Mongolian Nomadic Cultural Ethnic Photography Tour
About this tour
Cultural and ethnic tour includes Mongolian Zahchin, Khalha, Kazakh, Urianhai and Tuva ethnic people in western Khovd and Bayan-Ulgii provinces. It is visiting with South Gobi region and Karakorum village. The aim of the tour is to watch nomadic Zahchin people's moving from summer place to autumn place by camel caravan. Nomadic people live in a simple way with fewer properties. They move to high Altai Mountains up to 2800 meters, over 3000 meters high mountains. Only camel could reach that rough Mountainous road. Nature is sacred and wild, it requires to do natural rituals. We will see human and natural relations, and how nomadic people live harmoniously in nature. Their moving way has disciplined tradition and special rituals with nature. Camels are trained to harsh moving from their younger age.
We will visit a Kazakh nomadic family to see the eagle hunting tradition. To introduce with Kazakh people's traditional costumes and lifestyle in Bayan-Ulgii province.
In the South Gobi desert we will visit the main landscapes as sand dunes, cliffs and Yol valley. We will visit here Mongolian main tribe Khalh family. Which has goats, sheep, horses and camels. We will see their daily lifestyle as goat milking, and horse milk.
The tour is during a Naadam celebration period, we will visit for the local village's celebration to see the horse race, wrestling and archery.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Yoliin Am Canyon, Mongolia
Day 1: Yolyn Am Early in the morning, a driver will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for the Dalanzadgad flight. The driver and tour guide will pick you up and drive to Yolyn am valley. Hike through the valley. Stay in a tourist guest house. Lunch and dinner will be at the guest house.
Day 2: Yolin Am Ice Field, Mongolia to Hongor Els Camp, Mongolia
Day 2: Hongor sand dunes nomadic family visit We will drive from Yoliin am 170 km to Hongor sand dunes. Around the sand, nomadic families live. We will visit a family early in the morning and see their lifestyle of milking goat, and might horse milking (depends on the summer, if it is nice summer with a lot of rain, they milk horses in June-August). Those families are Gobi desert's families. Their lifestyle is more simple and more minimalist than the Hangai region. We will hike to the top of sand dunes and see sightseeing around the area. We will stay around sand dunes for 1 and a half day. Stay at nomadic family’s ger guest house.
Day 3: Khongoriin Els, Mongolia to Bayanzag, Bulgan, Mongolia
Day 3: Bayanzag Afternoon, we will drive to Bayanzag for 160 km. We will see the sunset on the Bayanzag cliffs. Bayanzag - Flaming Cliff was the homeland of dinosaurs during the Jurassic period. A dinosaur’s eggshell was founded very first time in the world from this place. Bayanzag is red cliffs on the endless empty steppe. It was the bottom of the sea or a big lake during the Jurassic era. Then we will drive to the Ger camp, located in the middle of nowhere in the steppe. See the sun set on steppe.
Day 4: Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia to Ongi Monastery, Mongolia
Day 4: Ongi ruined temple - black mountains To get the central part of Mongolia, we drive trans – Ongi ruined temple. Today we will drive off-road to Ongi. Here we will visit the ruined temple and a little walk through a black mountain. The temple locates beside the Ongi River. The temple was ruined in 1937 during a political purge by the Soviet Union. The temple was built in 1760 by Buddhist monks, and nearly 1000 monks had lived before it was ruined.
Day 5: Ongi Monastery, Mongolia to Kharkhorin, Mongolia
Day 5: Kharhorin - Erdene zuu temple After breakfast, we will drive to Kharhorin village by offroad 250 km. On the way, have lunch. Here we will visit the Buddhist temple Erdenezuu and the Kharhorin history museum. Stay in a local hotel.
Day 6: Kharkhorin, Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Day 6: Ulaanbaatar Early morning, drive to Ulaanbaatar for 360 km by paved road. We will arrive in UB around 16:00 o’clock. Driver and guide will take you to your hotel in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 7: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
Day 7: Fly to Ulgii town Altai Tavan Bogd National Park Early in the morning, the driver will take you to the airport for the Ulgii flight. The flight will be over 2 hours. A driver with a Russian van will pick up us and drive to Altai Tavan Bogd National Park. We will stop for cook lunch on the way. The Altai Mountain drive is very rough and has a lot of river crossings. Evening we will arrive at white river's bay with Tuva ethnic family. We will stay at their Ger guest house.
