To Mongolia

.

2022-01-01T23:59:00.000-08:00

Adventures in a land where -
Nomadic hospitality is a way of life

News for tourist's - 2011/2012

New - Mongolian Airlines will operate domestic flights in 2012, competing with EZNIS and Aero-Mongolia.

New border crossing
The border crossing between west Mongolia and west China is now open for all passport holders.
See Bulgan border for a complete description, regulations and maps.

Use the menu on the left for detailed information for tourists.

Mongolia in your language
Mongolei Mongolie Mongolië Mongólia Монголия Mongoliet 蒙古国 Mongolsko Монголија Moğolistan Монголия منغوليا מונגוליה Mongolskim

Ulaanbaatar in your language
UB Oulan-Bator Ułan Bator Ulan Bator Ulán Bator Улан-Батор 乌兰巴托 Ulánbátar Улаанбаатар ウランバートル 울란바토르 乌兰巴托 Улан Батор Ulaɣan Baɣatar אולן בטור

Alternate spellings
Ulaan baator Ulaan bator Ulanbator Ulanbataar Ulanbaataar Ulaan baatar Ulaanbaataar Ulan baator Ulaanbaator Ulanbaator

Mongolian Airlines

2011-12-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2011 / Ulaanbaatar / ToMongolia

A new Mongolian domestic airline will operate in 2012, adding competition to the two existing companies operating domestic flights.

The company "Mongolian Airlines Group LLC" was registered in 2011.

Antonov AN2 Mongolian Airlines mail service 1950's

The new registration of "Mongolian Airlines" is a revival of a similar company with the same name established in 1956 that flew the Antonov AN-2 aircraft at that time. The original "Mongolian Airlines" company has changed forms and ownership several times, involving separation from MIAT in 1992. Since September 2011, 100% of the airline stocks are owned by "Bodi Group" a Mongolian business conglomerate that reorganized the company.

Bodi Group includes 14 subsidiary companies, employing over fourteen hundred professionals. Bodi Group is actively engaged in rapidly growing fields of banking financing, property development, real estate, media, trade, aviation and services.

A first trial domestic flight of the newly registered company took off on November 18th 2011 as a charter flight to Bayankhongor.

In the past few years only two airlines, Eznis and Aero-Mongolia operated domestic flights.

The competition between the three companies has begun. Delgermaa Shagdarsuren who serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Mongolian Airlines Group LLC said that the company will offer special discounts. Today's launching charter flight to Choibalsan was sold for a special one time discount of only 100,000MNT".

Eznis has responded - "All Eznis one way flight tickets" will cost only 120,600MNT for a limited period of time to commemorate it's 5th year of operations.

In 2012 the airline will offer domestic flights using four aircrafts. The first Fokker-50 aircraft with it's new color scheme arrived in November 2011. The aircraft will receive the registration number JU-8881, and it's c/n is 20183, built 21 years ago and used in the past by SAS. Other aircrafts in the fleet are two Airbus-A319 named Nirun and GreatMomgol, two Fokker-50 named Hunnu and Kidan, and a Boing 737.

"Mongolian Airlines", Fokker 50, new color scheme painted at QAPS at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands,
October 2011. photo by Jeroen Schonewille, jeroen_92, on Flickr

The first Fokker-50 aircraft is named HUNNU (marked on the aircraft's nose) to commemorate the 2220th anniversary of the founding of the First State of Mongol – the Hunnu State.

Mongolian Airlines route map

The company will operate from Chinggis Khaan Mongolia's international airport, and operate domestic flights to Dalanzadgad in the South, Khovd in the West, Moron in the North, Choibalsan in the East, Bayankhongor and Arvayakheer in the center of Mongolia.

The "Mongolian Airlines" office is located in the Bodi group tower building near Sukhbaatar Square, in the center of Ulaanbaatar Tel: +976-11-310657. Fax: +976-11-310649.

Mongolian Airlines website was launched today www.mongolianairlines.com

See Mongolia Flights for complete information on Mongolian International and domestic flights.

By: Dan
Tomongolia@gmail.com

Mongolian Music

2011-11-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

Contributing author: Otgonkhishig Bazarragchaa (Otgoo)

Mongolian music today blends east with west, modern with traditional, classical with rock and much more.

A perfect example of this wonderful blend is performed by the "Voice of Mongolia" group. They manage to fuse a rock band into an opera style of Mongolian songs.

The voice group website (in Mongolian) www.voiceofmongolia.mn

The Moriin Khuur (horse head fiddle) is a traditional 2 string musical instrument popular amongst the Mongolian nomads. Today it is becoming a legitimate instrument playing a role in classical orchestras. A wonderful example is the Mongolian soloist Urtaa Gantulga playing a concerto for Morin Khuur and orchestra.

If you liked this piece, you may want to see part II and part III on Youtube.

The Motive band is becoming one of the leading Mongolian bands.
Motive has four members, all born in 1085. The band leader is Erdenebayar Boldbaatar, Saintsogt Baasankhuu (Sainaa), Ankhbayar Erdenebat, Ganbat Togtoh (Ganbaa). They graduated together from the Mongolian University of Culture and Arts. After graduation in 2007 they founded the Motive band.
The major breakthrough was in 2010 when they recorded their first album Hairiin Gegee (Light of Love) and performed their first concert at the UB Palace. The album became immediately a big hit and remains in the top ten of album sales up to these days.
Their second album Tsan boroo (Snowy rain) followed by a great performance that took place in November 2011 at Bukhiin Urguu.
The band played a major role in the Mongolian movie “Hairiin une tsene” (Value of Love) that came out in May 2011. The movie deals with Mongolian youth’s opinions, love, relationships and violence. The band’s singer Saintsogt (Sainaa) had the lead role in the movie.
Love Music by Motive

Another famous Mongolian band is Altan Urag. Their musical style combines traditional Mongolian with contemporary influences. They played the sound trek of the Movie "Mongol". Altan Urag web site www.altanurag.mn/en.htm
Altan Urag

Further reading:
Mongolian music web site mongolduu.com
Wiki on Mongolian music en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_music
Blog on Mongolian music mongolianmusic.blogspot.com

Ulan Bator Naled Ice Shield

2011-11-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Yolin Am natural Naled ice shield

Artificial naled ice shield is a novel invention to combat global warming.

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Mongolia is the frozen ice in the Yolin Am canyon deep in the Gobi desert. The ice remains frozen throughout the hot Gobi summer.
These ice slabs are named by scientists Naled ice shields.

This unique natural phenomena has inspired a novel invention proposed by Robin a geologist residing in Mongolia. The idea is to create artificially such an ice slab near Ulan Bator during the freezing winter, and let it melt slowly during the hot summer. The ice will have an environmental impact on the micro climate around Ulan Bator, the same way it does in the Gobi desert.

The goal is to combat global warming with the help of mother nature. Ulan Bator is allegedly the coldest capital in the world. Temperatures drop down to -30 degrees Celsius during winter and rise up to +30 during summer. Harnessing the natural winter "freezer" to create a "natural" air conditioner for the city during summer.

The river Tuul runs alongside Ulan Bator. During winter the river freezes. In spring the ice breaks up.
To create a large ice slab that will remain throughout the summer, one has to imitate the way nature creates these naled ice shields in the Gobi desert..
The first to observe
He noticed that when a thin layer of water runs over ice and freezes during the night it creates a thin layer of ice. The next day another thin layer of water covers the ice and freezes. This creates a large slab of layers of ice which he named in Russion Naled. Robin in his research proposed to name it Naled Ice Shields.
Unlike rivers and lakes where freezing occures only on the top layer, while leaving the lower levels of water unfrozen, in a naled ice shield layers of frozen ice are created layer by layer bottom up, creating a solid frozen ice slab.

Following is an artist illustration of an artificial naled ice shield on the Tuul river near Ulan Bator. The rolling winds coming down the mountain will chill when passing by the naled ice shield and continue towards the city dropping the local summer temperatures by 2-3 degrees, similar to the breeze coming from the sea towards cities residing near a sea.


Ulan Bator artificial Naled ice shield (illustration)

text

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Demchig Khiid

2011-08-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

During the Soviet era in Mongolia the KGB destroyed over 900 temples and lamaseries in Mongolia between 1937 and 1939. Today, in one of the most dramatic signs of the recovery of religious and ethnic identity in the post-Soviet “transition” period, Mongolian cultural leaders are seeking to document and reconstruct these priceless Buddhist structures and culture.

Within the Khanbogd "Circle" there are several significant ruins. "Ivanhoe" mining corporation has recently contributed to the reconstruction of the Demchig Hiid Monastery.

Demchig Hiid Monastery
as seen from space

Recent reconstructions of the Lotus shape structure
at Demchig Hiid

Tsagaan Tolgoi

remains in the sand, of what seems to be a temple
at Tsagaan Tolgoi

MonGoogle Atlas

2011-06-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

THE MonGoogle ATLAS

General map

Mongolia and it's neighboring countries

FLIGHTS

Flights International
all flight routs to and from Mongolia

Flights

Flights International - all routes to and from Mongolia.
Flights Domestic - all internal routes and local airports.
Trains
Train International - all rail routes to from and through Mongolia.
Train Domestic - all internal routes and local train stations.
Buses
Bus Routes Ulaanbaatar - all bus routes in the capital city Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator).
Bus Routes Countryside - all bus routes to the Mongolian countryside.
Petrol
Petrol Stations - all the petrol stations including some hard to find in remote locations.
Attractions

Monasteries - all Mongolian monasteries in Ulaanbaatar and throughout the country
Activities
Horse riding - all the best horse riding regions and ranches.
Fishing - all the best fishing spots on Mongolian lakes and rivers
Cycling - all the main cycling routes across the country for cross country cycling
Motorbike - all the main motorbike routes for cross country riding
Borders
Border crossing - all the border crossings and entry points for tourists.
Petrol stations - all the petrol stations including some hard to find in remote locations
Trek

Gazelle

2011-06-22T10:37:00.001-07:00

gazelle enhanced

Mongolian Gazelle (BBC Planet Earth)

end bbc

gazelle end
map

add china Russia to map add editor: tomongolia check 1995?
photo

Border Crossings

2011-06-06T01:39:00.000-07:00

The majority of tourists enter Mongolia through three entry points. By flight to the capital Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator). By train or car from China (Zamin-Uud border crossing). By train or car from Russia (Sukhbaatar/Altanbulag).

See the detailed Google map of all the border crossings, with data on each crossing. Zoom in and click the icons to see details.

Following is a description of - flight, train, road and trade border crossings.

Flight

All International flights land at Chinggis Khaan airport in Ulaanbaatar, with one exception - flights from Kazakhstan land in Olgii in west Mongolia, tourists are permitted to enter Mongolia through Olgii, with this flight.

A flight from Hailar in China does have a stop over in Choibalsan in east Mongolia, before reaching Ulaanbaatar, but tourists are not permitted to get off at Choibalsan.

For more see the Flights page - all airlines and all flight options into Mongolia.

Train

The trans Mongolian train connects Russia and China through Mongolia. A few trains a week reach Ulaanbaatar from both countries.

For more see the TransMongolian train page for detailed train options.

Road

The Zamyn-Uud/Erlian from China and Altanbulag/Kyakhta from Russia, have full services for tourists. The other three have limited services. The main issue is limited options for transportation across and beyond the border crossing. You may use one of the other three, in case you enter with your own car, bike, or pre-arrange for someone to meet you and take you across and beyond the border crossing. Crossing by foot is strictly prohibited. Bulgan border crossing is the latest (2011) to open up for tourists.

All road border crossings are closed on national holidays.
(Train and flights operate all year round).
Dates of closed borders: New year January 1st, three days of the Chinese lunar new year (annually occurs on different days of the month. in 2012 in January 22-24). May 01-03, October 01-03, tow days of the Mongolian lunar new year (annually occurs on different days of the month. in 2012 February 22-23). March 08, June 01, July 11-12, and November 26 annually.

For more see the road system page and public transportation for options.

Trade

Tourists can not enter through any of these crossings. They are used for trade mines export, and for locals with Chinese or Russian passports.
In addition to these there are several temporary border crossings used by local herders. For complete details see the Google map.

Naadam 2011

2011-05-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

Naadam 2011
Naadam festival, (11-13 July 2011), is the happiest time in Mongolia. It is also the peak of the tourist season. In Mongolian Naadam is known as "eriin gurvan naadam" (эрийн гурван наадам), meaning - the 3 games of men. The 3 games are horse racing, archery and Mongolian wrestling. Some call it the Nomadic Olympic Games. These games have existed for centuries, and incorporate warrior skills.

The festival is performed throughout the country. The central ceremonies and competitions are held in Ulaanbaatar.
This year (2011) In UB there will be 512 wrestlers competing in 10 rounds, 420 out of them hold a state title. 3,500 horses in six age categories will be dashing across the Khui Doloon Khudag fields.

UB Locations
The festival events will take place in several locations;
Sukhbaatar Square - parades, concert and ceremonies (City centre)
Khui Doloon Khudag - horse racing, (west of Ulaanbaatar on the main road leading to Lun see map)
Central Stadium - opening, closing ceremonies, and wrestling.
Archery stadium - archery
Anklebone tent - anklebone shooting
Central Cultural Palace - concert in celebration of the National Naadam Festival

Cost
Tourists can buy daily tickets for USD25 from the Metropolitan Tourism Department, or through hotels and tour operators.

Countryside Naadam Events
(Check with your local tour guide before going, dates might change)

Naadam events will take place in all Aimags (provinces). Each Aimag decides on the festival dates, they are spread out over three dates in July, 11-13, 22-23, and 29-30. (source: www.vip76.mn).
Popular tourist destinations arrange Naadam festivals oriented towards tourists; Khatgal south of Khovsgol lake 11-12 July,
Olgii 17-19 July,
Darkhad valey 25 July,
Terelj park 12 and 21 August 2011.

Aimag Naadam festivals for 1-2 days
during 06-13 July 2011, (check locally exact date)

6-7 sukhbaatar

8-9 Bulgan, Govi-Altai, Orkhon,

10-11 Arkhangai, tuv, khentii

11-12 Ulaanbaatar

Bayan-Olgii uncertain.

Zavkhan already celebrated

Aimag Naadam festivals during 22-23 July 2011


Aimag - (Capital) - Distance from UB Khovsgol, (Moron) 780km Dundgovi, (Mandalgovi) 280km Selenge, (Sukhbaatar) 320 (train) Darkhan-Uul, (Darkhan) 220 (train) Omnogovi, (Dalanzadgad) 580km (not 29-30)

Aimag Naadam festivals during 29-30 July 2011

Aimag - (Capital) - Distance from UB
Govisumber, (Choir) 240km (train)
Dornod, (choibalsan) 660km
Dornogovi, (Sainshand) 450km (train)
Khovd, (Khovd) 1490km

Ovorkhangai, (Arvaikheer) 430km
Bayankhongor, (Bayankhongor) 640km
Uvs, (Ulaangom) 1400km

National Anniversaries
The Naadam celebrations in 2011 commemorates the various anniversaries of the Mongolian state through history.

Celebrating the 2220th anniversary of the Hun Empire

The establishment of the Hun state (Xiongnu, Хүн улс) by Toumen in the 3rd century BCE marks the beginning of statehood on the territory of Mongolia. His son Modu Shanyu conquered and unified various tribes. At the peak of its power, the Hun confederacy stretched from Lake Baikal in the north (Russia today) to the Great Wall of China in the south.

Genghis Khan

Celebrating the 805th anniversary of the Great Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. At the peak of its power, the Mongol empire stretched from the ocean all the way to Europe.

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of National Freedom
During the collapse of the Qing (Chinese) Dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence. Bogd Gegeen was enthroned as Bogd Khaan (Great Khan, or Emperor) of Mongolia on 29 December 1911.

Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the People's Revolution

Sukhbaatar and Choibalsan,
revolution leaders.

Under strong Soviet influence, the Mongolian People's Republic was declared in 1921. The revolution against the Chinese began on the 18th of March when 400 volunteer troops led by Sukhbaatar attacked the 2000 Chinese garrison in Kyakhta at the northern frontier of Mongolia. The Mongolian People's Party troops and Russian Red Army troops entered Urga (Ulaanbaatar of today) in July 1921.

