Trip Details – Journey To The Tsaatan – Mongolia Winter & Spring Trip

Journey To The Tsaatan | Mongolia Winter & Spring Experience | Tailor made experience

Situated in the northernmost reaches of Mongolia, the Darkhad Depression stretches out as a vast canvas of open steppe and gently forested hills. Spanning thousands of square kilometres, this terrain is part of the taiga, also known as the boreal forest. Within this expansive wilderness lies Tsagaannuur, a region that not only marks the northernmost point of Mongolia but also cradles the habitat of the world’s southernmost indigenous reindeer population. Here, amidst these remote landscapes, live the Dukha, or Tsaatan, a community deeply rooted in the traditions of nomadic reindeer herding and shamanistic beliefs.

We invite you to embark on a low-season journey that transcends the typical boundaries of regimented tours. Traveling overland from Ulaanbaatar to the remote Tsaatan reindeer herders in northern Mongolia offers a glimpse into the connections that bind this vast country together. This journey, which covers hundreds of kilometres across rugged terrain, mirrors the very routes the Tsaatan themselves take when traveling to the capital for essential reasons like attending university or visiting the hospital. As you traverse Mongolia’s diverse landscapes and encounter different ways of life, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how the Tsaatan, though living on the fringes of Mongolia, are an integral part of its social fabric.

Central to this experience is the time spent living alongside the Tsaatan, immersing yourself in their daily lives, and connecting with their culture, customs, and challenges, from enduring harsh weather to navigating the complexities of reindeer herding. Flexibility and an open-minded attitude are crucial to fully appreciating this journey, allowing for a genuine connection with both the environment and the people who call it home.

This journey not only highlights the physical vastness of Mongolia but also underscores how Mongolians—regardless of where they live—are connected through their shared culture, reinforcing the interconnectedness of its people, from the modern amenities of the city to the ancient, nomadic traditions of the Tsaatan.

A reindeer belonging to Mongolia's Tsaatan reindeer herders. Part of one of our Mongolia winter tours
Reindeer belonging to the Tsaatan reindeer herders of Mongolia
Shamanistic ovoos Mongolia

Interested? Please email or send a message through WhatsApp for the full itinerary details. Price details are below.

  • Duration: 12 Days – Adaptable
  • Maximum Group Size – we prefer 6 as it helps manage our impact but we will increase it for private trips
  • Accommodation – Homestays – Hosted by families we work in long-term local partnerhsip with, Family operated ger camp
  • Travel with & experience the friendship of our great Mongolian teams of male driver & female trip assistant as well as the friendship of the families we work in partnership with.
  • This is a customisable trip. It is adaptable, giving you the freedom to build a unique and personal trip for your chosen date. Upgrade your accommodation for all – or just part – of your trip, slow down the pace with few extra nights here and there or add a few more active adventures along the way. All images used throughout this document were taken either by EL guests or members of the EL team. This is the Mongolia that you will also experience.
  • Winter is a quintessential Mongolian season. It is cold, very cold, but the cold is an important part of what makes Mongolia and its landscapes extraordinary at this time of year.  For all of our winter trips, we provide traditional felt boots, hand-made goat skin blankets and can provide winter deels as well.
  • Book With Flexibility & Confidence (see below)

‘I was blown away by the variety of the scenery and  the people. The highlights of the trip were the friendliness of the staff, the interactions with herders as people and friends and feeling part of the country.’ EL guest John Highley

