Mongolia is 18th largest country in the world, it is almost 1,500 miles east to west (about half of the length of the United States) and 800 miles north to south and has only 3.2 million people as it is entire population. It is often called the last remaining wilderness frontier destination. It is a home to ancient nomadic culture where 30% of the population is nomads. It is also a country with rich Buddhist heritage. Mongolians have been protectors of Tibet historically and Mongolians gave the title Dalai Lama, “dalai” means ocean in Mongolian language and “lama” if teacher or guru and it is often translated as “ocean of wisdom.”

In Ulaanbaatar, we will visit Gandan Monastery, the most important Buddhist monastery of Mongolia and meet its head lama and receive private blessing. We will also witness mandala making by local monks. 

One of the places we will visit in Ulaanbaatar is the exclusive visit of the Treasure Room, that is off limits to the public at the National Library and the State Archives. The treasure room has the impressive collection of Mongolia’s rarest books and sutras. Among which, most notably, the Declaration of Independence from 1911 along with the family tree of Chinggis Khan’s Golden Lineage

We will fly on a private chartered jet to one of the remotest region of Mongolia. Bayan-Ulgii is the western-most province of Mongolia, where 90% of the local population are Kazakhs who have lived here for centuries. We will have ample opportunities to experience this region of the high Altai Mountains, the tallest in Mongolia and to interact with Golden Eagle hunters. 

We will set up a private camp at the in the valley with the view of the Tsambagarav mountains. In this valley, Kazakh nomads as well as Uuld (local tribe) Mongols spend their summertime. The private camp will consist of luxury gers with ensuite facilities, a dining ger with a private chef who will cook local and western fusion dishes for guests.

This eagle hunter’s name is Dalaikhan. He is one of the most experienced eagle hunters in Western Mongolia and has been practicing falconry for over 30 years now. Rob Comstock met Dalaikhan in 1998 when Rob was traveling with Bill Burnham, President of the Peregrine Fund at the time to this remote region of Mongolia. There were at that time less than 20 or 30 falconers who trained golden eagles in this part of Mongolia.  

We will travel with biologists of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia. Nomadic Expeditions launched a conservation project with his local non-profit organization and the Peregrine Fund to protect and ensure that wild population of golden eagles in western Mongolia is protected and

ancient falconry tradition continues to thrive in a sustainable way.

Three Camel Lodge is an award winning sustainable luxury lodge in the Gobi Desert. It was voted as the 10th best hotel in Asia by the Conde Nast Readers Awards in 2018.

It is a proud founding member of Beyond Green, a collection of Planet Earth’s most sustainable hotels.

This image was taken at sunrise and the sunrises and sunsets are most spectacular in the Gobi. 100% of the staff are local Mongolians and the lodge is a truly a part of the local community. It has a dedicate well to water animals of local herders that live unary the lodge during the summer season and the lodge waters anywhere between 5,000-8,000 animals a day. 

Ger is the Mongolian name for the portable, round tent dwelling used by distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia. Also called a yurt (from the Turkic lnaguages), ger are traditionally constructed of a supported crown (roof ring), roof poles, wood latticework walls, and covered with felt—the dome skylight is open, with a wood stove chimney, and the door faces south. A marvel of ingenuity, the ger heartily withstands harsh winter winds, and radiates warmth within its insulation.

One of travelers’ favorite places at the Three Camel Lodge is the Dino Hall. The lodge has an impressive collection of books on Mongolia, including a collection covering 60 years of National Geographic magazine.

The Dino hall is also where the Thirsty Camel Bar is situated. One would not expect to find Asia’s best whiskey bar in the heart of the Gobi Desert. And that is why this ultimate hideaway is so incredibly rewarding. Sip a wide selection of premium spirits, wines, and beers. The mixologist can concoct anything you please. Or take a glass from the bar’s exquisite whiskey selection, featuring the finest batches from Scotland, Japan and American craft distilleries. The Forbes magazine named it one of the top whiskey bars in Asia. 

From Altai Mountains, we will fly on a privately chartered jet to the legendary Gobi Desert. What surprises people the most about the Gobi Desert is that it is not all sand. The term desert conjures images of vast rolling dunes—and the Gobi certainly has these—yet this splendidly tranquil ecosystem covering more than half-a-million square miles contains fertile tracts as well. Perhaps more surprising still is that this arid landscape was covered in conifer forests and lush with lakes and streams about 80 million years ago.

The Gobi, the fourth largest desert in the world, occupies territories of Mongolia and northern China. The terrain is wonderfully varied as well, with formations of undulating dunes, deep ravines, panoramic plains, steep cliffs and narrow canyons.

On this trip, we will encounter vastly different ecosystems. We will meet our camel wranglers and trek on Bactrian camels across the magnificent sand dunes of Moltsog els, surreal formation of sands and pasture lands.

We will hike a the valley carved by an ancient river which is the habitat of indigenous vulture-like lammergeier, mountain goat and mountain sheep.

We will hike up to a vantage point dotted with flat rocks that serve as canvas to hundreds of petroglyphs left by early Gobi settlers for more than 5,000 years ago. The Bronze Age images depict horses pulling carts, hunting game, the animals of the region, families and settlements.  

We will set up beautiful outdoor meals in several locations

throughout your trip. For example: in the Gobi you will be able to ride side car motorcycles, including a vintage BMW at the site where a dinner will be set up for you by the lodge staff.

The Gobi is composed of sediment from the erosion of volcanic rocks including granite and basalt, as well as from ocean sediments. These layers can be seen very well in the clay of the iconic Flaming Cliffs. Scientifically known as the Djadokhta formation, the Flaming Cliffs dates to the Cretaceous Period 84-75 million years ago. A must-see for visitors of the Gobi, it has preserved major paleontological discoveries—including the first confirmed finding of dinosaur eggs.

Bayan Zag, commonly known as the Flaming Cliffs for the orange glow of its rock at dawn and dusk. It was here in 1923 that Dr. Roy Chapman Andrews and his exploration team from the American Museum of Natural History found the first nest of dinosaur eggs. We will visit and dig for dinosaur fossils with a leading paleontologist during our visit. The dinosaurs discovered in Mongolia are of Greataio

During the course of your adventure, you will explore cultural horizons and witness outstanding musical performances of local students and professional artists.

The young students on this image are from a local village called Hanhongor which is 70 km from the Three Camel Lodge. The lodge has been supporting their education in traditional music and dance since 2008 and these talented students will perform during the trip. The lodge has a scholarship program it support 5 students who are pursuing their education in traditional perming arts on the college level.

The word class performances will include traditional dances, throat signing, instrumental music performances including music played with an instrument called horse headed fiddle, contortionists, long songs, and etc. Also, we will experience the modern Mongolia through a private performance if its best.