Mongolia

Highlights

Hiking & Camping - Mongolia is a mountain walking and trekking paradise. In the west, there are dozens of mountains with glaciers, including Mongolia's highest peak Tavanbogd Uul at 4374m. In the south is the Gobi Desert which harbours a few rugged mountain ranges. In the north, the Khovsgol Nuur Lake is Mongolia's top scenic attraction with dozens of mountains 2000m high, thick pine forests, and lush meadows with grazing yaks and horses. Around Ulaan Baatar, areas such as the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park (central Mongolia) and Bogdkhan Uul Strictly Protected Area have enough mountains to keep hikers busy for months.

Mountaineering - There are many glaciers and permanently snow-capped mountains in Mongolia’s western region, which attract climbers. Mount Khuiten, Mongolia’s highest peak (4,374m) part of the Tavanbogd Uul Range located in Bayan Olgii Province, it lies on the bordrs of Mongolia, China and Russia.

Other main peaks of the western region are:

• Otgontenger Uul (4,021m) in Zavkhan Province
• Turgen Uul (3,978m) in Uvs Province, the highest peak in this range is Tsagaan Deglii
• Kharkhiraa Uul (4,037m) in Uvs Aimag (highest peak, Tsagaanshuvuut)
• Sutai Uul (4,244m) on the border between Gobi Altai and Khovd Provinces
• Altai Tavan Uul (4,150m) in Bayan Olgii and Khovd Provinces
• Tsambagarav Uul (4,202m) in Khovd Province
• Munkh Khairkhan Uul (4,362m) on the border between Bayan Olgii and Khovd Provinces. The main peak is Sukhbaatar or Tavankhumst (the name differs on various maps) at 4,204m
• Tavanbodg Uul (4,374m) in Bayan Olgii Province

The best time to climb is from the beginning of July until the end of August; you will need permits from the Ministry of Nature and Environment. The sport requires a high degree of professionalism: you must have the necessary experience, be fully equipped and hire local guides. Climbing trips are best arranged through your home climbing club with a specialist tour operator.

Horse & Camel Riding - The most authentic way to experience Mongolia is to travel on horseback accompanied by nomads. Horse riding excursions has became an integral part of organized tours and are great fun both to the tourist and to Mongolians watching foreigners struggling with horses which they tamed with uncanny ease.

Cultural Adventures - Mongolia has a fascinating nomadic culture and Tibetan Buddhist heritage with intriguing traditional customs dating back before Chinggis Khan. The biggest event of the Mongolian year for foreigners & locals alike is the Naadam Festival, or the Three Manly Sports of horse racing, archery and wrestling, held in mid-July in Ulaan Baatar each year.

Naadam Festival - The biggest event of the year in Mongolia is the Naadam Festival, known as the Eriin Gurvan Naadam, after the three 'manly sports' of wrestling, archery and horse racing. It was celebrated for centuries as a test of courage and strength of nomadic people and warriors. People coming from all corners of the country and abroad enjoy watching the Naadam Games. The festival is held all over the country, normally between 11 and 13 July, the anniversary of the 1921 Mongolian Revolution. The major events take place during the first two days and mass celebration is reserved for the third. The festivities kick off with a colourful parade of athletes, monks and soldiers who march through the streets as musicians perform military tunes, and Mongolians dress in Chinggis-style warrior uniforms.

During the horse races, up to 1,000 horses can be chosen to compete. Incredibly, children from the ages of 5 to 13 are chosen as the jockeys. The race is conducted on the open grasslands with no set track or course for 10 miles (16 kilometres) up to 17 miles (30 kilometres). Music is very important before the race too, as the audience sings traditional songs and the jockeys sing a pre-race song called a gingo.

For the archery competition, contestants dress in traditional costumes and use a bent bow constructed of horn, bark, and wood. The arrows, made from willow branches and vulture feathers are shot at round, leather targets with grey, yellow or red rings. Men must stand 75 meters and women 60 meters from the target. Judges, standing near the targets, assess each shot with a cry, called a uukhai, and a raised hand. The winning archer, or mergen, is the one who hits the targets the most times.

The wrestling competitions attract more than 500 wrestlers from all over the country and begin around noon on the first day of the festival and end on the second day. First, there are no weight divisions. A small wrestler can be pitted against someone two times his weight. This can lead to some very interesting matches. Second, there are no time limits. The loser of a match is the wrestler who falls first. A fall is when any part of a wrestler's body, except his hands or feet, touches the ground.Titles are given to winners of a number of rounds. One elite wrestler was once given the title "Eye-Pleasing Nationally Famous Mighty and Invincible Giant."

GOBI DESERT (Southern Gobi Province)
The Gobi Desert is a vast zone of desert and desert steppe covering almost 30% of the Mongolian territory and north eastern China. The desert stretches about 3,000 mi/4,830 km along both sides of the Chinese border. The Mongolian Government established the Great Gobi desert Strictly Protected Area in 1975 and the United Nations designated, in 1991 the Gobi desert as fourth largest Biosphere reserve in the world.

Desert is often imagined as a lifeless desert, similar to African deserts. In reality, most part of the Gobi Desert is a land of steppes and many camel breeders inhabit this zone as rich in wildlife and vegetation. It has herds of Bactrian camels (with two humps), wild horses and donkeys, as well as leopards, mountain sheep and ibexes.

There is a lot of variety within the Gobi Desert, from wildlife parks and mountains to canyons with dramatic rockfaces. Once the site of an ancient inland sea, the area has dried up and then eroded over the eons, providing paleontologists with magnificent specimens of dinosaur fossils. The Mongolian say that there are 33 different Gobi from which sandy desert occupies 30% of the total area. Climate is extreme with +40° in summer and -40° in winter and very few precipitation.

Adventure Sports ( Kayaking, Rafting, Mountain Biking, etc. ) - High snowcapped mountains, glaciers, wide expanse of grasslands, innumerous lakes & rivers, and endless trails & roads ... Mongolia seems to be tailor-made as a paradise for adventure sports.