Mongolia : Horseback riding & nomadic transhumance

RANDONNEE A CHEVAL EN MONGOLIE
PROGRAMME INDICATIF *

Day 1: Arrival in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, in the early morning. You will be met by your French- or English-speaking interpreter, depending on the departure time, upon arrival of Turkish Airlines flight TK236 (generally scheduled to land around 7:20 am). Immediate departure for the Mongolian steppe! After a 2.5-hour drive, you will arrive at the famous Hustai National Park, home to Przewalski's wild horses, also known as Takhi. We will set up camp and enjoy a lunch prepared by the team. Your driver will then take you on a 4x4 safari in Hustai National Park, in search of Przewalski's wild horses, as well as deer and marmots, which are abundant in this protected area. Dinner and overnight stay in tents.
CAMPING: Each person sets up their own tent. You will be accommodated in pairs in 3-person tents for more space. Smaller individual tents are provided at no extra charge for solo travelers who request them when booking.
A backpacking shower tent and a large mess tent for meal preparation add to the comfort of our campsite.

Day 2: Ulaanbaatar - Karakorum. Breakfast and departure by car for Karakorum, the former capital of the Mongol Empire. A long day's drive will get us to the Orkhon Valley as quickly as possible to begin your horseback riding adventure in Mongolia! Lunch en route. Visit to Erdene Zuu Monastery, and check-in at a yurt camp for dinner and overnight stay (2 to 4 people per yurt, in single beds, showers and toilets in a separate building)..

Day 3: Orkhon Valley. After breakfast, you'll meet the nomadic herders who will accompany you on your horseback trek in the Orkhon Valley! You'll begin your trek in the mountains bordering the northern part of the Orkhon Valley. A picnic lunch will be brought by 4x4 vehicles, so you won't need to carry anything on your horse! This allows you to maintain a brisk pace, with plenty of gallops. You'll meet the 4x4 vehicle in the late afternoon to set up camp. Dinner and overnight in a tent.

Day 4: Orkhon Valley. After breakfast, you'll remount your horses to continue your horseback trek through the Khangai Mountains, a mountain range that crosses Central Mongolia. A picnic lunch will be provided by 4x4 vehicle. You'll meet the 4x4 vehicle in the late afternoon to set up camp. Dinner and overnight in tents.

Day 5: Orkhon Valley (Tovkhon Monastery). After breakfast, you'll ride to Tovkhon Monastery. Continue your trek downhill into the Orkhon Valley itself. The views are spectacular across this wide valley, overlooked by wooded peaks. A picnic lunch will be provided by 4x4 vehicle. You'll meet the 4x4 vehicle in the late afternoon to set up camp. Dinner and overnight in tents.

Day 6: Orkhon Valley. After breakfast, you continue your horseback trek to reach the yurt camp of the nomadic family you will be assisting with their seasonal migration. You settle into a yurt in the heart of the nomadic camp. You spend the rest of the day at the spring (spring migration) or summer (autumn migration) camp, discovering the traditional nomadic way of life in Mongolia. The yurt camp is home to several close families (brothers, brothers-in-law, parents, cousins, etc.) whose daily lives revolve around tending the herds: foaling, milking mares, sheep, goats, and dris (female yaks), caring for sick or weakened animals, and moving the livestock to new pastures. The women also look after the children, cook, prepare various dairy products (butter, cheese, fermented mare's milk, milk alcohol, etc.), and maintain the inside of the yurt. The men care for the animals, maintain the equipment, and harness the horses. They also chop wood for cooking. You participate in these activities and begin to get to know the different members of the family. Spring is birthing season for the herds: foals, baby yaks, lambs, and kids are born every day, and you'll likely witness some of these always moving events. Dinner with a nomadic family and overnight stay in a yurt. There are no bathrooms for these nights spent with nomadic families, but you'll have access to a portable shower (tent + pressurized shower system). Comfort is simpler than in yurt camps (up to 5 people per yurt), but you'll experience the traditional way of life of Mongolian nomads.

Day 7: Transhumance with the nomads of the Orkhon Valley. Breakfast with your nomadic family. Today and tomorrow, you will share one of the most important moments of the year for nomadic families in Mongolia: the transhumance. Nomadic families in Mongolia typically move their yurts and herds four times a year. During the harsh Mongolian winter, when temperatures often plummet to -40°C, the nomads move to their wintering grounds, a carefully selected site sheltered from the prevailing winds, where enclosures have been built to gather the herds. Huddled together and protected from the wind by the palisades, the animals are better able to withstand the extreme cold of the Central Mongolian winter.
The cold is intense, and grass is sparse, sometimes hidden under a layer of snow. The herds are weakening, and it is vital for the nomads that the spring pastures be rich enough to allow the horses, yaks, sheep, and goats to regain their strength, especially since this period coincides with the birthing season!
After a few weeks on the spring pastures, at the beginning of May, the nomadic family moves to the summer pastures until September. At the beginning of September, it's time to gradually return to the shelter of the hills, with a stopover on the autumn pastures. These few weeks are crucial; this is when the herd will fatten up to face the winter. You will help the families dismantle the yurts (including yours!), prepare all the necessary utensils for this major move, and participate in the rituals and offerings to thank the spirits for the help they provided to the family and animals during their stay on these pastures. The riders spread out to help move the various herds of yaks, horses, goats, and sheep—on horseback, of course!
At the end of this first day of transhumance, you find yourself in the heart of nature. You sleep in a tent, alongside the herds...

Day 8: Transhumance with the nomads of the Orkhon Valley. Waking up is magical in this pristine natural setting, with the herds having scattered during the night. Breakfast at the campsite.
It's time to resume the transhumance. The herds are eager to reach the new pastures, and the nomadic herders sometimes struggle to keep them at the campsite! As yesterday, you help guide the herds on horseback. You finally arrive at the new site where our nomadic friends will set up their yurts for the coming weeks. You help them take down the yurts and set up the next camp, for a new phase in the cycle of nomadic life, which follows the seasons and the rhythm of nature. To celebrate this move to the new pastures, our hosts prepare a traditional dish for you: khorkhog, the "Mongolian barbecue." Dinner and overnight stay in the yurt with our nomadic family.

Day 9: Orkhon Valley - Khogno Khan National Park / Bayan Gobi. Enjoy your last breakfast with your nomadic friends, and it's already time to say goodbye. After sharing so many equestrian and human experiences, they have become your friends, and leaving will inevitably be difficult. You'll head back towards Khogno Khan National Park, nicknamed the Mini-Gobi or the Bayan Gobi (the "rich" Gobi). Enjoy a picnic lunch en route. You'll arrive in the afternoon at the Bayan Gobi herders' camp. You'll have time to visit the Ovgon Khiid Monastery, nestled in the magnificent setting of a valley with a geological landscape sculpted by erosion. You'll also take a Bactrian camel ride in the dunes. A truly fun experience! Settle into your guest yurt for dinner and the night.

Day 10: Bayan Gobi - Ulaanbaatar
Breakfast followed by a morning horseback ride through the dunes and valleys of the region. Lunch, then we depart for Ulaanbaatar (5 to 6 hours drive depending on traffic conditions).
Transfer to a hotel or yurt camp on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, en route to the airport.
Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel/yurt camp in a double or triple room.

Day 11: Ulaanbaatar. Breakfast and group transfer to the airport: the schedule is calculated to allow you to catch a flight departing after 7:10 am (Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines). Arrival will be late afternoon or early the following day, depending on the airline and your final destination airport.

* Indicative program, subject to change if necessary.