Eight Lakes Ride and Gobi Desert Adventure
Description
CAN'T DECIDE WHAT'S MORE QUINTESSENTIAL - HORSES OR GOBI! DON'T!
We are aiming to give you more than a superficial taste of some of the very best that Mongolia has to offer: it's most iconic views and experiences and the unique feeling that travel in this magical place allows you. Space, natural beauty; a re-definition of luxury and hospitality. We present five days of sublime riding in the Orkhon Valley and five days of touring the incredible sites of the Gobi desert, both with full Morindoo support. This is an accessible trip to anyone curious about the treasures of Mongolia and an essential plank in your understanding and appreciation of the country, whether its your first visit of fifteenth.
Why ride in Eight Lakes National Park?
1. Beauty: This is a ride in the phenomenal Orkhon River Valley in Ovorkhangai province. Ovorkhangai is a hidden gem in Mongolia, a microcosm showcasing all of the country's diverse terrain in a relatively accessible format.
2. Accessibility: after an initial full day's drive out to the Orkhon Waterfall where you'll meet the horses, the daily distances are benign and the pace slows to a genuinely leisurely and restorative one. In four days you will get a true taste of the Mongolian horse and the amazing dexterity and skill of the Mongolian herders and crew taking care of the yaks and horses we are relying so completely upon.
3. Quality of the ride: the riding is varied, adventurious and remote, but not challenging even for relatively novice riders. If you trust the horses they will take care of you.
4. Remoteness: there is no cell reception! It's a true decompression. No vehicles can get to three of our four camps and so we travel with yaks to support us. It's a unique, unforgettable and joyful experience getting back to basics and seeing what luxuries are contained in those panniers!
5. Our team: we have an amazing team in place for this ride. A brilliant cook, highly experienced and charming herders and wranglers. You get to experience a logistical miracle by Morindoo!
RIDING THE EIGHT LAKES - AUGUST 3-7TH
The volcanic lakes are named Shireet, Khaliut, Bugat, Khaya, Khuis, Onon, Doroo and Bayan-Uul. Naiman Nuur (Eight Lakes) has been a protected area since 1992 in recognition of its outstanding beauty and diversity of rare animals and birds. The pace will vary hugely on this ride, but the difficulty of the terrain makes even the walking sections quite challenging with steep rocky staircases and twisting trails through dense undergrowth (which usually yields exquisite wild strawberries, you will be in no nurry). On open country you are free to enjoy endless canters with the wind in your hair. We aim to ride for around 6 hours each day with a hot breakfast and dinner cooked in the open at camp and a packed lunch out on the trail. You will camp in robust little dome tents and comfy inflatable mattresses and eat and sleep with the horses and yaks gazing contentedly around the camp. The food will rustic, but delicious and plentiful. We will happily cater for vegetarians and you will enjoy the company of a wonderful local team taking care of you and the horses.
ON TO THE GOBI - AUGUST 8-12TH
We will ride first because we think that will offer a better balance after your transatlantic flights. You will be ready to get back in the vehicle to take on the rigours and peculiar beauties of the Gobi after an initial week with the wind in your hair. You'll stay in a range of catered ger (Morindoo yurt) camps for the Gobi tour, rather than in our Morindoo tents at a Morindoo camp. These are the iconic white felt dwellings of the steppe - an essential experience!
The camps vary in levels of luxury from astonishing (frothy coffees, massages, sundowners on the viewing deck) to spartan, but we'll be with you throughout to keep you comfortable. In five days we'll show you four of the most jaw-dropping and significant sites in the Gobi and the yawning spaces between them you will get a sense of the scale and majesty of this martian, but always living expanse. Think it's all dunes and camels? Prepare to have your expectations confounded. Think the Grand Canyon is as impressive as geology gets? Ditto!
THE ROAD HOME - AUGUST 12-13TH
As we bring you back towards Ulaanbaatar at the end of your epic journey, we'll show you two more Mongolia must-sees. The wild horses of Khustai National Park and the magnificent Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue, said to be on the site where Chinggis picked up a golden whip, a hugely lucky omen, as his effort to unite the Mongol tribes gathered pace. Whatever the genesis of the monument, it's an amazing viewpoint and one hell of a last photo opportunity!
