Mongolia In the Footsteps of the Nomad with Tim Cope

You will be met and transferred from the airport to the group hotel. Following an orientation tour of the city and a traditional Mongolian concert, we will meet in the evening for a group dinner and briefing. We will also be making our charitable donation to a representative of Autism Mongolia. Overnight: Best Western Premier Hotel or similar

Meals:  D

Following breakfast we transfer to the airport for a flight to the far western town of Ulaangom (the capital of Uvs province). Uvs is home to several ethnic groups, the majority of whom are Dorvod Mongolians who speak a dialect that differs from the Khalkh Mongol language of Central Mongolia. Uvs is particularly famous for its strong tradition of wrestling. As we fly in, you will see just to the north of the town a large body of water known as Uvs Nuur which is by area the largest lake in Mongolia. In Ulaangom we will lunch together in a restaurant before travelling by Russian four wheel drive to the village of Tarialan. The drive will be around one hour and just beyond the village at the entrance to the gorge on the Kharkhiraa river we will unload and make camp. Here we will meet the local team of horsemen with the camels who will be portaging our equipment and travelling with us over the Kharkhiraa pass. Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

PLEASE NOTE: This day a contingency day intentionally built into the trip to allow for uncontrollable changes to the itinerary such as the ever changing schedule of the domestic flights. Should the flights run to schedule, and there are no other hold ups (such as weather-related events) we’ll have have an extra day in the mountains. Your leader will determine the best options for the group depending on the prevailing conditions and flights. Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

Our route will take us immediately to a saddle, from where, in good weather we can view the glacier capped peaks of Turgen, and get a great overview of the days ahead. Today’s trek will include 2-3 low passes to navigate, as we make our way along migratory trails of nomads. Khoton people migrate themselves from the plains near here into the mountains for summer. If we are lucky we will meet some families moving in camel trains into the mountains, children and babies strapped into the cane baskets high up on the back of the camels. The Khoton people are a strongly nomadic minority group numbering about one or two thousand and live primarily in the Kharkhiraa mountains. They are believed they have Turkic origins. The landscape today is a combination of grassy mountain hills, rocky ridges, and some stands of larch forest. Our aim is to eventually drop down to the grassy banks of the glacier fed Kharkhiraa River. Trekking: ~13km, +300m Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

A day of winding our way upwards when we may catch a glimpse of the ice-encrusted peaks of the high Kharkhiraa rising as spectacular pyramids and domes. Along the way we will meet with many nomad families who are making the most of the alpine pasture. We may have a chance to visit a ger and drink their ‘salty tea.’ On our way today we will pass Turkic grave marker stones and camp near a nomad camp on grassy steppe. The Turkic grave markers and ‘kurgan’ graves date back to the bronze age (about 2,000 years ago) and can be seen as circular piles of rocks surrounded by squares or circles. In one Kurgan up to 45 people would have been buried with many horses. They are the distant nomad ancestors of the Mongols and Khoton people. In fact, the Kharkhiraa are part of the greater ‘Altai’ mountain range which is said to be at the very heart of Asia. Iranians, Turks, Mongols, Kazakhs, and many other people trace their history back to the people who came from the Altai and moved down to the steppe to tame horses, yaks and camels. Even today the Altai splits Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Russia and is the meeting point of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Shamanism. In the evening we will enter a deep valley and the peaks above will be hidden from view. Camp will be made once again in the vicinity of nomads. Please note that there are many options for today’s route, including for those wanting a greater physical challenge. There is an option to hike up to an alpine lake en route, or to follow the ridgeline high above the lateral moraine. Your leader will make decisions at the time in terms of what options will be available. Trekking: ~17km, +600m Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

After a possible stop among nomads for morning tea to watch how they make traditional vodka from yak yoghurt, the river valley makes a bend and suddenly before us the mountains will be revealed. The highest peak is Kharkhiraa itself at 4037m, encrusted in glaciers. This is a particularly surprising view since these particular peaks have actually been hidden until now. From here we make our way directly up towards the high pass in between the main peaks of the Kharkhiraa range. Near the base of the climb to the high pass we will make an early camp. There will be an opportunity in the evening to trek up towards the Kharkhiraa glacier at the headwaters of the Kharkhiraa River. Trekking: ~17km, +400m Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

