Mongolia Inspirations
At EL, we operate all aspects of the business ourselves. We research, design and operate all the itineraries without the use of outside agencies or suppliers. Working in this way, allows us to stay in touch with the ‘real’ Mongolia. It also means that we get out there and do the research. We drive the distances. We speak to the people. We build the contacts. This means we have plenty of ideas and inspiration. It just can’t all be put into one website. So here are 18 little boxes of Mongolia Inspirations to help you.
Get in touch with your ideas and let Jess do the rest.
Amarbayasgalant
Why not travel from Ulaanbaatar on a local train following the route of the Trans-Mongolian? As this would be a domestic train, it would make stops at various rural outposts en route as you travel north through Mongolia’s agricultural heartland.
An alternative is to travel by vehicle and stop off at the Aglag Buteel Temple. Since the collapse of communism in the 1990s, and as Mongolia’s religious freedom has returned, a number of Buddhist monasteries have been newly established. Aglag Buteel Khiid is one of these. Established by Mongolia’s renowned Buddhist lama and artist Purevbat, it is located within a stunning mountain forest-steppe landscape. Granite rocks have been carved as statues of the Buddhist tradition, each signifying a particular symbolic meaning. There is also a road ‘a kora’ meditation route designed to harmonise with the natural environment.
For more on Amarbayasgalant Monastery, see our brief guide – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/focus-on-amarbayasgalant-monastery-mongolia/
Amarbayasgalant Monastery
Naadam Festival
The national event is held in Ulaanbaatar on July 11th and 12th (with horse racing taking place in the week leading up to the event). The dates are the anniversary of the 1921 Revolution led by the Mongolian revolutionary Sukhbaatar that brought independence from the Manchurians (Qing Dynasty).
Then smaller more informal events take place throughout all aimags (provinces) – deciding their own festival dates. Naadam celebrations are also held by small communities – as an example, herders coming together to honour the community ovoo (sacred stone shrine). Naadam is a holiday and a celebration and so most communities decide an auspicious day from the Mongolian Lunar Calendar. These smaller community events are typically only advertised by word of mouth within the local community and typically take place in July.
A question asked by most is ‘what provides the most authentic experience?’ Personally, I don’t think it matters. The most important thing to remember is to experience Naadam from a Mongolian perspective. Apart from the stadium events in Ulaanbaatar, Naadam events (whether in the capital or countryside) are typically free for all members of the public and draw a large number of Mongolian families creating a vibrant holiday atmosphere.
Learn more here – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/mongolias-naadam-festival/
Naadam Festival
Out Of Season Mongolia
Why?
Most importantly, it’s a more sustainable approach.
Along with mining and agriculture, tourism is one of the main sources of income for the country, and with a peak tourist season of barely three months, many Mongolians struggle to make ends meet. Many others involved in tourism – particularly the drivers – have little other work. Huge numbers of drivers are required in July and August, and there is simply not enough work for the rest of the year to keep them all employed.
Also, as the temperature drops, local Mongolians need to buy serious clothing, as well as food and coal, which is expensive. Herders do battle with the weather – including the unique cyclical weather phenomenon called a dzud. Hosting visitors can really ease the stresses of winter, and takes the pressure off earning a year’s worth of money in the short summer season.
Travelling off peak in Mongolia may seem like a brave prospect but come in the low season and you’ll be doing a good thing. Not only will you be rewarded with cheaper airfares, but you’ll be helping to sustain the local economy and as the sun dips ever lower, the landscapes seem to stretch further than ever. And for those of you that do it, we offer a 15% discount as a thank you.
Learn more here – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/embracing-low-season-travel-in-mongolia/.
Out Of Season Mongolia
Ger Homestays
The style of ger accommodation provided will change from family to family. Consider them as micro rural businesses that help to supplement the income of each family and to provide extra financial security for them. These are NOT rustic luxury homestays.
It depends on the location and also the season but it might be a homestay that is as simple as a mat on the floor of the ger alongside a herding family that moves 2-6 times a year. Or, it might be a small camp of 3-4 guest gers offered by retired herders helping to support their children and grandchildren or even a family living within their hasha (fenced area) in a local town community.
