After a brief 2-day break in Ulaan Baatar to recharge our batteries, do some much-needed laundry (to eradicate the yak and camel smell) and restock our supplies, we headed out to explore the central and northern regions of Mongolia on a 12-day tour. 

Day One

We set off in a Russian van with four of the original six people from the Gobi trip (2 having already departed to China).  Our first destination was Terelj National Park just one hour outside of Ulaan Baatar.  The area is known for its magnificent alpine scenery and is a popular destination for hiking and rock climbing.  

Mountain and valley views of Terelj National Park.

The park is also home to a sacred rock formation known as 'turtle rock', a much-revered symbol for Buddhists. 

'Turtle Rock'

Our ger at the foot of an amazing cliff face.

Day Two

Leaving Terelj, we headed for another national park, this one famous for being the home of the Takhi - the Mongolian Wild Horse.  The Takhi (also known as Przewalski horse - named after the Polish explorer who discovered the horse in 1879) are the last remaining truly wild horse in the wild; they are genetically a different species to the common horse, boasting two extra chromosomes in their DNA makeup.

The Takhi.

The Takhi are sandy colored except for a dark dorsal stripe; the tail and legs are dark and the legs have zebra stripes; the skull and jaw is broader and heavier than a horse's and the mane is short and erect. 

Wild horses roaming in the park.

That night we camped outside the park in a lush green valley and listened to the wolves howling from the nearby hilltops as we fell asleep in our tents.

Our campsite was remote.

Day Three - Four

Our next two days were spent in a Ger alongside Ogii Nuur (Nuur is the Mongolian word for lake); a beautiful freshwater lake renowned for its birdlife and fishing.  Having purchased a fishing rod at the Black Market in Ulaan Baatar, we were eager to try our luck!! 

Casting out our hooks in Ogii Nuur.

Eric was the most successful in our group, catching three fish in total.

What a beauty!! (fish number 2 was the most photogenic!)

Our Mongolian host checks in on us.

Our host family poses for a photo.

Day Five

A five hour drive brought us to the town of Tsetserleg; a town ringed by scenic mountains; its streets are tree lined (an impressive quality in Mongolia!) and a lovely temple overlooks the valley of houses. 

A Buddhist temple overlooks the town of Tsetserleg.

Posing for photos with the temple monks.

We were pleasantly surprised by the town and of the friendliness of the locals.  An added bonus was the discovery of a guesthouse bakery run by an expat British couple, which sold the only brown bread we have found outside Ulaan Baatar.... and the gusthouse had a pile of month-old British newspapers which we devoured!!

Day Six - Eight

Moving on from Tsetserleg, we arrived at our main destination: Terkiin Tsagaan Nuur (The Great White Lake).  Extinct and craterous volcanoes surround this freshwater lake, which was formed by lava flows millions of years ago.  The lake is home to Mongolia's only truly sandy beach, but unfortunately the cold September winds prevented us from doing too much sunbathing. 

Terkiin Tsagaan Nuur was impressive.

The fish weren't biting so we spend our time hiking up the volcanoes and around the surrounding mountains, and sheltering in our ger from a brief but heavy hailstorm.

An extinct volcano sits at the end of the lake.	A 30 minute hike takes you to the edge of the crater.

Nikki disappears down a volcanic crack.	Horses roam the fertile land around the volcano.

Our ger on the edge of the lake came in handy when a storm blew in.	A nomadic family move their ger using yaks.

Day Nine

Heading back to Ulaan Baatar, we stopped at Chuluut Canyon; an extremely picturesque spot perfect for swimming (a 'bath') and fishing.

At the top of Chuluut Canyon.

Eric relaxes in the sun after a river 'bath'.	Nikki finds a great spot for fishing.

Our tent had a great view over the canyon.

Nikki catches a fish..... just in time for dinner!

Day Ten

After a brief stop some hot springs, we traveled to a waterfall for our last opportunity to catch some fish.

Eric makes the last catch in Mongolia!!

We befriended the local guard dog who happily guarded our tent for the night in exchange for a few cookies.

Day Eleven

Tearing ourselves away from the waterfall, we drove along some steep mountain roads to reach Tovkhon Sum - a temple situated high up on a mountain top reachable only via a one hour trek.... exhausting, but well worth it for the views!!

Our van makes its way through the mountains.

The view from Tovkhon Sum.

Day Twelve

A six-hour drive brought us back to Ulaan Baatar, though in a different van.  The night before our vehicle was swapped with that of an outgoing tour as their van had broken its front axle.  Despite the axle being held together with twisted wire, we made it safely back to the capital. 

Our driver 'Otto' was very friendly and gave us some great fishing tips.

Our thirty-day visas expire in three days, so we're off to China on Saturday morning. 

There is no way we can stress how beautiful Mongolia is.... you will all have to come and see it for yourselves!!!

 

 

There is little spectacular to see in Mongolia except the magnificent countryside of Mongolia itself - and it was this that we came to see.  Along with the six backpackers from the train (two Americans, two Swiss, one British, and one Zimbabwean) we soon found a local tour operator through which we hired two local drivers, a jeep and van for a nine day trip to the Gobi Desert staying with nomadic families in their traditional habitat. 

Day One

Day of departure.  Having stocked up on canned fruit and vegetables, pasta, spreads, fruits, snacks and over eighty bottles of water; our jeep and van convoy departed the city on a rainy Tuesday morning.  We shared our jeep with an American couple from Washington DC - Sheila and Jake.  Our fellow travelers - Jason, Ashleigh, Carole and Roland - were sharing the van. 

