Mongolia is the up and coming country in the Far East. Being heavily controlled for years by the super powers of Russia and China, it is now finding it's own identity.
Steeped in culture and history, this country that once controlled most of the world, now focuses on celebrating it's nomadic culture. This age old travelling tradition is a life choice practised by families for centuries.
Travelling from the airport you can easily see the mass development in the city of Ulan Bator. Huge skyscrapers dot the skyline and all of the household consumer brand names are slowly emerging. An hour or so outside of the city it is a very different setting, the beautiful but desolate mountains fill the landscape.
We stayed at a ger camp in a national park, where families have lived in peace for generations. We were greeted with a generous breakfast of traditional Mongolian food; bread, meats, cheeses and jams, exactly the right way to start an active day in the Mongolian mountains.
The absolute highlight of our stay at the ger camp was riding wild horses through the valleys. All of the horses respond to their herder via whistles and songs. With one high pitched command he can get them to walk, trot, canter and stop. All a bit nerve wracking when you're sat on one! We rode to Turtle Rock and back to the camp, this was 3 amazing hours of being at one with nature and taking in spectacular surroundings!
Mongolians are simple and friendly beings. We experienced this first hand when we visited a Mongolian lady in her ger. She was very happy, welcoming and a brilliant host. She had prepared an array of milk tea, different cheeses and Mongolian donuts, which we accepted gratefully. Before we left we gave her some small gifts in appreciation for her hospitality - another Mongolian tradition.
We spent the rest of the afternoon trying on traditional Mongolian clothing and hiking up the massive mountain behind our camp. The view of all the mountains, valleys and other ger camps was so amazing - very green and breath taking. It was a different story the next morning, as the snow had started to come and the mountains were snow-capped and even more stunning!
The hospitality we received at our ger camp was homely and comforting and we enjoyed every minute. And seeing the night sky with zero light pollution will be something we will never forget.
Another highlight of our stay in Mongolia was the traditional culture show. There were dancers, singers and even a contortionist, which gave us another insight into more of the rich Mongolian arts culture.
The nomad way of life is simple yet gives you everything that you need. Due to the lack of tourism in Mongolia we have been treated to the true and honest way of their life.
We strongly advise adding Mongolia onto your travel list, making sure you stay in a traditional ger, but also to see Ulan Bator too. For us it has been our favourite country so far and will be hard to beat thanks to the friendly people, stunning scenery and rich culture. "Welcome to happy country!" Just as our honcho said!
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