Journey To The Tsaatan | Positive Impact Overview

  • No domestic flights. Emissions per km for domestic flights are high because a large proportion of the flight is spent taking off and landing. As we are serious about tackling the carbon footprint of the trips we offer, we try that a majority of our experiences don’t include domestic flights.
  • The maximum group size is six which is refreshingly small for the travel industry and allows us to manage our impact.
  • We are in the process of measuring the carbon footprint of each experience we offer and balancing the footprint through the Mongolian Nomad Carbon Project. We wanted a high-standard project local to Mongolia where the local community had a positive say in the scheme and its impact. It’s the first project of its kind in Mongolia – restoring traditional nomadic practices to enable ecosystem recovery and carbon uptake – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/climate-action-plan/
  • Our team of female Mongolian trip assistants is breaking down barriers in tourism and leading the way for other Mongolian women from a diverse range of backgrounds to work in and be supported by tourism. Mongolia’s growing economy has not directly translated into better employment opportunities for women and by choosing to travel with us you’re helping us to create long-term development and employment opportunities for our brilliant trip assistants – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/chandmana-erdene-a-circular-approach-to-tourism/
  • High unemployment rates and toxic masculinity are two very real issues faced by older more traditional men in Mongolia. By choosing to travel with us you’re helping us to provide long-term employment for our team of older, more traditional male drivers who have experience and accumulated knowledge but who would otherwise struggle to find employment and provide for their extended families.
  • The experience has been built with a focus on Mongolian culture and on creating local benefits for local people & communities including families we work in long-term local community partnership with – helping to supplement their income to help prevent urban migration, face the challenges of climate change and allowing them to maintain their fragile herding lifestyle – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/who-we-are/who-we-work-with/
  • A donation is made to the Mongolian projects that we provide long-term support to (and that you will visit) such as the Uuliin Nuur Community Project in Ulaanbaatar – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/project-support/
  • Our winter trips all have a 15% discount as a way of encouraging travellers to travel outside of the main travel season – helping to make tourism less concentrated around peak season in Mongolia (summer) and to help the income of the people we work with be more evenly distributed – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/low-season-travel-mongolia/

Explore More: Connected Stories On Our Blog

Learn more about Mongolia’s sacred Khovsgol Nuur

Explore Mongolia’s wild Darkhad Depression

Our guide to the remote Amarbayasgalant Monastery

Journey To The Tsaatan | The Small Details

  • For all of our low season experiences, we offer a sliding price scale. We appreciate your holiday funds are precious and so the price depends on the final group size. The more individual travellers that book so everyone benefits.

Group Size – Minimum of two or pay a surcharge | We prefer a maximum group size of 6 as it helps manage our impact but we will increase it for private trips 

  • Final group size of 2 guests            USD 3285 pp
  • Final group size of 3-5 guests        USD 2665 pp
  • Final group size of 6 guests            USD 2405 pp
  • The above prices include a 15% discount pp as a thank you for choosing to travel with EL outside of the main season. We are keen to extend the season for the benefit of our Mongolian team and the rural families and Mongolian businesses we work with – to make tourism less concentrated around peak season (summer) and to help the income of the people we work with be more evenly distributed. Thank you for being part of our philosophy. 

Where Does Your Payment Go?

We understand that budget is a personal consideration, and everyone has different preferences. Our rates may be higher compared to some other agencies, not because we position ourselves as a luxury tour operator, but due to our commitment to a form of tourism that is fair and equitable. By limiting our operations to around 150-200 travelers annually, we focus on delivering personalized and meaningful journeys rather than generic tick-list experiences.

  • Commitment to Mongolia: We are a registered Mongolian business, contributing to the local economy through taxes, employment, and social security payments. Your tour payment stays within Mongolia, supporting local initiatives and fostering economic growth.
  • Empowering Employment Opportunities: We offer long-term employment to individuals often overlooked by other tour companies. Our team includes female Mongolian trip assistants who break barriers in the tourism industry, paving the way for other women to flourish in tourism-related roles. Similarly, we employ older, traditional male drivers, addressing high unemployment rates and supporting extended families within Mongolia. Learn more about our initiatives: Empowering Mongolian Women and Supporting Male Drivers.
  • Community and Herding Family Support: Our trips are designed to benefit Mongolian herding families and local communities that we have formed long-term local community partnerships with without disrupting their lives or work. Our sustained support helps these families face the challenges posed by climate change. Discover more: About Us.
  • Climate Emergency Advocacy:  As members of Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency and signatories of the Glasgow Declaration, we are committed to finding solutions to the climate crisis. We pioneer regenerative tourism practices that minimize our carbon footprint and contribute positively to our planet’s well-being. Learn about our climate initiatives: Climate Emergency.
  • All meals outside of the city of Ulaanbaatar. Mainly prepared and cooked by your local team so they are fresh and it means we offer more flexibility for any dietary requirements. We also provide filtered drinking water (not bottled), tea, and coffee. 
  • In Ulaanbaatar: local lunch and welcome drink on city walking tour
  • Local team of English-speaking female Mongolian trip assistant and Mongolian male driver
  • All overland transportation throughout the trip (+ fuel)
  • Each vehicle has a charger for cameras and phones
  • Free (informal and relaxed) city walking tour of Ulaanbaatar
  • Transportation to and from the airport on arrival and departure days
  • All activities mentioned PLUS any activities offered including
    1. Camel or horseback rides
    2. Entrance fees to monasteries, temples, and museums (when with local team) – excludes camera tickets
    3. Festival tickets if a festival is highlighted in the itinerary
  • For winter trips, we also provide each traveller with one of our traditional hand made goatskin blankets. These are used by most rural Mongolians and go on top of the sleeping bag. They are fantastic insulation. Also, you get a pair of Mongolian felt boots to wear during your time in Mongolia. These are commonly used by herders and insulate the feet much better than western-style hiking boots and socks can do. They are waterproof. About the cold, predicted winter temperatures could scare at first sight, but it is a very dry cold and with good preparation (as in the right clothing including thermals)  minus 25 ° C could be compared with – 5 ° C in Europe. We look after you!
  • International airfare to and from Mongolia
  • Accommodation in Ulaanbaatar

