Lake Hövsgöl Ride

- pack-horse supported -

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Lake Hövsgöl is one of the most pristine large waterbodies of Asia situated at 1645 meters above sea level. It is the twin lake of Baikal and its waters are equally blue. The setting of this spectacular trail ride is spectacular with Siberian taiga and the Horidol Saridag Mountain Range to the west. This journey on horseback is a close encounter with Mongolian horsemen and their horses.  A nomadic people who to date have survived the modern pressures and lifestyles.  There is no other nation in the world who so much depends on horses.  The Mongol horsemanship is famous, and strikingly different to anything else.

The lake is almost devoid of ships, and a transparency of 16-25 meters deep.  There is Lenok Trout and an endemic Grayling in the lake. It stretches some 125km from north to south and is 262 meters deep. It is not as deep as Baikal, but part of the Baikal Rift system, which resulted from the pressures associated with the collision between India and Asia some 55 million years ago.

Brief Outline Itinerary

We will start this horse ride as A Nomadic Journey, e.g. without vehicle support in wild terrain. Our luggage will be loaded on to pack horses. Our ride will bring us through forests and up the hills overlooking the spectacular lookout points over the lake and we will be camping out in pristine lake side locations on the remote southeastern side. Although Lake Hövsgöl is on one of the emerging tour routes of Mongolia, we are most likely to have the entire area to ourselves. The national park also has forest steppe mosaic, where nomads live and southern taiga life zone. Hövsgöl is famous for its spectacular wildflowers.

Day 1. Ulaanbaatar

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar. Transfer to your hotel.

Day 2. To Lake Hövsgöl

During the course of the day, transfer to the airport and fly 1½ to 2 hours to either of Mörön airport (102km before Hatgal) or direct to Hatgal airstrip.

Hatgal village sits directly on the southern tip of Lake Hövsgöl. It has many log cabin houses, similar to the nearby Russian-Siberian tradition.

Weather permitting we will continue our journey by “jaroslavets” style boat, which have been brought to here, from the nearby Lake Baikal in Russia.  Half an hour of navigation will bring us to a secluded bay on the Ardavhar peninsula, where our ger camp is located. If not, we will drive to the far side of the Eg River and reach the southern part of the peninsula by the edge of the larch forest. Met by yak carts, load luggage on to these, and walk or ride for half an hour into camp.  Some more riders may join the trip here. Tour briefing at dinner.

Day 3. Somoo Had Rock

We will meet our wranglers and horses in the morning. Today we will ride in the spectacular surroundings of Ardavhar peninsula and visit a sacred rock formation – Somoo Had – extending itself like a tip into the lake. Ride back to the ger camp.

Day 4. Lake Hövsgöl National Park

Our support structure is free from vehicles.  All our provisions, camping equipment, luggage’s will be loaded on to pack-horses. Depending on soil conditions we might make use of yak carts in the beginning of the journey. A cook will prepare the expedition style foods for the entire journey.

We will start out through the forest and out on the nearby steppes where many nomads live with their livestock. Visit some families en route. Typically, they will live in gers (yurts) at the summer pastures where they keep goats, sheep, cows, yaks and horses.  Later follow the shore line of Lake Hövsgöl and pitch camp by the lake side. If you brought along a fishing rod, there will be stream where you can wet your flies or spinners. Lenok (Brachymystax lenok) is the most likely catch. Although it is not a true trout, it is iek the trouts, a   salmonid. There are also Graylings (Thymallus arcticus) of which Lake Hövsgöl has its own endemic subspecies.

Day 04-05. Hirvestei Ridge

Today we will leave the lake side and bring our pack-horse caravan to the interior of the uninhabited taiga forest, part of the boreal forests that straddles the entire circumpolar north of our planet. From Scandinavia, through Siberia, Alaska and Yukon.  We are actually on the southernmost fringes of this biome. Recent archaeological findings shows affinity with Inuits (Eskimo).  We will ride along and on the Hirvestei Ridge. A two days ride.

Day 6. To Bulnai Hot Springs

After a short ride we will eventually reach the Bulnai Hot Springs, this naturally hot water is believed by local people to hold curative powers. We should find locals making use of the same. A welcome hot bath is suggested at 62 centigrade!  There is a natural pool and some buildings here. This is the furthest northeasterly point of our expedition.