Celebrating 21 years of democracy
After the breakdown of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in late 1989, Mongolia began its own democratic revolution in early 1990, which led to a multi-party system, a new constitution in 1992, and a transition to a market economy.

Detailed 2011 Naadam program in Ulan Bator

July 11
8 a.m. – 10.40.a.m.       Over 5 years old horse racing in Hui Doloon Hudag
10 a.m.                         Semi-final of ankle bone shooting in tent of archery
11 a.m.                         Ceremony of nine white banners in central stadium
11.10 a.m.                    President of Mongolia, opens the Naadam
11.20 a.m.                    Opening ceremony of Naadam Festival

11.30 a.m.                    Opening of ankle bone shooting in tent of ankle bone
12.10 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. First round of wrestling
1 p.m -1.30 p.m.           United showing shooting of archery in field of archery
1.30 p.m. – 4 p.m.         First round of children wrestling
2 p.m. – 4.40 p.m.        Over 5 years old horse racing in Hui Doloon Hudag
2 p.m.                            Semi-final of ankle bone shooting in tent of ankle bone
2 p.m.- 5 p.m.                National archery in field of archery
4.20 p.m. – 6 p.m.          Second round of children wrestling
4.40 -8.20 p.m.              Second round of wrestling
7 p.m- 11 p.m.               “Ulaanbaatar night” concert

July 12

7 a.m. – 10 a.m.               4 years old horse racing in Hui Doloon Hudag
9 a.m.                              Ankle bone shooting final in the tent of ankle bone
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.                Semi-final of archery in field of archery
9 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.         3rd round of wrestling
9 a.m. - 10.30. a.m.        3rd round of children’s wrestling
10.50 a.m. - 12.10 a.m. 4th round of children wrestling
11 a.m. -1 p.m.               One year old horse racing in hui doloon hudag
11.40 a.m. -1.30 p.m.      4th round of wrestling
2 p.m.                              Ceremony of awarding to ankle bone shooting winners 2.10 p.m. - 2.30 p.m.       United showing shooting of archery in central stadium
2 p.m. – 3.30 p.m.            5th round of wrestling
3.30 p.m. – 4p.m.             5th round of children wrestling
3.30 p.m.                         Ceremony of awarding to horse racing winners in five
3.30 p.m. – 4p.m.            5th round of wrestling
3.50 p.m.                         President of Mongolia, will give child jockeys a present
3.50 p.m. – 5 p.m.           6th round of wrestling
5 p.m.- 5.10 p.m.            President of Mongolia, will award archery winners
4 p.m. – 4.40 p.m.           6th round of children wrestling
5.20 p.m. – 6.10 p.m.      7th round of wrestling
6 p.m. – 6.30 p.m.           7th round of children wrestling
6.10 p.m. – 6.20 p.m.      President of Mongolia, will award wrestlers 5/6 rounds

6.20 p.m. – 6.50 p.m.      8th round of wrestling
7.10 p.m. – 7.30 p.m.      9th round of wrestling
7.30 p.m.- 7.40 p.m.       President of Mongolia, will award wrestlers 7/8 rounds 7.50 p.m. – 8.20 p.m.     10th round of wrestling
8.40 p.m. – 8.55 p.m.      President of Mongolia, will award champion wrestlers
8.55 p.m. – 9 p.m.           President of Mongolia, will close the Naadam festival
9 p.m.                              Closing ceremony and ceremony of nine white banners

Additional activities

July 5th-9th 2011 Mongolian Cultural Days – 1p.m.-5p.m. in Sukhbaatar square
(5.7 ger day, 6.7 dairy products, 7.7 ancient script, 8.7 folk music 9.7 costume)
July 10th army parade (2,000 soldiers) at Sukhbaatar square.
July 13th costume festival in Sukhbaatar square 12:00-8:00pm

(Previous years programs 2010 program and 2009 program)

The Bulgan Border Crossing

2011-05-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

News for tourists - May 2011

The Bulgan/Takashiken border crossing in West Mongolia/China is now open for all passport holders and operates all year round. New options are now available for tourists to combine tours in west China and west Mongolia.

Takashiken/China border crossing administration building

According to Erdenechimeg, International Cooperation officer, at the Office of Customs General Administration of Mongolia -
"The border between Mongolia/Bulgan/ and China/Takashiken/ is an international port open for third party. It operates all year round, and open Monday to Friday 9 am to 6 pm."

Location and distances
Takashiken (China) is located in the western part of China in the Qinghe County in Xinjiang province. The province capital Urumqi, is 510km from the border.
Bulgan (Mongolia) is located in the western part of Mongolia in the Khovd province. The province capital Khovd, is 265km from the border.

Getting there
If you are limited with time, hire a jeep. For budget travelers with plenty of time you can use a non-scheduled public transportation.
There are mini buses from Olgii to Khuvd. From Khuved find vans to Bulgan or even to the border. They do not have a scheduled time table. They fill up and go, it might take a day or two to fill up. There is a bus crossing the border when there are people going through. On the Chinese side there are buses between Urumqi and Takashiken. They do not operate all year.

Map

View Qinghe (China) / Bulgan (Mongolia) Border Crossing in a larger map

Mongolia to China - Regulations
From Mongolia to China - The Mongolians will make sure one has a valid Chinese visa. In accordance with the Chinese regulation one should show evidence of a registered Chinese guide waiting on the Chinese side, this rule is not enforced. Tourists have crossed without a guide waiting for them.From Takashiken take a bus.

China to Mongolia - Regulations
From China to Mongolia - to get to the Chinese side of the border one must attain a Chinese border region permit.(see the road sign below).
You will have to show a valid Mongolian visa.
If your passport demands a visa, there is no way of obtaining a visa at the border.

A Chinese road sign on the way to the Takashiken border

Transportation across the border
This is a remote border crossing, serving mainly trucks. There is very little going on in terms of services for tourists. Local transportation for tourists crossing the border is developing slowly. There is a public bus going through with no fixed time table yet.

Driving your own vehicle or riding your bike across the border is permitted, and recently tourists have walked across with no problem.
If you have limited time it is advised to pre-arrange a pickup on each side of the border.

Operating Hours
The main purpose of this border crossing is for commercial and mining trucks use. Therefore it operates during work days - open from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00. Note that the border is closed on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays.

Chinese tour operators
To cross from Mongolia to China you may want to make arrangements with a Chinese tour operator. Following are a few which operate in west China.
Qinghe Kanas International Travel Service Ltd.
Xinjiang Overseas International Travel Service.
Spring from Desert Roses desert_roses@sina.com +86 135 7981 0241

History of the Bulgan/Takashiken border
Historically the Bulgan/Takashiken border crossing served traders transporting goods between west China and west Mongolia.

During the Yuan dynasty founded by Kublai Khan the grandson of Genghis Khan (13th century AD) this route became an important link to the famous silk road. Trade caravans of silk, tea and other merchandise crossed between East and West on the way to Europe. Up to the 1960's traders exchanged livestock and agricultural commodities across this border.

Early 20th century Mongolian trader's caravan

The trade between China and Mongolia deteriorated under the Soviet influence over Mongolia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mongolia became independent from the Soviet (Russian) influence. In July 1989 the border opened occasionally. Following negotiations between China and Mongolia the border opened for longer periods to facilitate increasing trade and family visits of Kazakhs living on both sides of the border.

Because of its undeveloped infrastructure and remoteness, the border was opened only for two weeks during each of the Summer months. Aside from a few exceptions, the border served only Mongolian and Chinese citizens.

Mongolia is rich in iron and coal ores which are in high demand in China. In 2008 , Mongolia Energy Co., Ltd. decided to invest 20 billion yuan to pave the 360km international road crossings, across the Bulgan/Takashiken border.

In 2009, Xinjiang Kai Yu Mining Co., Ltd. invested in building a large logistics center in Takashiken including a new minerals customs warehouse, and purchased large trucks to transport coal and iron to China.

With the increase volume of trade and in anticipation of increased tourism the border facilities were upgraded recently to international standards on both sides of the border. Following a mutual resolution signed on October 14, 2010, the border is now (2011) an international border serving all passport holders, and open all year round.
.

Satellite image of the border crossing

View Qinghe (China) / Bulgan (Mongolia) Border Crossing in a larger map

source: http://www.hudong.com/wiki/%E5%A1%94%E5%85%8B%E4%BB%80%E8%82%AF%E5%8F%A3%E5%B2%B8
for updates see Lonely Planet forum:

Fishing

2011-02-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

When

Fish

where

Law

Video

end

American Hiker Froze to Death

2010-07-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

July 8th, 2010

A 25 year old American, Colin McLain froze to death while hiking last weekend in the Bogd Khan Uul National Park overlooking the Capital city Ulaanbaatar.
Following a month in Mongolia, Colin left last weekend for a two day hike with another American friend. They had water, a map and the food supplies they needed. The two camped out the first night on the mountain slopes. When they were close to their final destination the following day, Colin was tired and decided to stop to rest. He reportedly told his friend to continue home without him and that he would catch up. His friend continued, assuming Colin would have no trouble finishing their hike. He did not report him missing until the following day when he realized Colin did not show up.

A search team went up the mountain on Tuesday to search for Colin. His body was found at the same place he stopped to rest.

The police ordered an autopsy, and it seems that Colin McLain froze to his death on the Bogd Khan mountain during the night when temperatures dropped. Further investigation will take place.

Mongolia's Bogd Khan is one of the oldest National Parks in the world claiming its existence since 1778. Located within 5-20km from the capital , the area is known for its ecosystem, wildlife and historical monuments. The most important monument is the Manzushir Monastery established in 1733. The Temple was famous for its school of philosophy and logic, attracting priests from as far as India coming for theological debates. In the winter of 1938 the monastery was completely destroyed by the Communist regime, and only after Mongolia became a democracy, was the monastery reconstructed. This photo shows the stunning view from the summit of Bogd Khan mountain, one of the four sacred mountains surrounding Ulaanbaatar.

Colin graduated from Carleton College in Minnesota with a degree in international relations and political economy. . In the fall of 2009 he began law school at the American University in Washington D.C.

Colin came to Mongolia at the end of May for an eight-week study with the legal adviser to the President of Mongolia, as part of his legal studies. He planned to return to the United States in August.

Colin wrote a fascinating blog during his visit to Mongolia, he posted three entries. The first entry describes in a humorous way the hardship he had to go through until he found the Mongolian immigration office to register his visit. (The office moved from the city to near the airport this past year). The second entry describes with a sharp eye the differences between the Mongolian legal system and the American legal system. The last post tells the story of a trip he did the previous weekend to the Terelj National Park, where he came across the hospitality and drinking traditions of the Mongolian people. The photo at the head of this article is of Colin with a hunting eagle, it was taken on that trip.

Naadam 2010 program

2010-07-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

Great Naadam Festival – 2010 Program

Printable (download) detailed program in -

Microsoft WORD DOC format,

or in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

8.00 am-10.40 am - 'Khyazaalan' race for 4-years-old-horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag (horseracing venue located outside the city).
10.00 am-10.40 am - Opening ceremony of National Archery Competition /Archery Field /
10.00 am-11.00am-The Ceremony to waving National Flag. Soldiers honorable parade /In Sukhbaatar Square/
10.30 am-05.00pm-National Archery Competition
10.30 am-Opening of Beautiful Mongolia, a fine arts exhibition in the gallery hall of the Union of Mongolian Artists.
11.00 am - Anklebone shooting competition in the anklebone tent
11.40am - 12.00pm -Wreath laying ceremony at the statue of D.Sukhbaatar and a ceremony of respect at the great statue of Chinggis Khaan.
02.00pm - 04.30pm - Shudlen race for 3-year-old horses at Khui Doloon Khudag
02.00pm - 05.00pm -The Naadam, a commemorative concert in celebration of the National Naadam Festival, the 804rd Anniversary the Great Mongolian State and the 89th Anniversary of the Mongolian people's Revolution at the Central Cultural Palace.

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

8.00am -10.40am -Azarga, a stallion race at the Khui Doloon Khudag
10:00 am -Semi-final competition of anklebone shooting at the anklebone tent
11:00 am -Welcoming Ceremony of the State White Banners into the Central Stadium.
11:10am -President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdorj, opens the National Naadam Festival, the 804rd Anniversary of the Great Mongolian State, and the 89th Anniversary of the Mongolian People's Revolution.
11:20am -Opening Performance of the National Naadam Festival.
11:50am - 03:00pm -1st round of National Wrestling at the Central Stadium
02:00pm-04:40pm -Ikh Nas, a race for over 6-year-old horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag
01:30pm - 04:00 pm -1st round of children's wrestling.
01:30pm - 04:00 pm Archery at the Archery stadium.
02:00pm -Semi final competition of the anklebone shooting in the ankle tent.
02:00 – 17 pm -Khasaa Archery at the Archery stadium
03:20pm - 06:00pm -2nd round of the National Wrestling
04:20pm - 06:00pm- 2nd round of the children's wrestling
06:30pm - 11:00pm-"evening of Ulaanbaatar" Concert at the Sukhbaatar Square.
23:00 -Ceremony of Salute of the National Naadam Festival at the Sukhbaatar Square.

Monday, July 12th, 2010

07:00am -10:00am –'Soyolon' race for 5-year-old horses at the "Khui Doloon Khudag".
09:00am -13:00 Final round of Archery competition at the Archery stadium.
09:30am -11:00am-3rd round of the National Wrestling
10:00am -Final round of Anklebone shooting at the anklebone tent
10:00am-11:00am -3rd round of children's wrestling
11:20am-12:40pm-4th round of the national wrestling
11:20am-12:40pm -4th round of children's wrestling
11:00 am -01:00pm-Daaga race for 2-year-old horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag
02:10pm-02:30pm -Praise ceremony for national prize-winning archers at the central stadium
02:30pm -Award ceremony for anklebone shooting in the anklebone tent
02:30pm-03:10pm -5th round of National Wrestling
15.10-15.20 Award ceremony for archery at the Central Stadium
03:20pm-04:00pm-6th round of National Wrestling
03:20pm-04:00pm-5th round of children's wrestling
04:00pm -Praise ceremony of winning horses at the Central Stadium
04:20 pm-Presentations of gifts to children jockeys by President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj
04:40pm - 05:10pm -6th round of children's wrestling
04:40pm-05:20pm -7th round of the National Wrestling
05:20pm-05:40pm -Award ceremony of 'Nachin' and 'Khartsaga' titled winning wrestlers by President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj
05:50pm-06:40pm -8th round of the National Wrestling
06:30pm-07:00pm -7th round of children's wrestling
06:45pm-07:05pm -Award ceremony of 'Zaan' titled winning wrestler by President of Mongolia Ts,Elbegdorj
07:00pm-07:30pm -9th round of the National Wrestling
07:45pm-08:00pm -President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdorj presents awards to the wrestling champions of the Naadam Festival at the Central Stadium
08:05pm -President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdoj, closes the Naadam Festival, the 804rd anniversary of Great Mongolian State, and the 89th anniversary of the Mongolian People's Revolution.
08:10pm -Closing ceremony of the National Naadam Festival and welcoming back the State White Banners to the Government house building.

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

10:00am – "Deeltei Mongol" Festival in Sukhbaatar Square
11:00am -Horse-trainers' Naadam Festival at the Khui Doloon Khudag horseracing venue.

Locations
The festival events will take place in several locations -
Sukhbaatar Square - parades, concert and ceremonies (City center)
Khui Doloon Khudag - horse racing, (west of Ulaanbaatar on the main road leading to Lun see map)
Central Stadium - opening, closing ceremonies, and wrestling.
Archery stadium - archery
Anklebone tent - anklebone shooting
Central Cultural Palace - concert in celebration of the National Naadam Festival

Cost
Tourists can buy daily tickets for USD25 from the Metropolitan Tourism Department, or through hotels and tour operators.
Tickets for locals for July 11th ceremonies will cost 10,000MNT for an unshaded seat, and 20,000MNT for a shaded seat. Next day tickets are 4,000MNT to 6,000MNT. Tickets are available at the Central Culture Palace and the Wrestling Palace.

