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Stay in a traditional ger in Mongolia, the land of nomads, blue skies, and wide-open spaces
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Gobi Mirage Ger Camp, photo by Annika S. Hipple
If you’re looking for an off-the-beaten path destination, consider a trip to Mongolia. The country has much to offer, including vast landscapes of windswept steppes, majestic mountains, and sparkling lakes. Add to that a rich history, a thriving nomadic culture, and warm, welcoming people, and and you have a country that well rewards those who make the effort to visit.
The vast majority of travelers enter Mongolia by way of the international airport in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Though the city’s infrastructure has occasional shortcomings, UB, as it’s commonly known, is a modern capital with hotels, restaurants, shops, and services. The city’s architecture is uninspired, reflecting Mongolia’s Soviet past, but modern construction is underway, and gems like the Gandan Monastery reward a little deeper exploration.
Still, it’s the countryside that is Mongolia’s true draw. Traveling beyond UB requires a spirit of adventure and adaptability. Although it’s possible to travel overland to other parts of the country, roads beyond the capital region are mostly rutted tracks that may be impassable during parts of the year. Unless you've got plenty of time, flying is generally a better alternative, since it eliminates a long and unpredictable journey. Even then, flexibility is a must since Mongolian airlines regularly change their schedules at the last minute.
For a uniquely Mongolian experience, stay at one of the growing array of tourist camps scattered throughout the country. Guests stay in round felt tents like those traditionally used by nomads throughout central Asia. Though known to many Westerners as yurts, these dwellings are more properly known in Mongolia as gers (rhymes with hairs).
A ger is constructed in such a way that it can be assembled and disassembled with relative speed and ease. The thick felt cover is placed over a wooden frame, leaving a round hole in the center of the roof with a flap that can be closed in case of rain. A wood-burning stove is often placed in the center of the ger, with other furnishings positioned around the inside perimeter.
Tourist camps consist of clusters of gers, with restrooms and showers located in a separate building. The gers are furnished with beds and usually at least a table and perhaps some shelves. Camps generally include full board, with meals served in a central dining room.
Most ger camps are owned entirely by Mongolians, and many are designed to be eco-friendly. Close to UB, just an hour and a half drive from the city, Terelj Lodge ger camp in the green mountains of Gorkhi Terelj National Park offers an easy getaway to the countryside and a good base for hiking and horseback riding.
Further afield, I stayed at Toilogt Camp, on the shores of the country’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Hovsgol, which claims to have been the first tourist camp to use solar energy. Activities included kayaking, horseback riding, hiking, and visits to the nomadic reindeer herding people of the region. Toilogt Camp also put on one of the finest folkloric shows I’ve seen anywhere, featuring traditional instruments, dances, and the astonishing and haunting Mongolian throat singing.
In the Gobi Desert, my home was the Gobi Mirage Camp, one of several ger camps in the South Gobi region. These camps are a good base for various activities, including camel rides, visits with nomadic families, and excursions to towering sand dunes, the suprisingly cool Vulture’s Valley (where ice remains year round), and the Flaming Cliffs, where American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first recorded dinosaur eggs in the 1920s.
Like many camps in the Gobi, the Gobi Mirage Camp gets most of its energy from the intense desert sun and the strong winds sweeping the plains. The South Gobi’s most luxurious ger camp, Three Camel Lodge, also runs on solar and wind power, and serves as a center for scientific research and wildlife monitoring. Three Camel Lodge also sponsors nature conservation clubs in local schools to encourage children to learn about and protect their environment.
Mongolians are proud of their country and generally passionate about conserving it. Much of the population remains nomadic, dependent on responsible resource use for survival. Though decades of Soviet domination led to some lapses in environmental stewardship, since the fall of the Soviet Union and Mongolia’s subsequent transition to democracy, the country has begun to rediscover its historical traditions of conservation and closeness to the land.
I visited Mongolia as the tour manager for National Geographic Expeditions' Mongolia - Land of the Nomad trip. Our local arrangements were handled by the UB-based operator, Steppe Nomad. Other reputable companies operating trips to Mongolia include Boojum Expeditions and Nomadic Expeditions. If you can time your visit to coincide with the Naadam Festival in mid-July, you'll have the opportunity to watch competitions in the country's favorite sports: wrestling, horse racing, and archery.
For more info: The Official Tourism Website of Mongolia has lots of information about Mongolia and travel throughout the country. In 2009, National Geographic Expeditions' Mongolia - Land of the Nomad is being offered July 1-14 and July 6-19. NGE is also offering a Mongolia Photographic Expedition, July 20-August 2. Boojum Expeditions and Nomadic Expeditions have numerous scheduled departures on different itineraries throughout the year.
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