Likely from Beijing, so arriving around 11am. We'll deliver you to the dependable luxury of the Holiday Inn, give you a few hours off to rest and unpack and join you late afternoon. We'll offer a city tour and then an early evening concert before a group dinner at our favorite local restaurant.
Long driving day to Orkhon Waterfall - this is your longest single day in the cars, some 400kms. We'll break up the journey with a stop at the beautiful golden dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai (spoiler - you can probably ride a camel here!) for lunch. We should reach the falls by sundown, but the last 40km are very off-road so we will make camp with comfort in mind.
You'll ride the beautiful Eight Lakes. Meeting the herders at the waterfall, we'll match you up with horses and equipment. Then set off after a princely brunch and a dip in the stunning Orkhon falls if you're hardy that way. From here we have a first night with vehicle support, camping in a secluded forest location before the real fun starts! On the second morning, we pack all of our essentials onto the six yaks and send them off into the forest ahead of us. Miraculously, by the time you make camp each evening, they are there waiting, unloaded, fire smoking and coffee ready.
Each night we camp in secluded, silent luxury, the horses and yaks grazing nearby, the mist rising off the lakes. Savour the meals prepared by our sensational cook Abe, play a few rounds of poker with Chimedee our brilliant manager. Hike a little, swim a little, read a little... These are halycon days. On the evening of the 8th you'll say farewell to herders and the wonderful horses and make camp once more.
Day 7 - August 9th - The Gobi tour starts:Travel day! Here your road trip begins. It's a slow and rural ride out of the park, but you'll hit tarmac close to Arvaikheer city and have the chance to admit the monument to some of Mongolia's most famous racehorses constructed by our manager Chimedee's dad. From there it's another 200kms by road to Ongiin Khiid, a very important Buddhist Monastery. In truth we bring you here for a night of relative luxury and comfort - the Secret of Ongi resort is a jewel in the Gobi - have a hot shower, a cold gin and tonic and a cappuccino. Some true rest and luxury after all that camping.
To Bayanzag, the famous Flaming Cliffs. A true dinosaur playground! This is where American palentologist Roy Chapman Andrews first discovered dinosaur eggs in 1922, advancing our understanding of natural history in one huge leap. The camp you will stay in has some incredible teaching materials on the subject. The cliffs are so named because of their beautiful glowing color at sundwown and we will aim to have you there to enjoy this Northern Lights - standard natural phenomenon.
To Tsagaan Suvarga, the White Stupa. Poorly named as if it's only a single structure. This incredible granite canyon looks so much like a ruined catherdral complex it's hard to comprehend that it is shaped only by natural forces. It's full of marine fossils which suggests it was underwater at various points in the earth's history. This is Mongolia's Grand Canyon and it's beauty is so sublime you will want to spend hours there.
Last day in the Gobi and we are turning for home towards Ulaanbaatar. The famous rock formations at Baga Gazriin Chuluut will break the journey. Chinggis Khaan made camp here during one of his campaigns. Rock painting abound, sacred spring flow, there are caves to explore and camels to meet.
Today we'll head to Khustai National Park, over the beautiful rolling hills of Altanbulag and settle in for the night in the hope of spotting at sundown or sunrise the Takhi or Przwalski's horse, which was reintroduced to the wild in Mongolia in the 1990's and is flourishing as a protected species. There is some great hiking in the park too. A really peaceful last night out on the steppe.
Back to the buzz of Ulaanbaatar! On the way home we will stop in at the giant equestrian statue of Chinggis Khaan, some 60kms east of the city, impressive for entirely different reasons than the natural wonders you have taken in over the past ten days. Once back in UB, we'll deliver you back to the Holiday Inn for a well earned bath, and chill in the spa and collect you for dinner before we say farewell, and get to the airport the next day to fly home.
