activiteiten (Eng)

Mongolian horses are small, rustic, and very resistant horses. They are between 1,40 and 1,45 metres (4,59 – 4,76 feet) high at the withers, which is, according to occidental standards, the size of a pony. They prove to be pleasant to guide and they very well obey orders. But you will have to cue your horse to turn with the neck rein system and to mount up in the western style.

Our horse treks in the "discover" tours usually last one day or a few hours and are open to beginners. The local equestrian guides who supervise the trek will lunge the persons who could feel least comfortable and the children. The youngest children will be able to sit on the same horse as the Mongolian horseman. Generally we ride at a walking pace. But those who wish will form a second more experimented riders group and try to trot along or to break into a gallop. In all the cases, you are never obliged to do the trek and the persons who might not want to ride can do the trek walking, and the vehicle is always at disposal.

For our equestrian tours in which the treks last several days, you must be a rider, even if all the treks don't need the same level. Please contact us to know what type of trek will best suit your skills and expectations about your stay in Mongolia.

For your safety, please read the following general advices:

You must mount up on the horse by the left side; wait for your horse to be hold before going on it.
You must do the first miles in a mild tempo. Horses puff out their belly when they're girthed and generally, it's necessary to re-girth your horse after 15-20 minutes. If you go too fast, your saddle could turn and your fall is sure.
It’s greatly not advisable to take off or put on a cloth (jacket, hat) while you're on a moving horse.
It’s not advisable to take pictures, notably with flash, while you're on the horse.
It’s forbidden to take pictures with flash of someone who is sitting on the horse.
It’s greatly not advisable to wear a loose cape, because the sound of the wind inside the cape frightens the horses.
You’re advised to wear equestrian boots. Anyway, avoid the shoes with thick soles and thick cramps, because they could remain taken in the stirrups in case of fall.
It’s greatly advisable to bring a pair of gaiters if you have a horse trek lasting several days.
It’s obligatory to wear a riding cap. If you don't have some, we will provide you one on the spot.
It’s strictly forbidden to wear spurs.
At the end of the trek, it's obligatory to not directly stop the horse, but to go on slowly with it, to help its organism to find back a normal tempo. Fifteen minutes should be enough.
For the pony trek in Altai, more than 2000 mètres (1,24 mile) above the sea level, with a pass at 3600 metres (2,24 miles), bring some medicine against mountain sickness.

The saddles provided are Russian-type, composed of a leather cushion on a wooden frame. These saddles are comfortable and suitable for the structure of the Mongolian horse. For the equestrian tours, we also have English saddles for the persons who prefer them. Please, ask us before the beginning of the stay.

Mongolia is the ultimate wild land. With the lowest density of population in the world and its luxuriant nature, it offers many possibilities to hike or trek, for all the levels.

There are in our "discovery" tours some easy hikes lasting one hour or more, to go and discover some places and fully enjoy the natural landscapes. These hikes are always easy and don't need to have particular physical skills. In most cases, the vehicle can follow you and those who don't want to walk or who worry not to be able to end the hike can take advantage of it. For these hikes, a specific equipment is not necessary, and light walking shoes with a low upper, or even a good pair of sports shoes, are enough. But choose waterproof shoes, or bring a second pair, because we're not shielded from a hard shower in Mongolia.

During our "hiking" tours, you'll walk for many days in a self-sufficient trek, with pack animals carrying the equipment and your belongings. For these treks, of course you must enjoy walking, but also have a good physical condition. All the tours don't require to have the same level : some are rather easy, like in Orkhon Valley and in Gorkhi-Terelj Park ; others are intended for those who regularly walk, notably in high mountain, like our trek in Altai.

For your own comfort during the hikes and treks, please follow these instructions :

Before leaving, make sure that you have the physical condition required and that you're quite capable of walking 5 to 6 hours a day.
Bring comfortable walking shoes already used to walk. There's nothing worse than new shoes that will give you blisters after two days.
During the hike/trek, you needn't carry your bag (it will be carried by the pack animals). Just bring a second small backpack to carry your belongings for the day. Once put on the animal, your main bag is inaccessible.
During the hike/trek, many times and by foot, you will be required to cross rivers. Bring some water shoes and keep them close at hand in your personal backpack.
Trekking/hiking poles are not provided. If you usually walk with a pole, remember to bring it.
Our trek in Altai takes place at more than 2000 metres (1,24 mile) above the sea level, with a pass at 3600 metres (2,24 miles) and an ascent until 4100 metres (2,55 miles) ; think to bring medicines against altitude sickness.

