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Zavkhan Trekking Newsletter, November 2009
Read our previous newsletter here
“Would recommend it in a heartbeat, and indeed have been doing so to anyone who will listen – not just for horsey people!!!” (Kat A, 2009)
Hello Everyone,
Another great riding season in Mongolia has now come to an end - which means it's time to plan for next year! In this newsletter we will introduce our three new exploratory trips for 2010. We feel sure they will appeal to anyone with a sense of adventure and an urge to really experience the country fully.
We will tell you a bit about what we got up to in 2009. But it is best to just let the photos tell the story. There are links to the first of our photos from rides in Zavkhan and the Altai, including from our riders themselves. In a country where there are so many fascinating things to point a camera at, picking the best photos is not easy.
John and fellow riders on the August ride in Zavkhan
Lucy leads the way along a Zavkhan forest trail
2009 Trips
The 2009 season set a new record for us, with our oldest ever rider, aged 70. I hope to still be half as adventurous as Jenny when I reach her age! One thing I have learnt from the people on our trips is that age is no barrier to living life to the fullest. Or in the not-so-deep words of Billie Burke, "Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese".
We also had our youngest rider, at 19. The wide range of age and experience on our trips makes for some interesting discussions around the campfire at night. No matter what age our riders are, the fact that they have chosen to come to the wilds of Mongolia with Zavkhan Trekking means they have plenty in common.
This year also saw the first ever foreign participation in the Eagle Festival horse games. Some vigorous peer pressure from the group soon had Tim (Australia) and myself (New Zealand) competing against each other in bushkashi or tug-of-war with a dead goat on horseback. Rivalry between Aussies and Kiwis is usually played out on the rugby field, but when in Mongolia.... (NZ one, Australia nil). Tim also showed up some of the locals with his skills at tiyn teru, or picking up targets on the ground from horseback. Good effort!
Just to prove that real blokes do ride horses: Tom, John, Hamish, and Carl on the exploratory Zavkhan ride
On our exploratory Zavkhan trip this year we rode a great new route, across open steppe, up in to the mountains, and down through forests and rivers. We will definitely be checking out this area again in future.
We will be updating the website with descriptions of each 2009 trip and links to our riders’ photos.
Zavkhan Multi-activity Trip (13th July to 2nd August 2010, 14 days, exploratory, price TBC)
This is the trip for people who are after a bit of everything. We start off with the classic 4WD road trip from Ulaanbaatar to Zavkhan. Next we ride through the steppe and up in to the forested mountains of Tarvagatai Uul National Park on horses. We then hike further in to the untracked mountains, using packhorses to carry our camping gear. After returning for a soak in our favourite abandoned hot spa we ride back down on mountain bikes.
Camels are our next mode of transport, as we trek south to Khar Nuur, the desert lake. Mongolian camels are the two-humped Bactrian variety, and are well suited to the arid terrain in the south of Zavkhan.
Geert paddling on Khar Nuur
Heading out to the steppe
There will be plenty of opportunity to deviate from the itinerary above (at Zavkhan Trekking we're not too keen on strict itineraries). For example some of us can continue to ride the horses down from the mountains while others ride the bikes. But cyclists be warned, you may struggle to keep up! This year we had the horses galloping at 50km per hour, with no sign of wanting to stop.
“A fantastic and totally authentic Mongolian adventure! Zavkhan is an unspoiled horse rider’s paradise. The generosity of the locals was lovely, welcoming us into their gers for tea and other delicious (and not so delicious) Mongolian snacks!” (Emily S, 2009).
Snow on the Altai Mountains
Altai Expedition (6th August to 22nd August 2010, 17 days, exploratory, price TBC)
Over the last two years we have been enjoying some great riding in the Altai mountains, in the far west of Mongolia. We often gaze at the remote snowy mountains forming the border with China, the haunt of ibex, argali and snow leopard. It's now time to get a little closer!
On previous trips we have set up a base camp in the National Park from where we explore the surrounding area. On this trip we will need to leave the relative comfort of the base camp and head out with pack camels and horses.
Of course there will still be plenty of time to appreciate the wildflowers in the alpine meadows which should be spectacular at this time of year. And Amangul, our 'fixer' in the Altai, will have you drinking tea with her family and friends whenever we come across their camps.
Our riders on Jalanash pass, in the Altai Mountains
“John, yet again another fantastic trip! I never though this trip could top last year’s as that had been so incredible but the people, scenery and my fabulous horse all made this trip so much more special” ( Karen W, Altai 2009)
Altai Winter Wildlife (19th March to 1st April 2010, 14 days, exploratory, price TBC)
This trip is strictly for the more adventurous rider. Yes, it will be cold, but it will also be extremely beautiful. We haven't run a winter trip before (some of our riders who have been caught in late summer snow may disagree!) so this will be very much exploratory. Highlights will include helping with a UNDP wildlife monitoring program involving riding through the mountains in search of asiatic ibex and argali mountain sheep (the winter snows push them down lower at this time of year).
Autumn in the Altai
Heading over a high pass in the Altai
Remember that although it will be cold, it is nothing compared to the cold grey damp of an English winter!
You might like to come at a time when we do not currently have a scheduled departure - do get in touch and we can discuss options for additional trips.
If there is something you would like to do other than the trips we currently offer, let us know and we will arrange your perfect tailored trip to Mongolia.
Dondov leading the way toward Tarvagatai Uul National Park
Photos
We have started to sort out all our photos from 2009, and have posted the first of them here, with more to follow:
www.flickr.com/photos/98725789@N00/sets/72157622574527037/
Many of our riders have also posted photos online – have a look at these sets, from Tom and Andrzej &Aga:
“Trip of a lifetime. If you have any desire to go and be intrepid, the Zavkhan Trekking team will make that happen.” (Hamish N, 2009)
Amangul competing in Kyz Kuar, the race between a man and a woman, at the Eagle festival
Odd Spot
Luxury brand Louis Vuitton has just opened its first store in Mongolia. In a country where average annual income is just $1800 per person, and the IMF announced $224 million in aid this year, it says a lot about the growing wealth gap in the country. Returning to Ulaanbaatar from the countryside where many families live a subsistence lifestyle, the sight of a 20m high Louis Vuitton advertising hoarding is true culture shock.
John and the Zavkhan Trekking Team.
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Small-group horse riding adventures in Mongolia
Andrzej picking up the pace