* Our trip pricing excludes the price of accommodation in UB though. Why?  Everyone is different is the standard of accommodation they prefer at the start and end of a trip. As there is now such a variety of hotels in UB it is easier to exclude this cost. I provide a list of ideas covering varying standards and budgets and I can also help with booking. There’s everything from a homestay through to Airbnb, US$10 guesthouses and the Shangri-La!

  • Domestic flight where/if applicable

*If you are travelling by domestic flight, the schedule and cost of the domestic flights have not yet been determined by the Mongolian airlines. Once you have booked this trip, you will be notified directly by us as soon as that info becomes available. Reservations and payment arrangements for any domestic flight will be coordinated by us.

  • Passport and visa fees

Let us know your nationality at the time of booking and we’ll confirm whether you need to apply for a Mongolian visa. It is a relatively easy process depending on your nationality and we can help with some of the formalities.

  • Travel insurance (mandatory) 
  • Gratuities

*Each member of the local team receives a responsible but fair salary and none have to rely on receiving gratuities to supplement their income.  In addition, we make sure that everyone who works with us or helps us is fairly rewarded for their work and the service they provide. At the end of the tour, if you wish to make a gratuity to the local team then thank you – it is not compulsory but it is appreciated when given. If you would like to provide a tip,  a tip for the drivers would be roughly equal to what you would give to the tour guides – anything from $20 (USD) per member of staff (driver & tour guide) is a good minimum guide.

Take a look at our comprehensive FAQ section – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/mongolia-faqs/

We are members of Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency and a signatory of The Glasgow Declaration which requires us to publish an annual Climate Action Plan. It also means we have essentially signed up to work towards halving our emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050. We must report publicly on an annual basis on progress against our interim and long-term targets, as well as on actions being taken. We do this in our Climate Action Plan linked above.

One of the five pathways defined in the Glasgow Declaration is ‘measure’ and we have started the process of measuring the carbon footprint of our tours.

  • We wanted an accurate footprint analysis whilst also keeping the process manageable and achievable. Of the limited carbon calculators available to small tourism companies with a restricted budget we have signed up with the carbon calculator tool Carmacal – specifically designed for tour operators and the 2017 winner of the UNWTO Award for Innovation in Research and Technology.
  • However, there are limitations with this online tool in the fact that – like most online carbon calculators – you can only measure transport and accommodation and a few very specific activities. But, the main contributors to carbon footprints are food, consumption, transportation, and energy, and all are heavily utilised during a tourism experience.
  • As a result, Jess has been working with postgraduate student  Kelly Hirschbuehler from the Responsible Tourism Management Postgraduate Course of Leeds Beckett University in the UK – the only responsible tourism management MSc certified by the UNWTO – looking at how we can measure the carbon emissions of meals on tour as well as the carbon footprint of our office as well as certain tour activities.
  • Using the calculations provided by Kelly in her research project we can now better calculate – not perfectly but still better – the overall carbon footprint of each trip we run.

