Mysteries Of The Desert: A Traveler’s Tale – Enter the Gobi, a mix of rocky plains, dry grasslands and rolling sand dunes, beneath which footprints and fossils wait to be discovered.
Nestled in the heart of Central Asia, the Gobi is the largest desert on the continent. A mix of rocky plains, dry grasslands and rolling sand dunes, the ancient semi-desert is full of footprints and fossils of the prehistoric flora and fauna that once populated the land. This unforgiving landscape was also an important route on the Silk Road, with once-bustling trading villages that are now forgotten. However, echoes of the Gobi trade route’s past still resonate among the camel caravans and windswept faces of desert nomads.
Mysteries Of The Desert: A Traveler’s Tale
Learning and meeting with URECA, a startup based in Mongolia which seeks to democratize access to carbon credits via a blockchain
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Upon landing at Ulaanbaatar International Airport, your guide will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall with your private vehicle waiting, ready to take you to your hotel for check-in. The journey from the airport to the center of Ulaanbaatar takes approximately 1.5 hours.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, offers a contrast of nomadic felt yurts, modern coffee chains, Soviet-era apartments and thousands of rugged Toyota Priuses. This demonstrates the pace of modernization and urbanization capabilities. On a walk, the city seems in paradox with itself, both old and young: resident English-speaking entrepreneurs mingle in trendy cafes and cosmopolitan jazz bars, sharing the same street next to Buddhist temples and history museums.
Central Ulaanbaatar is at the heart of the city’s rapid modernization and is home to almost half of the country’s population. Start with a stroll through Sükhbaatar Square, named after the Mongolian revolutionary hero, Damdin Sükhbaatar, who can be seen in the monument astride a horse in the center of the square. After crossing the square, arrive at the Genghis Khan Museum, the largest collection of Genghis Khan-related artifacts in the world. The museum follows the story of Genghis Kahn, orphaned as a young boy from a small nomadic tribe, and his rise to the top where he conquered and ruled most of Eurasia, creating one of the first international free trade zones.
On the way to Gorkhi Terelj National Park, stop to stretch your legs and soak in a little history beneath the world’s largest equestrian statue. Here, Genghis Khan still sits astride a horse, overlooking the Tsonjin Boldog Valley. Legend has it that Genghis Khan found a golden whip on this same site. Start with a panoramic view from inside the gigantic horse before diving into the museum where a collection of archaeological finds awaits you.
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The steep cliffs and towering mountains of Gorkhi Terelj National Park give it the essence of a playground for giants, the huge boulders and towering Dahurian larches and Siberian pines are just their toys. Beyond the initial tourist infrastructure (the national park’s proximity to Ulaanbaatar makes it a popular stop for many), a pristine forest awaits, as do its full-time residents: wild boars, deer, foxes , wolves and an incredibly special bear – the Gobi Bear. Known in Mongolian as Mazaalai, it is the only bear species on the planet that lives in a desert habitat. It is estimated that there are only around 50 left in the wild today, and although the chances of spotting one are incredibly rare, the only place on earth where they might be spotted is here.
Embark on a journey of inner reflection amidst nature with an approximately 3-hour trek through the woods to the Aryapala Meditation Center, nestled in the heart of the national park. The final test will be the 108 steps leading to the entrance to Aryapala. At the top, a Buddhist monk will be waiting to greet you. This spiritual guide leads the ensuing meditation, an opportunity to embrace the power of mindfulness and meditation while immersed in nature.
URECA is a start-up based in Mongolia that seeks to democratize access to carbon credits via a blockchain technology marketplace. They saw the need for change right at home, where local residents spend a significant percentage of their income on coal, a necessity to stay warm during Mongolia’s hot winters. However, coal burning causes serious health problems and contributes significantly to Mongolia’s carbon emissions. So, URECA set up its pilot project here, installing solar electricity in these homes and producing substantial emissions reductions with cascading social benefits, all financed by the sale of carbon credits. Enter one of the solar-powered homes to dine with the family who lives there, joined by a member of the URECA team who will share more about their world-changing mission.
