Magnificent Mongolia
By Cherri Briggs, Founder of EXPLORE
For those who know me as an Africa expert, it may come as a surprise to hear me talking about Mongolia—my latest obsession... Right up there with the Dzanga Bai in the Central African Republic, Tanzania’s Ruaha and Katavi National Parks, and Mozambique’s remote Lugenda River, Mongolia has secured its place in my top five favorite destinations on Earth.
This past October, our dear friend Jalsa Urubshurow—founder of Nomadic Expeditions and co-recipient of Condé Nast Traveler’s coveted Global Travel Specialist award, as well as the Wendy Perrin specialist award for Mongolia—invited us to the 25th anniversary of his Golden Eagle Hunters Festival in the Altai Mountains of Western (or ‘Outer’) Mongolia. How could we say no? We gathered a small group of intrepid EXPLORE travelers and set off to the end of the earth. There’s ‘remote’ as we know it… and then there’s Mongolia.
I expected dramatic landscapes and interesting traditional culture but was astounded by the magnitude of the beauty of both. One million Mongolians still live as nomads in their gers (round, yurt-like tents made of felt and other natural materials.) The nomads’ lifestyle exemplifies the highest standards of self-sustainability and minimal environmental impact on earth, though the increasingly large herds are taking a toll on the landscape as populations increase. Nomads oftentimes have large herds of horses, camels, sheep and goats and most of their lifestyle is supported from the animals’ by-products. The walls of their charming gers are made from pounded felt made from cashmere sheep and goat’s hair; fire is made by burning camel or horse dung; cheese and dry dairy products are made from the milk of all three, and alcohol is made from fermented horse milk (not necessarily recommended…). Aside from the occasional satellite dish for cell or TV coverage and a few 4 x 4 vehicles and motorcycles, not much has changed from the days of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire the 1200s. It was an honor to stick our western toes into this ancient culture for a moment.
The Annual Golden Eagle Festival did not disappoint and our comfortable camp of large gers (erected just for us for the four days we were there) provided great respite from the cold nights. Our private guide, Gonzo (known as Gonzo-pedia for his encyclopedic knowledge), was incredible in all ways, one of the best guides I have had anywhere. The food was not just good, but excellent. The Khazak people’s ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles from horseback is celebrated and preserved at the annual celebration created by Nomadic Expeditions. Riders and archers demonstrate their skills in a multitude of contests from archery to horsemanship to spear throwing, all originally derived from the training and games of Genghis Khan’s Mongol army. Over a period of a few years this ancient army invaded and conquered the largest swath of the world in all of human history, stretching from China and Russia to Eastern Europe. Today Mongolia sits in a not always comfortable position between Russia to the north and China to the south. Korea is not far away and was our stop enroute yet Mongolia stands firm.
From our remote camp in Western Mongolia, we traveled by private charter to the Gobi Desert—the fifth-largest desert in the world—where we experienced the comfort and luxury of Nomadic Expeditions’ award-winning Three Camel Lodge. Our wonderful staff from Outer Mongolia accompanied us and continued to create amazing nightly feasts and offer us the highest standards of hospitality. We made daily excursions with our guides into the desert and experienced its incredibly varied wonders from the stone canyon of Moltsog Els. The ravine is fed by glacial waters and is carpeted by tundra grasses and moss and beautiful tiny flowers. It reminded me of remote parts of Scotland, but that illusion was broken by the silhouette of the occasional ibex standing regally on top of the ravine, a marked contrast to a Highlander cow. We clambered up the giant sable colored dunes of the Havsgait Mountain which we further explored on rare Bactrian camels, climbed ridgebacks to see Paleolithic petroglyphs, and last but definitely not least.. we went hunting for dinosaurs!
We were honored to be allowed to join Dr. Ulzii Sanjaadash, a leading paleontologist with a PhD focused on the dinosaurs of Mongolia and their significance to the local population, and accompany him on a surprise expedition to the top of the Flaming Cliffs, where he allowed us to witness and join in his team’s excavation of an 80 million year old dinosaur egg nest. I have had some serious wow moments in my life, but this definitely took the grand prize. No one was unaffected by the sight of seeing these ancient relics being revealed from their ancient, earthbound home. The honor can be fully credited to Jalsa and his associate Undraa who somehow convinced the doctor to wait for months for us for the unearthing, simply so we could be there to witness it. We were all in awe and will be forever grateful.
So, if your adventurous spirit is calling you, call us, and we will introduce you to the exceptional team at Nomadic Expeditions. The Golden Eagle Festival takes place in October, but you can visit the Gobi Desert and other regions of Mongolia during the summer months.