MONGOLIA
GOBI DESERT  TO  THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS,
THE LAND  OF THE  EAGLE HUNTERS


       Mongolian Kazaks still hunt with their eagles on the Altay mountains

Tour Dates:  Thursday Aug 6th, 2015 Wednesday Aug19, 2015 
Please read the tour hand book for more details   
Please read the Journals from 
2003 and 2002 Tours
2011 Mongolia tour group journal

PRE TOUR EXTENSION FOR


ITINERARY:  Please check the map of the tour
 

Day 01 Thursday ULAAN BATOOR
You will be picked up from the air port with MELITOUR SIGN. The tour members will be arriving today from different destinations. We will meat the the lobby of the hotel at 04;30 PM for a group meeting.
For details on arrival please click here

Day 02  Friday     GOBI    

Fly to GOBI early in the morning. The flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad Air port takes 1,5 hours and then half an hour drive to the Ger Camp. Check in the camp . After Lunch drive 1.5 hours to Eagle Valley of Yolyn Am Valley . A small natural history museum and the shops of the desert people . We will hike  into the depths of the valley. We will be surrounded with the animals of the valley including domestic yaks grazing on the slopes of rocky hills. Whistling mice busy visiting each others holes in the ground, wild goats at the peaks of the hills. Eagles flying above the sheep herds looking for a feast. the shepherds  of the valley let you know that you are not just in any beautiful gorge in the world but in Mongolia. Back to the ger camp. Enjoy sitting around the camp fire listening to the stories of Gobi.
For the photographers an amazing site of the desert as the plane lands on desert ground.


Day 03 Saturday  
GOBI    
Gobi desert Bayanzag - The flaming cliffs

 After an early breakfast leave the camp at 0730 for a long pleasant day at the GOBI desert.  Our destination is not as important as what we feel and see in the endlessness of this vast Desert. We will stop at theSand Dunes and the red sandstone cliffs at the canyon of Bayanzag  where the fossil bed of dinosaur bones discovered in the beginning of the 20th Century..
Drive to "the only forest " of midget trees for picnic lunch. Visit gers and families on route. We will see lots of free roaming Camels. If we are lucky we will see Gazelles.. Camel Herders Family.
Camel Back riding ; One of the best ways to experience the Gobi is  from the back of a camel. They are very easy to ride. Today we will also see herds of yaks.
Back to the same camp. Showers are available. The temperature at the desert will be cool in the morning and in the late afternoon . in mid day t can get to will be around 80 –90 Degrees F .

Day 04  Sunday   ULAAN BATOOR
At 11 am From Dalanzadgad fly back to Ulaan Baator . Arrive in Ulaan Baator  in time for lunch . Mongolian Artists have excellent talent for paper cutting. We will meet several artists at at the Children's  Park to find more about this craft. sitting comfortable on the grass in the shade of huge linden trees we will cut our own little magic forms out of black paper trying to understand the tricks of this very old Mongolia art. Later in the afternoon a sculptor will have us at his work shop to show us the traditional forms of ceramic use for the Budist temples.

Afternoon Paper Cutter Artist and Ceramic Sculptor.

Overnight in Ulaan Batoor

Day 05  Monday  Olgii ALTAY
0800 am fight  out of Ulaan Baator to Olgii  on the Altay Moutains. this is a 3 hour flight with one stop for fueling in the middle. Bayan Olgii nestles among the towering snow-capped peaks of the Altay mountains. The population consists of mainly Turkish Kazaks. Meli speaks  their language.
Besides natural beauty, the archaeological sites offer incredible unique evidence of the past: the deer-stones, balbal    (the Turkish Stone figures) and petrogliphs. But the most impressive memory of the day will be meeting the EAGLE HUNTERS. This is the most beautiful camp they have in Mongolia from our experiences of the camps. The only camp where the shower room has a little sauna  built into it.

 

 

 

 

Day 06  Tuesday Khoved ALTAI
120 Km jeep drive to Khovd. In Mongolia this distance will normally take 4-5 hours. With our interest in photography and the wealth of its photo ops with the nomads and mountains and the archaeological sites, we will be on the road the whole day.
Khovd has a varied demographic structure with different ethnic groups of the Mongolians. Overnight at ger camp which has the best cook for excellent meals. Showers are available but not too reliable.