We then balance the footprint for each tour by purchasing Plan Vivo Foundation carbon certificates which are used to support the Plan Vivo Mongolian Nomad Project – working in partnership with the Mongolian Society of Range Management.

It’s not perfect, but it is a start. After all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and the way we measure the carbon footprint of our tours is manageable and achievable for us – a very small business with limited finance and resources.

We will be publishing the carbon footprint for each tour on each specific tour page but this will take a little time.

Book With Flexibility & Confidence - Learn More
  • 'Why did I choose this company?.... Because for me they have ethics and policies that support the people and the country as well as making sure that you get what you want. Nothing was too much trouble and transparency and clarity were paramount.'

    Lesley Jackson, Australia, Private/ Tailor-made experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

  • "From the start, I've been very impressed with the honesty and the quality of the information. It was very clear what this travel experience would not be, and what it would try to be (without any guarantees and thus false promises). It felt very personal. The approach to travelling was refreshing and I really appreciated it: showing the ‘real’ Mongolia, without any pretence."

    Sophie Van der Hert, The Netherlands, small group tour (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

       
  • "The flexibility of it all makes it a refreshing trip, creating memorable experiences. It was a truly good way to travel. Honest, sincere, reliable and you deliver."

    Hui Wyn Ong and Hui Li Lim, Singapore, Mongolia Horse Trekking Experience  (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

  • 'It remains a stand out adventure - remote, free and with great interaction with the environment and the people. A true adventure, unlike any other. And it was possible thanks to the special way you built EL and tailored our trip. It could easily be much less interesting without your deep relationships with the herders and families.  So thank you for making it a real Mongolian exploration and not just a hover above the surface.'

    Ben Kidron and family, Israel, Wild Family Explorer Winter (link)
    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)
  • "It honestly was a once in a lifetime trip. It was such a unique experience and learning experience. It was an incredible experience and everyone that was apart of the company made us feel welcomed like family."

     Rachel Hirsh, Hong Kong, Winter tour experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

  • "The caring for us, the locals and the environment is not something we see a lot of. A lot of times the caring to locals is a low priority, if at all. Sometimes all the company cares about is the profits and the will to satisfy the clients beats the locals. In our trip we found a unique combination where all parties are taken care of in a perfect way."

    Sagi Bar Or, Israel, Mongolia Trekking Experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

  • "Thank you and your team for everything you've done for us, I sincerely appreciate your efforts and feel lucky to have known you all. Keep it up."

    Eirini Sperelaki, Greece, Small group experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

     
  • "I would recommend EL without hesitation. The values of the company. The staff. The product. The care. The itineraries. All excellent."

    Jane McNab, Australia, Mongolia trekking experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

  • "Keep at it Jess.......you have great things going. EL is right up there with my favourite small companies (the principals of which have become close friends)."

    Pat Blamey, Australia, Mongolia Winter tour  (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

  • "You organised and delivered a fantastic mix of trips. Who’d have thought Mongolia could offer such a mix over winter? A wonderful trip. Your vision and offerings are both laudable and outstanding and a reflection of your values."

    Viv and Pete McWaters, Australia, extended Mongolia winter experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

     

  • "In terms of experiencing Mongolia we did right to go with EL. We got to experience some of Mongolian life and not just see Mongolia from the “comfort” of our car. We weren’t so much tourists but rather more like friends of friends. So well done and thank you for getting the tour just right for us."

    Maria Seele, South Africa, Mongolia Tailor Made Experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)
  • "You listened to what we wanted. You showed that you listened to us and have gone that extra mile for us – things that you don’t get on other tours. From an organisational perspective everything was excellent – great itinerary, built in flexibility, elements of surprise, relaxing, informative and enjoyable." 

    Paul Williams and Mandy Wong, UK and Australia, Tailor Made Experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)

     
  • 'It's an extremely difficult balancing act to offer tourists an 'authentic' yet 'entertaining' experience but I think you did very well. We never felt like we were imposing or getting in the way. In a way, it felt more like were visiting friends of friends.'

    Diarmuid Carter, Private / Tailor Made Experience (link)

    Or, see our Tripadvisor reviews (link) or our annual feedback review (link)