Parking
There are different types of parking permits - parking rights only at the Khui Doloon Khudag horse racing field, and other permits have both horse racing field and Central Stadium. Parking permits can be purchase at local district-level traffic police departments.

New Flights Ulan-Ude Russia to Ulan-Bator Mongolia

2010-05-29T02:34:00.000-07:00

New Route (June 2010)

EZNIS airlines the major domestic carrier, is expanding it's flight routes to regional (international) flights. The new route connecting Ulan-Ude in Russia with Ulan-Bator in Mongolia will operate during the summer tourist season from June through October.

Flights
The 2010 summer schedule will include two round trip flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays leaving Ulaanbaatar at 18:00 and returning from Ulan-Ude at 21:30. A flight ticket will cost $152-$168 for a one way trip.

Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude is the capital city of Russia’s Buryat Republic. The Buryat Republic has the largest Mongolian ethnic minority in Russia. Ulan-Ude is located on the junction connecting the Trans-Siberian and the Trans-Mongolian railways. Ulan-Ude is a good starting point for a visit to the picturesque Lake Baikal (100km away). Baikal lake is the deepest and largest fresh water lake in the world.

Aircraft
This new route will be served by the newly purchased Saab 340b aircraft. It is a 34 seat aircraft which arrived in Ulaanbaatar on May 27, 2010.

Links
EZNIS website
All Mongolian flight routes information domestic and international
Flight route on Google maps

At the aircraft arrival ceremony, May 2010. Photo: Eznis

Ider Selenge river canoe trip

2010-05-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

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This page is under construction

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The canoe trip goes along the Ider and Selege rivers.
The route was designed and tested by Piet and his team in August 2010.

Russian Maps
To download maps, click on the map links below.
On the download page which appears, scroll to "Topographic map download"
A countdown shows, and after 20 seconds - type the code that shows, and click OK to start downloading.
it looks like this:

Download Russian maps - scale 1:100,000

100k--m47-113.html - Tosontsengel starting point.
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Horse Head Fiddle

2010-04-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Mongolian Morin Khuur - Galloping Horses

One hundred competitors will take part in the morin khuur music competition - April 28 - May 5, 2010 in Ulan Bator.
The morin khuur (translates as horse-head fiddle) is a two stringed musical instrument associated with Mongolian traditions and culture.

Competitors together with researchers, composers and morin khuur makers from Mongolia, China, inner Mongolia, Japan, USA, Russia, France, and Germany will participate.

The morin khuur body and neck are carved from wood. The top of the neck is made in the form of a horse's head, which gives the instrument its name. The sound is similar to that of a violin or a cello. It is played with a bow made from the willow, traditionally stringed with horsetail hair coated with cedar wood resin. Modern professional horse-head fiddles use a bow made with synthetic strings.

The winner of the competition will win a prize of MNT1.5million, second place MNT1million and third place MNT800,000. Sponsors of the competition have added several more prizes in various categories.

The music the competitors will play will include self selected pieces together with Mongolian melodies and western classical music.

The Mongolian traditional melodies, will include “Tsonkhon deer suusan yalaa”, "urtiin duu" “Uykhan zambuu tiviin naran” “Asriin undur” and others.

The classical music will include “Melancholy Serenade” composed by the Russian composer Tchaikovski and "Marcello Concerto" in D minor by the German composer Bach.

Festival Events
April 28, 10:00, The first round of the Morin Khuur competition will take place at the concert Hall of Culture and Art University of Mongolia
April 29, 10:00, The second round of the Morin Khuur competition will take place at the concert Hall of Culture and Art University of Mongolia
April 30, 10:00, The third round of the Morin Khuur competition will take place at the concert Hall of Culture and Art University of Mongolia
May 4, Contest of Morin Khuur Makers will take place in State Philharmonic Hall
May 5, 17:00, The final performance of the competition ending with the awarding ceremony will be held at the Palace of Culture Center.
May 2-5 10:00-17:00 Morin Khuur art show at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery (Fine Arts gallery)

Jamiyan – the Music Master
Photo: from book -
"The horse headed fiddle" by peter k. marsh

The festival is named after Jamiyan G. who is the Mongolian master music teacher who modernized the Morin Khuur music tradition.
Until the 1950's Mongolian musicians played traditional and folk music with no clear distinction between amateur and professional methods. It was Jamiyan the dominant music teacher who incorporated methodology into his teaching of morin khuur. These included developing ways of holding the instrument and it's bow, methods of fingering the notes on the string, and of moving the bow over the string. These methods were influenced by methods of playing a violin and cello. These changes enabled Morin Khuur players to perform European styled classical music. Jamiyan also developed a series of fundamental exercises that he used in teaching. These were later published in what became the standard method handbook for playing morin khuur. His ideas contributed to the modernization of the morin khuur traditions.

During the competition the competitors will show their skills and capability of mastering the techniques developed by Jamiyan.

The video at the top demonstrates what can be achieved with the two string morin khuur. It is a piece named "Galopping Horses" performed with a morin khuur and played with an orchestra. This piece was developed by the famous morin khuur player Chi Bulico. In 2001, Chi Bulico won a Guinness World Record by performing the "Galloping Horses" together with 1,000 horse-head fiddle players. The melody resembles a wild herd of horses roaming the steppe.

Morin Khuur Origins Mythology

The horse head fiddle is evident in sources dating from the 13th century during the Mongol empire.
There are several variants of the mythology explaining the origins of the instrument. All the stories tell about the love of a man to his horse.

The dominant story tells about Sukhe who found a young horse besides his dying mother. Sukhe adopted the young foal and took good care of him. One day he took part in a horse race and to the dismay of the professional horsemen, Sukhe won the race, even the local governor, noted as an evil man, was defeated. That night Sukhe found his beloved horse dead, having been shot with arrows. In his grief his horse came to him in his dream. The horse "told" him to use its bones, skin and tail to create a musical instrument similar to a fiddle. In that way Sukhe and his horse could remain together. Sukhe did so and the instrument is said to have a sad sound.

A more romantic variant tells about a shepherd named Namjil who received as a gift from his lover a magical horse that could fly. He used it at night to fly to meet his beloved. His jealous wife (and in other variants, a jealous lover) cut the horse's wings off, so that the horse fell from the sky and died. The grieving shepherd made a horse-head fiddle from his flying horse skin and tail.

Morin Khuur in Mongolian culture

The fiddle’s significance extends beyond its function as a musical instrument, for it is traditionally an integral part of rituals and everyday activities of the Mongolian nomads. Playing the morin khuur is accompanied with dances, long songs (urtiin duu), mythical tales, ceremonies and everyday tasks related to horses. To this day, the morin khuur is used to tame animals.

The use of morin khuur for taming animals came to the attention of the public in the West with the introduction of the "Weeping Camel" movie made as a graduation project by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorn. The movie tells the story of "Botok" a white baby camel. During the breeding season several healthy foals are born. The last birth is difficult. The nomad family helps deliver a rare white colt. The mother camel rejects it and refuses to nurse.
In order to save the baby camel, the herder family spends the little money they have to get the morin khuur player from the nearby village to try to reunite the mother and her offspring,
In the movie, a unique method is used by Mongolian herders: they play music using a horse head fiddle, with a special song, they serenade the camel mother and the reluctant mother starts to weep large tears before reuniting with her own calf.

The words of the song are:

"Why are you rejecting your beautiful little offspring?

Your offspring weeps when it gets up in the morning.

Please let it suckle your tastey milk!

HOOS, HOOS, HOOS..."

A Mongolian saying shows how central the morin khuur is in the Mongolian heritage.
"A ger with a morin khuur is complete, while a ger without one is like a widow".

Home2012

2009-12-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

ToMongolia - Site Description

picture	text text text next line text same text box	remarks on the right
first pic	midle text	remarks on right

DECIDE when is the best time for you to visit Mongolia

The famous Naadam festival
the happiest time in Mongolia
and the peak of the tourist seosan

Weather
Climates charts, how cold and how hot does it get
Temperatures now in Mongolia

When To Go
Choose the best time, weather considerations, tourist season, festival time

Calender of Events
All the events, festivals, conferences, sports, performances

PREPARE your trip details

Visa
Contact details of all Mongolian embassies around the world.
Full details and forms for applying for a visa, extending a visa, and border crossings

Train
Trans Mongolian train from Beijing or via the Trans siberian train from Moscow.

Flights
all the flight routs to Mongolia to Mongolia, on a world map.
Complete with information and links to to all the airlines operating flights to Mongolia

Tour Operators
A list complete with links to 100 Mongolian tour operators.

EXPLORE your options

Roads
Most of the Mongolian routs are dirt roads.

Bike
Riding bikes

Motorcycle
riding / buying motorbike all the cross country routs

Horse Riding
Buying a horse, renting horses, horse trips and tips

Public Transportation
Bus Vans

ULAANBAATAR (ULAN BATOR)

Restaurants
100 restaurants

Accommodation (Hotels)
Details on 100 hotels in ub in 3 categories high end, mid range, an the best for budget travelers
each with a location map, price range, and direct links to hotel website.

Shopping
What to buy

Map - Hotels
Map of

Map - Tour Op Offices
Map of

Avoiding Pick Pocketing
How to avoid pick

MORE

Terelj Park
Map with location of all 40 tourist Ger camps in the Terelj valy just an hour away from UB

Mongol Empire
It was

Provinces - Aimag's
Mongolia is devided into provinces

Mongolian Language
Learn the basics of the Mongolian language

Ger - Nomadic Dwelling
Ger (named Yurt in other parts of Asia)

Mongolian News Sources
Read

TREKS

Tavan Bogd
In west Mongolia,to the snow peaked mountains

Khoton Nuur
To small lakes in west Mongolia

Khangai Mountain Pass
Adventure trek

Amarbayasgalant Monastery
An easy 3 day trek

REFERENCE

Site Index
A, B, C list of all subjects covered on this site

News Archive
All the past news items published on this site relevant to travelers

Reading Corner - books online
Read books online about Mongolia

Mongolia Extreme

2009-11-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Mongolia tends to draw some of the most extraordinary extreme adventurists. Here are a few to inspire your imagination.

Hitch and walk from Ulaanbaatar to Chinese border

Jai Cinnamond, Australian, November 2009
I just covered over 600km by myself hitching, UB to Zamyn Ud, 120km by foot over 6 days between choir and sainshand!!! I am 19 years old!!! I carried a 15kg backpack and a 5kg pack at the front.I hitched between Nalaihk and choir for 2 pounds, I then walked from Choir to Ulchiin Ovoo over a 6 day period with no assistant from vehicles. This is the Gobi Desert. My method was that I walked through the night and slept in the day in a sleeping bag and bivvy. I then found some generous Mongolians who I got a lift with to Zamyn Udd for free. Bear in mind the area between Airag and Sainshand was very hostile as 4 soldiers had been shot by a madman, cars passing were extremely rare averaging 3 a day in both directions. I stayed in a few gers and was feed by Mongols who assumed I was a lost Russian soldier.
I am in Zamyn Udd now about to cross the border.
Original post on Lonely Planet Forum

1,000 Km longest horse race across Mongolia

26 riders August 2009

Story On Mongolia-Web

More to come soon...

Ski in Mongolia

2009-11-26T01:35:00.000-08:00

Published 25 November 2009

The Ski Season in Mongolia
will begin this weekend.

This weekend, a new major ski resort, will start operating. It is located on the slopes of the sacred Mountain Bogd Khan Uul, overlooking the capitol city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.

The site named "Sky-Resort" has several runs served by two chairlifts, the lower west one for beginners and the eastern one for ski racing and training, it ascends to the height of 1570m.

The ski center includes a coffee shop, a restaurant and renting facilities, including skiwear, skis, boards and boots. A 30% discount is offered until 25 December 2009. The site is open from 8:30 and will serve night skiing until 22:00.

Ski school trainers will be present to teach the basics of skiing to visitors, on a individual or group basis.

The snow

The temperatures in Ulan Bator are well below freezing throughout the winter. It does snow from time to time, but not enough to ensure snowy slopes. An Italian company Techno-Alpine has installed snow-making equipment. The snow is made and covers the slopes with the aid of 15 lances (snow guns) that spray snow along the ski slopes. They are operated by two fully automated pumping stations.

In order to minimize delivery times, the lances, pump and compressor station units were transported overland from South Tyrol in Italy to Ulaanbaatar via Russia. The remainder of the equipment was transported via China by sea and then transported overland to Mongolia. The final testing of the equipment was completed a few weeks ago.

The slopes

To try out your ski skills use the Khurakh 110 meter slope. Continue on the Artsat 210m, and Nukht 400m slopes. When you feel comfortable with your ski skills take the lower western chair left and ski down the Tenger 800m, and Chuluut 850m.
Experienced skiers will enjoy going up the eastern higher chair lift and go down the Zalaat 1050m, and Zaisan 1070m slopes. The most challenging slope is the fast Khurkhereet 1020m slope. Have fun.

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Google map of ski slopes and chair lifts routs.

View Sky Resort - Ski Ulaanbaatar in a larger map

Click map to zoom in.
Click here for map in PDF for downloading and printing.

Swine Flu (H1N1) in Mongolia

2009-11-11T11:34:00.001-08:00

See spreadsheets for updated detailed analysis and graphs of Mongolia H1N1 flu pandemic

Ulan Bator November 2009. Photo: Unuruu

The number of reported swine flu (H1N1 influenza) cases in Mongolia has reached 955 (as of November 12, 2009.) There are over 700 confirmed cases in the capital city Ulaanbaatar and over 200 confirmed cases throughout the country provinces. 12 deaths have been attributed to the H1N1 pandemic.

The Mongolian government is taking severe precautions to prevent further spread of the flu.

President Tsakhia Elbegdorj said: "We must recognize that the situation has reached the level of disaster. I am concerned about the rate of spread of the disease, which began to encroach on people's lives."
Following his statement, a state of emergency was declared. All public transportation out of Ulaanbaatar to the provinces was halted, affecting the routine daily travel of thousands.

This precaution has slowed down the fast spread of the virus to the provinces.
Autumn school holiday has been extended; students will study at home via TV channels. Some markets have been closed. Public gathering has been banned.

The first case of H1N1 was reported on October 12th; within a month, over 900 cases were reported. Ulaanbaatar was the first places to be hit; the virus quickly spreading to the neighboring provinces.

The pandemic is not confined to Mongolia, it is a global pandemic with reported laboratory confirmed cases in 199 countries worldwide, including in the neighboring countries Russia and China.

The virus is a strain of the H1N1 virus that hit a third of the world population in 1918 with estimated 50-100 million dead.

Vaccines will be imported from Russia, China and from WHO (World Health Organization). A budget of MNT 753 million was allocated for purchasing medication.
The first batch of 45,000 vaccine doses is expected to arrive this week, from a total of 450,000.
The main manufacturer of H1N1 vaccine is the United Kingdom company GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) It is the world's second largest pharmaceutical company. The company has announced it had production difficulties that limited the available supply of the vaccine. Shortages were reported globally.

The first round of vaccinations will be given to medical teams, emergency workers, border employees. The second round will include citizens at medical high risk, pregnant women, children and adults with chronic illnesses.

A total of MNT 6.4 billion was allocated from the CCF (Crisis Capital Fund) to purchase medicine, medical apparatuses, equipment for intensive care, disinfectants, ensure readiness of border checkpoints, grant the overtime payment and allowances to medical doctors and workers.

The autumn holiday started earlier, from 26 October rather than 4th November and continued until November 17th.
A team of about 100 teachers and experts was assigned to teach lessons via TV channels. Pupils of primary grades will learn Mongolian language and math; older children will study math, Mongolian language, chemistry, physics, biology, geography, history, English and Russian.

The Mongolian National Influenza center has published a set of personal precautions to prevent the spread of the H1N1 infection:

Early signs of influenza A(H1N1) are flu-like, including fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea.
The main route of transmission of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus seems to be similar to seasonal influenza, via droplets that are expelled by speaking, sneezing or coughing. You can prevent getting infected by avoiding close contact with people who show influenza-like symptoms (trying to maintain a distance of about 1 meter if possible) and taking the following measures:
• Avoid touching your mouth and nose;
• Clean hands thoroughly with soap and water, or cleanse them with an alcohol-based hand rub on a regular basis (especially if touching the mouth and nose, or surfaces that are potentially contaminated);
• Avoid close contact with people who might be ill;
• Reduce the time spent in crowded settings if possible;
• Improve airflow in your living space by opening windows;
• Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active.

