Mongolia and the Olympics - winning gold in Judo
Mongolia And The Olympics
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Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes Mongolia
Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes Mongolia
July 27, 2021
Bactrian camel Mongolia

Camel Trekking Mongolia

The Gobi Desert, Asia’s largest desert, stretches across northern China and southern Mongolia. In his book Tracking the Gobi, John Man describes Mongolia’s Gobi Desert as offering “a cross-section of this sweep of earth’s history.” This ancient land has witnessed the flow of countless travelers over the centuries. Until the 1920s, camel caravans regularly traversed the Gobi, primarily along the trade route between Urga (modern-day Ulaanbaatar – UB) and Beijing. In the 1920s, the desert was also the path for five Central Asiatic Expeditions led by scientist-explorer Roy Chapman Andrews. We believe an extended camel trek is a quintessential Gobi experience, inspired by its rich historical connections.

The Bactrian Camel: A Vital Companion

Bactrian camel - camel trekking in Mongolia

Image: EL guest Kairi Aun

The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), distinguished by its two humps, has been an essential pack animal in Mongolia for centuries. Their resilience to high altitudes, cold, and drought conditions made them ideal for journeys along routes like The Tea Road, which connected China to Russia via Mongolia.. Their pale colour helps reflect the sun’s rays during the Gobi’s extreme summer heat, while their thin stomach hair allows heat to escape. Remarkably adapted to desert life, Bactrian camels have long eyelashes to keep out sand, tough teeth for chewing thorny plants, and produce dry feces and concentrated urine to conserve water. In the desert, herders make a fermented drink called khoormog from camel’s milk, similar to the famous airag made from mare’s milk.

Camel Trekking Experiences in Mongolia

One of our camel trekking experiences in Mongolia focuses on Mongolia’s Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes, the highest dunes in Mongolia, stretching about 180 km in length and 12 km in width. We recommend a minimum of two days, but for a more immersive experience, a five-day trek allows for extensive exploration of the remote, lesser-visited southern side of the dunes. Our treks are vehicle-supported, so participants can switch from camels to vehicles if needed.  Previous guests have highlighted the colours in the evening sky, the stars, the cool early morning climb of the dunes, and playing cards with our camel herder who acted as their camel guide. Not a single mention of stubborn camels or sore backsides!

A Unique Journey with Local Herders

You’ll be accompanied by a camel herder who knows the area intimately. We collaborate with these herders through long-term local community partnerships. The five-day trek follows an approximate circuit around the dunes, with stops at:

  • Seruun Bulag – A local spring.
  • Uujim Pass – A natural highway through the dunes preserved by the prevailing winds which blow away lightweight sand before it has a chance to lay down in deep drifts thereby preserving the route. (The sand dunes are breached by this natural highway of low-lying sand and this north-south route has been in use for centuries.)
  • Mount Zoolon – The dunes are ‘squeezed’ between  the Bayan Tsagaan Mountains to the north and the Zoolon and Sevrey Mountains on the south.
  • Zuun Shurguul – A dense Gobi forest of saxaul trees and tall grasses
Wolf prints - camel trekking Mongolia, Gobi Desert

Wolf prints outside our tent during one of our five-day camel trekking experiences in Mongolia

Camel Welfare

While we can’t speak for other herders or companies, we ensure that the families we partner with prioritise the health and welfare of their camels. On the Mongolian steppe, livestock is a vital insurance policy, and while sentimentality may be absent, cruelty is not a practice.

For our camel treks, camels have nose pegs, a common practice in both Mongolia and countries like Australia, necessary for controlling the camels during the trek. All livestock in Mongolia, including riding camels, are free-ranging. This means they are free to roam and graze independently. Riding camels are gathered from their grazing grounds either the evening before or the morning of a trek. Once the trek is completed, the camels are released to roam freely again. Due to this freedom, all camels used for riding, whether by herders, other Mongolians, or Westerners, have nose pegs. The nose pegs are essential for controlling the camels, as a rope or line is attached to the peg, allowing for the management of the camel’s neck and head movements, and consequently, the overall body movements.

An Unforgettable Experience

We incorporated a five-day camel trekking experience in our Wild Gobi Research experience which left a lasting impression. Sovay Berriman, a past participant, recalls:

“Six Mongolian Bactrian camels took us across the foot hills of the mighty sand dunes of Khongoryn Els, led by Bagi, a local herder and, our guide. The dunes of Khongoryn Els sweep up against Zöölön Uul, a mountain range that is at the easterly reach of the Gobi Altai. You could say the dunes were a mountain range themselves. They are mammoth, the highest peak of sand being approximately 300m. They present the stereotypical beauty I think of in relation to a desert; sweeping lines and sharp contrasting forms lit by an unforgiving sun. There is certainly a beauty here…”

 

Thousand Camel Festival winter camel trek

Join Us

Learn more about Mongolia’s Gobi Desert here, or join us in February for our Thousand Camel Festival small group experience. Learn more here. Alternatively, you can choose your dates for a tailor-made Gobi Insight road trip. Contact us for more details on our camel trekking experiences in Mongolia.

Jess @ Eternal Landscapes

Jessica Brooks
Jessica Brooks
I'm Jess Brooks, the founder of Eternal Landscapes Mongolia and the voice behind EL's blog posts. For almost two decades, since 2006, I've been based in Mongolia, working closely with my beloved Mongolian team to advocate for a tourism approach that brings about positive change.. What sets our blog apart is our deep understanding of Mongolia—our home. Unlike content from influencers or creators, our posts prioritise authenticity and firsthand knowledge as guiding principles.