During the hikes/treks, of course your guide will come with you, but also a local guide. The local guide will generally lead the march horse riding, and your guide will bring up the rear. Grooms will also follow you and take care of the animals.

For a classical hiking/trekking day, you'll wake up at 7. After breakfast, the camp must be tidied, then the breeders can load the animals. Generally, we start walking around 9.30 (don't worry, it won't be too hot to walk). After about 1.30 walking, we'll have a first break (30 minutes) with a light snack (cereal bar) before walking again for about 1.30. From 1 to 3 PM, it's lunch break. In the afternoon, we'll walk for about 2 to 2.30 and will reach our night camp around 5.30 PM.

Of course, this is explained for information purposes only, and can depend on your own pace, on climate conditions, on the possible encounters on the way, or on the habits of your guide.

The most typical and surprising dish of Mongolian cooking is certainly the traditional Mongolian barbecue.

This cooking method for meat is used for special occasions and the least we could say is that Mongolians are mad about it (and soon, you'll ask for some more too!). The basic technique consists in cooking the meat, mainly goat, mutton or marmot, on stones previously heated up directly in the fire.

For the khorkhog, the warm stones are placed with the meat and the vegetables (potatoes, carrots and cabbages) in a pot hermetically closed, then the whole is cooked on the fire for about 30 minutes.

For the boodog, the basic technique is the same, but instead of a pot, we place the stones, the meat and the vegetables in the previously cut up abdomen of the animal.

Honestly, cooking directly on the stones gives the meat a special and delicious taste. The meat lovers will love it, while the vegetarians will go on their way with no regret.

In collaboration with the NGO AVSF, we developed a touristic project to support the Arkhangai Ar Arvijin Delgerekh yaks breeders cooperative. With fair trade projects, the cooperative encourages yaks breeders to grow the business of yaks wool and, this way, to become less dependent from cashmere. This wool is also more viable regarding to ecology, since cashmere goats take part in desertification.

Today, the cooperative has 168 members and wants to develop fair tourism to create employment and diversify incomes. In effects, tourism is one of the factors that helps restricting the size of herds and, consequently, reducing the effects of overgrazing.

The families that want to take part in this program decided to share their daily life with travellers, showing many activities bound to their way of life. Here is a non exhaustive list of these activities:

Activities bound to breeding: milking the animals, combing out, picking cowpats
Training horses
Cutting and carrting wood
Making dairy products: aaruul, eezgi, cream, cheese, yoghurts, distillation of milk vodka, fermentation of mare's milk
Traditional cooking
Making the traditional cloth, the deel
Making felt: beating wool, weaving, etc.
Putting up the yurt
Working wood: making the wooden framework of the yurt and the traditional furniture
Working leather, notably horses saddlery.

Choosing to stay among breeders of the cooperative is not trifling. You must know that:

Besides the usual salary given to the families for their accomation, food and activities, we give the cooperative 30 % (projects, social cotisation, VAT).
Families are not accustomed to welcome strangers and we voluntarily restrict the number of travellers staying with them. So relationship can be very simple, naive and surprising. You must keep a great open-mindedness.
The infrastructures are very simple. Generally only one yurt with four beds for the travellers, very thin mattresses, some travellers can be proposed to sleep on the bare ground, etc.
No shower, only a restricted access to water for minimalist ablutions.
Dry toilets are not always present. If they're not, you can do your business like nomads do : out in the country.

As you will have realised, you mustn't expect finding here a great comfort, but rather living an enriching experience as closely as possible to nomads. Genuineness often has a price : a comfort reduced to its bare minimum.

Eagle hunting is a traditional type of falconry that was practised in the Eurasian steppe. Today, several forms of this art still exist in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, in Xinjiang in China, and in the province of Bayan Olgii, in Mongolia, where many Kazakhs live. Although Turks are renowned for hunting with eagles, they also train wood pigeons, peregrine falcons and saker falcons.

The Kazakhs who live in the province of Bayan Olgii keep up the ancestral art of eagle hunting. Nowadays, we can count 250 falconers (or "berkutchis") in the whole province. Here, the form of hunting practised is atypical and unique in the world, since it's held exclusively on horseback, with the help of a golden eagle. Preys are mainly foxes, but eagles sometimes catch hares or, more rarely, small wolves. Several eagles can hunt one single prey, so that they can catch bigger animals, such as ibex or wolves. The hunter's moon stretches from the beginning of October to the end of March, because it's easier to see the foxes' coat on the snow.