Update 13 November 2009

973 total number of H1N1 in Mongolia
741 total number of confirmed H1N1 cases in Ulaanbaatar
232 total number of confirmed H1N1 cases in the provinces
15 number of death attributed to H1N1

Copyright notice: The information on this page can be freely copied.
I would appreciate if you link back to this page.
ToMongolia@Gmail.com

Oyu Tolgoi

2009-10-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Mongolia and Ivanhoe to sign $3.6 Billion Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold mine agreement.

Ivanhoe and the Mongolian government are finally expected to sign the long awaited Oyu Tolgoi landmark deal. Preparations are underway for the agreement signing ceremony on Tuesday. (Oct 6 at 15:00).

Oyu Tolgoi exploration camp (photo courtesy of Ivanhoe)

The Oyu Tolgoi copper gold mine in south Gobi desert will be one of the largest copper gold mine developments in the world. The Investment will be the largest foreign investment ever in Mongolia. The project will have a tremendous impact on Mongolia's economy, employ thousands of Mongolians and have major positive economic effects on the supply chain nationwide.

Video describing the Oyu Tolgoi project

Ivanhoe executives led by Ivanhoe Mines’ President and CEO John Macken and Mongolian officials spent sleepless nights during the last few days to brush up and synchronise the English and Mongolian versions of the agreement.

The final terms of the agreement are favorable to the Mongolian people after decades of mining agreements with foreign parties that exploited the rich land of Mongolia and returned very little to the Mongolian people.

Oyu Tolgoi marks a change in the way the mines of Mongolia are exploited. It took years of negotiations which eventually redefined the country's mining and investment laws. The deal will set a precedent for future foreign mining investments in Mongolia. Mongolia will have 34 percent of the Oyu Tolgoi project by law.

Video - interview with Mongolia's president Elbegdorj Tsakhia

According to parliamentary economic committee Chairman T. Bayarsaikhan Mongolia’s government may approach international financial Institutions, including the World Bank, to help it raise the $820 million needed to maintain a 34 percent equity stake in the project.

Robert Friedland Ivanhoe Chairman
Signing the agreements on behalf of the investor's side will be; Peter Meredith, Deputy Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, Keith Marshall, Managing Director of Ivanhoe Mines Mongolia, John Foniani, Executive Vice President of Ivanhoe Oyu Tolgoi, and Bret Clayton, Chief Executive Copper of Rio Tinto, Ivanhoe's venture partner.

On behalf of the Mongolian side the agreements will be signed by Bayartsogt Sangajav Finance Minister, Gansukh Luumed Environmental and tourism Minister, Zorigt Dashdorj Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and B.Enebish, CEO of Erdenes Mongolia

The main agreement document is the investment agreement, supplement to it is the shareholders agreement and a pre-payment agreement

Hosting the ceremony will be Mongolia's President Ts.Elbegdorj, Speaker D.Demberel, and Prime Minister S.Bayar

Robert Friedland, Executive Chairman and largest shareholder of Ivanhoe Mines arrived in Ulaanbaatar with several institutional investors on his private jet to honor the event.

Mongolia is rich in a range of resources, including coal, gold, iron ore, zinc and uranium. According to a study, the Oyu Tolgoi mine could produce 440,000 metric tons of copper annually, and 330,000 oz of gold a year for at least 45 years.

production at the mine is expected to begin as early as 2013 with an approximate five-year ramp-up to full production.

Partnering with Ivanhoe is Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto currently holding a 9.9% stake in Canada-based Ivanhoe, after making an initial $US303 million investment in 2006, with an option to raise that to 43.1% totaling the phased investment in Ivanhoe inclusive of equipment purchased to approximately US$2.4 billion.

Exploration Shaft #1 at Oyu Tolgoi

Oyuu Tolgoi, Оюу Толгой in Mongolian, means Turquoise Hill, hinting to the Turquoise green rocks found in the region. These rocks drew the attention of the geologists to the possibility that this area is rich with copper.

Photo courtesy of Ivanhoe

Celebrating at 1385 meter underground.

An exploration shaft #1 was drilled and in January 2008 it reached the depth of 1385 meter.

Shaft #2 is under construction.

Photo courtesy of Ivanhoe

Sample of gold deposits from exploration drills

Analysis of the rocks drilled out clearly shows the rich gold deposits.

Notice the golden strikes in the rock.

Photo courtesy of Ivanhoe

Google earth satellite image reveals near Oyu Tolgoi a large round pancake shaped rock in a diameter of about 45 km. This round pancake was formed by hot melting magma eruption that brought up close to the surface of the earth huge amounts of copper, gold and other rare earth elements.

View Larger Map

Map showing Ivanhoe's exploration licences (click for full size)

South west of Oyu Tolgoi a new copper-gold field was discovered recently by Ivanhoe named Heruga, which is a 13 million-ounce gold deposit, with about 16 billion pounds of copper equivalent.

New copper-gold deposits have been located in the last few months by Ivanhoe using new exploration technology named "Zeus" developed by GoviEx and tested for the first time in real exploration.

Large copper wires are stretched along the Gobi with electrodes on each end up to a distance of 20-km, enormous electrical current is passed through those wires and the Zeus measures the earth's electrical conductivity to locate metalic mineral deposits. This method is named Induced Polarization (IP).

Zeus enables geologists to "see" copper and gold using a non invasive method similar to a CAT scan of the human body or MRI, avoiding the hit-and-miss of traditional exploration by drilling.

Zeus in the field (photo courtesy GoviEx)

Margaret Mead Film Festival Ulaanbaatar

2009-09-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Margaret Mead International Documentary film and Video festival in Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator) Mongolia will be held during the weekend of 24-26 September 2009 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday), at the Tengis movie theater and M-Club cinema - FREE for the public. The movies will be followed by discussions with the audience.

The festival official Poster, printable program in WORD and PDF

The Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival was founded by the American Museum of Natural History. Organised in UB by the Arts Council of Mongolia, sponsored by Open Society Institute and suported by Mongolian National Public TV.

Three movies will represent the growing number of Mongolian movie makers: "Uncrowned" (50 min), "I am sorry" (15 min) and "In search of Truth" (52 min). Other movies are from USA, Israel, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, China, Great Britain and Tajikistan. Documentaries include those that touch on Mongolia and the world’s crucial issues such as conflicts, child labor and domestic violence.

Thursday 24 September
M-Club Cinema

M-Club Cinema
Theme: Children without childhood
11:00 - 14:00 "China Blue" (USA/China), and "Window" (Kyrgyzstan)

Theme: Defending yourself
15:00 - 18:00 "Sisters in Law" (Cameron) and "I am Sorry" (Mongolia)

Tengis Movie Theater photo: Unuruu

Tengis Movie Theater
Official opening of the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival
18:30-19:45 "I want to Live" (Kyrgyzstan) and "Uncrowned" (Mongolia)

Friday 25 September

Tengis Theater
Theme: Incredible Journey
11:00 12:30 "A Map With Gaps" (UK), "Two Bicycles" (Kazakhstan) "Reshton's Bread" (Tajikistan)

M-Club Cinema
Theme: View from both sides
14:00-17:00 "Shooting Under Fire" (Germany/Israel/Palestine) "In search of Truth" (Mongolia)

Saturday 26 September

Tengis Theater
Theme: People surrounding us
11:00-12:20 "Today's Man" (USA), "I want to Live" (Kyrgyzstan), "Reflection" (Kazakhstan)

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About "China Blue" (Opening movie of the festival)

China Bluetakes us inside a blue jeans factory in Southern China, where we follow the lives of Jasmine and her friends, young working girls struggling to fulfill the impossible obligations forced upon them by the factory's owner. The complexities of globalization are brought to a human level through these moving portraits of the young workers who make our clothes.

"China Blue" movie trailer

more of China Blue - the complete movie in 14 parts.
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10,
part 11, part 12, part 13, part14,

About "A map with Gaps" at Tengis Friday September 25, 11:00

Using a combination of archive audio recordings, still photographs, drama reconstruction, and animation, this surreal and comic tale is an account of a journey made by the director's father through Soviet Russia in the early 1970s in a van he built and named "Supervan." Truth can indeed be stranger than fiction, and sometimes the gray area between the two is the most interesting place to explore.

About "Today's Man" at Tengis Satureday September 25, 11:00

Nicky Gottlieb is a young man struggling to leave the comfort and safety of his parents' home and find his place in the world. While he can calculate the square root of any number in the blink of an eye, he has trouble reading the simplest of facial expressions, making social interaction difficult. At the age of 21, he is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. This loving portrait by his filmmaker sister is both a personal exploration of one family's journey and a broader effort to understand this mysterious disorder.

"Today's Man" movie trailer

About "Shooting Under Fire" at M-Club Friday September 25, 14:00

Modern warfare is carried out both on the battlefield and in the media. More and more, we rely on journalists and photographers to provide us with unbiased access to events as they happen. Shooting Under Fire introduces Reinhard Krause, head of the Reuters photo bureau in the West Bank and Gaza, and his team of local Israeli and Palestinian photographers who cover both sides of the Israeli conflict. This riveting film highlights the individuals who risk their lives to bring us the pictures.

Trailer of "Shooting Under Fire"

About Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead (1901-1978) was a respected and controversial American cultural anthropologist. Her first book Coming of Age in Samoa about the healthy attitude towards SEX in South Pacific and Southeast Asian traditional cultures made her famous and influenced the western sexual revolution in the 1960s.

Books - background

2009-08-19T03:27:00.000-07:00

Ulaanbaatar

2009-08-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

Reading corner - Ulaanbaatar
Lonely Planet book

Public Transportation

2009-08-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

The secretes of Mongolian public transport
Some tourist travel with an organised tour, some share the cost of a hired jeep, and few use public transport. It is true that there are no western style bus terminals (see photo on the left), there are no signs in English, and the time tables are somewhat flexible. Once you adapt to the Mongolian style of public transport you will find it rewarding. The people are friendly, and it is the cheapest way to travel.

Transportation to the country side
Buses go from Ulaanbaatar to all Aimag (province) centers. From the Aimag center you wait with others for a van to fill up going to a Sum (district) center. If you attempt to go to a tourist attraction that is not on the public transport routs, you will find jeeps or vans ready to be hired to take you to a specific location. Any private car can act as a taxi.

Public Transport Main Rout Map
To see detail (you can actually see the buses lined up at the stations)
zoom in (click +) and change to "Sat" (Satellite mode).
Click on blue lines for details (cost, timetable, distance)

View Public transportation in a larger map

Destinations in Cyrillic
To identify the proper van have the destination name in Cyrillic letters with you. The vans display a board with the destination on the windshield.
Example: for a van going to "Terelj" look for a sign saying Тэрэлж

Vehicle
Public transportation vehicles include buses, minibuses, vans and cars.
Buses leave at a set time, minibuses and vans leave when they are full.

Bus Stations
There are four main departure stations in Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator).
Zoom in to the maximum on the map to see the exact locations.

Dragon (Songino Khairkhan)- buses going north and west.
Teevriin Tovchoo (near Idre's guest house)- vans going north.
Bayanzurkh- buses going south and east.
Narantuul (Black Market) - vans going west and north.

Tickets
For long distance buses you have to purchase the ticket the night before departure.

Cost
The fare to Olgii is 63,000 Togrog which is 1,700 km to the west.
For comparison - locals pay at least 400 Tugrug per Km to hire a jeep and driver, not including petrol cost. To hire a jeep to Olgii would cost 680,000 Tugrug. This is more than 10 times the cost of a bus ticket.

Travel time
It takes a 18 hours to get to the Gobi town Dalanzadgad, and 34 hours to get to Khoved in the west. The roads to most location are unpaved bumpy dirt roads.
River crossing like on the way to Moron is on a wooden barge.
The vehicles go non stop, with short breaks on the way.
Bus Atmosphere
Vehicles are packed full, with boxes of merchandise in between.

Featured Destinations
There are many routs, here is a sample of a few.

North (Khovsgol lake)
To go to Khovsgol lake take the bus to Moron.
Distance: 684 Km.
Cost: 28,500 Tugrug.
Departure Station: Dragon.
Departure Days: every day.
Departure Time: 15:00

Travel Duration: 20h to Moron + 3h Moron to Khatgal
In Moron you wait with others for a van to fill up-
going to Khatgal, the village on the southern shore of Khovsgol lake.

South (Gobi desert)
To go to the Gobi take the bus to Dalanzadgad
Distance: 575 Km.
Cost: 24,000 Tugurug.
Departure Days: everyday.
Departure Time: 8:00AM.
Tickets purchase: the evening before departure.
Travel Duration: 14-18h to Dalanzadgad
From Dalanzadgad hire a jeep to take you to the popular destinations.
Try and go with partners on the bus to share the cost of the jeep.
A good local driver living in Dalanzadgad - Demberel Tel: 976-95539304

West (Altai Mountains)
To go to the west take the minibus to Olgii
Departure Days: Everyday
Departure Time: 15:00-20:00 leaves when full
Distance: 1,709 Km
Cost: 72,000 Tugrug
Departure Station: Dragon
Travel Duration: 45h-55h to Olgii

In Olgii hire a jeep to the mountains (i.e. to Tavan Bogd).

East (the steppe)
To go to the east take the bus to Choibalsan
Departure Days: every day
Time for bus: 8:00
Time for Minibus or Van: 9:00-10:00 leaves when full
Distance: 661 Km
Cost: 28,000 Tugrug
From Station: Bayanzurkh
Travel Duration: 12h

Tso's home stay

2009-08-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Tso's Home stay
Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator)
Mongolia

Two rooms for 6 guests, at a family home

Contact:
Tel: 99190759
venera_tso@yahoo.com

Price Range
$5 including breakfast

Tso's home location on a satellite image map
located next to Jukov museum

View Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator) UB Hotels in a larger map

Shopping

2009-08-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

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Shopping in Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator)
There are many shops along peace road. The two main shopping centers are the Department Store and the Black Market.

State Department Store
This five floor department store is a landmark in UB.
It includes a supermarket, clothes, cashmere, leather, electronics, books, camping, souvenirs, almost anything you might be looking for.

The Black Market
A closed and open air market, selling everything.

Shopping map of Ulaanbaatar
Click on icons for details. Click the + to zoom in.

View shopping ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator) in a larger map

Original Mongolian Artifacts
The most popular product with tourists is the high quality cashmere made in Mongolia. You can buy from the factory shops, the department store and at museum shops.

Traditional hats, clothes, boots (felt or leather with patterned leather appliqué and stitching), snuff bottles and their embroidered pouches and games using sheep's anklebones “shagai” can also be bought from the Department Store.

Jewelry and silver work in particular, are very fine and you can buy traditional designs at the State Jewelry Store.

Traditional Mongolian art is very evocative of its unique culture and you can buy various sizes of paintings on paper, canvas or wood as well as Buddhist Tankas on silk. Buy from museum shops, large hotel shops and art shops.

For Buddhist paraphernalia visit Gandan Monastery and the shops there.

Books Mongolian Language

2009-08-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

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All books are in "limited previw" mode
meaning that not all pages are shown

Lonely Planet - Mongolian Phrase Book

Books - Travel Guides

2009-08-08T02:40:00.000-07:00

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Mongolia - Lonely Planet, by Michael Kohn

External Articles

2009-08-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

Awakened Gobi
Golden Pita in Mongolian on page 14
Golden Pita in English

Mongolia Web
Ski Mongolia

Swine Flu H1N1

Discover Mongolia Mining Conference
Margaret Mead Film Festval
Oyu Tolgo Agreement
why October 6 Oyu Tolgoi
12 chapter story Golden Pita
Amarbaysgalant ceremony
Treasure Hunt
Horse Race
Solar Eclips
Motorcycle race

News - July 2009 Heavy Rain

2009-08-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

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17-22 July 2009
Rain hail and the worst flooding in over 40 years has claimed 23 lives
and damaged over 2,000 homes. Flash floods, may have been made worse by
deforestation. Most of the damage was in the Ger districts around the
capital, Ulan Bator, and in the province of Gobi-Altai. The damages
in the city include severe damage to power lines and the collapse of
the Zaysan bridge over the tuul river leading to the wealthiest suburb of Mongolia on the
south side of Ulaanbaatar.

