A MONGOLIAN EXPERIENCE

Mongolia is one of the last true wilderness nations, with over 1,500,000 km of sparsely populated landscape, widely inhabited by nomadic herders it is home to some of the world’s wildest mountain ranges and it offers adventures and experiences like nowhere else..

The country is vast and each of the regions has something different to offer.

Northern Mongolia is home to the Tsaatan people (the reindeer people), who follow shamanic traditions and live in the hills that border Lake Khovsgol Nuur, this is a wonderful region for hiking a horse riding. The lake itself is 262 metres deep and remains frozen until mid-April, until then it is used as a road by fearless drivers!

The Gobi desert dominates the South of Mongolia, the enormity of the desert cannot fail to impress. It is here that one finds the flaming cliffs, so called because of their fiery appearance at sunrise and sunset. Dinosaurs once roamed this land and there have been many discoveries of bones and eggs to prove it.

Largely uninhabited, the East of Mongolia is often overlooked, perhaps because it is not easily accessible. Here, if you take the trouble to visit, you will find monasteries, volcanoes and wildlife such as brown bears, musk deer, moose and gazelles roaming the grasslands or wandering the forests. It is also said to be the birth place of Genghis Khan. A place to discover on horseback or to enjoy long hikes.

Kazakh culture, the Altai Mountains and Eagle Hunters are the main draw in the West of the country. The best time to visit being during the Eagle Festival in October, where you can watch the Eagle Hunters in action. The Western landscape is spectacular with vast salt lakes, wild and snow covered mountains and desert plains.

To experience the very best of what Mongolia has to offer, Three Camel Lodge is simply the best place to stay. An Eco Lodge par excellence it also serves as a conservation centre for the local community, promoting environmental awareness. In addition, all of the lodge staff are Mongolian and the guides, food and transport suppliers are all hired locally.

The Lodge is an ideal base for excursions into the Gobi, from here one can hike in the Gobi-Alti Mountains, enjoy a camel trek (the lodge sponsors the Thousand Camel Festival, the primary goal of which is to protect the endangered Bactrian Camel) through the sand dunes and forests, ride on horse back or take a 4 wheel drive excursion to some remote canyons and valleys.

For real bragging rights though, try searching and excavating dinosaur fossils at the Flaming Cliffs under the guidance of a Paleontologist from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences... eat your heart out Ross Geller!