Day 1. October 10th, 2021. Flying out west

• Lunch
• Dinner

Drive to Ulaanbaatar airport for the flight to Khovd. Upon arrival, meet the local driver and head out to the Myangan Ugalzat Wildlife Conservation Center by Tsetseg Sum. Arrive in the conversation center in the evening, enjoy a dinner and set to bed.

Day 2. October 11th, 2021. Wildlife experience

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Time to get to work! Mount the horses and ride up the mountain to set tracking cameras assisting the rangers to monitor wildlife and the health and condition of the Argali (wild sheep) and Yangir (Ibex) that inhabit this protected area. Revert to basecamp for lunch, and then take a tour through the nature reserve, stopping en route with a nomadic family for a warm cup of milk tea. In the evening meet the rangers to talk about the conservation efforts, challenges and achievements made by this newly founded center. The rangers are eager to share their experiences with outsiders, and as practically no travelers reach this location, you are guaranteed to a lively and informative discussion over wildlife conservation in Mongolia.

Day 3. October 12th, 2021. Migrating by camels

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

After breakfast drive to the autumn camp of a nomadic family, to join and assist them as they migrate to their winter pastures. Tsetseg Soum being one of the last places in Mongolia where camel caravans are being utilized to mobilize the nomads’ camps, and we would join one such family to witness this rapidly declining tradition which now gives way to trucks and other modern means of transportation. Help the family take down their ger, pack their belongings, and join them as they walk to their winter camp. Help them set back the ger, and stay for a traditional Khorkhog style with them. Kate in the evening revert ti the conservation center.

Day 4. October 13th, 2021. To Bayan Ulgii

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Leave Myangan Ugalzat and drive to Khovd City, once the administrative center of the entire Western Mongolia region. Arrive in town in time for lunch, and then take a walk through the center of town featuring some interesting soviet style buildings. Back in the cars, take the two hours drive to Ulgii town, the capital of Bayan Ulgii province. En route pause by the beautiful Tolbo Lake before arriving in Ulgii in time for dinner.

Day 5. October 14th, 2021. Meet the Kazakhs

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

From Bayan Ulgii take the approximately two hours’ drive to Ulan Hus soum. Here, meet the Kazakh family with which we stay for the coming few days. The Kazakhs are Mongolia’s largest ethnic minority with a population of about 100,000, forming about 4% of total Mongolian population. However, about 90% of Bayan Ulgii province are Kazakh. The Kazakhs are known for their delicate handicrafts, their lovely songs, and the Dombra, their traditional two-stringed musical instruments. But most of all, the Kazakhs are known for practicing the ancient tradition of training and hunting with Golden Eagles. The family we stay with practicing this tradition which was kept mainly in Mongolia during the communist time, when the central government of the USSR banned any national practices in an attempt to unify the different nationalities within the Soviet Bloc to create one nation under one flag and one leader. After traditional lunch with our hosts, join them for the rest of the day, learn about their unique history, their traditions that are very much influenced by them being Muslims, and their way of life. After dinner, set in for the night in their cozy yurts which are larger than the Mongolian ger.

Day 6. October 15th, 2021. Hunting with Golden Eagles

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Once again mount horses, this time to join a small group of eagle trainers, as they go on a hunt. This is a unique opportunity to see the real practices and traditions involved with hunting with eagles, in a way very few visitors ever see. Climb to a top of a high hill, and wait with the hunter for his assistances to scare away animals hiding at the foot of the hill. Once a fox, rabbit or other game is running out of its hide, the hunter would then release the eagle. This practice takes place only n winter time, when the furs of the hunted animals are fully grown. Spend the day with the hunter, and learn from him about the secrets of this unique tradition, from snatching the chick off the nest, raising and training it, and until the bird is sent back to the wild. In the evening ride back to the family’s yurt for a second night with them.

Day 7. October 16th, 2021. Back to Ulgii

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

In the morning hours ride again with the hunter to a nearby mountain, for some more unique photography opportunities. Revert to the family for last lunch with them before saying farewell, and drive back to Ulgii town. Here, visit one of the many mosques around town, pay a visit the provincial museum holding great display on the flora and fauna of the province, as well as its ethnic minorities and their traditions. Wrap up the day with a visit to the local market before enjoying a farewell dinner in the city’s best restaurant offering traditional Kazakh cuisine.

Day 8. October 17th, 2021. Flight back to Ulaanbaatar

• Breakfast
• Lunch

In the morning hours drive to Ulgii’s airport to board the flight back to UB. Arrive at UB airport and take a ride back to the city center.