afternoon we will visit Kazakh families living around the
lakes and have the opportunity to explore their lifestyle.
We will meet Kazakh eagle hunters. The eagles are kept near
the Kazakh gers in the summer months and then taken out to
catch small animals in the early winter, when the
first snow covers the ground. The eagles are trained from
a young age or caught when they are older having already developed
the hunting instinct. When they are 10-15 years of age they
are released back into the wild. We will see the birds outside
the gers and watch the Kazakh men with them. In the afternoon
we will return to the previous night’s camp for dinner
and the night.
Day
7 Hiking – Zuun Salaani Am Valley – 15-18km
Today we continue hiking along the Zuun Salaani Am Valley
for about 15-18kms through a mountainous valley. Today’s
hiking terrain becomes rocky and gradually steeper. This morning
we will pack up our food and equipment on horses/camels as
the mountainous terrain does not allow the vehicles to follow
us. Therefore, the vehicles will drive around the Valley towards
Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain, where we can get more food supplies
so we can continue hiking to Tavan Bogd. We will carry only
our daily backpacks. We will camp at the beginning of Zuun
Salaani Am Valley.
Day
8 Mount Takhilt Khar Salaani Valley - visit Kazakh & Tuva families
Today we continue hiking for roughly 20km. The path rises
and becomes more difficult and rocky until we go over Mount Takhilt. There is an Ovoo on top of the mountain, which is
a symbol of the shaman worship of nature. As we descend, we hike
along Khar Salaani Valley. In this valley some Kazakh and
Tuvan families live, herding their livestock, so our surroundings
will come to life and we will visit some of the families.
Our route continues through more uneven and rocky mountainous
valleys alongside the Khar Salaani River, a white water river
flowing from the Potanin glacier down to the lakes. This is a
very remote and uninhabited area where there are no nomadic
families living, and only border guards and hunters travel
through the land. We set up camp for the night at the beginning
of Khar Salaani Valley.
Day
9 Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain – Potanin glacier
We will continue hiking around Shiveet Khairkhan Mountain.
From here we can view the peaks of the Altai Mountains, and
Potanin’s Glacier, where our vehicles will be waiting
for us. We will camp tonight at the banks of Tsagaan River.
Day
10 Tavan Bogd – Potanin Glacier - Malchin Peak
Today is the last day of linear hiking. We will hike until
we reach Tavan Bogd, the highest range of the Altai Mountains.
The highest peak is Khuiten, which is at an elevation of 4370m
above sea level. Potanin’s Glacier lies alongside the
mountains, which will be covered in snow. The glacier is
about 20kms long. At the other side of the glacier there is
a green meadow. We will set up camp in the foothills of Malchin
Peak, at an elevation of 2900m.
Day
11 Marian End, Potanin Glacier
We will pack our food and supplies onto the animals and hike
to Marian End, which is basically the end of Potanin’s
Glacier. This will be our base camp for 2 nights and our horsemen
will remain here and wait for us.
Day
12-13 Hike along Potanin Glacier – Khonog Tolgoi –
9km
Today we put our crampons on and, armed with ice axes, hike
along Potanin’s Glacier, an ice river flowing out from the
permanent snow peaks. We will leave our animals behind and
become totally self-sufficient. We reach a place called Khonog
Tolgoi where we will start preparing for the next morning’s
ascent. Hiking distance 9km
Day
14 Climb peak chosen by the group
Today we will choose which peak to climb, setting off very
early in the morning. After descending, we will hike straight
to the camp at Marian End, where the horsemen will be waiting.
Day
15 Hike back to camp at Shiveet Khairkhan
Today we pack our horses/camels again and hike back to Shiveet
Khairkhan to meet our drivers and vehicles. They will be waiting
for us at the camp with a big Mongolian feast prepared for
our dinner. This is the last day of the hiking and climbing
part of the trip. Camp at Shiveet Khairkhan for the night.
Day
16 Drive towards Ulgii – Lake Shar ger camp
Today we will drive towards Ulgii. We will stay at Lake Shar
ger camp for the night.
Day
17 Return to Ulaanbaatar
Drive to Ulgii and fly back to Ulaanbaatar. On arrival you
will be transferred to your hotel for dinner and the night.
Day
18 Sightseeing in Ulaanbaatar
A day of sightseeing in the city, including visits to Gandan Monastery
and the National History Museum. After lunch at the hotel,
visit the Fine Art’s Museum and do some cashmere and
art shopping. The evening program will be a folklore show
followed by dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the
hotel.
Day
19 Departure
Transfer to the airport for international departures.
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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