During your stay with a falconer, you will follow him horse riding in the neighbouring mountains. We almost exclusively walk our horse, so beginners can also take part in the game hunting. Once in the mountains, the falconer removes the mask from the eagle, and the eagle scans the horizon. Its panoramic view is eight times intenser than ours. If the eagle sees a prey, it starts to shout to be released by its master. Then, it swoops down on the prey and tries to catch it. If it manages to, the falconer quickly dismounts to join the eagle as fast as possible. He must avoid the eagle damaging the skin of the prey, or the injured prey injuring the eagle in its turn.

Those who don't like hunting needn't worry. This practice is very noble, complex, few money-making, guzzler of time and reserved for those who had a long preliminary training. Moreover, the eagle remains a wild animal, it can suddenly decide to disappear in the sky and to leave its master.

Eaglets are caught in the nestle, when they're not able to fly, or they're trapped a bit later with a net. Falconers prefer females because they're bigger and more powerful then males. They can weigh up to 7 kilograms (15,43 pounds) and have more than 2 metres (6,56 feet) of wingspan. First, the falconer starves the eagle for several days, then he can start the training : equilibrium, for the eagle to follow the movements of the horse while it's perched on its master's arm, and hunting strictly speaking, training with a lure called shirga.

The eagle will hunt with its master until it's 8 or 10 years old. Then it will be delivered and will wildly live again 20 years and find a partner for reproduction.

The Trans-Mongolian line follows an ancient tea-caravan route from China to Russia. It connects Ulan-Ude in Russia to Jining in China, cutting across Mongolia from North to South via Ulan Bator. The Trans-Siberian also stops in Ulan-Ude, which allows a potential connection. There are other important stops, like Sukhbaatar, Darkhan, Choir, Sainshand, Zamiin Uud and Erlian in China. There are also important branches leading to Erdenet and Baganuur.

The line was built between 1949 and 1961. Mos part of Mongolia has single track, whereas China has double track. The gauge is 1520 millimetres (4,11 feet) in Russia and Mongolia, and 1435 millimetres (4,8 feet) in China, so it must be changed at the Chinese border, which takes about 2 hours.

History

Railway developed quite late in Mongolia. Before inaugurating the railway in 1961, there were only two small railways. In 1938, the first railway, 50 kilometres (31 miles) long, connected Nalaikh and its coalmines to Ulan Bator. The second railway was built by the Soviets and was inaugurated in 1949 ; it was an extension of the Russian railway connecting Ulan-Ude to Naouchki that was built nine years earlier. Because diplomatic relationship were getting better between Soviet Union and China, it became possible, in 1950, to start the construction of the line connecting Ulan Bator to China. It was inaugurated in 1961 but very soon was closed because of a diplomatic crisis between USSR and China. It could reopen only 20 years later, in the 1980’s.

For our equestrian tours in which the treks last several days, you must be a rider, even if all the treks don't need the same level. Please contact us to know what type of trek will best suit your skills and expectations about your stay in Mongolia.

For your safety, please read the following general advices:

You must mount up on the horse by the left side; wait for your horse to be hold before going on it.

You must do the first miles in a mild tempo. Horses puff out their belly when they're girthed and generally, it's necessary to re-girth your horse after 15-20 minutes. If you go too fast, your saddle could turn and your fall is sure.

It’s greatly not advisable to take off or put on a cloth (jacket, hat) while you're on a moving horse.

It’s not advisable to take pictures, notably with flash, while you're on the horse.

It’s forbidden to take pictures with flash of someone who is sitting on the horse.

It’s greatly not advisable to wear a loose cape, because the sound of the wind inside the cape frightens the horses.

You’re advised to wear equestrian boots. Anyway, avoid the shoes with thick soles and thick cramps, because they could remain taken in the stirrups in case of fall.

It’s greatly advisable to bring a pair of gaiters if you have a horse trek lasting several days.

It’s obligatory to wear a riding cap. If you don't have some, we will provide you one on the spot.

It’s strictly forbidden to wear spurs.

At the end of the trek, it's obligatory to not directly stop the horse, but to go on slowly with it, to help its organism to find back a normal tempo. Fifteen minutes should be enough.

For the pony trek in Altai, more than 2000 mètres (1,24 mile) above the sea level, with a pass at 3600 metres (2,24 miles), bring some medicine against mountain sickness.

