Mongolian steppe & its people
In remote provinces like Dundgovi and Zavkhan, the immensity and sheer emptiness of the Mongolian steppe is utterly spellbinding![]()
Morning: you watch as the sun casts its first golden rays of the day across the Mongolian steppe, evaporating dew from the tent flaps in the nomadic herding camp where you spent the night. Off in the distance there are some children noisily practising their wrestling holds, and from somewhere behind you comes the lowing of yaks and cows. It’s moments like this, as you absorb your spectacular surroundings, that you really appreciate them putting a window flap on the toilet tent.
Bathroom breaks are a serious business on our holidays in the Mongolian steppe. Typically, these expeditions will eschew the more tourist-oriented nomadic ger (tent) camps in favour of remote areas and communities that see few foreign visitors. Here, in provinces like Dundgovi and Zavkhan, the immensity and sheer emptiness of the steppe is utterly spellbinding. But to gain this blissful isolation you’ll have to accept some privations, like using a communal hole in the ground.
Around a third of people in remote rural areas of Mongolia have no access to a toilet of any kind, and running showers are a rare luxury. Jess Brooks is the co-founder of our partner Eternal Landscapes, who run some of our most popular tours in Mongolia, and campaign to improve sanitary conditions and education related to toilets. Profits from our trips also help to fund compost toilets, where appropriate, for some of the families who host our travellers.
Jess points out that Mongolia’s sanitation issues go beyond just nomadic camps. “There’s a big push for self-drive holidays here, but no-one is telling people how to do that responsibly. There are no public toilets in Mongolia, so what is going to happen when someone’s on a 600km drive across the steppe? My concern about tourism in Mongolia is that it feels like there’s no stewardship. We need to tell visitors how to have positive impacts on the environment, the culture, the economy. At the moment it’s all ‘Come to Mongolia’ but there’s no ‘Think about how you come.’”
Bathroom breaks are a serious business on our holidays in the Mongolian steppe. Typically, these expeditions will eschew the more tourist-oriented nomadic ger (tent) camps in favour of remote areas and communities that see few foreign visitors. Here, in provinces like Dundgovi and Zavkhan, the immensity and sheer emptiness of the steppe is utterly spellbinding. But to gain this blissful isolation you’ll have to accept some privations, like using a communal hole in the ground.
Around a third of people in remote rural areas of Mongolia have no access to a toilet of any kind, and running showers are a rare luxury. Jess Brooks is the co-founder of our partner Eternal Landscapes, who run some of our most popular tours in Mongolia, and campaign to improve sanitary conditions and education related to toilets. Profits from our trips also help to fund compost toilets, where appropriate, for some of the families who host our travellers.
Jess points out that Mongolia’s sanitation issues go beyond just nomadic camps. “There’s a big push for self-drive holidays here, but no-one is telling people how to do that responsibly. There are no public toilets in Mongolia, so what is going to happen when someone’s on a 600km drive across the steppe? My concern about tourism in Mongolia is that it feels like there’s no stewardship. We need to tell visitors how to have positive impacts on the environment, the culture, the economy. At the moment it’s all ‘Come to Mongolia’ but there’s no ‘Think about how you come.’”
At the moment it’s all ‘Come to Mongolia’ but there’s no ‘Think about how you come.’![]()
Our holidays help to protect and nurture what makes the Mongolian steppe so wonderful – its landscapes, and its culture. Because the steppe is sparsely populated and getting more so. Around Ulaanbaatar, what’s known as the ‘Ger District’ is home to some 900,000 people who once lived nomadic lifestyles on the steppe and have now moved to the capital in search of better opportunities for education, careers and relationships. Thousands more join them every year, abandoning the rigours and hardships of nomadic life for a vast, sprawling tent city that suffers from serious issues with air pollution and water quality.
Many of those moving to the capital to study and work are young women. Their male counterparts will often stay on the steppe to manage the herds. This growing social division leads to loneliness and disparities in income and opportunities. Ironically, the lifestyle that these younger Mongolians are leaving behind is precisely what many visitors to Mongolia are coming to find. From cycling and horse-riding expeditions to stays in ger camps, our holidays help to make traditional nomadic lifestyles financially viable, and create well-paying jobs that encourage people to remain on the steppe, or return to it.
Many of those moving to the capital to study and work are young women. Their male counterparts will often stay on the steppe to manage the herds. This growing social division leads to loneliness and disparities in income and opportunities. Ironically, the lifestyle that these younger Mongolians are leaving behind is precisely what many visitors to Mongolia are coming to find. From cycling and horse-riding expeditions to stays in ger camps, our holidays help to make traditional nomadic lifestyles financially viable, and create well-paying jobs that encourage people to remain on the steppe, or return to it.
What does visiting the Mongolian steppe involve?
Gers & guides
Spending time in a traditional ger camp is the quintessential Mongolian travel experience, a common feature of most holidays on the steppe. Gers are spacious, round tents – also known as yurts – that can easily be assembled or disassembled for transport. There are camps that are designed purely to accommodate tourists, but in many cases our holidays will take you to far more remote parts of the Mongolian steppe, to communities where tourism is a mere sideline to the main business of herding, and you will be expected to fit in with your hosts’ daily lives and responsibilities.
Often your itinerary will be steered by the families themselves, and in this way, you’ll see a genuine ‘day in the life’. You might lend a hand bringing in the yaks and goats from pasture before nightfall, or learn how to milk them at sunrise. