MONGOLIAN LUNAR NEW YEAR ADVENTURE TOUR
This snowy adventure is sure to give you a taste of Mongolia at it’s most beautiful and leave you feeling refreshed and energized. Join us to experience the Mongolian Lunar New Year and celebrate this symbolic fresh start with a spectacular adventure in true Mongolian style, with a nomadic family. Mongolian Lunar New Year commonly known as Tsagaan Sar (White Month) is the biggest festival of the year, celebrated throughout the country. This is the most important family holiday of the year and is akin to Christmas, where families come together, eat too much and maybe drink a bit too much too!
Tour date: 4th-7th of February
Duration: 4 days/ 3 nights
Weather: -15-25 celsius, with snow (pls check: www.accuweather.com)
Driving distance: Total 500 km (Max. 4-5 hours drive)
This tour is designed for those who like to challenge themselves with extreme winter outdoor activities and are not afraid of the cold. This tour is ideally suited for backpackers.
Your participation in this trip is helping to financially support nomadic families living in Mongolia. And 3% of our profit will be donated to children’s orphanage in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Day 1. Start trip to Terelj National Park on the way visit historical sites like Chinggis Khaan Square and Zaisan hill for your panoramic view of the whole city.
• After lunch visit temple, enjoying view, dinner with family on Lunar new year’s eve
• After dinner help with the family’s last minute preparations for the big holiday and learn more about the traditions that surround this important time of year. Learn how to cook traditional Mongolian dumplings (Buuz).
Day 2. See the first sunrise of the Lunar New Year and big day celebration
• 6:30 Get up early in the morning and have breakfast.
• 7:00 Drive to Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue. The statue is 40m high. Ching-gis Khaan holds a golden whip in his right hand.
• 07.20 Arrive at Statue complex. You will be greeted with 4 Mongolian warriors and 4 beautiful queens. Take with them your memorable pictures.
• 07.30 Watch local people perform traditional New Year’s rituals. Many traditions are performed with an aim to start the new year auspiciously, the way to start the year is deemed to influence the course of it.
• 07:50 Watch the first sunrise of the year with a spectacular view from the top of the Statue. A drum band will perform some traditional rituals.
• 08:20 Watch traditional concert which includes 5-8 performances of Mongolian long song, 2 headed horse fiddle music play, folklore/ throat singing and dance.
• Play with anklebones and other exciting games such as Mongolian puzzle game, Alag Melkhi or multicolored turtle, catching anklebones, anklebones horse racing, anklebones flicking etc.
• 09:00 Introduction to the statue complex. You will have an opportunity to try on Mongolian traditional costumes and write your names in Mongolian script (optional). You will see the world’s largest boot which is registered in the Guinness Book of Records.
After activities in Monument, drive back to Terelj national park and visit same Nomad family to experience the holiday atmosphere and learn traditional Mongolian new year greeting customs and receive small present from the family housewife.
Then start our 1 hour horse riding adventure through this beautiful park and feel simple goodness of nature from horseback.
Dinner would be Mongolian traditional barbeque with hot stone.
• After dinner we will have our bonfire night. Free time to relax and chat around the bonfire
Day 3. Terelj National Park , Dog Sledding and Khustai National Park
• 8:00 After breakfast explore Terelj National Park. Terelj is very impressive, with massive rock formations set among scenic valleys and hills with a winding river and groves of trees. Here you’ll explore the extraordinary formation of rocks and stones; some of them look quite similar to turtles.
• Start our 1 hour dog sledding adventure along/ or on frozen river (optional)
• Drive back to guesthouse for lunch then for 4 hours to Khustai national park, with unique landscapes that feature mountains and steppe.
• When you get in Khustai National Park, we visit a small museum about the last surviving species of wild horse on the planet and a short drive to the mountain hills to see them in wild nature. There will be a great opportunity to take photos of these endangered horses. If you are lucky you might also see red deer, fox and marmots.
You will have free time to relax. Enjoy hiking and photographing the charming landscape and wildlife.
Day 4. Drive back to UB city and Skiing in the city /Sky resort/
• Arrive in Sky resort to start our 3 hour skiing adventure with a gondola ride. If you are not interested in skiing, you have a choice of snowboarding or sledging.
• After that activity, its time to go shopping for some quality cashmere and souvenirs.
• City guesthouse is not included.
Number of Person: Price:
2 people $99 per person per day
3 people $81 per person per day
4 people $71 per person per day
5 people $64 per person per day
6 people $55 per person per day
Services included in the price:
Car: Driver, gasoline, cooking gear, sleeping bag,
Fee: National Park, Musuems, road, skiing, dog sledding, activities for sunrise ceremony
Tour guide /English speaking/: cook for you with fried brown whole wheat organic rice, salad, beef, root veggie and for breakfast tea, coffee, sugar, bread, jam, cheese, butter, sausage, egg,
Food: B, L, D & once a traditional special barbeque with hot stones/named Khorkhog/
Tour Activity: Stay in Mongolian yurt (Ger), visit nomad family and cook traditional meal with them, experience Mongolian lunar new year celebration, concert, see last surviving wild horses on earth, sport activities: dog sledding, paragliding, horse riding and skiing.
Accommodate: Ger guesthouse prepared by nomads with squat toilet outside
Services not included in the price:
Personal expenses like special drink , snack accommodation in city.