Raw footage used for the above news item.

Reading Corner

2009-08-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

ToMongolia Reading Corner,
brings snippets from the best
books about Mongolia to your
armchair at home.

"Walking the Gobi" by Helen Thayer (Adventures)
1600 mile trek across the Gobi in 81 days
At the age of 63, Helen Thayer and her 74-year-old husband trekked with two camels
across Mongolia's Gobi Desert.
Here, she recaptures the experience, seamlessly weaving within it a portrait
of the nomadic cultures of the Gobi.

"Mongolia" by Jane Blunden (Travel Guide)
Extensive background about Mongolia, focusing on the "slow paced travel" concept.

Chinggis Qan a Biography by Doeke Eisma (History)
From childhood, through uniting the Mongol tribes,
to becoming the legendary conqueror of Asia.

Trek: Darkhan to Amarbayasgalant Khiid

2009-07-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Ido and Lotem suggested and tested the trek - June 2009

Trek main points
Trek Length: 70Km, 3-4 days
Navigation: easy.
Start point: Darkhan - there is daily transportation from Ulaanbaatar.
End point: Amarbayasgalant monastery.
Getting out: hitch a ride on the 35km dirt road to the main paved road.
Gers: several gers along the trek.
Horses: Half way through the trek, there is a horse farm.
River crossing: Orkhon river, no bridge, walk across, or on horse.
Events: 13-15 August 2009 Buddhist ceremony.
Tourist Ger camps: near the monastery.
Maps: Download trek maps - a 4 page document ready for printing.
More maps and trek details are at the end of this page.

The Monastery - Amarbayasgalant Khiid

The trek follows valleys from Darkhan to the magnificent monastery Amarbayasgalant Khiid, once one of the three largest Buddhist centres in Mongolia. It is located in the Ivon Gol River Valley at the foot of the Burenkhan Mountains. It was built over a period of 10 years from 1726 to 1736. A few thousand resident monks served and studied at the monastery. The monastery was built to honor the memory of Zanabazar one of the great Buddhist leaders of Mongolia. After he died his remains where brought to be buried in this monastery.
During the Soviet purge the monks were persecuted, and some of the temples demolished. Restoration of the monastery began in 1990 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Today (2009) there are 50 resident monks, including ordained monks and those studying at Amarbayasgalant. They range in age from 11 to 104. Head of monastery today is Luvsansonom (Olonbayar).
Official monastery website.

Special ceremony 13-14-15 August 2009
The trek highlight is Amarbayasgalant Khiid. On August 13-14-15 a special ceremony named in Mongolian "Gongoriin Bombani Hural" will take place. Hundreds of Mongolians are expected to attend.

Read a blog of last year's (2008) ceremony by Jeffrey Staggs

Tsam Dance
Skilled monk dancers will perform at the ceremony the ritual of Tsam Dance, performed with large masks. The masks resemble the ten wisdom's of mankind, portraying characters of different apostles, devils, animals and real people. The dancers will express during the dance the three moods; anger, calm and humorous.
[A short video of Tsam Dance]

Zanabazar
The monastery was built to honor the memory of Zanabazar one of the great Buddhist leaders of Mongolia. Undur Geghen Zanabazar (1635-1723) was Mongolia's most famous sculpture, painter, poet, healer and publisher. He was also the supreme spiritual teacher of Mongolia. Zanabazar founded many temples and monasteries, spreading Buddha's teachings across Mongolia.

Among his many accomplishments, Zanabazar is probably best remembered for his bronze statues. During his lifetime, notes a modern-day art historian, he was the greatest Buddhist sculptor in Asia. His bronze statues are now the centerpieces of several museums in Ulaan Baatar. Although few if any privately owned Zanabazar statues have been put up for sale, so-called School of Zanabazar statues—made by artists emulating the style of Zanabazar—have recently been featured at high-profile art sales in New York City. Some of School of Zanabazar pieces at these sales sold for several hundred thousands of dollars. Zanabazar’s own works must be considered “priceless.”

The legend of the "Amarbayasgalant" name
Don Corner tells about the origins of the name of the monastery: In his will Kangxi (Chinese Emperor) had bequeathed 3,860 kilograms of silver with instructions to his successor that it be used to construct a monastery to house Zanabazar’s remains. In 1727 Yung Cheng finally ordered the construction of the monastery. According to legend, he sent a team of researchers to Mongolia to seek out an appropriate location. In the valley of the Even River, a tributary of the Orkhon, they found a little boy and girl playing together. When asked their names the boy said “Amar” (amar = happiness, peacefulness) and the girl “Bayasgalant” (bayasgalant = joy, pleasure, happiness). This was deemed auspicious, and it was decided to build the new monastery on this site and call it Amarbayasgalant. According to the legend, when Amar and Bayasgalant died they were buried in the front courtyard of monastery.

Trek highlights
The trek from Darkhan to Amarbayasgalant monastery follows a green steppe valley. The trek crosses the Orkhon river (not an easy task). The Orkhon river begins in the Khangai mountains in center Mongolia, it flows across the border to Russia into the Baikal lake, one of the largest lakes in the world.
About half way along the trek you will come across a nomadic family with horses; they will be happy to offer you a horse ride to the monastery.

Navigation
Navigating along the trek is easy. It starts at Darkhan, a large town with daily connection to Ulaanbaatar. The trek itself follows valleys. There are Ger's all along the trek, enabling you to use the Mongolian GPS (Ger Positioning System), just ask about the way to Amarbayasgalant Khiid (the monastery).

Trek Description
The trek starts from Darkhan and takes 3-4 days. Except for crossing the Orkhon river there are no technical challenges. The length of trek is 70Km; about half of the trek follows a gentle slope along the river; the second half of the trek descends towards the monastery.

Crossing the Orkhon river
The 2 crossing locations marked on the map are relatively shallow.
You can walk through. The water will reach your waist at the most.
There are horseback riders in the region; one can hitch ride across.
After heavy rain in the Khangai mountains the river might be high; wait to see if locals or horseback riders are crossing.

[Hitching a ride across the river]

Getting to Darkhan
There are daily buses, and minivans leaving from Dragon station. The cost is 6,000 Togrog.
Taxis are available at Teevriin Tovchoo next to Idre's Guest House . There are also daily trains going north that stop at Darkhan.

The ride from Ulaanbaatar directly to the monastery (350km) takes about 7 hours. Most of the way is on paved road, the last stretch of 35km is on dirt road.

Return trip (from the Monastery)
With patience you can hitch a ride on the 35 km dirt road to the paved road connecting Erdenet and Darkhan.
You can arrange in advance for a van from Darkhan to come and pick you up. You will have to pay the driver for both ways.

Contacts in Darkhan
Altai - Translator, guide, driver
Phone: 99396952

Tourist Ger Camps
There are tourist camps, one next to the monastery, and a larger one 17km south of the monastery. Cost is $35 a night including 3 meals.
Contact the monastery tourist camp manager at 99011818

Trek map
Zoom in by clicking the +

View Trek: Darkhan to Amarbayasgalant Khiid in a larger map

View topographic maps
Edited from Russian maps in scale of 1:100,000

Click on map to see full view (large files).

Download maps in a document -
4 pages ready for printing on a home printer.

Russian Maps -how to download the original Russian map (large size, need a print shop)
To download maps, click on the map links below.
On the download page which appears, scroll to "Topographic map download"
A countdown shows, and after 20 seconds - type the code that shows, and click OK to start downloading.
it looks like this:

Download maps (scale: 1:100,000)
Darkhan map 100k-m48-092.gif
Monastery map 100k-m48-091.gif

Map Index

Mongolia Tourism Survey

2009-07-22T02:30:00.000-07:00

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Gobi

2009-07-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

The Gobi is one of the most popular regions amoungst visitores to Mongolia.

Tour duration 8-10 days
It takes 1-2 days (14 hours drive) on dirt roads to get from the capital city Ulaanbaatar to the desert town Dalanzadgad in the Gobi.
From Dalanzadgad to the popular sites in the Gobi desert (Sand dunes) it is another 10 hours of driving on desert dirt roads. A total of 3 full days of driving, round trip 6 days.
Add time for some hiking, visitin a nomadic family, camel riding, relaxing in ger camps from the endless driving, inevitable break downs and delays. It all adds up to a round trip to the Gobi and back of 8-10 days.

Tour operator option
Most tour operators offer a tour to the Gobi.
You make a reservation in advance, everything is arranged for you by the tour operator.
Cost includes everything (van, driver, guide, lodging, food) from xx to xx avarage xx

Guest house option
Most guest houses will arrange a driver for you. It is up to you to find partners to share the cost.
Cost in a shared van includes van driver and travel cost (food and lodging not includded) from xxx to xxx avarage xxx

Public transport option
A bus leaves every day from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad.
You have to purchase the ticket the night before. Seats are marked, but it is a crowded with lot's of merchandise going on the bus.
It leaves from the eastern station at 8:00 in the morning and arrives the same day between 22:00 and midnight.
Cost: one way bus ticket 22,000 Tugrug.

In Dalanzadgad ask arround, some one will offer you a jeep ride.
The cost is about 550 Tugrug per Km. A round trip to the sand dunes is about 500Km.
It is up to you to find partners, try to get a group to come with you on the bus.

Flight options
There are flights to Dalanzadgad. Operated in Summer 2009 by Eznis.
See the flights page.

testing webcast

2009-07-18T03:31:00.000-07:00

Click - Donate to the Danzan Ravjaa Museum in Sainshand Mongolia

Text under

LP

2009-07-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

This page is for internal use only - Contributions by Dan

Awakened Gobi
The Golden Pita - in Mongolian page 14
The Golden Pita - in English on page 13

Mongolia-Web

MIAT Berlin
American Hiker Froze to Death
Naadam 2010 program
Uranium war in Mongolia
New flight route from Ulan-Ude Russia
Kidnapping Mongolian Women
Morin Khuur music competition
Six million livestock dead
Successful steps against corruption
Business with Oyu Tolgoi
Golden Pita Blog
Ski resort
Oyu Tolgoi agreement
Swine Flu H1N1
Mining conference
Mongolian mythology
UB film festival
Amarbaysgalant ceremony
Gobi treasure hunt
1,000 km horse race
Mongolia solar eclipse
Motorcycle championship

Quoted by others
Bulgan border crossing by MAD

Lonely planet forum contributions
Flights
Tseserleg to Bayankhongor
Mongolia to Uromqi
Camel festival
Khongor guest house
Winter festivals 2012
Belongings when visiting ger
Visa in south America
Tavan Bogd tour op and treks
Mongolian Airlines new
Mongolian Music
ATMs and Internet in UB
2012 Naadam tickets
LP book in Omsk
Lets go in Kazakh
Irkusk to Moron not through UB
Mongolia to Kazakhstan in west
Eagle festival dates
Bikes
Visa run Russia
Complaint on Black Ibex
Hong Kong consulate
Aug Sep Oct weather conditions and Moron translator
Buses
Parks horses
Train Zamiin-Uud UB
Roads
Visa
Questions, horse, flight, volunteering
Bridge College contact
Invitation letter
Miami hotel contact
Visa questions
Bus to lake khovsgol
Visa extension
MIAT Korea Mongolia flights canceled
Regional Naadams
Kobesh tour Agii in Olgii
Khovsgol bears and renting stuff
Train UB to border
Shipping to US
Diesel crisis
Sainshand train money hotel khamariin
Money and petrol
Pickpocket
Gobi off the beaten track khamriin demchig
Transportation Dalanzadgad Sainshand
EZNIS flights Gobi
Diesel shortage
River lakes freeze-up
Kakh Mond (Khovsgol) border
Naadam 2011
Bike on aeroflot
Bulgan border open and more Bulgan
Woman alone and Japan nuclear
Camping gas
Tour op and Batjaa
Border permit Tavan Bogd
Naadam calendar events
Ticks in Terelj
Chinguun producer (was deleted)
Terelj
Fishing
Learn from mistakes
Horse
Weather visa gobi
AirBridge flights USA UB
Costs for tours
Bulgan border
Pickup cost to Gun-Galuut
Zaya Idre
Stepperiders horse tours
Renting apartments in UB
New flight route from hong kong
Treks center north west
Public transportation
Self drive
Self drive Jeep rental
Self drive car rentals
Bus from Olgii to UB
Winter 2011 festivals
Bulgan border open
Cheap hotel with parking
Hiking trails
Alternative border crossing China Mongolia
Secure car park in cheap hostel
Onward ticket upon entry
Horse saddlebags
Trans siberian UB-Beijing
General advice for Mongolia
Tsetserleg to Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur
Terelj accommodation
Accommodation during Naadam
Naadam ticket cost
Bus from airport
Dalanzadgad tours
Naadam 2010 program
Bus to Olgii
Horse
Cheap flights
Dual passports
visa extension
shopping antiques and fossils
Mobile Sim cards
By train without a visa
Winter travel
Taxi from airport
Recommendations
North border crossing
Sainshand to China Khamriin Khiid
Eznis new flight route from Ulan-Ude Russia
Kazakhstan Embeassy
Mongolia to Urumqi
Mongolia in September
Bulgan border crossing
accommodation in UB
Canoe on Ider and Selenge rivers
Horse Head Fiddle Competition
Tovkhon Khiid
Buy Horses
North in September
Trans Siberian to Vladivostock
Winter travel
Public transportation
Volunteering
Drive to and sell car in Mongolia
Border crossing in west Mongolia
Is Mongolia safe
4 star hotel UB
Tim Cope 10,000km jurney
Winter travel
Self drive
Trekking in Mongolia
Mongolia Tibet by train
UB in one day
Border and Xmas party
April weather and hitching
Visa Irkutsk and winter
Trekking
extreme Mongolia

Karakorum
Wild flowers
Swine Flu
Oyu Tolgoi
Sainshand to Gobi
Mongolia Time Zone
Tour operators
Flights from London
Public transportation
Mongolia in Feb 2010
Petrol cost
Ger To Ger
Flights from Korea
Changing Yen
Mobile phone
Souveniers
Solo female
Book Hotels
Trip Partners
Home stay
Shopping
Pick pocket
Best hotel in UB
Visa form question
Amarbayasgalant ceremony
Health care in UB
Gobi by public transport
Visa at airport
Cooking stove
White lake
Visa Moscow
Gobi Temperatures
Jeep or Minivan
July-August 2009 events
Flights Olgii Almaty
Visa extension
Diesel price
Trek in west
Budget Acommodation
Cross from China
Zaya Guest House
News for May
Horses
Naadam complete events
Weather Hovsgol
When to visit
Budget hotels
Cost of tours
Tavan Bogd map
Cost
Train
Solar Eclips
Visa
Domestic lights
International flights
Khentii
Milenium highway
Ger to Ger
Visa
Horse cost
Eagle festival
Motorbike
East Mongolia
Khangai
Naadam out of UB
Travel
Visa extension
Urgent help
Guides Bayan Olgi
Find trip partners
Bulgan border crossing
Motorcycle
Mongolian on PDA
Train from China border
Violence
Bangkok UB flights
Tempratures
Motorcycle
Naadam Accommodation
MIAT domestic
Domestic flight fares
Coocking stove
Tours from UB
Volunteering
Money
Bows
Solo travel
Visa extension in Olgii
Treks in west
Monastery Ceremony in august

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2009-07-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

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Khangai Bayankhongor to Tseserleg

2009-07-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Trek Name: Cross Khangai - Bayankhongor to Tseserleg

Khangai Mountains - Orientation map

Trek descriptions
The trek follows a dirt road that is used occasionally by horses vans or jeeps.
There are a few Ger locations.
Start point is at Bayankhongor, the trek goes along the river up to a mountain pass, and down the river to Tseserleg, on the other side of the Khangai mountains.