Day 07-08. Lakes in the taiga forest

We now turn our ride directly westbound, and we will pass some remote lakes in the middle of the Larch forests. Olon Lake and the three other smaller ones are very inviting scenery.   We will reach back to the shore of the spectacular Lake Hövsgöl at natural camping site called Motod. We will stay at this campsite for two nights.

Day 09.  Motod loop

Today you will have the option to stay back in camp and enjoy the scenery. Rest. Or ride north along the shore towards a peninsula which has been declared a strictly protected area.  Our local wranglers are born in this region and will know to tell us stories and reveal the secrets of this region.

Day 10. Hilengiin Ovoo

Ride south, first along the shore and later up the ridge where the locally famous landmark of Hilengiin Ovoo is located. Ovoos are cairns -  piles of stones - marking sacred high places along travel routes. We will ride back down to another spectacular lakeside camping location.

Day 11.  To Ardavhar Peninsula

Our last day with the pack-horses will bring us back to Ardavhar Peninsula Ger Camp. In the evening farewell feast with the local crew of wranglers. 

Day 12. To Ulaanbaatar

Time permitting; we will be able to ride a bit in the morning, making our way out from camp, to the steppes. Yak carts will bring the luggage to the road head where the vehicles will be waiting to carry us on the jeep tracks south to Hatgal village. We may fly back to Ulaanbaatar from Hatgal airstrip or from the airport at Mörön, some 4 hours drive away.  Check in at the hotel in Ulaanbaatar.

Day 13. Ulaanbaatar

Today is a buffer day built into the program, since low visibility may cause the cancellation of the flight from Lake Hövsgöl. If we arrive on time we will today visit the Gandan Monastery, the most important in Mongolia and center of the Buddhist revival in the country. For the rest of the day the local guide is standing by to assist where your points of interest are located.

Day 14. Departure

Transfer out to your next destination.

Nomadic Journeys Style

.Nomadic Journeys have introduced a concept of practical and desirable ways of travel in Mongolia, which is the synergy of Western and Mongolian ideas brought about after many years experience of travel all across Mongolia. We emphasize the quality of human contacts and encounters with local people.  Respect for the horse and local equestrian traditions, from which many lessons can be learnt. Shared adventures. To travel with Nomadic Journeys means living with the horses in the great outdoors, choosing the life of the nomad. It is an active holiday calling for some effort but with moments of complete relaxation and pleasure.

Staff: A local guide who speaks English and Mongolian will accompany the group at all times.  A cook will follow.  In addition, the services of the local herdsmen will be hired along with their animals.  The horsemen follow a traditional lifestyle in the areas where we will be riding.

Meals: Our cook will prepare the meals.  We pride ourselves in having cooks adapt to both western and Mongolian cooking on our trips.  There are always vegetables available, and we have no problem accommodating vegetarians on our trips. 

Minimum riding ability: Competent rider. Fit and capable of riding at all paces confidently.  Varying terrain, in the saddle for several hours for several days.

PRICE ex Ulaanbaatar

USD 1840 per person (2/10 members)

Includes: Leadership, breakfast every day, and all meals outside Ulaanbaatar. All overnights in hotels (3n.) in shared double, gers (3n.) and tents (5n.), camping equipment and all local transport.

Excludes: Drinks, airport tax on departure (2005: USD 13 p.p however usually included in your international air ticket price.), laundry, Lunch and dinner in Ulaanbaatar. Air or train tickets in and out of Mongolia. Visa fee. Single room/tent/ger supplement is USD 20 per night.  
Additional night in Ulaanbaatar is USD 100 per double room and USD 70 for single room, which also includes breakfast and local taxes.

DATES ex. Ulaanbaatar: 2006

HOV  01:  13-26Jul (Th-We)
Naadam ext: 09-13Jul

Naadam: There is a Naadam Festival extension possibility prior the trip. If you arrive in Ulaanbaatar no later than July 9th you can fly to Lake Hövsgöl on July 10th and join the local Naadam Festival at Hatgal village. In which case you will be given your horse already on the first day. You would then ride into the village and spend the Naadam days – equipped with a picnic lunch - on horse back, getting between the wrestling ground and the horse races out on the steppes, to the south of the village. All meals are included outside of Ulaanbaatar and you will join the rest of the riders on July 14th when they arrive.  

Price supplement Hatgal Naadam:

USD  340 per person (2/10 members)

Should you arrive later, we can recommend to experience parts of the Ulaanbaatar Naadam Games. Please ask for the details.

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