Horseback Riding in Mongolia
KHENTII WILDERNESS RIDE |
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Visit the sights and sounds of Ulaanbaatar before leaving for a 9-day horsepacking trek through the Khentii National Park, one of the worlds most inaccessible regions. This is a chance to cross high mountain passes, ford rivers, ride through tundra and taiga forests in the most remote and beautiful areas of the Khentii Mountain range. Deep in the forested valleys, you will discover the hidden jewel of the area – Khagiin Khar or Black Lake - in the heart of a truly pristine landscape. Bears, wolves, red deer, moose and other wild animals are the only inhabitants of this strictly protected area.
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| Itinerary |
| Day 1: | Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to a 3 star hotel. The rest of the day will be free for you to explore the city. In the evening, your guide will take you to a cultural performance to enjoy Mongolian folk songs and music. Following is a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. |
| Day 2: | In the morning we will head east of Ulaanbaatar, reaching Khentii National Park after a 3-hour drive. The landscape consists of green, forested hillsides, and spectacular granite cliffs. Many nomads live in this area, and you can see yaks, sheep, goats and horses grazing in this peaceful valley. After lunch in a ger camp, we drive for a couple of hours towards the Tuul River valley, where we will meet our horsemen. Dinner and camp on the shores of the Tuul River. |
| Day 3: | After a substantial breakfast, we will saddle our horses and prepare for the linear ride, while the packhorses are being loaded. As we start, we will ride into the valley along the base of mountain ranges. You will soon realize that you are slowly leaving civilization behind, entering the wilderness - birds, marmots and other ground squirrels nestle in the surrounding area. After 4 hours of riding, we will reach our campsite for the night. |
| Day 4: | Today, as we follow the Tuul River, we enter dense pine forest, at the southern tip of Siberian Taiga. Throughout the three-and-a-half hour ride, we will see golden eagles, woodpeckers, and other birds. We will arrive at the confluence of the Tuul and Hagiin rivers, where we will camp for the night. |
| Day 5: | Leaving the Tuul valley behind us, we will enter tundra forests. This environment is typical moose habitat, and you will see so many marks of this magnificent animal that by the end of the day, you will be able to detect their presence like an expert. After an hour of riding, we begin to ascend a mountain through deep forest noted for its abundance of wolves, bears, deer and moose. Reaching its top, we overlook and descend to the breathtaking Black Lake. We will set up camp on the yellow sandy beach of the lake. |
| Day 6: | After 3 days of riding, enjoy a deserved rest at the lake for ourselves and our horses. There will be ample time to swim, fish, hike and explore the abundant wildlife of the area. |
| Day 7: | Another day of relaxing at the lake. |
| Day 8: | We will saddle our horses and ride to 3 wonderful smaller lakes further on in the valley, the ‘three pearls’. The more adventurous of you can climb the surrounding mountains and admire the superb panorama. We will spend the night in a valley nearby. |
| Day 9: | After breakfast we will ride through Khongoryn River valley. Riding down the stream for 4 hours, we will ford the river. After a few more hours, we will come across a mountainous forest of birch, pine and age-old cedar. We will spend the night camping in the forest, close to a stream. |
| Day 10: | We make a steep ascent, and an even steeper descent across the Khaviragiin Pass, which lies at the eastern shoulder of Altan Olgii peak. Translated as ‘Golden Cradle,’ this 2646m mountain is one of the highest peaks of the Khentii range. We will continue riding towards Terelj through the Dund Bayan Gol valley. As before, luggage, food and equipment will be carried by packhorses. Towards the end of day, we will meet up with the support vehicles, and set up camp for the night. |
| Day 11: | Days 11 and 12: We will drive to our camp in Ogoomor valley and enjoy 2 days of rest. There will be opportunities to hike or visit local families and learn about their ways of life. On the last evening, you will have a traditional Mongolian meal of “horhog”. This is mutton cooked slowly in a huge, metal urn with vegetables, water and hot stones from a flaming fire. The meat becomes soft and tasty and the water turns into a thick meaty broth. |
| Day 13: | After breakfast we will return to Ulaanbaatar and check into the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Ulaanbaatar. |
| Day 14: | In the morning, you will visit Gandan, the largest functioning monastery in the country, and there will be time for shopping before lunch. In the afternoon, you can discover the treasures of the National History Museum. The rest of your afternoon is free, before a farewell dinner at the Hasara restaurant. |
| Day 15: | Transfer to the airport in time to meet your departing flight. |
| THIS ITINERARY IS FLEXIBLE. CHANGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO WEATHER OR OTHER UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. |
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| Pricing and Dates |
| Length of Ride | 15 days, 14 nights and 6 days riding. |
| Riding Ability | Novice |
| Group Size | Minimum-6 Maximum-12 |
| Riding Per Day | 6 hours |
| Pace | slow |
| Tack | English trekking, Australian stock |
| Horses | Mongolian |
| Weight Limit | 200 lbs |
| 2010 Dates | June 11-25, August 6-20 |
| 2010 Price | 2-3 riders: $3,735
4-5 riders: $3,270
6-8 riders: $2,870
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| Single Supplement | $280 |
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