Trek distances:
Total 178km (trek 123km, driving 55km)
Bayankhongor to Erdenetsogt 25km - get a jeep
Erdenetsogt to Mountain pass 52km going up the river (2-4 days)
Mountain pass at 2751m height
Mountain pass to Bulgan 71km going down the river (3-5 days)
Bulgan to Tseserleg 30km - get a jeep

Trek suitable for
Motorbikes (river crossings), mountain bikes (rocky), horses, walking (long).

Walking Difficulty
It is a long (6-10 days) walk not a technical walk.
Cary water, tent and food.

Water
The walk is along the river.
Water has to be treated, purified with chlorine/iodine pills or filter pump (best).

North Khangai (Click on map for full size)

.......South Khangai (Click on map for full size)

On Google map
For more details: Click icons on map, Click + to zoom in, change to SAT "Satellite" mode

View Bayankhongor to Tsetserleg Trek in a larger map

Start point - Bayankhongor

Byankhongor hotels
Enh Nomins - Энх Номун - $10 - phone: 01-442-22255
Uran Desh - Уран Дэш
Seoul - $20
Negdelchin - Нэгдэлчин - $15
Manduhai Ger Camp - out of town - 3 bed Ger 20,000T - tel: 99442009, 99442808, 99052577, 88118680

Transportation to Erdenetsogt (27 Km north of Bayankhongor)
Cars start to fill up from 13:00, and usually leave only in late afternoon after they fill up.
Price - about 3,000 T

Possible Drivers:
Gombochuluun, 99444855.
Batjargal, 99445878.
Sandigdorj, 99205911.
Purev, 99771069.

Private Jeep
To hire a private Jeep - expect to pay about 700 Tugrik per Km for same day trip.
You will be expected to pay for the driver's trip back.

English speaking locals in Bayankhongor
Mr. Bilgee - Student - Tel: 95446023 - Guide
Ms. Otgoo - Tel: 99041512 - Translator and Guide

Russian maps - scale 1:100,000
100k-I47-023 - Tseserleg
100k-I47-035 - Bulgan
100k-I47-034 - River
100k-I47-046 - Mountain Pass
100k-I47-058 - Erdenetsogt
100k-i47-070 - Bayankhongor

Trek Maps Index

Green steppe Guest House

2009-07-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Green Steppe Guest House
Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator)
Mongolia

Address: Behind Department store.
Tel: +976-11-316135
Mobile: 96063335, 96671115, 96677588
Email: b.oyunbileg@gmail.com

Price Range
From $5 - $15

Since 2011 the owner also rents short/long term apartments
Rates range between $600 and $1,000 per month excluding utility fees.
contact b.oyunbileg@gmail.com or call 8811-3139

Green Steppe location on a satellite image map

View Larger Map

Naadam 2009 Program

2009-07-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

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July 10, Friday
8:00am-10:20am-Khyazaalan race for 4-years-old-horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag (horseracing venue located outside the city).
10:00am- Anklebone shooting competition in the anklebone tent
10:00am-Khalkh Archery at the archery stadium.
10:30am-Opening of Beautiful Mongolia, a fine arts exhibition in the gallery hall of the Union of Mongolian Artists.
11:40am-12:00pm-Wreath laying ceremony at the statue of D.Sukhbaatar and a ceremony of respect at the great statue of Chinggis Khaan.
01:00pm-03:20pm-Shudlen race for 3-year-old horses at Khui Doloon Khudag
03:00pm-The Naadam, a commemorative concert in celebration of the National Naadam Festival, the 803rd Anniversary the Great Mongolian State and the 88th Anniversary of the Mongolian people’s Revolution at the Central Cultural Palace.

July 11, Saturday
8:00am-10:40pm-Azarga, a stallion race at the Khui Doloon Khudag
10:00am-Semi-final competition of anklebone shooting at the anklebone tent
11:00am Welcoming Ceremony of the State White Banners into the Central Stadium.
11:10am President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdorj, opens the National Naadam Festival, the 803rd Anniversary of the Great Mongolian State, and the 88th Anniversary of the Mongolian People’s Revolution.
11:20am Opening Performance of the National Naadam Festival.
11:50am-03:00pm-1st round of National Wrestling at the Central Stadium
02:00pm-04:40pm-Ikh Nas, a race for over 6-year-old horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag
01:30pm-04:00pm-1st round of children’s wrestling.
02:00pm-Semi final competition of the anklebone shooting in the ankle tent.
02:00pm-Khasaa Archery at the Archery stadium
03:20pm-06:00pm-2nd round of the National Wrestling
04:20pm-06:00pm-2nd round of the children’s wrestling
06:30pm-11:00pm-“evening of Ulaanbaatar” Concert at the Sukhbaatar Square.
23:00-Ceremony of Salute of the National Naadam Festival at the Sukhbaatar Square.

July 12, Sunday
08:00am-10:30am-Soyolon race for 5-year-old horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag.
09:00am-Final round of Archery competition at the Archery stadium.
09:30am-11:00am-3rd round of the National Wrestling
10:00am-Final round of Anklebone shooting at the anklebone tent
10:00am-11:00am-3rd round of children’s wrestling
11:20am-12:40pm-4th round of the national wrestling
11:20am-12:40pm-4th round of children’s wrestling
11:30am-01:40pm-Daaga race for 2-year-old horses at the Khui Doloon Khudag
02:10pm-02:30pm-Praise ceremony for national prize-winning archers at the central stadium
02:30pm-Award ceremony for anklebone shooting in the anklebone tent
02:30pm-03:10pm-5th round of National Wrestling
03:20pm-04:00pm-6th round of National Wrestling
03:20pm-04:00pm-5th round of children’s wrestling
04:00pm-Praise ceremony of winning horses at the Central Stadium
04:20 pm-Presentations of gifts to children jockeys by President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj
04:30pm- Award ceremony for archery at the Central Stadium
04:40pm-05:10pm-6th round of children’s wrestling
04:40pm-05:20pm-7th round of the National Wrestling
05:20pm-05:40pm-Award ceremony of Nachin and Khartsaga titled winning wrestlers by President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj
05:50pm-06:40pm-8th round of the National Wrestling
06:35pm-07:05pm-7th round of children’s wrestling
06:45pm-07:05pm-Award ceremony of Zaan titled winning wrestler by President of Mongolia Ts,Elbegdorj
07:05pm-07:35pm-9th round of the National Wrestling
07:45pm-08:00pm-President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdorj presents awards to the wrestling champions of the Naadam Festival at the Central Stadium
08:05pm-President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdoj, closes the Naadam Festival, the 803rd anniversary of Great Mongolian State, and the 88th anniversary of the Mongolian People’s Revolution.
08:10pm-Closing ceremony of the National Naadam Festival and welcoming back the State White Banners to the Government house building.

July 13, Monday
11:00am-Horse-trainers’ Naadam Festival at the Khui Doloon Khudag horseracing venue.

Pickpocket Protection

2009-07-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

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Is there violent crime in Mongolia?
Violent crime against tourists is rare. It exists not more than in any other city around the world. Very few tourists have encountered violent crime. In most cases, it turns out the violence occurred around a bar when both parties involved in the incident were drunk. This happens also in London, NY, Berlin, and Sydney.

Is pick pocketing a problem?
Unfortunately it is rampant in Ulaanbaatar and in some of the other towns.

It is not an issue if you understand how they work, and how to protect yourself.

The professional pickpockets know how to choose their targets.

Don't YOU be the one they choose.

How do they work.
They work in teams, and use the same techniques you might have seen on a pickpocket show on TV.

Video - Bob Arno from Switzerland demonstrates pick pocketing

The secretes of a professional pickpocket expert in UB

Step 1- Locate a scene for the crime
Best scenes are where people are busy achieving a goal in crowded areas.
Examples: standing in line to get into some place, getting into a bus or entering a market, paying at a cashier, or watching some event.

Step 2 Locate a target.
The best targets are tourists who have bags hanging on their shoulder or pouches around their waists.

Step 3 Follow likely targets and collect intelligence
Watch when the target pays, see where the target keeps his wallet.

Step 4 Team up
Your teammate diverts the tourist's attention while you do the dirty work. If your target intends to get onto a cashier line, or get onto the bus, or enter a market, you get in front of the target, and your team mate positions himself behind the target.

Step 5 Operation - Go
Your team mate pushes gently, as if he was pushed from behind.
When the target looks back, your teammate also looks back getting mad that people are pushing.
This diverts the target's attention. While the target is busy trying to understand what is happening, you should be out with his possessions.

How to protect yourself
Empty Pockets
They are named pickpockets, meaning they find stuff in pockets. The simple and best protection is to have empty pockets. Keep nothing of value in your pockets, not even zipped pockets.

Money Belt
Money belt is a must. Keep it on at all times. Go to the shower with it, sleep with it. Keep the cash you need for the day in a purse hanging around your neck, kept inside your shirt. Never pay from your money belt.

Paying - not from a wallet
Before paying at a cashier, go to some corner, take out the cash you will need and hold it in your hand when you get on line.

Avoid pushing
Don't get into a line where you might get pushed around. If possible, wait until there are fewer people in line.

Map of known pick pocketing locations in Ulaanbaatar.
Click on icons for details.

View Pickpocketing locations in a larger map

What is the Mongolian police doing about this?
The police are trying to stop this type of crime. To prosecute a thieve they need your testimony in court, will you return to Ulaanbaatar to testify? The pick pocket thieves know you won't.

Mongol Derby - Horse Race

2009-06-30T02:33:00.000-07:00

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Mongolia 1,000 km Longest Horce Race

[Mongolian horses in the steppe]

The Mongol Derby - world longest horse race - will begin on 22 August 2009. The race will promote tourism in Mongolia, highlighting it as a leading country for adventure tourism. Adventurous travelers perceive the Mongolian steppe as an exceptional horseback riding destination.

Twenty-six experienced riders, from 8 countries were selected to participate in the race. The race begins in Karakorum (Kharkhorin in Mongolian) the ancient capital of the Mongol empire established by Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khaan in Mongolian).

Inspired by Genghis Messenger System
...[Performance at Naadam Festival]

To establish an efficient ruling system, Genghis developed a superior messenger system. The messengers would gallop from one station to the next one, change horses and continue to the next station.

Genghis's orders would travel to the far corners of his empire in Europe, within 14 days, faster than it sometimes takes a postcard to reach Europe nowadays.

The Mongol Derby follows in the footsteps of Genghis Khan's messaging system.

Twenty-Five Horse Stations with 800 Horses
...[Click on book image to read page 1248]

Marco Polo in his 13th century travel book marveled at the splendor and efficiency of the Genghis messenger system: "At every twenty-five miles, as I said, or anyhow at every thirty miles, you find one of these stations" (page 1248)

The Mongol derby follows Marco Polo's description. Accordingly, horse stations will be set up at 30 to 40 km
intervals along the 1,000 km course.

Each horse will be ridden only one leg of about 40km to the next horse station called in Mongolian Morin Urtuus (Mori=Horse, Urtuus=station).

The riders will change horses and continue to the next station. Twenty-five horse stations will be set up for the race by local Mongolian nomadic horse herders.

Marco Polo continues: "For it is a fact that on all these posts taken together there are more than 300,000 horses kept up, especially for the use of the messengers".

The Mongol Derby will have only a fraction of this number, approximately 800 horses for the race. Horses in Mongolia outnumber people by a 7 to 1 ratio, so that should not present a problem.

Vetrinarian Care
...[Saskia-van-Heeren from South Africa participating in the race]
Genghis is remembered in the western world for his cruelty to man. That is not the case with respect to horses.

In the Mongolian nomadic tradition, Genghis is valued for establishing the "Mongolian law" which includes specific laws on caring for horses.

In the Genghis Secrete History known in Mongolia as the Nuuts Tovchoo it says: “Take care of the horses before they lose condition. For once they have lost it, you may spare them as much as you will, they will never recover it on the march. Don’t overload the riding horses".

Genghis continued to set the punishment for disobeying this law: "If these orders are disobeyed commanders are authorized to behead offenders on the spot, so as to protect the welfare of the horses”

The organizers of the race "The Adventurists" tour company, managed by Tom Morgan wish to abide by Genghis's rules.

Tom Morgan says: "The Mongol Derby is being staged in collaboration
with some of Mongolia's most renowned and respected horsemen and uquine veterinarians. Their expert knowledge combined with the logistics put in place by the Adventurists will ensure that the horses are properly looked after throughout the adventure"

The Adventurist along with an American veterinary NGO based in Mongolia have established a program of care for the horses before, during and after the race.

Mongolia's head equine vet and a Scottish vet with 32 years of experience will supervise.

Water
Water for the horse and rider is a critical issue on a 1,000 km horse race.

To ensure that the riders find water for the horses during the race, the course has been designed with access to water in mind. Each rider will receive accurate GPS locations of all the water sources along the course of the race route.

Satellite Beacons
Each rider will be equipped with an emergency satellite-tracking device.

In the case of emergency or injury to the rider or horse, the rider will be able to activate a satellite beacon and thereby notify the emergency rescue team of his exact location.

Tough Race
...[Tara Reddy from USA participating in the race]
The Mongol Derby is the longest race in the world. The route stretches along the Mongolian steppe, crossing rivers, and climbing mountains. The exact route of the race has not been disclosed. A GPS navigation system with the route details will be given to the riders on the starting line.

Richard Dunwoody a world champion in horse jumping, involved in preparing the participants says of the Derby: 'The Mongol Derby is going to be the sort of experience that many people can only dream of, although the jockeys had better not underestimate how incredibly tough it's going to be. Riding 1,000 km is not for the faint of heart or weak of limb'.

Benefits for Rural Mongolia
To be eligible for the race each rider has had to raise funds for charity organizations working in Mongolia. The funds raised by the Mongol Derby riders will be donated to Mercy Corps' projects that support herding families and communities in remote rural areas.

Over the past five years, Mercy Corps has established a strong reputation across the vast Gobi region, and has worked with business associations and local organizations to ensure a robust economy that preserves ancient traditions.

Mercy Corps supports rural communities in Mongolia in an effort to meet their economic and social needs, helping individuals, families and
communities to become more self-sufficient, diversified in their production, and better linked to local, regional and national markets.

Khentii Mountains - End of Race
The Mongol Derby will finish in the Khentii mountains on the banks of the Onon river, on 5 September 2009; paying tribute to the birthplace of Chinggis Khaan.

Race Opposition
...[Dave Murray from New Zealand participating in the race]
In spite of the professional expertise and careful planning, some opposition to the race has been voiced. The opposition has been led by the Long Rider Guild - the association of equestrian explorers. The guild has warned the organizers: The Adventurists is preparing to embark on an ill-advised equestrian misadventure, one in which your company does not appreciate the many equestrian hardships and dangers being presented to the horses and riders.

The Guild claims their mounted explorers recently encountered in Mongolia wolf attacks, the bubonic plague, rabies, flash floods, foul water, poisoned food, horse theft and personal assault, during trips in Mongolia.

Australian Neale Irons - who is planning his own cross-Mongolia horse ride adventure in 2010 - says: "People that have a true appreciation of horses have great respect for them and are always concerned about their welfare. On this basis alone, the organizers have a responsibility to look after their customers.

The Adventurist Response to the Oposition
The Adventurists replied that these comments are wholly unfounded and none of the facts were checked with the organisers before publication.

They went on to assert that horse welfare has been of paramount importance at every stage of the Derby and will remain top of the agenda at all times. And that the extensive veterinary program, route planning, the emergency back up system and expert team involved will result in a successful first edition of the World's Longest Horse Race. Mongolia will be the prime benefactor they say - according to the ethos
of the organisers the host country will be publicised around the world as a top adventure tourism destination, and more than £25,000 will be
donated to charity projects by the riders to help some of the most vulnerable rural communities.

Links
The official Mongol Derby website
Mongol Derby on the Official Tourism Website of Mongolia
Race map (not official) Change to satellite mode and zoom in to see details

Treasure Hunt

2009-06-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

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Article by: Dan and Unuruu

On August 1st, 2009, Danzan Ravjaa's treasure chests buried in the Gobi will be unearthed. These treasures were hidden in the Gobi desert seventy years ago, following the socialist purge in the 1930's.

