Meet Tsaatan People in Taiga and Take Part in Ice Festival

Welcome to Ulaanbaatar in winter!

Our staff will welcome you at the airport/train station  in Ulaanbaatar (UB), the capital of Mongolia  and  assist you checking in to the hotel.  

Have a rest until we take you for  a welcome dinner. Depending on your will and energy, we can take you for a walk around the city.

After breakfast, your guide will pick you up from the hotel and take you for a guided walking city tour that will introduce you to the highlights of the city: The central city square with a grand statue of Genghis Khan and Sukhbaatar statue placed at the center as well. Museum of National History is located right next to the square will introducing Mongolia's history from early humans to modern era. Then choose to visit one of two museums from the following: 1. Choijin Lama or State Oracle Residence-museum displaying best samples of Buddhist artwork and religious masks. 2 The Fine Arts Zanabazar Museum displays old arts including   Buddhist arts, painting, folk arts and crafts, sculptures, carvings and embroideries.  

After dinner, we catch a train to Erdenet city, Orkhon province. Tonight we will sleep in the train.

At the train station our local driver will welcome us. We will have breakfast and have some rest. Then we will drive to  Murun city. We will have lunch on the way. Once reached Murun, we will be transferred to a local hotel for a good rest. Have dinner in local restaurant and take a rest. Tomorrow is  a festival day.  

Murun city: Murun is the administrative center of Khuvsgul Aimag (province) in northern Mongolia. Before 1933, Khatgal had been the aimag capital. Although a poorly developed town, Murun has a hospital, a museum, a theatre, a post office, and several schools and kindergartens. It was connected to the Mongolian central power grid in 2004. The town has had a paved road connecting it to Mongolia's capital city Ulaanbaatar since December 2014, as a part of a government effort to extend paved roads from Ulaanbaatar to all Aimag capitals.

Have relaxed morning and enjoy your breakfast. Today we will drive to Khatgal village locate on the southern tip of Lake Khuvsgul, for 100 km.

Every year, Mongolians celebrate the Ice Festival at lake Khuvsgul. During this time,  temperature is of around minus 25 degrees Celsius, still the Festival attracts many visitors. From year to year it is becoming more popular.

The real beauty of this festival is the frozen lake itself with its clear crystall ice cover. On the ice, you will see locals dressed up with their traditional clothes having contest and  playing games.  Appreciate, the ice beauty of the mother nature. Have lunch at the Festival, meet locals and enjoy your day. Tonight we wll retire in a local guest house.

After breakfast we will prepare to leave for the East Taiga (Zuun Taiga). Road is not easy. Have lunch on the way. The East Taiga is situated northeast of TsagaanNuur beyond a steppe valley called “Hogruk.” The East Taiga can be reached by driving or riding approximately 30 km from the TCVC towards Hogruk, crossing over the Shishged River. Alternatively, the East Taiga can be accessed from the village of Renchinlhumbe, TsagaanNuur’s neighboring administrative unit that includes portions of the East Taiga.

A day at Tsaatan winter camp among communty with authentic culture in personal touch. You may hike, ride reindeer and participate their daily chores.  

You can visit other families and get a firsthand knowledge of the Tsaatan life and traditions. Traditionally, domesticated reindeer have been the basis of Tsaatan economy. They are ridden, milked, eaten and their hides are used for covering teepees, making clothing and footwear. During winters reindeer roam at large the rugged mountains and dense forests that straddle the borderline between Russia and Mongolia. Some are kept through the winter for riding. The main herd is then brought back in spring. You may take a reindeer ride or help in the daily chores of life in taiga but overall you should be prepared to observe from a side. Tsaatans practice shamanism where ancestors and natural features are held sacred, and serve as a source of strength or insight for individuals identified as shamans in the community.

Today, after breakfast we will drive to Ulaan-Uul soum of Khuvsgul province. This sum covers the southern part of the Darkhad depression.Here, the locals practice shamanism, and the Öliin davaa pass that leads to Ulaan - Uul is protected by a famous collection of thirteen ovoos /piled stones/ that apparently can be traced back to the 16th century.

Tonight we will stay overnight in local guest house.

After breakfast we will continue our trip to Murun city. In Murun you can go for shopping in local shops and market.

Murun means "river" in Mongolian, and it was established as the administrative center of Khuvsgul province)on the site of a monastery in 1933. The Murungiin Khuree Khiid Monastery was built in 1809 and had a population of 2,500 monks at its peak, and it was destroyed during religious purges in 1937. There are several museums and a large collection of deer stones 20 km outside of town.  Tonight we wll stay overnight in a local hotel.

After breakfast, we will get on to the van and drive to Erdenet city. Have lunch on the way. Once in Erdenet we will catch a train to Ulaanbaatar in the late afternoon.

Tonight we will sleep in the train.

Welcome back to Ulaanbaatar. Have breakfast at a local cafe and check in to your hotel. Today you can rest, do shopping. Agree with your guide about the day`s plan. You will be take to a farewell dinner tonight. Have a good rest at your hotel. 

Your guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the airport/train station well in advance of your departure time.

Have a good journey back home.