Mongolia is the ultimate wild land. With the lowest density of population in the world and its luxuriant nature, it offers many possibilities to hike or trek, for all the levels.

For your own comfort during the hikes and treks, please follow these instructions :

Before leaving, make sure that you have the physical condition required and that you're quite capable of walking 5 to 6 hours a day.

Bring comfortable walking shoes already used to walk. There's nothing worse than new shoes that will give you blisters after two days.

During the hike/trek, you needn't carry your bag (it will be carried by the pack animals). Just bring a second small backpack to carry your belongings for the day. Once put on the animal, your main bag is inaccessible.

During the hike/trek, many times and by foot, you will be required to cross rivers. Bring some water shoes and keep them close at hand in your personal backpack.

Trekking/hiking poles are not provided. If you usually walk with a pole, remember to bring it.

Our trek in Altai takes place at more than 2000 metres (1,24 mile) above the sea level, with a pass at 3600 metres (2,24 miles) and an ascent until 4100 metres (2,55 miles) ; think to bring medicines against altitude sickness.

During the hikes/treks, of course your guide will come with you, but also a local guide. The local guide will generally lead the march horse riding, and your guide will bring up the rear. Grooms will also follow you and take care of the animals.

Of course, this is explained for information purposes only, and can depend on your own pace, on climate conditions, on the possible encounters on the way, or on the habits of your guide.

The most typical and surprising dish of Mongolian cooking is certainly the traditional Mongolian barbecue.

This cooking method for meat is used for special occasions and the least we could say is that Mongolians are mad about it (and soon, you'll ask for some more too!). The basic technique consists in cooking the meat, mainly goat, mutton or marmot, on stones previously heated up directly in the fire.

For the khorkhog, the warm stones are placed with the meat and the vegetables (potatoes, carrots and cabbages) in a pot hermetically closed, then the whole is cooked on the fire for about 30 minutes.

For the boodog, the basic technique is the same, but instead of a pot, we place the stones, the meat and the vegetables in the previously cut up abdomen of the animal.

Honestly, cooking directly on the stones gives the meat a special and delicious taste. The meat lovers will love it, while the vegetarians will go on their way with no regret.

Today, the cooperative has 168 members and wants to develop fair tourism to create employment and diversify incomes. In effects, tourism is one of the factors that helps restricting the size of herds and, consequently, reducing the effects of overgrazing.

The families that want to take part in this program decided to share their daily life with travellers, showing many activities bound to their way of life. Here is a non exhaustive list of these activities:

Activities bound to breeding: milking the animals, combing out, picking cowpats

Training horses

Cutting and carrting wood

Making dairy products: aaruul, eezgi, cream, cheese, yoghurts, distillation of milk vodka, fermentation of mare's milk

Traditional cooking

Making the traditional cloth, the deel

Making felt: beating wool, weaving, etc.

Putting up the yurt

Working wood: making the wooden framework of the yurt and the traditional furniture

Working leather, notably horses saddlery.

Choosing to stay among breeders of the cooperative is not trifling. You must know that:

Besides the usual salary given to the families for their accomation, food and activities, we give the cooperative 30 % (projects, social cotisation, VAT).

Families are not accustomed to welcome strangers and we voluntarily restrict the number of travellers staying with them. So relationship can be very simple, naive and surprising. You must keep a great open-mindedness.

The infrastructures are very simple. Generally only one yurt with four beds for the travellers, very thin mattresses, some travellers can be proposed to sleep on the bare ground, etc.

No shower, only a restricted access to water for minimalist ablutions.

Dry toilets are not always present. If they're not, you can do your business like nomads do : out in the country.

As you will have realised, you mustn't expect finding here a great comfort, but rather living an enriching experience as closely as possible to nomads. Genuineness often has a price : a comfort reduced to its bare minimum.

Those who don't like hunting needn't worry. This practice is very noble, complex, few money-making, guzzler of time and reserved for those who had a long preliminary training. Moreover, the eagle remains a wild animal, it can suddenly decide to disappear in the sky and to leave its master.

The eagle will hunt with its master until it's 8 or 10 years old. Then it will be delivered and will wildly live again 20 years and find a partner for reproduction.

The line was built between 1949 and 1961. Mos part of Mongolia has single track, whereas China has double track. The gauge is 1520 millimetres (4,11 feet) in Russia and Mongolia, and 1435 millimetres (4,8 feet) in China, so it must be changed at the Chinese border, which takes about 2 hours.

History