On this journey we use low impact traditional modes of transport. Our equipment will be carried on carts, the same way the locals use to transport their belongings, moving from one pasture to another. For this purpose we will use yaks and horses. We will also carry a ger, which is the traditional felt tent, in which most Mongols live even these days. Essentially, this means we can utilize the services of the local people in the area where we are to travel. They are the experts, and we will be able to get a first hand experience of how to move a camp in the Mongolian traditional way.

DAY 01 : Arrive Ulaanbaatar
Arrive to the Mongolian capital by air (from Moscow or Beijing), or from our Gobi Camel Trek. Transfer to the hotel.

DAY 02 : To Jalman Meadows
After breakfast we leave Ulaanbaatar for the Upper Tuul River Valley in the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area some 110 km away. A three-hour drive by bus or car. We drive one hour on tarmac road, one hour through a beautiful steppe valley with many herdsmen with their livestock. The last hour crosses the ridge at Zamtiin Davaa, and through forests we reach the Upper Tuul River Valley. It is the winter grazing lands of the local herdsmen, which is why most of them are not in the area at the time. It allows for a profusion of wildflowers, such as edelweiss. Our yak carts and the local herdsmen who will be our hosts in the area meet us. Pitch camp next to the Tuul River.

DAY 03 : Khan Khentii
We load our luggage on to the carts. Our first campsite is in a steppe valley, surrounded by the Khentii hills, covered with larch and birch forests. The protected area was established in December 1993, covering most of the Khentii wilderness areas stretching all the way up to the Russian-Siberian frontier. Herdsmen keep their livestock in the southern areas, and they follow a lifestyle that essentially has been the same since the time of Genghis Khan. Overnight in tents.

DAY 4 : Khan Khentii
We trek for three full days toward the Khentii wilderness areas, and soonwe touch the limits of human habitation. Although rarely seen, wolves are numerous in the area. There are also wild boars, moose, red deer (Cervus elaphus), marmots and gazelle. We will use yaks to pull the wooden traditional carts on which all our equipment will be loaded and transported. Our Mongol staff will accompany us on horseback. No support vehicles will be required, let alone practical in the area where we are to trek. The yaks will set the pace of the nomadic journey over easy terrain (max. 20 km per day). A cook who knows westernand Mongolian cooking will be with us in the field. Members will be able to learn how to build a ger: this can be very quick if several people join in. Overnight in tents.

DAY 5 : Khan Khentii
We are now in a scenic area, where rivers flow down broad steppe valleys. Around are forested hills and mountains. Along the rivers there are wooded and alluvial meadows with broad leaf forests. Today we will reach back to the road.

DAY 6 : To Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast transfer back to Ulaanbaatar (3-3,5 hrs). In the afternoon free time to explore the city. Overnight in a hotel. On this day you may also transfer to nearby Jalman Meadows Ger Camp, 8km further up the Tuul River Valley, and extend your stay in the zone.

DAY 7 : Departure