 
Team Jeep.

Twenty minutes into the trip and barely outside the city limits, we lost the van!! We then spent an hour at the roadside trying to locate them before finally giving up and driving the first leg of our trip solo.... which increasingly seemed to be a bad idea given the amount of tinkering our driver did to the jeep within a couple of hours of our trip.

Trying to find the van...	Checking the engine..
Pumping up the tyres...	Checking for stowaways???

The paved roads lasted no more than one hundred kilometers, before turning into the dirt trails that criss-cross the rest of Mongolia.  Little did we know at the time that that would be our last glimpse of a paved road for the next nine days.

Mongolian highways.

Spectacular views from the 'highway'.

Our first day brought our first encounter with traditional Mongolian cuisine - buuz (mutton dumplings), accompanied with Mongolian tea (an extremely milky drink made from yak milk with a strangely salty after-taste). 

Nikki "enjoying" Mongolian tea.

That night we stayed in our first 'ger' (pronounced: grrr), the traditional circular Mongolian tents made of felt and used by nomads throughout the country.

Our gers.

Our dinner was mutton soup, and our evenings’ entertainment was delivered by a highly-skilled local musician who gave us a great demonstrations of traditional instruments and a burst of the famous Mongolian 'throat singing'. 

The horse-headed fiddle.

Day Two

After a brief stop to admire the local monastery, we headed off to our first highlight of the trip - the waterfall near Tsetserleg. 

Relaxing in the midday sun.	Rivers are minor highway obstacles.
A ger with a great backyard.	Herding the cattle to water.

Unfortunately the waterfall was no more than a mere trickle due to a relative lack of rain; however, the setting was still amazing and a fast flowing river nearby provided a welcome swim after the days drive.

The waterfall pool.	Swimming in the river.

The day was capped off with a sunset horse ride over the rolling hills.

Eric and Jake saddle up.	Riding off into the sunset.

Day Three

We woke up early and crept out of our ger to see the sunrise.

	The sun rises over our gers
Nikki befriends the local ger guard dog.

After packing up our stuff there was time to watch our ger host milk the yaks for the days' supply of fresh milk.

Curious baby yaks .	Collecting the day's yak milk.

Pit stops are definitely encouraged!!

Our day's destination was the small market town of Arvaikheer.  Along the way our driver stopped off at a ger where we enjoyed the family’s hospitality of more Mongolian tea.

Enjoying a round of tea...	...with the family.

Light from the setting sun captured on a cloud over Arvaikheer.

Day Four - Five

A six hour and extremely bumpy ride brought us to our major destination - the Gobi sand dunes.  Along the way we passed the Gobi's main residents: camels!!

Camel caravan across the desert.

We spent two days enjoying the area, walking and taking a camel ride along the dunes.  Climbing the dunes took far more effort than initially expected, but forty minutes of trekking were rewarded with spectacular views across the desert.

Our first views of the spectacular dunes (also the view from the doorless outhouse).

 
The magnificent view from the top.

The dunes stretch out for miles.

Eric's guide to getting on a camel:

1. Sit securely in the saddle	2. Hold on tightly!!
3. Grab reins firmly	4. Smile for the camera!

Sitting on top of the Gobi - definitely a reason to smile.

Day Six

After two days of enjoying the sand, we reluctantly left; our convoy driving on to the next destination: the ice valley.  The drive provided superb views and involved negotiating narrow gorges carved out by glaciers in bygone areas. 

Our jeep travelling through the gorge.

The ice valley was great for hiking.

Leaving the ice valley, we made our way to Dalanzadgad, the principal town in the Gobi region. 

Luckily for us, our jeep ran out of petrol just as the sun was setting allowing us to take some great photos.

Day Seven

After stocking up in the town, we had a short ride to the 'flaming cliffs'.  These cliffs were first excavated in 1922, and are renowned world-wide for the number of dinosaur bones and eggs found in the area.

The flaming cliffs...	...accompanied by a beautiful sky.

Our ger that evening was conveniently located near a 'tourist ger' (ger tents set-up purely for tourists; unlike ours which are used by our host families in their daily lives), which provided the surreal opportunity to get a refreshing shower in the middle of the Gobi Desert!!

Eric shares his photos with a local girl.

Day Eight

Our long journey back to Ulaan Baatar was split into two stages; the first leg ending with a welcome stop at a "sometimes camel-herding community in the middle of nowhere". 

On the way our lunchtime stop provided us with what may well be our most unforgettable and unique experience in Mongolia.  Our arrival at a ger coincided with the completion of the slaughtering of a sheep.  The head of the household had just finished boiling the intestines, liver, heart and lungs, and was quick to invite us to join her and her family in what is considered to be an honored meal.  Unfortunately our western stomachs could cope with little more than nibbling on a piece of freshly cooked liver whilst trying not to stare as the woman continued to hack at and prepare the sheep's backbone. 

Our driver tucks into the feast...	...but the rest of the sheep destroys our appetite

Day Nine

A long and painfully bumpy journey brought us back to Ulaan Baatar. 

We arrive safely back at our guesthouse and take a moment to pose with our driver.

We both had an unbelievable time in our first 10 days in Mongolia; tomorrow we embark on a 12 day tour to the northern region and it's beautiful lakes....we can't wait.