Mongolia Nomad Life
Life experience travel
Mongolia. Wild. Natural. A way of life unknown to many in the world. Grass roots living under the largest of skies and openness of space. Existing alongside the conditions that challenge the hardiest of peoples. These are the nomads of a country living traditionally with heart for their animals, their land, and their beliefs. Join a nomadic family I have known for some time in their ger (yurt) and experience life as it is. Travel the open steppes. Help the family prepare for Winter and see how the Mongolian horse is so important in nomadic life. We will explore stunning, clear, icy lakes, learn about a tribe of peoples found nowhere else in the world, set your soul straight delving in to their spiritual world beliefs, be welcomed by herders hospitality full of the human spirit, absorb the atmosphere in mountain buddhist monasteries, delve in to Chinggis Khan history, bizarre throat singing and yes, you can ride a Mongolian horse if you wish!
A unique highlight will be visiting a Kazakh family in a remote area of western Mongolia to learn about the Eagle Hunter traditions and how ethical practices are now finding a place after straying a little with the introduction of tourism. Nomadic life the world over, and especially so in Mongolia, is being threatened and this journey will be a glimpse in to the remaining culture of a fascinating existence of farming without fences. Mongolia is where Parallel 50 began 21 years ago and I will love to share this journey with you. No poolside pina coladas, spa baths, or high heels on this trip! Just life as it is. This itinerary is extremely flexible as we flow with nomadic life and a wonderful free way to travel in a changing culture and landscape.
Parallel 50. This is Life. This is Travel
- A land of big blue sky
Sain bain uu! Our Mongolia journey begins! Whilst we don’t remain long in Mongolia’s capital there is time to explore museums, monasteries, monuments, palaces, say gidday to Chinggis Khan, fine arts, dinosaur fossils, national dress, shops and markets, National dancing and theatre. Ulaan Baatar is a crazy mix of everything! On the second night we will board the epic overnight train for our first leg of the journey into the heart of rural Mongolia.
No trip would be complete without chugging along in a Russian van Mongolian style! For the most part we will enjoy a more comfortable vehicle but let’s start today with the way things roll here. We will make our way across the steppes to stay with my friend and her family in a ger. The gers are such a unique home and you will see why. This is nomad life at its best. No tourist camp! We will absorb their way of living for a few days learning about how they train their horses, milking, yoghurt and cheese making, herding livestock and meeting other nomads in the area. I don’t want to give everything away but it is time for the family to start preparing for the Winter and will be a great insight for us as to how they survive the best they can in such an extreme environment. What else will we do? Anything nomad really!!
Silent pine forests and snowy mountains. Frozen lakes and big skies. We are heading northwards. I’ll make sure we stop before Siberia tho! We are getting in to yak and reindeer country now. The national parks are stunning with their sacred blue lakes that have stories of their own. Learn how the reindeer people utilise their animals (not often for meat you might be surprised to know). The Tsaaten tribe are nomadic also as they search for feeding grounds for their reindeer. They use a type of teepee, orts, rather than a ger and have Russian ties. They practice shamanism, the world’s oldest nature based spiritual path that combines many facets including practical methods for survival. It falls more in to the bracket of medicine men and healers rather than a religion and has historical documentation of a mere 30,000 years ago! The brave ones might like to explore on horseback…..meet the Mongolian horse, a native horse breed that apparently has changed little since Chinggis Khan days. There is a big story to go with these strong, hardy steeds.
Leaving this fascinating part of Mongolia we will start heading overland enjoying the wilds of this land on to our next adventure. You never know what we will come across. Ruins. Bronze Age archaeological sites. Buddhist Monasteries. Marmots. A wooly mammoth tusk. Ancient rock art. Horse hair fiddles. Lots!
Keep in mind this part of the journey may be affected by the conditions which will determine whether we fly or drive. The previous days travel allowance has this factored in. Today we are going to discover the Altai Mountains in the west. Kazakh influenced culture with the Eagle Hunters will be the highlight of this far away location. Many of the peaks are 4000m high with permanent snow and glaciers with dramatic thunder cloud filled skies. High on the slopes are ibex, bears, foxes and wolves. I remember the hauntingly beautiful howls of the wolves one night and loved it knowing I was tucked away safe in the ger! Large herds of livestock dot the valleys. It’s wild! I will let you learn of this ancient hunting tradition from the family we will be staying with. We will be considerate of our hosts and as with all Parallel 50 journeys we will travel and visit responsibly. We have a genuine interest in their culture and will allow events to unfold naturally.
We will make our way to the capital again for the end to this incredible adventure!
What an amazing place is this world! This journey will be an exciting one!
Farewell to Mongolia as we depart this land of welcoming nomads that will no doubt leave us with respect for their resilience and resourcefulness. Bayartai Mongolia!