The live Internet Webcast will show on the Treasure-Hunt website and on this page, directly from the Gobi desert. (1, August, 18:00 Mongolian time, 11:00 GMT)

[A painting of Danzan Ravjaa]
The Webcast will reveal the unique story of Danzan Ravjaa (1803 - 1856), a revered figure, little known in the West.
He was one of the greatest and most unusual intellectuals in Mongolian history, a skilled artist, talented composer, leader, educator, play write, reformist, astronomer, architect, healer, and founder of 11 institutions and monasteries across the Gobi. The full scope of Danzan Ravjaa's creativity can be truly appreciated at his home monastery, Khamariin Khiid, where the event will take place. Danzan Ravjaa's charisma and vision influenced the development of Mongolian culture, and continues to inspire it today.

Live Webcast
The 2 hour live webcast will show on this page and on the official site of Treasure Hunt, on August 1st 2009 at 11:00am GMT
(New York 06:00AM, London 11:00AM, Moscow 14:00, Mongolia 18:00)

The Gobi "Treasure Hunt" is a project run by Austrian MediaClan in cooperation with Global Communications and "80+1 - A Journey Around the World" and supported by many generous sponsors. For worldwide public viewing locations see Tresure-Hunt.

.Click - Donate to Danzan Ravjaa Museum in Mongolia - on Treasure-Hunt site.

Danzan Ravjaa - a Genius is Born
Danzan Ravjaa's mother died shortly after his birth. He was raised by his father, Dulduyitu, a wandering singer, with whom he went begging and singing. One night a pack of wolves attacked and ate their only horse. Danzan Ravjaa's father, in his despair, dedicated his 6 year old son to the monastery of Onggiyin Ghool. At the monastery Danzan Ravjaa displayed a gift for the spontaneous composition of meaningful songs and poems. This gift he acquired from his father during the time they sang and begged to survive.

Shortly after Danzan Ravjaa's arrival at the monastery, the fourth Lama of the Gobi was executed by the Manchurian rulers, following many scandals, including the murder of a member of the Chinese royal family. The Manchu Emperor banned the Lama's reincarnation.

A few years later, when Danzan Ravjaa reached the age of 8, he was recognized as the Fifth Noyon Incarnate Lama of the Gobi, also known as "Lord of the Gobi". He was enthroned, although officially given a different title so as to hide his true identity from the Manchu Emperor. Perhaps his young age aided in saving him from being executed by the Manchurian Emperor.

The Assassination of Danzan Ravjaa
The 19th century was a time of great depression for Mongolia under the control of Manchurian China. The once powerful Mongols were reduced to a nation of petty bureaucrats. A voice was needed to condemn the wrongs of society and Danzan Ravjaa rose to assume this role.

A tense relationship developed between Danzan Ravjaa and the Manchu authorities. Anti-Manchu elements were depicted in his art, drama and teachings. It seems likely that the Manchu rulers sensed his anti-Manchu sentiments and his charismatic hold on the Gobi. As a result, they presumably arranged for his assassination. Danzan Ravjaa was poisoned to death in 1856, at the age of 54.

As Danzan Ravjaa understood that he was being poisoned he wrote his last poem ‘The Way of the World’. The poem criticizes the hypocritical nature of the society in which he lived. The first verse of the poem;

You’ve no right to be sober –
The world doesn’t agree with that.
You’ve no right to be decent –
The world is consumed with pride.

After his death, the Manchus ordered his theatre and art school closed and forbade any activity at Khamariin other than routine lamasery functions of prayer and teaching.

In an effort to preserve Danzan Ravjaa's heritage, his assistant Balshinchoijoo amassed the contents of the temples, Danzan Ravjaa's artworks, books, compositions, sets, costumes, gifts from abroad and all the religious items and his other personal possessions—into 1500 chests and secured them in two temples along with Danzan Ravjaa's body which he had mummified.

[Ten Thousand Knives Statue. Photo: Unuruu]
"Ten Thousand Knives" Statue
The story of the "Ten Thousand Knives" statue, as told by Monk Konchog Norbu, emphasizes Danzan Ravjaa's charisma and leadership. Norbu explains that the Khamariin Khiid, Danzan Ravjaa's home monastery was known for it's harmonious community. The unexpected stabbing to death of a Chinese person in 1825 following a dispute, came as a great surprise and shattered the peaceful community. Danzan Ravjaa grasped the opportunity. He asked that all knives that might be used as weapons from the surrounding area to be brought to him. The response was outstanding - 10,000 knives were brought to the Monastery doorstep.

Danzan Ravjaa had all the knives melted down and forged into an exquisite statue of Guru Rinpoche, founder of the Nyingma lineage, known as the Red Hat school of Buddhist thought. Although Khamariin Khiid was associated with the Tibetan Red Hat, Danzan Ravjaa built temples to honor both the Red Hat and the rivalry Yellow Hat lineage, resulting in conflict with the spiritual hierarchy of his time. Once displayed, the statue became an object of pilgrimage known as the Statue of "Ten Thousand Knives" and peace prevailed at Khamariin Khiid for the rest of Danzan Ravjaa's life.

[Sharavdorj and Altangerel, present the new crown
Photo by Konchog Norbu]
Replacement of the lost Crown
While the re-installation of the Statue of "Ten Thousand Knives" at Khamariin Khiid provided deep satisfaction for the people of the Gobi, it was incomplete. Somewhere on its journey through time, the statue lost its metal crown. A search in all major museums holding Mongolian art did not reveal anything. Since no image of the crown was available, a design was made based on a similar statue found in India. A few knives where collected - one from a Gobi prison which had been confiscated after its use in fights; and one from a military base near the Chinese border where there had been violent conflicts among the soldiers. The knives were melted down and blended with silver. The silver was plated in gold and studded with precious and semi-precious stones from India, Tibet, and the Gobi, including some taken from Danzan Ravjaa's own collection. Many faithful Gobi residents contributed small pieces of silver and gold to be used in the crown. The ceremony replacing the missing crown on the statue took place on August of 2005.

[Mongolian Crown, found in Sweden
photo by Rose-Marie Westling]
A recent twist to the story appeared on a Swedish news website on July 5th 2009 (Swedish, and English).
The news item tells of a precious Mongolian silver crown stolen in 1984 from a Stockholm museum that was recently found on the premises of the Swedish Police Service, where it had been accidentally stored for more than twenty years.

Is this the original lost crown? We do not know. Further investigation is needed.

[Khamariin Khiid - Monastery. Photo: Unuruu]
School, Library, Theatre.
The activities at the Khamariin Khiid monastery were not limited to religious rituals. Danzan Ravjaa turned the monastery into a vital cultural and academic center. In a valley near the temple complex, Danzan Ravjaa built Mongolia’s first theater and set up its first theater company. He designed the sets and costumes, wrote the scripts and music and supervised and taught the actors how to perform. His best known drama, "The Moon Cuckoo", took 120 performers several weeks to stage. The story, "Moon Cuckoo" was originally written in 1737 by Dagpu Lobsan Danbi Djalcan, a Tibetan monk from the Drepung monastery. Danzan Ravjaa created an extravagant opera based on this story. The performances were not only presented to those living and visiting the monastery, Danzan Ravjaa traveled with his acting troupe to the periphery on camel caravans.

He was also an enthusiastic collector of valuable objects and opened Mongolia's first museum at his main monastery, Khamariin Khiid. In addition, he had knowledge of medicinal plants and treated his disciples as well as the Bogd Gegeen of Khuree.

At the peak of this period, the monastery housed 500 permanent residents. The compound consisted of four colleges, which taught general studies, astronomy, art, and theater. He opened a popular children’s school training children as artists, sculptors, singers and dancers as well as giving basic and vocational training.

Danzan Ravjaa established a large library in the monastery with books he collected during his extensive travels across Mongolia, China and Tibet.

[Danzan Ravjaa personal note book. Photo: Guido]
"Pretty Woman" - Danzan Ravjaa Poet, Lover and Reformist

Danzan Ravjaa followed the Red Hat school of Buddhist thought which was more liberal than others were and permitted marriage for priests. Men and women are permitted to pray together in the temple. Ravjaa's erotic drawings, which were drawn using live models, often depict men and women bathing naked together displaying a humanistic touch.

Danzan Ravjaa respected women and made love to many. Against the advice of his superiors, he gave women equal rights and meaningful roles during Buddhist ceremonies. Danzan Ravjaa was the first to enroll women in his school, preaching that women are entitled to an equal education. He gave women central roles in the plays he wrote and performed.

One of the most loved songs by Mongolians today is Ulemjiin Chanar translated as "Your Perfect Qualities" meaning "Pretty Woman", written and composed by Danzan Ravjaa.

[Inscription at Shambhala 2km form Khamariin Khiid]

Your perfect qualities,
are like colors reflected in a mirror.

I see your shining face, my dear,
and truly you have captured
my entire mind and body.

Like the cuckoo’s song,
you relieve the stress in my mind.

Your kind words are gentle, my dear,
with such kindness you sit
and offer comfort.

Your elegant body,
borne upon the breeze,
is beyond words, my dear.

Like the scent of red sandalwood,
you more and more entrance my thoughts.

Like the taste of honey
flowing from the heart of the lotus,
joy in you, my dear,
makes me ever happier,
Happier beyond belief.

In this human age,
to do what you wish
is to wish for the things of heaven.

afloat upon the ocean of deep enjoyment,
Let us be joyful together.

Video Clip Ulemjiin Chanar dedicated by this woman monk to Danzan Ravjaa

[One of the Chests dug out of the Gobi sand]

The Treasure - Ravja's Heritage
Following Danzan Ravjaa's death his treasures were collected. Some artifacts were put on display and some were put into chests. Over a thousand chests where stored in Khamariin Khiid for many years. The treasures included statues, hundreds of poems and plays written on paper by Danzan Ravjaa, coated images on paper, documents, prayer books and ritual objects, His private library, opera costumes (predominantly silk and cotton) including masks, hats, boots, metal and wood artifacts, precious glass, silver and gold presents Danzan Ravjaa received from noble visiting leaders were also amassed.

The Socialist Purge in the 1930's
After the communist revolution in Russia, Mongolia became a satellite socialist country under the influence of Russia. The Buddhists were organized, wealthy and powerful, and their elimination as a political counter force was thought necessary in order to build a socialist society. The Soviet-directed purges began in the 1930's and culminated in 1938 with the Mongolian and Soviet armies ransacking and destroying more than 700 monasteries, killing 27,000 people including 17,000 Buddhist monks. In 1938 the army set up camp near Khamariin Khiid, which was at the time one of the most powerful monasteries in Mongolia.

[Tudev painting and photo. From photos by: Unuruu]
Saving Danzan Ravjaa's Heritage
Tudev, the caretaker (Takhilch) of the monastery treasures, knew that it was his duty to save the treasures. Night after night he loaded one chest at a time on his horse and disappeared into the Gobi desert where he buried the chests in locations only he knew. He managed to bury 64 chests. On the sixty-fifth night, the troops came to the monastery and destroyed all the remaining chests. The temples', theatre, and other buildings were completely destroyed, and even the trees planted by Danzan Ravjaa were cut down because they believed Danzan Ravjaa’s hold on local people was so strong that every vestige of his presence had to be obliterated. Three hundred monks were arrested and never seen again. Only a few managed to disappear into the countryside.

[Altangerel Zundui, founder of Danzan Ravjaa's Museum]
Passing on the Secrete Location
The location of the hidden chests was kept in secrecy for many years. Tudev did not tell anyone about his secret and kept no notes of their location. He was the only one who knew exactly where he had dug the holes to bury the treasure chests. When a nomadic herder stumbled by chance on a cavern where two chests were hidden, he dutifully turned them over to the authorities. They were burned by members of the socialist regime. Tudev himself was arrested for some time on the accusation of secretly practicing Buddhist rituals, after he was found wondering in the Gobi desert. He was actually on his way to check the safety of the treasures.

Tudev understood that he must revile to someone his secret. In 1960 Tudev's daughter in Ulaanbaatar gave birth to Altangerel (Mongolian for “Golden Light”). The mother noticed a birthmark on the child in the shape of a moon crescent; Special significant was attributed to this shape. Tudev, the grandfather, had the same significant birthmark. Tudev understood that his grandson must be the one to be carry on the secret, as to the site of the hidden treasure chests. Tudev trained Altangerel for his future role as the next Takhilch.

Altangerel acquired his academic degree and returned to Sainshand in 1989 to work as a school teacher. When the communist government fell in 1990, he decided it was time to reveal some of the secrets of Danzan Ravjaa. The two restored temples at Khamariin were reconstructed and in 1991 he dug up eight chests of religious objects, Also in 1991 local officials gave him a building in Sainshand to set up the Danzan Ravjaa Museum, in which are displayed objects from another twenty-four chests. Included in the exhibits, are the best drawings, paintings, costumes and other beautiful items. Since then he has continued his Takhilch responsibilities as Museum Director. Tudev died on December 9, 1990, without seeing the new temples or the museum.

Buddhist Rituals Related to Danzan Ravjaa
[Danzan Ravjaa statue. Photo: Unuruu]
I asked Unuruu, the research manager of ToMongolia to explain the various rituals related to Danzan Ravjaa at Khamariin Khiid. Unuruu is a devoted Buddhist and visited Khamariin Khiid in July 2009 during Naadam the national festival of Mongolia.

She expressed her feelings towards Danzan Ravjaa:

I am very proud of him as a Mongolian; he influenced the change of attitude towards women in Mongolian society. Before the time of Danzan Ravjaa women did not have a significant role in society, Danzan Ravjaa enrolled women for the first time into the educational system. He insisted that women receive the same education as men. Today Mongolian women are educated and have an important role in society.

What about the allegations that he was obsessed in making love to many women, I asked.

It is very simple to explain, she said, he missed his mother's love. His mother died shortly after he was born; consequently, his poor father had to take care of him, and eventually placed him in a monastery. His unsatisfied love to women was just trying to compensate for the love of a mother he never had.

[Woman's breast Ovoo. Photo: Unuruu]
Danzan Ravjaa created a large Ovoo one passes before entering the monastery. This Ovoo is an unusual one, it is in the shape of a large woman's breast. Only women are allowed to participate in the ceremony around the breast Ovoo. The ceremony takes place at sunrise, as the sun rises the women spray milk at the Ovoo breast, and surround it three times. This ceremony is believed to bring feminine energy to women, enabling them to carry out their feminine roles.

After the Ovoo I went to the bell, says Unuruu. The bell is on a small mount where Danzan Ravjaa used to meditate and pray for a peaceful society. To emphasize Danzan Ravjaa's prayer, you are supposed to ring the bell as loud as you can to let the world know of Danzan Ravjaa's prayers. After I rang the bell, I circled the bell three times.

[Entrance to Shambhala. Photo: Unuruu]
Then I went to Shambhala. At the entrance, you will see the eyes of Buddha with a third eye in the center this is the energy eye. I stood in the stone circle in front of the eyes. I stared at the center energy eye for some time until I felt the energy crawling into me, only then could I enter Shambhala.

Danzan Ravjaa taught his disciples the "burning of the sins" ritual an idea I like very much, said Unuruu. You write all your sins on paper, and burn the paper in a hole in the rocks, at the entrance to Shambhala. Danzan Ravjaa educated his monks to get rid of pride, jealousy and greed, through this ritual, before entering the holy Shambhala which is a place of peace/tranquility/happiness.

After burning my sins I went to the rock of "Ulemjin Chaanar" ("Your Perfect Qualities"). The words and lyrics of this famous song are inscribed in a rock. Mongolians come with offerings to this place and sing together this wonderful song, admiring the perfect qualities of women.

[Meditation caves. Photo: Unuruu]
From there I went to the meditation caves where Danzan Ravjaa used to meditate for 108 days at a time; 108 is a holy number in Buddhism. Monks meditate in complete isolation, with little food, in an effort to ignore hunger, as did Danzan Ravjaa. Visitors to these caves go through what is known as the birth hole. To go through one must hold the hands of other visitors, and go through without letting go, thereby expressing the unity of humanity.