Just be prepared for a variety of standards. Please remember that this is someone’s way of life and home and that they provide what they can in relation to their circumstances. Most will have one Asian-style long-drop/squat toilet which is shared by all. No families have access to running water from a tap so expect stops at the great local town shower houses – your own private cubicle with plenty of hot water. Beds will vary in comfort – most rural family members still traditionally sleep on the floor so don’t really understand the concept of double memory foam mattresses!
There’s no luxury VIP treatment. Just real everyday life- whether that be the life of a working or retired herder or a small town resident.
Ger Homestays
Spring In Mongolia
Spring in Mongolia is notorious for its whims and unpredictable weather. Mongolians say, ‘like a spring sky’ (хаврын тэнгэр шиг), about its moody behaviour. Mongolian winters are infamous for their bitter temperatures, but the months of March and April are considered the hardest time of year by Mongolians. Especially the herders because the livestock are thin and weak after a long winter, and rain is rare.
Don’t let the challenging backdrop provided by the weather put you off. Spring is one of the most industrious times of year for herders and a fascinating time of year to experience Mongolia.
Visit for – the Kazakh New Year of Nauryz, the Thousand Camel Festival, Khovsgol Ice Festival, start of the livestock giving birth, cashmere harvest.
Spring In Mongolia
Conservation And Research Expedition
The Association Goviin Khulan NGO is at the forefront of this grassroots approach – working to protect the khulan (the Mongolian Wild Ass – Equus hemionus hemionus) and its natural habitat. This NGO practice interactive people-centred conservation – a multidisciplinary and innovative approach that takes into consideration the needs, difficulties, and culture of the local area, focuses on the local knowledge available and directly involves the regional population of the southeast Gobi (both protected area rangers and the local communities).
We collaborate very closely with offer a conservation and research expedition to the south east Gobi in alliance with Association Goviin Khulan where you travel alongside Anne Marie Souris – an ethnologist and founder and lead researcher of Association Goviin Khulan. As well as learning more about the wildlife of the Gobi Desert you will meet the local people such as Buddhist monks, small market gardeners and nomadic herders who are are partners in conservation.
Learn more here – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/mongolian-conservation-and-research-expedition/
Conservation And Research Expedition
Eagle Festivals
The festival helps to promote Kazakh culture in western Mongolia and showcases the speed, agility and accuracy of the female golden eagles. Run by the Mongolian Eagle Hunter’s Association, competition is typically fierce.
Sagsai Eagle Festival is held the last weekend of September in Sagsai of Bayan Olgii (or another similar district). Bayan Olgii Festival (also known as the Golden Eagle Festival) is the larger event and held the first weekend of October.
(There is also a smaller event held at the Chinggisiin Khuree Tourist Camp outside of Ulaanbaatar in March. Typically around 20 eagle hunters travel from western Mongolia to take part.)
You may also want to consider visiting western Mongolia for Nauryz. Held on 22nd March, Nauryz means ‘new day’ and is the spring festival that is celebrated through Central Asia and falls on the spring equinox. It is essentially a celebration of the coming of spring. In Ulgii, there is always a delightful colourful parade and a small informal eagle festival.
Learn more about Mongolia’s eagle festivals on our blog post.
Eagle Festivals
Five Star Mongolia
Five star luxury travel has nothing in common with everyday Mongolia – the reality of life on the ground for a majority of Mongolian people in the 21st Century. Mongolians are resilient people living in a harsh climate. They make their way of living look easy, but it’s far from so. You won’t find memory foam mattresses and scatter cushions in a typical Mongolian ger.
But what we will do is research what’s available and try to balance what you want with what is the most sustainable and responsible option for local Mongolians.
This might be one of the smaller more intimate ger camps created and owned by local Mongolian people with a passion for their local area. Or, maybe one of the 100% Mongolian owned higher standard of hotels in Ulaanbaatar that displays local artwork.
So no typical luxury flourishes but instead, comfortable accommodation that helps to support local as much as is possible.