Day 07   Wednesday   Khoved ALTAI
Free time in the morning for people to catch up with their journal in this spectacular land. Early lunch at 11;45. Leave the camp for Khovd city 20 minutes  away from the Camp we are staying at. This town has an interesting "Black Market" that serves all the nomads in the vicinity of several hundred miles. Visit the market for excellent shots of work a day in Mongolia" .In the afternoon visit  local museum and the Budist temple which stay pen only for few hours a day. Visit the  families. Overnight at the same Camp.

Day 08    Thursday Khoved ALTAI
Drive 60 miles  to the largest Cave of Mongolia to see remains of Paleolithic Tsenkheriin Agui caves. Similar Caves in other parts of the world ( France)  are not accessible for preservation concerns. So this will be a very rare opportunity to look into the lives of the oldest peoples of our planet . On the way back to Khovd  we will be at the western shore of the lake KHAR  us Nuur Lake. (Black Water Lake) Pelicans bird watching…Overnight at the same camp

Day 09  Friday  Ulaan Baator
Fly back to Ulaan Baator at 08:30 AM. Arrive the capital at lunch time. The lunch will be at the hotel. Generally this afternoon is the time when every one catches up with laundry and a short visit to the department store for changing money or visiting the 5th floor which has excellent souvenirs. Some groups like to take the opportunity of visiting a FOOT REFLEXOLOGY place to get ready for the next part of our tour. Manicure and pedicure has been popular among the female tour members as well
Dinner at a very popular restaurant. Overnight at Edelweiss hotel

Day 10  Saturday Ulaan Baator
We will start the day after breakfast with a visit to the largest Monastery of Ulaan Baator which survived the Communist destruction. Gundan Monastery. After lunch we will visit the school for contortionists and learn about what it means to the Mongolian Families to have their little sons and daughters learn how to have full command over their bodies- bones and muscles. some tour members take time in the afternoon to go shopping or more museum or art gallery hopping. Dinner at the hotel

Day 11  Sunday Huvsgul
 Fly to Murun 1.5 hours flight from Ulaan Baator. Then drive to Huvsgul lake, the spectacular alpine lake. The deepest and second-largest lake in Mongolia, Huvsgul Nuur is breathtaking, surrounded by 8,000-foot peaks. Settle into a traditional ger tent on the shores of the lake and spend the next two nights getting a taste of the centuries-old lifestyle of the nomad, but with added amenities for your comfort. This afternoon, hike along the shore to view the swans, ospreys, thrushes and various other shore birds. 

 

Day 12 Monday Huvsgul
After breakfast, visit the reindeer herders, the most primitive ethnic group in Mongolia. Experience riding reindeers and experience the primitive lifestyle of reindeer people residing the remotest part of the country. Then move on to visit a shaman’s hut to have an insight of this unique ancient religion of Mongolia. Have packed lunch on the way. Dinner and overnight at the ger camp.

Day 13 Tuesday Aug. 16, 2011 Ulaan Baator
Drive to Saridag  to see the animals under protection. Fly back to Ulaan Baator at around 1.00 pm
Arrive in Ulaan Baator Late afternoon. Farewell dinner

Day 14  Wednesday Aug 17, 2011 Ulaan Baator
The tour will be over. Transfer to the Air port is included

The Price of the Tour:
The tour will not operate with less than 5 people
Single room supplement: US$ 620
Please write to MELITOUR for prices melitour@yahoo.com

5 pax

6 Pax

7 Pax

8 Pax

9 Pax

10 - 12 Pax

The Price Includes:

  • 5 nights stay in a 4-star Eidelweiss hotel in Ulaanbaatar
  • Daily meals in choice fine restaurants in Ulaanbaatar
  • 8 nights in accommodation in gers In Gobi, Altai and Huvsgul with fullboard
  • All sightseeing as per itinerary and transfers
  • Entrance fees including museums, national parks and concert
  • Private deluxe coach transport in Ulaanbaataar
  • Russian made 4WD UAZ Purgon mini van in Gobi, Altai and Huvsgul
  • English speaking guide service throughout the journey
  • Domestic return flight to Dalanzadgad, center of South Gobi
  • Domestic return flight to Murun, center of Huvsgul province
  • Domestic one way flight to Ulgii town
  • Domestic one way flight from Khovd town
  • Horse Back riding at the lake
  • The tips at the hotel and restaurants
  • Boat Ride

Typical Melitour tour price. Once you arrive in Ulaan Baator, until you leave Mongolia
you do not need to pay for any thing

The price does not include:

  • International flight
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Travel or medical insurance
  • Tips to the driver and the guide
  • Camel ride at the desert

For the Payment Plan and cancellation please check the tour hand book