The Great Mongolian Balloon Adventure
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The Great Mongolian Balloon Adventure goyotravel.com - +44 (0) 1869 866520 - +976 9959 8468 – [email protected] The Great Mongolian Balloon Adventure Departure: 20-Aug-17 Duration: 15 Days Group Size: 16- 24 Pax Overview Accomm. Type Name Sun 20 Aug Arr. Ulaanbaatar; National History Museum; Tumen Ekh Hotel UB Hotel Fly to South Gobi 07:00/08:20; Gurvan Saikhan National Park; Yolyn Mon 21 Aug Ger Camp Gobi Mirage Am (Lammergeier Gorge) - FLIGHT DAY 1 Moltsog Els Sand Dunes; Camel Riding; Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs; Tue 22 Aug Ger Camp Gobi Mirage Nomadic Family Visit; Mongolian Barbecue - FLIGHT DAY 2 Wed 23 Aug Drive to Ongiin Khiid Ger Camp Ongiin Nuuts Thu 24 Aug Ongiin Khiid Monastery - FLIGHT DAY 3 Ger Camp Ongiin Nuuts Fri 25 Aug Ongiin Khiid; Orkhon Valley; Orkhon River Ger Camp Ursa Major Orkhon Valley; Uurtiin Tokhoi Canyon; Temeen Chuluu Burial Stones - Sat 26 Aug Ger Camp Ursa Major FLIGHT DAY 5 Sun 27 Aug Kharkhorin; Erdene Zuu Monastery - FLIGHT DAY 6 Ger Camp Monkh Tenger Mon 28 Aug Drive to Tsenkher Hot Springs Ger Camp Altan Nutag Tue 29 Aug Tsenkher Hot Springs; Horse Riding - FLIGHT DAY 7 Ger Camp Altan Nutag Wed 30 Aug Drive to Elsen Tasarkhai Ger Camp Sweet Gobi Thu 31 Aug Khogno Khaan; Uvguun Monastery - FLIGHT DAY 8 Ger Camp Sweet Gobi Fri 1 Sep Drive to Ulaanbaatar Hotel Shangri-La Sat 2 Sep Ulaanbaatar; Gandan Monastery; Winter Palace of Bogd Khaan Hotel Shangri-La Sun 3 Sep Depart - - goyotravel.com - +44 (0) 1869 866520 - +976 9959 8468 – [email protected] THE EXPERTS The tour is led by balloon operation experts Gone with the Wind, run by Phil and Allie Dunnington - world-renowned balloonists with extensive experience of operating in some of the globe's remotest environments. Phil is one of the most widely experienced commercial balloon pilots. Allie is not only a pilot, she is also a professional tour manager and has lived or worked in Asia since 1986. This will be their 4th expedition to Mongolia. www.gonewiththewind.uk.com THE ROUTE LOCAL TOUR SPECIALISTS During your journey you will be staying at some of our favourite characterful ger camps in the countryside & at two of the best-located hotels in UB. Gers are equipped with beds, linen, stove, table and chairs and have electric lighting. Our vehicle of choice is the UAZ. These Some gers may have powerpoints. Loos beasts of the east were born for the wilds and showers are in separate female and of Mongolia. Fun, functional & practical, with a high wheel base, large surround male blocks. There is a restaurant ger/building where meals are served. windows, ample luggage space, and a At Goyo Travel we believe that a good flexible sociable layout. guide is essential to the enjoyment of any We provide each car with a first aid kit, trip. Knowledge, enthusiasm, good water, tea & coffee-making facilities, and a humour, pro-activity, language and selection of snacks for guests to enjoy. The communication skills need to combine with balloons will travel in separate trucks with responsibility and a sensitivity to guests' fully sealed rear compartments, whilst needs. Your guides will be handpicked by another specially-equipped van will carry us to suit the itinerary and details will be the gas. sent out a week prior to travel. goyotravel.com - +44 (0) 1869 866520 - +976 9959 8468 – [email protected] TRIP DETAIL ULAANBAATAR - NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM - TUMEN EKH Your guide and driver will meet you in the arrivals hall at Ulaanbaatar Chinggis Khan Airport. Transfer to the hotel and check into your room. The plan for today is quite flexible, as arrival times may differ between group members, and you will probably want some downtime to relax and catch up on sleep. You may also need to sort out exchanging money and other practical things. We suggest meeting your guide in the hotel reception at 14:00 for a leisurely walk across the impressive Sukhbaatar Square, where the group shall commemorate the Ulaanbaatar , meaning "Red Hero", was so start of the trip with a photo in front of the statue of Chinggis Khaan. Then visit the named in 1924, following the creation of the National History Museum with its well-laid out informative displays showcasing the Mongolian People's Republic. The city was country's fascinating past. founded in 1639 as a moveable Buddhist monastic centre but in 1778 it settled Afterwards, walk south towards the city's main park, and enjoy an intimate permanently at its present location on the Tuul performance of music and dance by the Tumen Ekh ensemble at a small theatre. A River in north-eastern central Mongolia. The welcome