Five Star Mongolia
Food Of The Nomads
Learn side-by-side from the locals about their life and about Mongolia’s traditional, yet delicious, cuisine where simple base materials are processed with a surprising variety of methods, and combined with vegetables and hand made noodles and other flour products for fresh homemade delights. You’ll also learn about ‘tsagaan idee’ or white food – the different dairy products including how airag (fermented mare’s milk) and shimiin arikh (yak’s milk vodka) is made.
I’ve designed a menu of traditional Mongolian meals that you will shop for at vibrant local markets and learn to prepare side by side with the family in a relaxed, informal and fun setting. It may be a morning or evening cookery class but it has been designed so there is always plenty of time for you to go out and explore and discover the local area for yourself.
Food Of The Nomads
The Middle Gobi
Is it considered a highlight? A must see destination? No. Not by guidebooks or tour companies anyway.
It is not particularly famous for anything – it’s bypassed by a majority of international visitors – all keen to head to the more famous sites of the southern Gobi but, spend time here and you’ll find a healthy fix of silence — time to think clearly. It is where the open steppe starts to turn into the desert steppe. Where grass meets gravel plains. It is a beautiful region little visited by other travellers. And a place I love dearly.
It is also the inspiration behind the name of the Mongolian side of our business – Gobi Gua Undur – it is actually the name of a small hill just outside of Erdenedalai – the area of land where the father of Turuu (my business partner) was born.
Travelling through the vastness of Mongolia – the ‘eternal landscapes’ – is awe-inspiring. Mongolia is so vast it’s oceanic. And that’s replicated in the place names such as Erdenedalai (‘jewel ocean’). The landscapes themselves can take us out of our usual mindset and allow us to experience a connection with something greater – can inspire us with a sense of the immensity of the world around us, and of just how small we are, in comparison, as individuals. They’ll give you time to stop, think and reconsider your priorities.
Consider leaving a little time for the in-between landscapes – the ones not listed or recommended or highlighted – like those in Erdenedalai in the middle Gobi that have inspired our Mongolian name of Gobi Gua Undur. And in 2018, we will be offering our private ger hosted by a local community run along the lines of a co-operative so everyone benefits.
The Middle Gobi
Khamariin Khiid
Take the Trans-Mongolian train south to Sainshand. Travel second class on the local train. It’s a great way to interact with the locals and to soak up the passing scenery – as you travel through steppe to desert terrain you’ll start to get an understanding of the diversity of Mongolia’s natural habitats. You could observe wildlife native to the Gobi – especially herds of White Tailed Gazelle.
You could also extend your trip and combine it with a visit to Ikh Nart Nature Reserve. Ikh Nart represents one of the last strong-holds for the globally threatened Argali Sheep – the largest mountain sheep in the world (Ovis Ammon). It is also a breeding site for one of the world’s largest vultures, the Cinereous Vulture – also known as the European Black Vulture.
Learn more here – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/khamariin-khiid-monastery/
Khamariin Khiid
Khovsgol Ice Festival
The festival is held to promote tourism to the region outside of the main tourist season and it focuses on the region’s special features. Don’t get caught up in notions of authenticity – the Ice Festival features a lot of local involvement. The festival draws local Mongolian spectators as well as westerners and the locals are always more enthusiastic. It is a celebration of local community, networking and collaboration to ensure a better future for the region and its herding community.
It’s definitely worth a visit but rather than flying in and out, why don’t you extend your stay with a horse sleigh trek. Choose anything from an afternoon to a full-day or more. You’ll be driven by local herders and local herders will host you as well. Khovsgol Lake – the area of water that dominated Khovsgol Nuur National Park is known as Dalai Ej – Mother Sea to Mongolians. It is a spiritual place for Mongolians and its natural beauty makes it a stunning location to take a little time out. If the sky is clear, you can stand on the frozen lake and see the snowcapped Sayan Mountains – the border with Siberia. It is truly spectacular.
Learn more about the Khovsgol Ice Festival on our blog post.
