Chandmani village, perched at the intersection of Jargalant Mountain, the sprawling Mongol Els desert, and the Great Lakes depression is renowned as having a rich and ancient tradition of throat singing – also known in Mongolian as Khöömei. This morning we will visit Tseren Davaa – a nomad who, inspired by the natural world and his life as a nomad, became a world renowned throat singer. We will spend time with Tseren Davaa in his home and learn about his life journey, and the art of throat singing, as well as the traditional instruments he uses. You will have the chance to learn some of the basics yourself. To summarise Khöömei, the performer imitates sounds of nature, simultaneously emitting two distinct vocal sounds along with a continuous drone, the singer produces a melody of harmonics. This singing style is believed to have been learned from birds, whose spirits are central to shamanic practices. Khöömei is performed by Mongolian nomads in a variety of social occasions, from grand state ceremonies to festive household events. It is also sung during herding, and inside the yurt to lull babies to sleep. Traditionally, the art is transmitted orally from bearer to learner, or via master-to-apprentice. After lunch we aim to begin our drive across the steppe towards the Mongol Els dunes. Along the way, we will pass through some particularly open steppe land that is home to Mongolia’s last population of Saiga Antelope (Saiga Tatarica). These fascinating antelope once roamed the Eurasian steppe from as far as Romania to China. Nowadays there scattered populations in Kazakhstan (they can migrate south for winter to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan), and Kalmykia and Astrakhan Oblast in Russia. Mongolia’s Saiga are actually a subspecies known as S. t. Mongolica and are only found in this region.
By early evening we aim to reach the edge of the Mongol Els dune system and make camp at Gun Nuur – a spring fed lake nestled into the side of the dunes.
Camp elevation: 1303 m / 4275 ft
Overnight: Tented tent
Meals: B,L,D