dinner at one of our favourite Mongolian restaurants rounds off your first city lies at an elevation of about 1,310 metres day in Mongolia. (4,300 ft) and is home to almost half of the country's 2.7m population. Travel Details Arrival time tbc; 45mins/14km Airport-Hotel Accommodation Standard Twin Room, Ulaanbaatar Hotel Meals Included Dinner ULAANBAATAR - SOUTH GOBI - YOLYN AM - FLIGHT DAY 1 You will be picked up at 4:50 from your hotel for the transfer to the airport. Fly south to Dalanzadgad where your vehicles will be waiting. Then drive 45mins or so to Yolyn Am in the Gurvan Saikhan hills. En route to the gorge, stop at the small museum and craft gers at the park entrance, before continuing to the head of the valley where you will leave the cars and continue on foot. Keep a look out for birds of prey and ibex on top of the rocky outcrops above you as you wander down the lush valley. The walk here typically lasts around 1-2hrs depending on distance ventured and The Gobi Desert covers much of southern one's individual pace. Although there is scope for a longer foray. As you walk Mongolia, and about 40% of the country as a further down the valley into the gorge the steep rock faces close in and the stream whole. It is characterised by barren expanses that criss-crosses the path disappears under sheets of ice - there is not likely to be of gravel plains and rocky outcrops - with only much ice at this time of year but there should be some. a few areas of dune. The climate in the Gobi is Afterwards drive to the ger camp where you will be staying tonight. Arrive in time extreme. Temperatures reach +40°c in summer, and as low as -40°c in winter, with for lunch, and then unpack the balloons which will have travelled down by truck strong winds in spring and autumn. over the past 2 days. Today's first flight will be from close by the camp across the Precipitation averages less than 100 mm per vast plains that stretch out for miles in this wilderness section of the Gobi desert. year. In the evening enjoy dinner at the camp and your first night sleeping in a ger. Yolyn Am is a deep and narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan Mountains of southern Mongolia. In English, the name translates as Lammergeier Valley. The Lammergeier is an Old World vulture, hence the name is often translated to Valley of the Vultures or Valley of the Eagles. Wildlife abounds in this area - ground squirrels, marmots, ibex and argali roam the land, whilst birds of prey soar overhead. Although the area sees little precipitation, Yolyn Am is notable for a deep ice field. The ice field reaches several metres thick by the end of winter, and is several kilometres long. In past years it remained year round, but now the ice often disappears by late August. Travel Details 30 mins/14km Hotel to Airport; Flight Dep. 07:00/Arr. 08:20; Up to an hour/40km to Yoln Am; 1hr/50km to Ger Camp Accommodation Standard Ger, Gobi Mirage Ger Camp Meals Included Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner goyotravel.com - +44 (0) 1869 866520 - +976 9959 8468 – [email protected] MOLTSOG ELS SAND DUNES - NOMADIC VISIT - CAMEL RIDING - BAYANZAG (FLAMING CLIFFS) - MONGOLIAN BARBECUE - FLIGHT DAY 2 In the morning drive to Moltsog Els sand dunes. Here you will have the opportunity to visit a local family of camel herders - enjoy the hospitality in their ger where you will be able to try camel milk and other traditional Mongolian fare. Then head off for an hour's camel ride through the dunes, or those who prefer to walk may do so. Head back to camp for lunch and in the afternoon drive to Bayanzag for a an exploratory walk around the spectacular sandstone formations, known as the Flaming Cliffs due to their deep red hue. Prepare the balloons for an aerial view of the area at sunset over this paleontological goldmine. Bayanzag is one of the most famous For dinner you will dine on a traditional Mongolian nomadic feast of goat paleontological sites in the world. Huge 'khorkhog', which is steamed, along with root vegetables, in a pot using red hot shelves of rock and sand descend into many stones from the fire. In a specially-erected ger next to a nearby nomadic family, canyons that meander down to the desert you will have a this private meal followed by a special performance of music and floor. Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the dance by local musicians. Afterwards drive back to the ger camp. world's first nest of dinosaur eggs here in 1922 and unearthed over 100 dinosaurs. Other finds in the area include specimens of Velociraptor, and eutherian mammals. Camels - About 285,000 Bactrian camels - 30% of the world’s population - live in Mongolia, mainly in the Gobi desert.