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Mongolian Nomad Migration tour

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Mongolia Nomad Migration Tour

11 DAYS – 10 NIGHTS

Duration: 11 days
Best Time: February-April
Tour type: Extreme, Wild Nature
Destination: Western Mongolia
Difficulty: 8/10
Group size: 2-8

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OVERVIEW

Mongolia is home to nomadic herders. Millions of nomads continue their nomadic lifestyle and regularly migrate 3-5 times a year. Mongolia has long and harsh winter. This is the worst time for nomads who need to take care of their animals and keep them alive until the weather gets warmer and the land turns green.

The nomads of the villages of Sagsay and Ulaankhus undertake one of the longest winter-spring migrations in Western Mongolia. The average migration takes about 4 days and reaches more than 120 kilometers.

Mongolia is home to more than 80 million animals and is the only country where there are more horses than people.

The Discover Altai team offers you a unique expedition in which you can become part of the nomadic migration through the Altai Mountains. This is truly a unique experience, unlike other tours.

If you enjoy wilderness adventures and are looking for extreme expeditions, we invite you to join us on a migration journey through the Mongolian Altai Mountains.

The best time for migration is from February to April. At this time of year, you can join nomadic families and migrate to their native places. It will be very long and very cold. Every day you will hike 25-35 kilometers and herd animals. In warm weather everything is fine and you can enjoy the process. But sometimes it can be very windy and stormy. So please be prepared for the worst.

Our team will be by your side and you will always have a backup team. Serve with hot tea for lunch.

And of course, most travelers who come here are also photographers. Therefore, sometimes it is too difficult to catch up with animals with heavy cameras and they quickly get tired. In this case, we will remain nearby by car, and you can change to a car at any time.

If you are good at horse trekking, you can enjoy horseback riding and accompany the shepherds.

Many adventures happen during migration, so you can be very helpful to nomads. Sometimes some skinny animals cannot make such a long journey and have to be carried by car or camel.

On the fourth day, there is a part where the animals pass by the frozen lake “Khar Nuur” with a magnificent landscape.

After a 4-5 day migration, we finally reached their spring site. This is the southern part of the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park with beautiful views. The name of the area is Dayan. Its height exceeds 2000 meters, and at this time of year, everything is covered with snow. Although there is a lot of snow here, there is always grass and animals here are like in heaven. They’ll be healthy again in the next couple of months.

This is a fully guided expedition. During your migration, you will live in a motorhome. This is the best option we can offer. It can resist the wind and keep you warm at night.

You will be accompanied by an English-speaking guide, drivers, and expedition chef.

The tour will begin and end in the province of Bayan-Ulgii.

Being a nomad means caring for animals. When there is less grass where you are staying, you need to move to another place where there is more grass. There are also summer migrations, which take place from June 1st to June 20th. There is also an autumn migration from mid-August to mid-November. You can join each of these migrations. It would be shorter and less extreme. This is a more enjoyable tour compared to the spring migrations.

Discover Altai is a western Mongolia-based tour agency with experienced local support team.

Please get in touch with us if you are interested in Mongolia migration trip. As a local travel expert we are more than happy to organize your expedition.

Hope to see you in this remote corner of the world!

Nomad Tour Itinerary:

Day 1 – 10

Itinerary

DAY 1: Welcome to Bayan-Ulgii province

Bayan-Ulgii is the westernmost corner of Mongolia, It is famous for the magnificent Altai Mountains. The majority population are Kazakhs who are well known as the last nomadic eagle hunters. Our team will meet you upon arrival at your local airport in Olgii. Everything is settled and we are ready for the expedition. Drive to Sagsai where you meet our nomadic family in their winter home. Kazakhs in this region are very hospitable and please feel free to photography and filming. For the dinner a special dish for you, please enjoy the traditional Bes Barmak. Stay overnight in a nomad’s house.

DAY 2: Prepare for migration

Today you can see how the family is preparing for migration. Vehicles will be thoroughly checked. They will take only the essentials and try to pack as little as possible. The horses will be shod and prepared for a long migration. We would also be very grateful if you could help the family a little. There is a long journey ahead and they need to be properly prepared for it. Usually, wives and small children go ahead by car and do not follow the migration as it is too difficult. If the children in the family are old enough to help herd the animal, they stay with the father and help with migration.

DAY 3-7: Migration and trekking

Here we go! Every day starts early at 6-7 am. We’re heading into the wilderness, so phone reception will be very poor. The first day is usually the easiest due to the lower altitude. Every day we rise higher, and there is more and more snow. Enjoy being part of an amazing migration. We have a generator with us, so don’t worry about charging your cameras and phone.

You will be accompanied by a guide, and each participant will have a walkie-talkie in case of emergency.

Halfway through we will take a break for lunch.

If the weather allows us to migrate as planned, it can be done in 4 days. But sometimes, when it’s cold and stormy, you need an extra day. During the migration, you will see many other nomads migrating in the same direction. So there might be a couple thousand animals in the valley.

Having reached our final destination, stay overnight in the spring wooden house of the Nomad. The next morning, you can help the animals move to a new place that they are very happy about. Thank you for being part of this amazing migration.

Enjoy your migration!