Khovsgol Ice Festival
Zavkhan Province
And why visit? For the power of the landscapes. –
For a majority of visitors, making contact with the local people is an important element of their trip to Mongolia – for a moment or two, crossing the cultural divide. This is completely understandable but, for me, the power of the landscapes is also an integral part of any journey. It is time spent exploring and ‘just being’ in the landscapes which can also be uplifting and enlightening and this is an essential element of this trip.
The landscapes you will pass through are immense and immeasurable, weathered and stark – made up of sunlight and shadow, rock, scrub, part iced over streams and fast flowing rivers. Travelling through the vast landscapes of Mongolia allows you to witness the local way of life but without being too intrusive. It’s a chance to remove your watch, take a break from the modern world and let each day and each journey unfold. Travelling in this way gives you time to think and gain a fresh perspective.
It’s worth the journey! Just choose the destination!
Zavkhan Province
Tsagaan Sar - Lunar New Year
Winter in Mongolia is a remarkable experience for those willing to take themselves outside of their comfort zone. Pack your thermals and come to Mongolia this winter and do something a little out of the ordinary. Come and enjoy being part of a minority who visit Mongolia in the winter and actually interact with the local people and enjoy slowing-down and seeing and experiencing Mongolia like few other people get to do.
For more information or ideas, look at the winter tours Mongolia page of our website. Alternatively, look at our guides to Tsagaan Sar – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/tsagaan-sar-guide/ or https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/tsagaan-sar-mongolian-lunar-new-year/
Tsagaan Sar – Lunar New Year
Summer In Mongolia
Summer is one of the busiest times of year for Mongolian herding families. Family life is fluid at this time of year as July and August bring summer rains that bring fresh grass growth and livestock are moved looking for the rich summer pasture so they can fatten, enabling them to survive the harsh winter. Summer is also known as the White Season due to the processing of the livestock’s milk into other dairy products such as airag (fermented mare’s milk), orom (clotted cream) and aruul (hard cheese).
Visit for – the highlight of the Naadam Festival (the Three Manly Sports), Yak and Felt Festival, Danshig Naadam Festival, general insight into the herding way of life, green steppe.
Summer In Mongolia
Winter In Mongolia
Winter is a quintessential Mongolian season. It is cold, freezing in fact, but the cold is an integral part of what makes Mongolia and its landscapes extraordinary at this time of year. The Mongolian Lunar New Year falls in January or February with visitors being welcomed to celebrate one of the most important times of the year in the Mongolian calendar. Although the temperatures can scare, at first sight, it is a very dry cold and with the right clothes -25 ° C in Mongolia could be compared with – 5 ° C in Europe. However, the concept of cold is very subjective!
We’ll look after you though. For all of our winter trips, we provide traditional felt boots, hand-made goat skin blankets and can provide winter deels as well. You’ll spend most nights in a ger – warming yourself by the stove. The night skies more than make up for the challenge of the temperatures. Winter in Mongolia is a remarkable experience – especially as the Mongolians you meet will be very proud to welcome foreign visitors in wintertime.
Visit for – Mongolian Lunar New Year, remarkable light, most realistic insight into herding way of life
For more information or ideas, look at the winter tours Mongolia page of our website.
Winter In Mongolia
Autumn In Mongolia
Naturally, autumn is a time of spectacular colour. Nature is still visible before the start of the extended hibernation period with birds such as the Demoiselle Crane gathering in large flocks to start their annual migration. There is also harvesting of the wheat and barley crops and the cutting of the winter grass that is used as fodder for the livestock. Autumn is perfect for traveling to Mongolia because it isn’t crowded — you may even be the only travellers around.
Visit for – the Eagle Festivals in Sagsai / Ulgii in western Mongolia, star gazing, fewer people. For further ideas – https://www.eternal-landscapes.co.uk/short-trip-ideas-for-autumn-mongolia/
Autumn In Mongolia
Tsaatan Reindeer Herders
They make their home in one of the most remote landscapes in Mongolia and as a result this trip is also tough. Due to the fragility of the natural environment and the Tsaatan culture I recommend groups of a maximum of four.
Learn more about Mongolia’s Tsaatan reindeer herders on our blog post.
Tsaatan Reindeer Herders
