The Gobi Desert Ride & Nadaam Festival, Mongolia.
A trail ride through grasslands and sand-dunes of the Gobi desert in Outer Mongolia.
Mongolia, or “Outer Mongolia” as it is erroneously known, is an independent country sandwiched between Siberia and China. The Chinese state of Inner Mongolia, is just that, a Chinese state. The big influence on Mongolia in recent decades has been Russia, rather than China. In fact, many Mongolians aged 25 and older were taught in Russian when they were at school, so the Russian language and influence, though waning, remains strong. Mongolia is a country of the steppes: wide, open grasslands equivalent to the prairies in North America. Europe contains no equivalent. It is one of the highest countries in the world with an average elevation of 1,580 m. In the north of Mongolia there are three main mountain ranges - the Khangai, Khentii and the Khuvsgul Sayany Range. The southern third of the country is dominated by the Gobi Desert, which is where we're heading.
Country: Mongolia. (Outer Mongolia)
Getting there: London via Moscow to Ulaan Baatar.
Terrain: this is the original “wilderness experience”! This part of the Gobi is "nomad land" with families and clans of herds tending their flocks of sheep, horses, camels and yaks. Wide open grassland (steppes) some big rivers and forest areas. Frequent level sections with smooth trails for a faster pace. Riders should be happy to get over natural obstacles such as rivers, gullies and dips.
Pace: walk; 50% trot: 35%; canter/gallop 15%.
Horse Breed: the horse in Mongolia is the Mongolian Horse! What its origins are, is less easy to pin down. Records go back to 2,000 BC which makes it one of the oldest breeds around. Genetic research shows this breed has the greatest genetic variety of all horse breeds, which suggests an ancient strain and little human selection (interference). Furthermore, its genes crop up in a large number of other breeds.
Despite is modest stature (14 hh to 14.2 hh) it is a horse, not a pony. It is also tough as tin tacks, sure footed and faithful. There are all sorts of anecdotes about this breed, but the one that most surprises me is that during the horses races at the Naadam Festival, where the jockeys are kids, the horses are trained to gallop for 35 Km, which is staggering. Even more surprising is that if a jockey is dislodged the horse continues at full speed. The owner would rather have the winning horse, than the winning rider! Interesting philosophy on teaching kids to ride!
Whilst on the subject, and because we’re going to Mongolia, we ought to mention Przewalski’s Horse, which comes from the Asian steppe and is a true wild horse, as distinct to a feral horse. It was extinct in the wild but has been reintroduced to Khan Khentii from breeding programmes in China (no surprise) and southern France (surprise). We should see them on this trek.
Tack: we decided not to use the traditional Mongolian saddle – which is made of wood! The tack is based on English tack.
Rider’s involvement: riders will need to groom and tack your horse; untack during breaks. Guides available to advise and assist as necessary.
Rider’s weight: 90 Kg.
Best season for ride: July (for the Naadam Festival).
Local support
The support structure for our expedition is local herdsmen with their riding horses and packhorses. The packhorses carry tents, personal luggage and camp equipment. We ride cross-country and camp in the wild. Our trailfinder is a local herdsman who spends the winters with his herd at Jalman Meadows, an 8-hour ride short of Hagiin Har Nuur. Jalman Meadows Camp has gers, a cook and an interpreter. A ger is the traditional tent made from felt (which is beaten sheep and camel wool) to withstand the acute Siberian winters.
Day-by-day Itinerary.
Sat 2nd July
Meet at Heathrow for the 11 a.m. departure for Moscow. Arrive Moscow 17:40 (local time) and continue two hours later on the flight to Ulan Baatar.
Sun 3rd July
Arrive Ulan Baatar 06:10 (local time). Transfer to the hotel. Free afternoon. Trip briefing in the evening with dinner at a local restaurant. (L & D).
Weather Note:
July has both rains and heat waves! If it rises above 35º and there’s no wind, there might be a lot of horse flies, and this may effect the route choice on the day. If it’s rainy, streams might flood, which will again effect route choice.
Mon 4th July
Morning departure by car for the Senjit Hairhan Uul rock formations out on the steppes, where sometimes Argali Sheep (Ovis Ammon) can be seen. Argali are the largest wild sheep in the world. We are now on the Gobi grasslands, which are green steppes after rains, and desert-like
in times of drought. Meet the local camel and horse herdsmen and take a trial ride. (Camping. All meals)
Tue 5th July
Full day riding. (Camping. All meals)
Wed 6th July
Morning departure for Manhan Sands (approx. 4 hrs) on the Gobi grasslands. Meet the local
camel and horse herdsmen at Manhan sand dune. Afternoon ride through the sand-seas. (Camping. All meals)
Thurs 7th July.
Load all the luggage on to a caravan of camel carts and disassemble the yurt (ger) which is also carried by camel cart. Saddle up the horses and ride for the full day on the Gobi Grasslands while the camel caravan makes its way to Hotol Us, a small spring next to Arburd Sands. (Camping. All meals).
Fri 8th July.
Full day ride among, over and through the Arburd Sands, which is a 20km long sand dune surrounded by grasslands. There will be local nomads with their livestock all around the area and while riding we will meet some families. Our hosts are relatives to many of these desert dwellers.
(Arburd Sands Ger Camp/ All meals).
Sat 9th July
Morning drive back to Ulsan Baatar (Approx. 4 hrs). The afternoon is free for individuals to explore. (Hotel/ All meals). If there is a rural Nadaam scheduled, either at Bayan-Önjuul , Zuunmod or at Altanbulag we will attend (the date is agreed only about one week before the event itself!).
Sun 10th July
Today is preparation day for the wrestlers, archers and jockeys. The crowds are smaller today compared to Nadaam itself, so we should be able to get close to the contestants as they prepare in the stadium. (Hotel/ All meals)
Mon 11th July
At 08:30 drive to Sukhbaatar Square to view the parade of the Nine White Horsetail banners as they are paraded from the Parliament Building to the National Stadium on horseback by the presidential
guards. We will follow to the National Stadium and view the Opening Ceremony. The president of Mongolia opens the Festival with a short speech, followed by the start of the biggest wrestling competition. We will have a picnic lunch on the grass outside the stadium and view the
afternoon’s races at Hui Doloon Hudag. (Hotel/ All meals).
Tue 12th July
05:30 Depart for the airport. Fly out on flight SU564 at 07:35 (B). Arrive Heathrow 12:30 same day.
The itinerary Includes:
English and Mongol speaking guide throughout the journey.
Accommodation in shared twin rooms / tents / ger. They are generally twin gers, with the possibility of some triples.
Entrance fees to national parks and monuments.
Horses & tack.
4 wranglers.
One local doctor with first aid kit as part of crew. Local medevac service to Ulan Baatar.
Nadaam Games entrance tickets.
Excludes:
Alcoholic drinks.Tumen Ekh folk music concert (USD 8 pp on foot; USD 10 pp incl transport)
Visa fees.
Please bring: Own hard hats, short chaps and sleeping bag.
Accommodation (Based on twin share; single occupancy option is available.)
Family run hotel x 4 nights
In camp (tents and gers) x 6 nights
Distance from urban areas: nearest medical facilities are in Ulaan Baatar.
Cross-cultural awareness: the major religion is Buddhism and the main garment is the “del”, a long one-piece gown made from wool, Mongolians can differentiate ethnic groups from the colour and shape of their del. Buddhism was repressed under the Russians but is enjoying a revival. Tourism is developing in Mongolia but it is still a little-visited destination, so be prepared to be the odd-one-out!
Guides: English-speaking Mongolian guide accompanies the group throughout.