Khustai National Park, which covers more than 50,000 hectares of steppe, is home to a vast collection of local animals: more than 500 plants, 30 mushrooms, 200 birds and 40 mammals. Among the vibrant ecosystem that exists here, one animal in particular shines the brightest, the Przewalski’s horse, known as “Takhi” by the locals. The Takhi was once completely extinct in the wild, but thanks to local conservation efforts, it was reintroduced to Khustai National Park in hopes of bringing the species back from the brink of extinction.
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Among the many life forms that inhabit the steppe of Khustai National Park, humans are also one. Join a nomadic herding family for the day and immerse yourself in a 10,000-year-old way of life. Discover what life is like on the steppe with daily tasks like milking cows, processing dairy products, collecting argali (dry cow droppings used for fuel and as mosquito repellent), and raising the cattle and sheep.
After a long day of work, the nomadic family returns home to rest. This is when the Morin Khuur (Mongolian horse fiddle) comes out. Listen to the rendition of a folk song performed by one of the family members and soak up the ambiance of the horse fiddle, with sounds that are rich, deep and ancient.
From the outside, this yurt looks like any of its neighbors, but inside, many intrigues await you. Enter a world of colors inside the yurt where the artwork of modern Mongolians hangs on the wall, providing a small window into the hearts, minds and motivations of this country’s artists.
What if Mongolia could take all the milk it produces and turn it into cheese? Well, they already make a traditional Mongolian cheese, similar to cottage cheese, but the concept of expanding the boundaries of cheese forced a former governor to make it himself. He learned the craft of cheesemaking from a wandering Dutchman and combined it with rich, flavorful dairy products unique to Mongolia to produce a one-of-a-kind Gouda, praised for its complex nutty and salty flavors. Chat with this governor turned cheesemaker and taste his 28th edition Khustai Gouda for yourself!
Mysteries Of The Gobi Desert
The Central Asian wild horse, known locally as Takhi but also known as Przewalski’s horse, was thought to have completely disappeared in the wild by the 1960s. Fortunately, a chance encounter between a Mongolian ecologist and a German researcher started the initiative to reintroduce these wild cousins of the domestic horse, and in the early 1990s Khustai National Park became one of the main reintroduction sites. See these magnificent beasts for yourself as they travel to the watering hole daily where they can be observed from a short distance respectively.
Your guide and private driver will accompany you to the airport and help you check in for your flight. At this point, your Ulaanbaatar private driver will bid you farewell. Your guide will accompany you during the 1.5-hour flight from Dalanzadgad to Ulaanbaatar. When you arrive in Dalanzadgad, your new driver will be waiting to greet you and escort you to your vehicle.
Welcome to one of the world’s greatest deserts: the mystical Gobi, a landscape where rolling sand dunes give way to expanses of verdant scrub teeming with diverse wildlife. Expect a mix of ecosystems, 33 to be exact, ranging from desert basins to low mountains to rocky terrains that stretch for miles, each with its own Mongolian name to boot.
A few hours’ drive from Dalanzadgad, on the edge of the rocky Gurvansaikhan National Park, is Yolyn Am, which translates to ‘Valley of the Vultures’. This steep canyon in the heart of the Gobi Desert is famous for its year-round ice field and, as its name suggests, bearded vultures. These amazing birds nest precariously in the towering cliffs and are the only vertebrates whose diet is approximately 80% bone. Enjoy the scenery up close, on foot or on horseback, through grassy canyon meadows, small streams and winding valleys, sunlight bouncing off wildflowers and desert plants with grazing sheep and ibexes traversing the steep facades.
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The concept of “Spare Ger” is an ancient Mongolian tradition. Ger or yurt is an ingenious architectural invention perfectly suited in its versatility to the nomadic lifestyle across all seasons and terrains of Mongolia. Traditionally, the Spare Ger is a multi-purpose structure that can be used as a playhouse for children, shelter for newborn animals, storage space or converted as a guest house. ” Spare part