DAY 8: Visit the family of a nomadic eagle hunter

Say goodbye to the family! Today you have the opportunity to visit a family of nomadic eagle hunters. Our province hosts the annual Golden Eagle Festival, where more than a hundred eagle hunters compete and celebrate the opening of the hunting season. Eagle hunting has a thousand-year history and has been passed down from generation to generation. The Kazakhs of the Bayan-Ulgii province have still preserved such ancient traditional hunting, and we will be happy to take you to the eagle hunter’s family.

DAY 9: Real eagle hunting

After breakfast, we will go on a real eagle hunt. Take a horseback ride up the mountainside. Enjoy the surrounding nature! An eagle hunter will demonstrate how he trains his eagle. Please feel free to take a memorable photo with the golden eagle.

In the evening we return to Olgii. Stay overnight at a local hotel. Farewell dinner at the restaurant!

DAY 10. Return to Ulaanbaatar

End of the journey! Thank you for coming!

Everything You Need To Know

Tour information

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The best thing about this trip is that you will experience a unique journey into the remote mountains. During your migration, you will live in our motorhome. It is designed specifically for this trip and is one of the best options that can be offered. Each participant is provided with a bed and some basic necessities. There is heating inside and it makes it warm and bright. You will also stay in a wooden nomad’s house.

On the last day of your trip, you will stay at the best hotel in the city and enjoy a hot shower and toilet.

The expedition is designed for wildlife lovers who are looking for new and unique experiences, as well as for those who passionately want to be part of the nomadic lifestyle.

Once-in-a-lifetime experience guaranteed!

We are responsible for organizing the trip as originally planned. An experienced team will support you during your journey. We are responsible for booking hotels and domestic flights in advance, and do our best to make your trip enjoyable

However, we are not responsible for any unplanned troubles during the trip. We are not responsible for your injury which accidentally happened during the trip. We are not responsible for the cancellation or delay of domestic flights. Lastly, we are not responsible for bad weather conditions

We ask you to respect everyone on the team. And we ask you to respect the traditions and beliefs of the nomadic peoples. Please don’t hurt your team’s feelings. Be prepared for trekking and any other activity your guide has asked you to be prepared for on time. If there is anything that makes you uncomfortable, please let your guide know first. And of course, the leader of the group is the guide, so follow his/her commands.

We bring a generator with us, and every day in the evening you can charge your phones and cameras.

During the trip, the telephone connection is partially operational, but usually, the connection is very poor.

First of all, you will need warm clothes. It will be very cold, so take extra warm jackets with you. And please bring good hiking boots. Most of the trails are steep and rocky and you will need warm and waterproof shoes.

Warm clothes – Hat, Gloves, Jacket, Pants,
Footwear – Hiking boots, Socks, Sandals,
Clothes – Mid-layers, Base layers, Light clothes,
Rain jacket,
Thermos,
Goggles,
Hand sanitizer,
Towel,
Foam pad,
Trash bags,
Solar-panel,
Power bank.

We serve three times a day. The group has a chef who will prepare traditional as well as international recipes. Fresh water and snacks are included in the cost.

Unfortunately, there are no showers or toilets during the trip. We constantly move and change locations so that it is going to be a natural toilet, just like the locals do. I’m sorry about that. But if you really want to have a toilet tent and shower every couple of days. We try to arrange this for an additional fee. This time of year is cold and windy, so be prepared for the worst.

Tour Price includes

Domestic flight tickets rounds trip
Accommodations
Land transportations
Eat & Drink
English-speaking tour guide
Expedition chef
Drivers and assistance
Camping and cooking gear
Visit nomadic families
Horseback ride

Tour price excludes

Everything in Ulaanbaatar
Personal needs
Alcohol drinks
Excess baggage
Travel Insurance
Gratitude

Please Come & Enjoy the Best-planned Mongolian Adventure

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Tour Price :

Tour Price

Cancellation Policy:

· Cancellation more than two months fee would be 400 USD
· Cancellation more than 45 daysfee would be 500 USD
· Cancellation less than a month before departure will 600 USD
· And rest of the payments will be return back.

How to BOOK?

Confirm with our tour itinerary
Agree with terms and conditions
Set the tour departure date
Deposit 600 USD per person
Send us a copy of your passports

So, Ladies and Gentlemen! The Discover Altai team is looking forward to meeting you and providing unforgettable expeditions to this remote corner of the world!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is special about the Altai Mountains?

The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan come together. The Altai Mountains are home to a number of different animals, including the snow leopard, the argali (a type of wild sheep), and the ibex (a type of wild goat).

Can you hike the Altai Mountains?

Yes! The Altai Mountains are a popular destination for hikers and trekkers from all over the world.

What animals live in the Altai Mountains?

The Altai Mountains are the natural habitat of a few choice animals, including the argali (a kind of wild sheep), and the ibex (another type of wild goat). However this mountain range is most famous for being the dwelling place of endangered snow leopards.

How long is the Altai Mountain range?

The Altai Mountain range stretches for about 2700 kilometers or 1700 miles. It runs from the altitudes of 900 meters or 3000 feet in the west, to 4500 meters or 14750 feet in the east.

Are the Altai Mountains cold?

The Altai Mountains are located in Central and East Asia, where the climate is generally cooler than in other parts of the world. However, the temperatures in the Altai Mountains can vary depending on the time of year and the altitude. In general, the higher up you go in the mountains, the colder it will be.