| Day 1 Arrive in UB & Explore UB | Arrive UB airport and meet by our Blue Wolf guide. Transfer to hotel. After a short rest to freshen-up we will do a sight -seeing tour of Ulaanbaatar, focusing on such significant cultural sites as Gandan Buddhist Monastery, the Zanzabar Fine Arts Museum, which holds the finest collection of thangka paintings, carvings and sculptures in Mongolia. The Chojin Lama temple will be visited, the location of which clearly illustrates the great contrast between the old and the new in Mongolia. Lunch will be enjoyed in a nearby Mongolian restaurant with traditional cuisine. In the afternoon, the Winter Palace of the last Bogd Khan will be visited which houses some very interesting cultural and religious artifacts. To get a panoramic overview of the city, we may visit the Great Buddha statue and memorial at Zaisan. We will overnight at a 4* hotel. |
| Day 2 Fly to Hovd & Drive to Chandman village near Jargalant Mountain | After early breakfast, transfer to UB airport. Arrive Hovd airport to be met by the Blue Wolf team. Lunch in Hovd town. After lunch, we will drive south across the Great Lakes Basin south to Chandman soum where it is claimed that the renowned Mongolian throat-singing originates. En route we will see the Khar Us Nuur (Black Water Lake) with its vast reed beds (among the largest in Central Asia) and abundant water birds (Cranes, Gulls, Herons, even Pelicans). This National Park, like the Jargalant Hairkhan Mountain is a priority for WWF Mongolia who are very active here. Overnight in tent. (BLD) |
| Day 3-5 Explore Jargalatn Mountain home of the Snow Leopards | Today, we explore Jargalant Hairhan Mountain and hike into Rashantiin Am (Spring Canyon), a sacred valley with a spring renowned for its medicinal properties. Jargalant Hairkhan (Mountain of Sacred Happiness) is a great range that dominates the Great Lakes Basin. Rashantiin Am is an atmospheric valley piled with rocks and ancient poplar trees. WWF Mongolia have done many years of research here on what is known to be an important population of Snow Leopard. We will immerse ourselves in the ecology of this, our first Altai mountain experience, learning about the plants, birds and mammals that make their home here. We will do a number of hikes within this spectacular canyon and surrounding valleys, looking for sign of Snow Leopard and other wildlife. Overnight in tents. (BLD) |
| Day 6 Drive to Khukh Serkhyin Nuruu (Blue Goat) National Park | After breakfast, we cross open plains below Jargalant Hairkhan and will look out for the rare and unusual Mongolian Saiga antelope, a relic of the Pleistocene era. We will then drive 160kms (4-5hrs) to the northwest to come to a traditional Kazakh Eagle hunter’s summer home. Erbol will be our host, in an impressive valley on the northwestern side of the great Khukh Serkh Mountain. This is a mountain range renowned for its Snow Leopards, with abundant populations of Argali and Ibex. Our visit will be benefiting from an ongoing Snow Leopard research project that is being undertaken here, giving us considerable insight into the movements and habits of these elusive cats. We will learn from Erbol and his magnificent Golden Eagle, and learn from a true master about the traditions and skills of hunting with Eagles in the Altai. Overnight in tents. (BLD) |
| Day 7-9 Khukh Serkhiyn Nuruu (Blue Goat) NP | We will spend our days hiking in the wild and remote fastnesses of the Khukh Serkhiyn range. We will take our time to watch carefully for all aspects of wildlife here: Argalis, Ibexes and Red Deer, always entertaining the hope for a possible and rare Snow Leopard sighting. We will enjoy all that these mountains have to show, from the many raptors such as Golden Eagle, Steppe Eagle, the awe-inspiring bone-eating Lammergeyer (Bearded Vulture), the great Black Vulture and the swift sacker Falcon (the Altai race of which is considered by many ornithologists to be a separate and little-known species). We will give ourselves the opportunity to observe these mountains in all their intricate grandeur, and appreciate their great silences, in the mountain heart of Asia. We will vary our hiking routes each day, looking for signs of Lynx, Pallas’s Wildcat, Wolf, Fox and other mammals. Spending time with Erbol the Eagle hunter, we can learn more about traditional Kazakh Eagle hunting skills and gain from his unique perspectives about living in his mountain home. We will overnight in tents hosted by a local family. (BLD) |
| Day 10 Drive to Olgii city | We will take an early morning drive to Olgii, the through a dramatic landscape with Sairiyn Nuruu towering above us and the rugged Altai uplands beyond Lake Tolbo (Nuur). After 4-5hrs we arrive at the Blue Wolf ger-camp in Olgii. After lunch we will spend the afternoon sightseeing around Olgii, visiting its interesting bazaar as well as the recently renovated local mosque, and a well-stocked local museum. Some interesting backstreet handicraft shops will give us the opportunity to look for traditional Kazakh crafts and wares. Overnight at local hotel. (BLD) |
| Day 11 Flight back to UB | After breakfast, transfer to Olgiy airport to catch a flight for Ulaanbaatar. Meet by our guide and transfer to hotel. (B) You will have a full day to explore the sprawling city of retro architecture, thrilling nightlife, wild traffic and exciting commerce. There’s plenty to see, do and eat – your guide will recommend some of the best places to dine at |
| Day 12 Departure | After early breakfast, transfer to Olgii airport. Leave only foot prints & take only lifetime of memories home from your Mongolian adventure. |