We wake early and make our way up a steep pinch on the final climb to the pass (quite steep, but fairly short and on foot poses no real risks). The pass itself is a wide plain. You have the sensation that somehow you have reached the clouds because many of the glaciers are well below eye level and the summits are only about 1000m above. Weather permitting we will lunch on the pass together with the camels. The view expands again when we reach beyond the highest point of the pass. Conditions permitting the distant ‘Sayan Mountains’ of Russia will be in view and far below a series of alpine lakes pock-mark the steppe. From here there will be the option of descending to camp on the south side of the pass or climbing up to 3600m on Turgen mountain. This trek, which is the most challenging and steep of the journey, takes us to a high ridge from where the extent of the mountains, including Kharkhiraa peak itself, will will be in view. Glaciers flow down from below your feet to the east and to the west is the airy drop down to the high pass. The mountains right before us form a breathtaking amphitheatre draped in ice. We make the descent via different route to camp and won’t arrive until late evening. Although this high trek is quite physically challenging and gives a real sense of mountain exposure it is a very safe route that anyone with a good level of fitness could complete. Trekking: ~15km, +1000m (including optional climb) Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

We will spend two nights camped at nearly 3000 metres on the Kharkhiraa pass, allowing for a day to rest and savour the mountain landscape, or join an optional trek around Khokh Nuur – a spectacular, blue alpine lake at the end of a glacier on Kharkhiraa mountain. If the weather did not permit a climb to Turgen the previous day, this day can also be used to attempt a climb of the high ridge on Turgen. Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

Having reached the high point of the journey it is time to begin our descent to the west. We make our way among a myriad of hills and alpine lakes and get a different perspective of the Kharkhiraa mountains. Eventually we will begin encountering gers and nomads once again and will make camp along a river valley. Trekking: ~19km, -600m Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

A spectacular, and at times challenging day of trekking. The river that began as a trickle at the high-pass camp is now sunken deep into a gorge below. We trek along the steppe above following the routes of the nomad camel trains and eventually descend into a forested gorge. Here a stream cascades down among boulders. The smell of fresh forest and water will be a change from the past few days. Here we will make camp and celebrate with a wash in the stream. Trekking: ~17km, gradual descent for most of day, steep descent to camp into gorge. Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

Camped next to the cascading Khargat River, you will have the chance to rest up, or explore the gorge. Your guide will provide various options available to you for this day. Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we will make our way up a spectacular glacial river valley, into which three hanging valleys enter. As we travel, we will witness various waterfalls and cascades, larch forest, and glimpses of towering rock cliffs. The three valleys, and the connected ridges and peaks, are all known collectively as the ‘three brothers’ and are considered remote refuges, particularly for wild ibex, and argali sheep. We aim to reach camp by lunch. You will have the option for an afternoon hike up onto a high ridge, or time to enjoy camp, and keep an eye out for wildlife on the slopes. Trekking: ~7km, +250m Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we will remain at the same campsite and aim to climb up onto one of the high ridges, and reach a high point around 3600m. The landscape up top includes unusual rock tower formations and other glacier-formed features. From the top we will have the opportunity to see far out into arid steppe lands, and other peaks of the Altai range in the Kazakh province of Bayan Olgiy. Optional Trekking: ~12-14km, +/-1000m Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

A day of ever changing landscapes - from the river gorge and forest, to high plains, a sea of green steppe, a spectacular waterfall for lunch, and desert-like mountains and plains. We will meet more nomads and encounter ancient graves. Eventually arrive in the tiny settlement of ‘Khovd Brigad’ which is actually just a summer camp of Khoton people in their gers (much like having a mobile village). The ‘winter village’ is Khovd Sum through which we will travel on our way out. By the time you set foot here it does feel as if we have come a long way. This is as far as vehicles can make it, and we will be met here by our Russian jeeps. Trekking: ~18km, gradual descent with some small climbs Overnight: Tented camp

Meals:  B,L,D

By jeep we will travel down from Khovd Brigad through a landscape of arid hills with granite features before we eventually reach the Khovd River – the longest river in Western Mongolia which flows into an inland lake system. Our journey will broadly take us along the Khovd River as far as the regional capital of Khovd. It is worth noting that Khovd has one of the most diverse mix of ethnic minorities in the country, including Kazakhs. Our aim is to reach a regional hotel or a ger camp in Khovd for the night and farewell our staff at dinner. Overnight: Regional hotel or ger camp

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we will fly back to Ulaanbaatar. Depending on the flight schedule, we may reach the capital any time ranging from mid morning to late evening. Today is set aside as a transit day. Overnight: Best Western Premier Hotel or similar

Meals:  B,L,D

Today you will have free time to explore the city. In the evening we will have a final farewell dinner. Overnight: Best Western Premier Hotel or similar

Meals:  B,L,D

Trip concludes following breakfast. Transfers will be organised to take you to the airport.

Meals:  B