Travel Blog Mongolia

Summer 2015 highlights: a group of six guys from Australia and New Zealand came for a motorbike tour in the far north east of Mongolia, also known for being the birthplace of Genghis Khan. The riders were professional film directors, musicians and photographers, so they have created this marvellous 15-minute account of their adventure including stunning drone footage showing all of Mongolia's hidden secrets. Thanks to Simon Lister @ Nylon Studios for sharing this video.

President of Mongolia, Mr Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, has led the way for the death penalty to be abolished in Mongolia from September 2016. He said that the threat of executions does not have a deterrent effect and the risk of a miscarriage of justice is inherent in any system of justice. Lawmakers on Thursday voted in favour of a new Criminal code that abolishes this type of penalty for all crimes, which is a clear victory for human rights. In 2010, the President Ts.Elbegdorj commuted all death sentences and announced a moratorium on all executions. In 2012, Mongolia ratified an international treaty committing the country to the abolition of the death penalty. Amnesty International declared that the countries that continue to execute have been shown a clear path to follow to end this cruel and inhumane punishment. There remain 37 countries worldwide which retain the death penalty, including the United States, China and Japan.

Mongolian entertainment is traditionally centered around the nomadic way of life, for example folk music, horse racing and the fortune telling "shagai" bones. However since the 1960’s there has been a steady increase in   Mongolian orientated and produced films. These, along with national televised comedy theatre productions, are a popular example of modernizing entertainment industry within Mongolia. Our top 3 recommendations to inspire your travels:     1.        The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005) Directed by Byambasuren Davaa   A beautiful story of a young nomad girl who finds a stray dog inside a cave; however after taking him home finds that her parents won’t accept it. Only after the dog dramatically saves the family is it then allowed to start a new life with them on the move.  The film is set in Arkhangai province in Central Mongolia, not far from the volcanic area where the actual cave of the yellow dog is located near to Terk

It is well known that dogs descended from wolves; that packs of wolves would follow communities of hunter/gathers and take food scraps from their camps in preference to hunting prey. Gradually the bravest wolves got closer and closer to the humans and so got most of the food, gradually leading to an evolutionary advantage as  each generation of wolves became tamer. It is believed that wolves befriended humans, becoming domesticated, about 15,000 years ago.  New research at Cornell University in New York shows that dogs were first domesticated in Central Asia in the region of Mongolia. Thousands of DNA samples taken from dogs around the world were compared with each other in order to build up a picture of their evolutionary origins. The results point to Mongolia being the place where dogs first transitioned from wolves.

We're always trying to improve tours and find new routes that no one else does. This summer we did a reconnaissance trip  in the central provinces of Tuv, Middle Gobi and Ovorkhangai. It is a part of the country that tourists rarely travel and now that the Department of Transport has built several good new roads even locals don't use the old tracks much. There are some dramatic mountains on the way, especially at Ikh Gazriin Chuluu and Khairkhan mountain. We saw thousands of white-tailed gazelle, some small steppe foxes, marmots, eagles  and cute little jerboas that hop like kangaroos. As we went further south the steppe turned into desert and we passed through some areas of "zag" saxaul forest; these trees are only found in the Gobi and take hundreds of years to grow. For part of the route we literally had to go off the map - following faint old tracks that were not marked on any of our maps and sometimes became non-existent. This really is about as

The Government of Mongolia has donated 164 million tugricks,  approximately USD 85,000, for the building of a suitable and permanent resting place for the body of the self-mummified Lama who was found earlier this year on a mountainside near Tsakhir village in Arkhangai province.  According to Buddhist belief, a person who is able to achieve self mummification has reached Nirvana, the highest level of afterlife, escaping from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.  During the building of the temple, the body is being cared for at Gandantegchinlen monastery in Ulaanbaatar where experts have worked to protect the body from further damage. In the meantime, the man who found the body and tried to sell it at the market in Ulaanbaatar, has been sentenced to 6 months in jail.

Two young people travelling the world have started a project called "The Banyan Story", making a video and music production in each country they visit.  You are invited to watch this wonderful video they have made of Mongolia as they travelled widely around the country. This is a travel video that shows you the beauty of Mongolia's true culture and their amazing landscapes.

Hundreds of citizens show their approval and share heart-warming stories of how traditional Mongolian music has touched them after a video of a Khusugtun’s performance on Asia’s Got Talent appears. All four judges said yes with comments such as “I feel very privileged to experience that beautiful part of your culture. Thank you.” The band recognizes that they are like cultural ambassadors for Mongolia and are grateful for the opportunity on a world stage. The band has now reached the semi finals of the competition. Although an official video has yet to be released their performance can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7B6rNUc3u0&feature=share An introduction to Mongolia’s soulful music can also be seen at http://www.mongolia.co.uk/music.html  

Following the incredible discovery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia last month of the well-preserved body of  a Buddhist Lama who succeeded in preserving his own body after death, the criminal investigation conducted by police of Khan Uul District in Ulaanbaatar have identified the Lama, the thief, and the place where he was found near Tsakhir village of Arkhangai province on the mountain called Tsodnomdarjaa in the Khukh Nuruu "Blue Mountains". Since the body of the honorable Lama Sanjjav had not decayed over a long period of possibly 200 years, it is taken as proof that he successfully escaped from the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In respect of this, the Lamas of Gandantegchinlen monastery in Ulaanbaatar have been given the task of restoring the body and they will be responsible for enacting the correct ceremonies for reburial of the Lama in it's original resting place in Arkhangai.

In April 2015, Ferrostaal Industrial Projects GmbH will start construction on a $115 million wind farm in Mongolia. It is set to become the country’s largest renewable energy source with “27 towers and an installed capacity of 54 megawatts” as stated by Oliver Schnorr, director of the Sainshand Wind Park LLC. Mongolia has already established its first wind farm in 2013 situated in Salkhit, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Ulaanbaatar. The new farm is projected to be much further away in Sainshand, approximately 460 kilometres southeast of the city and in the Gobi Desert. Due to Mongolia’s heavy dependence on natural resources such as coal energy plants, the government has set out to increase “its energy production from renewables to 20 percent by 2020

1.  Am I up for the challenge ? Most of our active adventure tours are a challenge in one sense or another. It might be the distance you have to cover on trek / bike / horse, or the unpredictable weather, the lack of regular creature comforts like TV, en suite bathroom, or your favourite food. But a challenge is a challenge and you will feel great about yourself once you’ve done it.  2.  Would I eat barbequed sheep’s intestines if offered to me ? Etiquette is quite important. If someone offers you something to eat or drink, you must politely accept and taste it, or pretend to taste it. If you don’t finish it all, that’s perfectly fine and not rude at all. To refuse something offered to you would be rude. And whatever is offered, you must accept it with your right hand or with both hands. Not with your left hand. And if you give anything, you must give with your right hand. 3.  Am I looking for a cheap vacation ? Mongolia is not cheap and cannot be