Leave for a 9-days self-sufficient trek in the high mountains of the Altai, on the Kazakh land.
Peaks covered with snow, clear lakes, lush valleys… You'll trek in one of the most remote area of the world, followed by a caravan of camels.
Arrival at the airport, meeting with our driver. Transfer to your hotel, settling in, and rest.
Appointment at 12 o'clock at your hotel with your guide. He will take you to the restaurant of your choice.
Let's immerse ourselves in the heart of the Mongolian history, in the wonderful National History Museum. Three floors of a rich, glorious, violent and noble past, from prehistory to Soviet period, including the creation of the great Mongolian Empire by Genghis Khan.
Walk in the centre of Ulan-Bator. Discovery of Gengis Khan Square and the House of Parliament.
At 18 o' clock, Mongolian traditional show at Tumen Ekh: folkloric dances, contortion, and of course khoomi, the overtone singing.
We leave the hectic Mongolian capital to embark on our inner flight to Khovd.
Khovd was an important commercial centre located North of the silk road, that had forged links with Russia and China. In 1763, the Manchu administration made build the fortress of Sangiin Kherem. 3-metres (9,84 feet) high and 2-metres (6,56 feet) wide walls enclosed the city that covered an area of 4 hectares. Today, the province of Khovd houses 18 Mongolian ethnic groups.
Visit of the local market.
We drive until Tavan Belchir Mount, whose name means "the five pastures". The mount is located North from Tsambagarav mounts, whose snow-covered peaks culminate at 4195 metres (2,61 miles) above the sea level. Many minorities live in this area, such as Uriankhai and Kazakhs.
From Tavan Belchir, we start a 2-days trek in the valleys of Tsambagarav National Park. We'll meet Kazakh and Uriankhai nomads (Mongolian ethnies living in West of the country). We'll meet a Kazakh falconer who will show us his eagle.
From Northwest of Tsambagarav mountains, we go closer to the snow-covered summits. View on the glacier.
From Tavan Belchir, we start a 2-days trek in the valleys of Tsambagarav National Park. We'll meet Kazakh and Uriankhai nomads (Mongolian ethnies living in West of the country). We'll meet a Kazakh falconer who will show us his eagle.
From Northwest of Tsambagarav mountains, we go closer to the snow-covered summits. View on the glacier.
From Tavan Belchir, we start a 2-days trek in the valleys of Tsambagarav National Park. We'll meet Kazakh and Uriankhai nomads (Mongolian ethnies living in West of the country). We'll meet a Kazakh falconer who will show us his eagle.
From Northwest of Tsambagarav mountains, we go closer to the snow-covered summits. View on the glacier.
Stop on the banks of lake Tolbo.
We arrive in the capital of Bayan-Ölgii province that is located in the most Western part of Mongolia and that is the farthest city from any ocean in the world. Olgii is located at 1636 km (1,02 mile) from Ulan-Bator, at 1710 metres (1,06 mile) above the sea level. Principally Kazakhs live there and its atmosphere is very influenced by Central Asia: many signs written in Arabic, mosques and their cupolas pricked up to the sky.
We ride across mountain landscapes and see many lakes. On the way, we stop many times to enjoy the exceptional view on the Shiveet Khairkhan range and its snow-covered peaks.
We reach Shiveet Khairkhan, sacred mountain for the Tuvas living in the area. Because the mountain is sacred, it's forbidden to hunt and you may have the good chance to see an ibex early in the morning.
8-days pony-trekking in Altai Tavan Bogd National Park.
We start hiking in a valley full of edelweisses and wild flowers where many Kazakhs nomads have set up their camp. We pass close to an old Kazakh cemetery where we find sculptures with human shapes. The view on the Tavan Bogd Mounts and their snowy peaks is spectacular.
We cross the Tsagaan River to reach our camp facing the Tavan Bogd (5 saints). The location is spectacular and the snow-covered peaks around us are a great source of inspiration.
Visit the site of Tsagaan salaa. On 15 kilometres (9,32 miles), we can observe about 10000 rock paintings on the rocks that cover the southern bank of white river, "Tsagaan Gol".
We leave the camp to reach the Potanine glacier, 2900 metres (2,17 miles) above the sea level in the deep heart of the park. We set up our camp and acclimatize.
We stay in the same camp to do during the day the ascent of the summit of Malchin (4037m). We cross bogs to get closer to the base of the mountain. We will have a beautiful view of the valley and the snow-covered Tavan Bogd and Potanine glacier. We start the ascent of Malchin, which lasts about 4 hours (+2 to go down). We must be vigilant because the stones are likely to move when we walk and it is not uncommon that they slide down the slope. Snow possibility. From the top, we have a view of neighboring Russia and China. We will also enjoy the breathtaking view of the deep blue mountain lakes.
The ascent is facultative.
We resume our trek towards Shiveet Khairkhan by the other bank of the Tsagaan River. We walk along the glaciers where you can admire the moraines ice and permanent snow. We pass outside yurts hosting Tuvan families. We climb a hill to reach the lake where we camp. The lake is surrounded by many mountains and we enjoy seeing goats walking on the peaks.
First day: small morning walking to reach the base of the pass. We walk at the hillside and walk past winters Kazakh yurts to reach a group of Kazakh families sheltering. We set up our camp on a hill overlooking a clear river.
Second day: hike through the hill to reach the pass. We may have the good luck to see some marmots along the way. We begin the difficult ascent of the still snow-covered pass with a small path zigzagging through the rocks. From the top, we have a beautiful view on the valley, and the yurts we saw yesterday will soon be as tiny as white dots. We descend into a valley dotted with colourful flowers and cross many very refreshing sources. We camp near a river in a valley called "The bear's valley".
We come back down by the Takhilbai Valley to reach the green lake, a small mountain lake with clear water where we can swim in a very cool water. We cross several rivers before reaching a marshy area that we circle along a small path in the mountains. In the last metres, we enjoy a view overlooking on the lake. The landscapes are composed of lakes, forests of larches, and many rocks. This wild and remote area is scattered with many natural sources, excellent for swimming. There may be mosquitos !
After crossing a rustic wooden bridge, we cross several rivers before trekking through the valleys scattered with bogs. We pass near the military barracks of the Chinese border and camp near Lake Khoton, from which we'll have a view on the very arid mountains contrasting with the lake`.
Pleasant day hiking on a tree-filled, shady path. We see many herds of goats and yaks peacefully grazing nearby the yurts. Beautiful view on khurgan lake. Then we find a more arid steppe in the last meters before arriving at our camp, near the river located in a basin.
We must leave the breeders who came with us during these 9-days wonderful trek in postcard landscapes. The track is harsh and will lead us to the capital of province : Olgii.
Visit of Olgii Museum that shows an exhibition about the fauna and flora of the area. We discover the Kazakh culture, notably with traditional costumes and with a Kazakh yurt built in the museum.
We embark on our return flight to Ulan bator.
Arrival in town and transfer to your hotel where you can rest a few moments.
Rest of the day free. With our guide, you can go shopping in the centre of the city.
Lunch: Included
Accommodation: 2 stars hotel
Rest of the day free. With our guide, you can go shopping in the centre of the city.
Breakfast at the hotel. We go with you to the international airport of Ulan Bator. The transfer can be organized at the time you want, according to the schedule of your flight.