Exploring the Wonders of Mongolia with iBestTravel

When people ask me what is my favourite place in the wide world of places I have travelled, there is never any hesitation. I love Mongolia so much that I once spent five months crossing a thousand miles of it on horseback, the baggage loaded with a rattling collection of gear, from a temperamental stove to a rapidly disappearing bottle of whiskey. Mongolia is still there, waiting, and it was time to go back.

From the air, the emptiness is always startling. Flying over Mongolia before dawn, I saw no lights below, just unfolding landscapes: a spooling river, a range of mountains surging across steppelands, an empire of grass tipping to undisturbed horizons. Only Greenland and the Falkland Islands have a lower population density. The one sign of habitation were the occasional encampments of round white yurts, known here as gers, which appear suddenly and mysteriously in the grasslands like overnight mushrooms. In a few weeks they will vanish and spring up elsewhere, leaving no trace other than pale circles on the grass as the nomads move to winter pastures. Mongolia is the world’s last truly nomadic realm.

Arriving in Ulan Bator

I landed in Ulan Bator, Mongolia’s capital and its only real city. With traffic that would shame Manhattan and one of the highest pollution levels in the world, it seemed the antithesis of the country over which it presides. I got out of town as quickly as I could and entered into a landscape that might have been carved by the wind.

Ten Days of Adventure

I didn’t have five months this time. The plan was to spend 10 days in the country, visiting a couple of regions with a driver, a guide, and my photographer friend, Alistair Taylor-Young, to whom I had been enthusing about Mongolia for years. My Mongolian calendar for the trip was surprisingly full. I had an appointment with a shaman. I planned to search for wild horses and visit eagle hunters. In between, I sought to reconnect with this place, understand what drew me here, and recall who I had been all those years ago.

Khustain Nuruu National Park

We began at the beginning, among the wild horses and standing stones of Khustain Nuruu National Park. Mongolia is home to the Przewalski’s Horse, known in Mongolia as the takhi, the only authentically wild horses left on Earth. By the 1960s, these short and thick-chested creatures had become extinct in the wild. However, in 1992, using stock from zoos, breeders successfully reintroduced them to their homeland in this park.

In Khustain’s high valleys, deer stones, named for the carvings they bear of prehistoric hoofed animals, stand knee-deep in thickets of grass. Roughly the height of a man, the stones are the only visible remnants of a little-known culture that inhabited this landscape up to 4,000 years ago. High on the slopes, I could see a herd of red deer moving toward the ridgeline. With the protection of rangers, Khustain has become a sanctuary for them.

Suddenly, I spotted the horses, a tawny-colored group, females and foals under the command of a single stallion. I felt as if I was peering into the Bronze Age. Horses are central to Mongolian history and their domestication on these steppes created powerful nomadic empires. They carried the armies of Genghis Khan to the walls of Vienna in the 13th century.

Meeting the Nomadic Inhabitants

Later, on the banks of the Tuul River, where a pair of whooper swans glided beneath willows, we stopped at a ger where a woman was milking a restive mob of Mongolian horses. The milking of both yaks and horses is a tricky business, requiring a firm hand and cool nerves; the consensus in Mongolia is that women do a better job at it.

Inside the ger, a young woman served us bowls of fermented mare’s milk, known as airag, a kind of sour milky beer that is Mongolia’s chief beverage. Our host, warming his toes by the stove, was 90 years old. His face was a map of stories. When asked about Mongolia’s best years, he reflected on the 1930s as the years of his youth.

A Journey to the Shaman

As we traveled westward, we crossed a low pass to a wide plain where sunlight and clouds chased each other across the dun-coloured grasses. On a ridge above a silver stream, we found the shaman’s camp. Inside was Amarjargal, a woman in her 50s, who agreed to perform a “beckoning,” a calling upon the spirits for me.

Her rituals are a reminder that shamanism has a tenacious hold on the Mongolian imagination. Even in the 21st century, traditional beliefs are making a comeback. Amarjargal donned the shaman’s headdress, and as she began to strum a mouth harp, the repetitive notes built to a clamorous pace before suddenly subsiding as a spirit entered her, taking over her body.

A Glimpse of Tradition

Later, in the company of eagle hunters in Western Mongolia, I was captivated by their traditions. The Kazakhs, a Muslim minority, have a long history of hunting with eagles. I met Tastulekh, the eagle hunter, who shared tales of capturing female chicks from cliffside nests. The relationship between the Kazakhs and their eagles is profound, as they view these birds as family members.

In this unpredictable landscape, winter arrived quickly. I woke to hear winds howling and the eerie sound of wolves in the distance. We rode south into a freshly blanketed white world on horseback, recalling the liberating experience of my previous journey. The immense solitude of Mongolia stripped away all distractions; this was enough.

Dining with Nomads

Later, I was honored to dine with Tastulekh and his family. The tent bore the comforting aromas of Mongolia—of butter, mutton, and dung fires. As we feasted on traditional dishes, I partook in the customs, cutting and sharing portions of sheep’s head with the other guests.

Afterward, I was invited to bless their young child, Tanerbergen. A symbolic gesture, this tradition reflects the strong ties within the community, hoping to transfer good fortune to the child. As the evening wore on, songs filled the ger, celebrating their way of life and the changing of the seasons.

Conclusion: The Timelessness of Mongolia

In the stillness outside, under the bright stars, Mongolia stretched out in its vastness, a land that feels untouched by time. This startling emptiness, devoid of all burdens, is the essence of Mongolia I sought. iBestTravel invites you to experience this profound connection with the land, its history, and its people.