Day 8: Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia to Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, Mongolia
Day: 8 Horse ride to Altai Tavan Bogd NP Base camp We will ride a horse for over 2 hours to get to Altai Tavan Bogd – the five peaks of Altai Mountian, the highest is 4375 meters. And We will hike through the Potanin glacier 100-meter-deep glacier from Ice Age 2. Evening, ride our horses back to the nomadic family for over 2 hours. We will see Blue lake on the way. The riding way will be Mountainous, windy and cold.
Day 9: Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, Mongolia
Day 9: Stay in White river area We will stay here, walk to the green lake, and introduce Tuva ethnic family’s daily lifestyle.
Day 10: Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, Mongolia to Road Sagsai, Ulgii, Mongolia
Day 10: Eagle hunter nomadic family We will drive to Sagsai village to the traditional eagle hunter family. In summer we can’t see the exact hunting. The hunting season is from the End of September or October to March. In July we can see an eagle wich is losing a feather. And meet traditional trainer, to see eagle hunting training in Mountain with wolf. Drive 180 km
Day 11: Road Sagsai, Ulgii, Mongolia to Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia
Day 11: Ulgii province We will go to the Mountains to see eagle hunting training. Eagle, hunter photography with equipment and traditional clothes. Evening drive to Ulgii province.
Day 12: Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia to Mankhan - Munkhkhairkhan Road, Tsenkher, Mongolia
Day 12: North Tsenher Cave, Petroglyphs Today we will drive 280- 300 km, and visit North Tsenher Cave. We will see 40000 years ago rock painting in this cave. This painting represents nomadic people’s core philosophy of mindset. And western Mongolia was a warm area with mammoth, wild turkey. The wall paintings are in the cave. We will visit Mountain Valley’s rock painting – petroglyphs here. Evening stay in local tourist camp.
Day 13: Mankhan - Munkhkhairkhan Road, Tsenkher, Mongolia to Khukh-Uzuur, Mongolia
Day 13: Uynch village Zahchin ethnic We will drive to Uyench village 180 – 200 km from Tsenher Cave. We will visit Zachchin ethnic families. Their autumn place is in Mountains above 2800-3400 meters. To move seasonally, the move by camel caravan. We will move with them to see the camel caravan moving. Old traditional hospitality, friendship, and hardworking culture are kept well in this area. Uynch village locates along with Munkhhairhan Mountain Range. Uynch is the river's name. Here live mostly Zahchin, Uriankhai, and Khalh ethnic people. This area has Mountains over 2800 meter high. People move to the higher place by camel caravan. Zahchin people keep old traditions very well in this sacred Altai Mountains.
Day 14: Uyench - Munkh Hairkhan Mountain
Day 14: Nomads moving by camel caravan Today, families prepare for the camel caravan. People gather in the elder family, dismantle Mongolian Ger (yurt) to pieces, and package stuff to camel. Do natural ritual with the remaining land, clean all places and today will be very busy day.
Day 15: Khukh-Uzuur, Mongolia
Day 15: Moving by camel, Ger building According to weather conditions, and the year's pasture, they move until 100 km. Moving can last 1-3 days. Today we will help and be with moving family.
Day 16: Khukh-Uzuur, Mongolia to Khovd, Mongolia
Day 16: Drive to Khovd town Today we will drive to Khovd town. Our tour is during the Naadam festival period. We will see Naadam somewhere in the Western village during our tour.
Day 17: Khovd, Mongolia to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Day 17 Fly to Ulaanbaatar Fly to UB. Transfer to your accommodation. The time of the flight is not certain until April 2023.
What's included
Cultural specialized, proffessional tour guide 3 times domestic flight ticket 4X4 drive car, driver local tour guide, horse riding tour guide Accommodation stays in countryside and in Ulaanbaatar All pick ups from international and domestic flights Breakfast, lunch and dinner apart from Ulaanbaatar stays. All entrance fees and activities cost, taxes
Personal expences Alcoholic drink Dinner in Ulaanbaatar
What to know
This tour can be customized. Please get in touch with me.
Route & locations
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Yoliin Am Canyon, Mongolia