Wild Mongolia: Ice Naadam and Frozen Steppe
Ten days in Mongolia at its most extreme: Winter Naadam on the frozen Lake Khovsgol, horseback riding on the steppe at -30C, overnight in gers heated with dung stoves, and a meeting with Kazakh eagle hunters.
Description
Few experiences in East Asia match the rawness of a Mongolian winter. This itinerary links up with the Ice Naadam held on Lake Khovsgol in March, where nomads compete in horse-drawn sleds, wrestling on ice and archery. But the trip is much more than the festival: you cross the frozen steppe in a 4x4 jeep, ride with tsaatan reindeer herders in the taiga, sleep in traditional gers heated with dry-dung stoves, and call on the Kazakh hunters of the west with their trained golden eagles. Temperatures hover between -25C and -35C. There is no tourist infrastructure: outdoor latrines, no showers, roads that vanish under the snow. A resistant mindset and tolerance of extreme discomfort are required. The reward is a landscape of endless white steppe, skies of impossible blue and the most genuine hospitality on the continent.
Health & safety
- Extreme temperatures (-35C) can cause frostbite in minutes
- There are no hospitals on the steppe
- An emergency evacuation can take 2 to 3 days
- Air-evacuation insurance is mandatory
Day-by-day itinerary
Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Arrival in the coldest capital in the world. Visit to the Gandan Monastery and purchase of thermal clothing.
Visit to the Gandantegchinlen Monastery
Culture2hThermal-clothing shopping at Narantuul
Culture2hBuuz and fermented mare's milk dinner
gastronomy1hFlight to Murun
Murun
Flight to Murun
Domestic flight to Murun, capital of Khovsgol Province. 4x4 jeep toward the lake.
Flight UB-Murun
Sports2hJeep crossing of the frozen steppe
Sports4hFrozen Lake Khovsgol
Lake Khovsgol
Frozen Lake Khovsgol
First day on the frozen lake. Ice fishing and sled ride pulled by horses.
Ice-hole fishing
Sports3hHorse-sleigh ride
Sports2hNight in a ger on the ice
Rest1hIce Naadam
Lake Khovsgol
Ice Naadam
Full day of the Ice Naadam festival: Mongolian wrestling on the lake, sleigh races, archery.
Attendance at the Ice Naadam
Entertainment6hMarmot barbecue in a ger
gastronomy1hHorseback trek to the Tsaatan taiga
Tsagaannuur
Horseback trek to the Tsaatan taiga
Trip northward, to the Siberian border. Horse trek through the snowy taiga toward the reindeer herders.
Horse ride on Mongolian horses through the taiga
Sports6hMeeting the tsaatan
Culture2hLife with the Tsaatan
Tsagaannuur
Life with the Tsaatan
Full day living with the reindeer herders: milking, migration and shamanic rituals.
Reindeer milking at dawn
Culture2hTsaatan shamanic ritual
Culture2hReindeer cheese making
gastronomy2hReturn to Murun
Murun
Return to Murun
Down from the taiga. Long day of jeep driving back to Murun.
Jeep crossing on the way back
Sports6hFlight to Ulgii
Ulgii
Flight to Ulgii
Flight to Mongolia's far west, to Bayan-Ulgii Province, home of the Kazakh hunters.
Flight Murun-UB-Ulgii
Sports4hKazakh dinner in a ger
gastronomy1hEagle hunting
Altai
Eagle hunting
A day's hunting with the berkutchi — the legendary Kazakh hunters with golden eagles.
Hunting outing with a golden eagle
Sports6hEagle ceremony at dusk
Culture1hReturn to Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Return to Ulaanbaatar
Return flight. Last night in the capital with a Mongolian folk show.
Khöömei show
Culture2hFarewell dinner with khorkhog
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