Altai Tour | Individual Mongolia Travel | Pyala Travel - Travel Program

Day 1 Olgii - Tolbo lake

You will fly in to Olgii, the capital of the Bayaan Olgii province, in the far west of the country. Here you are in a completely different world than that of Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. The vast majority of the population here is Kazakh and, like the Mongols, they lead a nomadic existence. They can be found in an area that stretches from Kazakhstan to parts of China, Russia, Uzbekistan, and of course Mongolia. The Kazakhs are Sunni Muslim, though they are certainly not orthodox in doctrine and follow a loose version of Islam. Married Kazakh women wear a colorful flowered kerchief bound tightly around their heads. The original inhabitants of this region are the Uriankhai. Their tents (ger) look slightly different from those of the Kazakhs and the Mongols. It's fun to learn the differences between the appearance of the ger of various tribes. The felt Uriankhai ger are held together by eight ropes while the Mongolian ger have four.

You will first visit the town of Olgii which certainly has a unique atmosphere. The wind has free play and you will see people strolling in the streets protected by thick coats, fur boots and even masks. Cows wander loose on the streets here, like in India, looking for treats on the dusty concrete sidewalks. After Olgii you will drive to the turquoise-colored Lake Tolbo. Here you will stay with a Kazakh nomad family of eagle hunters. In the Spring and Autumn the Kazakh family is not at their clay winter residence at the foot of the Altai Mountains. They will be on the Sagsay River, so during these seasons you will stay there!

Day 2 Eagle Hunters - stay with Kazakh nomad family

Today you spend the whole day with the host family. The first task in the morning is bringing the flocks to the meadow to graze. Then you will have a simple breakfast with tea and puffed fried dough rolls. Then other tasks begin, like collecting the dried yak dung, preparing food, cleaning the grounds, catching fish, babysitting, etc. Today you will also get to see how people hunt with eagles and how they are cared for. The family loves it when you help with tasks like preparing food or fetching water.

Day 3 Tsambagarav Namarjin Valley

The wide, green Namarjin Valley lies at the foot of the imposing Mt. Tsambagarav (4165 m). In the summer this valley is popular with many Kazakh and Uriankhai nomad families who come to graze their herds. Here you can get acquainted with various Uriankhai families, the original inhabitants of this region. You will stay here in the Namarjin Valley with a Uriankhai family. You will notice that their ger is differently designed and equipped than the Kazakh ger. You can decide from here to take a 4-day climb up Mount Tsambagarav. If you make the trek you sleep in a tent somewhere on the mountain and spend a second night with the family.

Day 4 Tsambagarav Namarjin Valley

Another day in the Namarjin Valley.

Day 5 Namarjin - Khovd

Khovd is the capital of the Khovd province and the population is predominantly Uriankhai and Kazakh. Khovd is greener and more prosperous than Olgii, the capital of Bayaan Olgii. Khovd has several attractions such as a new Buddhist Temple with108 stupas that is a copy of Erdene Zuu. On the way to the airport it is worth stopping at a high cairn you will pass to see the prehistoric rock drawings of ibexes and horses. At the edge of Khovd is a clay wall built by the Chinese Manchus during the Qing dynasty when this part of Mongolia was part of the Chinese empire. There is not much left but it is an interesting piece of history.

Day 6 departure Khovd