Map of Treasure Hunt location
Zoom in (click +) and switch to Sat (Satellite mode) to see details.

View Danzan Ravjaa treasure hunt in a larger map

Time Line

1800
1803 Danzan Ravjaa is born.
1804 His mother dies, Danzan Ravjaa and his father live of begging.
1807 At the age of 4 DZ composed and sang his own songs.
1809 At the age of 6 Danzan Ravjaa was given away to a monastery.
1809 The fourth Gobi Lord was executed by the Manchus rulers.
1811 At the age of 8, Danzan Ravjaa is proclaimed Lord of the Gobi.
1821 Danzan Ravjaa founded the Kamar monastery.
1825 The Statue of Ten Thousand Knives is erected.
1830 Mongolia's first theatre is built by Danzan Ravjaa.
1831 Performance of the "Moon Cuckoo" opera at the theatre.
1854 Shamballa was founded near the Khmar monastery.
1856 At the age of 53 Danzan Ravjaa poisoned to death by his rivals.
1857 Balchinchoijoo caretaker (takhilch) of Danzan Ravjaa's treasures.
1857 1,500 boxes are packed with Danzan Ravjaa's treasures.

1900
1911 End of the Manchurian rule over Mongolia.
1920 Communist rulers take power in Mongolia.
1937 500 monks serve in the Khamar monastery.
1938 Todev buries 64 crates out of 1,500 in the Gobi desert.
1938 Khamar monastery and 700 monasteries destroyed.
1968 A nomad finds 2 crates turned them in they were burnt.
1969 A few of Danzan Ravjaa's artifacts stolen from Tudev's Ger.
1989 Tudev's grandson Altangerel returns to Sayanshand.
1989 The collapse of the Soviet Union.
1989 A local Gobi community rebuilds the first temple amariin Khiid.
1989 Tudev and Altangerel open a few crates and rebury them.
1990 Tudev dies, December 9.
1990 End of Communism in Mongolia. A few crates put on display.
1991 Opening of the Danzan Ravjaa Museum in Sainshand.

2000
2003 Reconstruction of 108 stupa shambala.
2004 Reconstruction of Ten Thousand Knives statue.
2004 Dr. Hamid Sardar scannes all Danzad Ravjaa writings.
2005 New crown for Ten Thousand Knives statue put in place.
2008 Opening of the new building of Danzan Ravjaa Museum.
2009 Live Treasure Hunt webcast excavating crates in the Gobi.

Video: Theatrical Opera Of Ulemjiin Chanar (Your Perfect Qualities meaning Pretty Woman), the most popular poem written and composed by Danzan Ravjaa.

Video: Trip to Shambhala at the Kamariin Khiid (Monastery) narrated by Glenn Mullin.

Getting There
Train from Ulaanbaatar (Ulan Bator) to Sainshand: every day.
Train leaves Ulaanbaatar 9:50am and arrives 8:00pm the same day.
Cost: Cabin 21,500Tg, Sleeper 13,200Tg, Public 8,000Tg

External Links

Official
Gobi Treasure Hunt 2009 Official Webcast Site.
Danzan Ravjaa Official Danzan Ravjaa Museum.

The Creators of "Treasure Hunt" Project
Mediaclan
Global Communications
80+1 A jurney Arround the World

Wiki
Danzan Ravjaa - on American Mongolian Studies.
Danzanravzhaa - on Mandal.

Articles
A Lonely Battle in Mongolia - New York Times - by Michael Kohn.
Valuable Sacred Tibetan Text The Story of Moon Cuckoo.
Sixth Guard of Priest's Spirit - on Mongolia Today.
Shambhala Rising - by Monk Konchog Norbu.
"Treasures of the Sand" - by Monk Konchog Norbu.
The way of the World by Simon Wickham-Smith.

Research
Dr. Hamid Sardar - Text-Scanning Project - on the Glenn Mullin site.

Blogs
Virtual Gobi Treasure Hunt - Monk Konchog Norbu.
Shambhala - Don Corner.
Khamariin Khiid - Don Corner.
Shambhala at Khamariin Khiid - Don Corner.
A Mystical Gobi Adventure - Rachel.
Sainshand Town - Under Mongolian Blue Sky.
Sainshand - Brian Watmough.
Jurney to Shamballa Land - Bruce Lyon.

Movies
Ferocious Saint Lord of Gobi - N.Y. Times Movie Review.

Photos
Photos of Khamariin Khiid - by Haroldo Castro.

Book
Lama of the Gobi by Michael Kohn

Alternate Name Spellings
Hamred Hrid, Khamriin Khiid, Khamaryn Khiid hamarin Khamar
Danzan Ravjaa, Danzan Rabja, Danzanravjaa Данзанравжаа
Tudev Tutob Tudov todev
Sainshand, Saynshand

Terelj Park

2009-06-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Gorkhi Terelj National Park
Located 50km from Ulaanbaatar. It is one of the most visited parks in Mongolia.

Accommodation
Hotels - one 5 star hotel and 2 mid range hotels - cost around $80
Tourist camps - over 50 tourist camps with Ger Accommodation - cost around $35
Herder Families - there are a few herder families which accept tourists - cost around $15

Sports
Boating on the river - Boats from camp Toonoto
Rock climbing - on the cliff near Buveit camp there are marked rock climbing trails
Horse riding - every camp can arrange horse riding trips, they call for horses from the herder families.

Hiking
There are several hiking trails, your starting point is your camp.

Festivals
some of the camps organize mini festivals, tourist from neighboring camps are invited.

Transportation
A bus leaves every day at 5:00pm from the west side of peace road.
any taxi (private car) will take you to Terelj. Ask your guest house to arrange one for you.

Map of all tourist camps and hotels in Terelj (map editor: Unuruu)

View Terelj Mongolia (Gorkhi) in a larger map

Mongolia Motorcycle Supercross Championships

2009-06-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

July 19th 2009
The second round of the Supercross Championships will take place in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia

A growing number of motorcycle rider tourists find Mongolia to be the last frontier for cross country riding trips. Motorcycle Mongolia discusses the challenges and opportunities of riding a motorcycle in Mongolia.

Mongolia was chosen to host the race, as it is one of the best countries for "Dirt-Bike" cross country tours.

The event will be a great opportunity to meet some of the best bike riders of Asia.

The leading Mongolian champion in the upcoming race will be Erdenbileg Khaliunbold defending his title.
Last year Erdenbileg won the title of the 2008 Overall Asian Motocross Rider of the Year.

In the previous round of the 2009 Asian Motocross Championships held in Puerto Princesa City Philippines, Erdenbileg was the third place winner with his 125cc Kawasaki (3rd place in the picture on the right).

The event will take place in Ulaanbaatar, July 19,
at - Moringiin Davaa, Buyant Ukhaa, beyond the airport.

Click on map for full size

News Archive - Travel Related

2009-06-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

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News items related to travel issues - published on ToMongolia

2011

December
New Domestic flight - Mongolian Airlines

June
2011 Naadam events

May
New Bulgan border crossing

April
New flight route to Mongolia from Hong-Kong by MIAT

2010

June
Naadam detailed program
American Hiker Froze to Death

May
New flight route Ulan-Ude Russia to Ulan-Bator Mongolia

April
Morin Khuur music festival

2009

November
Swine Flu (H1N1) in Mongolia
New ski resort in Ulaanbaatar

October
Mongolia and Ivanhoe to sign $3.6 Billion Oyu Tolgoi Copper-Gold mine agreement.

September
Margaret Mead film festival

August
Gobi treasure Hunt Danzan Ravjaa treasures
Amarbayasgalant monastery ceremony 13-15 August
10,000km horse race - 22 August

July
Mongolia Solar Eclipse July 22
Nadam July 11-12
Complete Nadam Events July 10-12
Motorcycle race July 19
Heavy rain and fluds July 17-22

June
Fires in the Khenti park
Find Trip Partner
Bulgan Border Crossing to China - is it open

Mongolia Solar Eclipse 22 July 2009

2009-06-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

When
July 22nd, 2009
A partial Solar Eclipse will be seen in Mongolia on the morning of July 22nd, 2009.
The eclipse will begin at 8:27am reach it's maximum at 9:22am and finish at 10:22am

Where
In Ulaanbaatar the moon will cover at the maximum period 40% of the sun for about 6 minutes.
.
In the Gobi desert in south Mongolia the moon will cover 60% of the Sun. In the Gobi there is a better chance of having a clear sky during the eclipse.
.
Full eclipse will be seen further south in parts of China.

Why
When the Moon passes between Earth and Sun, it covers part of the Sun view.

Eye Protection
It is recommended to use special dark glasses like those used by welders. Sun glasses do not give sufficient protection for the eyes when looking at the Sun.

Sources
Wiki Eclipse
NASA Eclips

Find Trip Partners (FTP)

2009-06-15T01:26:00.001-07:00

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"Find Trip Partners" (FTP) -
hosted by:
Sub'baatar Sandwiches
Every day 12:00-2:00pm

Come - share your trip ideas, find nice partners to join you.
Post a FTP request on the billboard inside.

Location of Sub'baatar Sandwiches on peace road between Department store and main city square.

. View of Ulaanbaatar Peace road

Motorcycle

2009-06-13T02:54:00.000-07:00

Mongolia is the last heaven frontier for motorcycle addicts.
The vast steppe, desert terrain, snow caped mountains, lakes, almost no paved roads and friendly nomads,
make it one of the most exciting off road countries to travel through.

The challenges
Mongolia is not a country to develop your riding skills.
Unlike western countries there is little to none suitable infrastructure for motorcyclists.
You should be an experienced off road biker, have some knowledge of fixing and maintaining bikes in the field.
There are no decent maps and no road signs, so you should have good navigation skills.
Finally you should have the proper attitude in case things go wrong, the Mongolian environment is unforgiving.

All these challanges make Mongolia the most exciting country for cross country motorbike tours.
Here are your options.

The Tour option
There are a few tour operators offering motorcycle tours.
These tours are well organised. They come with guides, cooks, and most important a support vehicles.
You will get to meet other enthusiastic bikers.
The tour option makes it possible for less experienced bikers to enjoy the trip.
Bike Mongolia have motorcycle tours throuhout the summer.

Your bike
For those bikers doing the cross Asia route, Mongolia is just one country on the route.
It is a straight forward procedure to enter Mongolia with your bike, as long as your bike paper documentation are in order. There is no need for a "Carnet" (special passport like document for vehicles). There are no limitation on where you may ride in Mongolia. You are not required to obtain a local driver licence as long as you have an International driver licence from you home country.
If there is a long line of vehicles at the border crossing, it might take a long day to get through, the process is slow.

See the map below for possible cross country routes and border crossings you may use.

Renting a motorcycle
There are very few bikes to rent, the price is about $130 per day, this is a reasonable option for short rides only.
Drive Mongolia have motocycles for rent.
Some bike sellers will rent for less for about $30 per day, if you place a deposit of the full price of bike.

Buying a motorcycle
Not an easy option, and in some cases may end up as an expensive adventure.
Few riders follow this option.
Price: the lowest you can get a decent bike is for $900. Average would be around $1200 - $1500. You may try a used bike for less, but than you should be able to check it yourself before buying.
Models: The most common is the Russian IZH Planeta 5s. The Planeta (in the picture) is a 350cc, single-cylinder, 2-stroke with kick-start and a “rocker” gearshift. The advantage of the Planeta is that where ever you go, you will fined the local guy with spare parts and know how.
There are Japanese bikes of better quality you may consider, like Yamaha and Honda. The new Chinese models are the cheapest, but they are useful for city trips only.
Accessories: Bring with you what ever you have. You can fined everything in Mongolia, but it is time consuming.
Selling: You have the disadvantage of being in a rush to sell before you have to leave.
The only option is to sell for half price or less of what it cost you.
Markets: There are only a handfull of bikes at any given time on the UB market. There are 2 markets in UB selling motorcycles Shar Khad's Tsahlai, known as the Car market and Uguumur market
Translator: Only few sellers in the market can speak a few English words. Ask your guest house to arrange a translator to join you.

Bike Registration procedures at the police station
1 Bring your passport and driver licenses
2 Pay 15,000 Togrog registration fee
3 Pay 700 Togrog for registration ID
4 Present proof / contract of selling/ buying of bike
5 Present motorcycle import customs documents
6. Present motorcycle original registration documents
7. The seller and buyer have to come together to the police station to register

Petrol
Cost: about 1,000MNT per liter (lest than $1)
Stations: they are not obvious, ask around for Benzene (local term for petrol), in most cases it is just a pump on the road side.

Distances from Ulaanbaatar:
To the south - to China (red on the map) about 750Km (only about a third of the road is paved)
To the north - to Russia (green) about 350Km (Paved through, parts of the road need repairs)
To the west - to the Altai mountains (blue) about 1100Km (most of the road is not paved)

Travel insurance: Make sure your travel insurance covers riding motorcycles.
(Some free travel insurance provided by credit cards companies do not cover self driving)

Cross country routes map
For detail - zoom in (by clicking the +), change to Sat (Satellite mode), click icons for information. .

Map of motorcycle markets in Ulaanbaatar (map editor: Unuruu)
Zoom in to see exact location

View Motorcycle Markets Ulan Bator Mongolia in a larger map

External links
Horizons Unlimited - the website for motorcycle travellers

News - Bulgan Border Crossing

2009-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

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Bulgan
Altai Mountains in background

Mongolian officials say the border is not open for third country tourists.
(third country = not Mongolian or Chinese)

Update May 2010 -
"The (Mongolian) Cabinet Ministers Meeting discussed the general plan of model port...The meeting made decision to convert... “Bulgan” ... ports into regular operations...Mr. G.Zandanshatar, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, was ordered to start negotiation with the Chinese counterparts on converting “Bulgan” port into regular regime by July 1 2010"

Update April 2010
"Bulgan checkpoint will go into permanent operation starting 2011"

According to Chinese sources (2009) -
The Bulgan border crossing in west Mongolia is open for tourists.
The official rules regarding this border crossing are not clear yet.

The crossing route will connect Bulgan in Khuvd Aimag in west Mongolia
with the Chinese town of Tarkshken in the Qinghe County located in
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Until recently this border crossing was open for trade only
and occasionally for local Kazakhs living on both sides of the border.

The border regulations are yet to be declared by both countries.

According to Chinese sources only two travel agencies are authorized at this stage
to issue border passes and organize group tours from China to Bulgan in Mongolia -
Qinghe Kanas International Travel Service Ltd
and Xinjiang Overseas International Travel Service.
These two agencies will issue border passes one day prior to travel.
They will operate a daily shuttle bus crossing the border to Bulgan.

Orientation map

View of border crossing location

Map of new border crossing
Click on icons for information, Zoom in for details (click +)

View - detailed satellite image of border crossing

Calendar of events 2012

2009-05-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Click on event for details
(see details of Naadam festival events on the Naadam 2011 page)

Fire Khan Khentii

2009-05-23T14:29:00.001-07:00

Click image for full size image.

Image Source: NASA images

May 2009 - Fires

Large fires were burning in the forested mountains of the Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area.
On May 21, 2009 NASA’s satellite captured this image. Places where NASA’s satellite detected
actively burning fires are outlined in red.

Video of the fire by Tony Whitten taken on May 23rd 2009

The Khan Khentii park in the Khentii Mountains, includes the sacred Burkhan Khaldun mountain,
and is located to the north east of the more popular Terelj park.

The region is considered the birth place of Genghis Khan.

It was declared strictly protected area to protect the endangered species of
Moose, Brown Bears, Wolf, Lynx, Weasels, Red Deer, Wild Boar, White Gazelle,
Steppe Fox, and hundreds of species of birds including Woodpecker, Partridge,
Magpie, and Hawk.

The region is mostly uninhabited by humans, there are very few dirt roads leading
up to the mountains through the woods, thus making it impossible to control fires.

Up to now there are no indications of human life loss.

Impact on travelers
The northern parts of the Khan Khentii park will not be accessible in the near future.

Map - Tavan Bogd

2009-05-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

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Trek detailed description
(Tavan Bogd base camp, Khuiten peak, Nairamdal peak, Malchin peak, Potaniin glacier).

click on map for full size map.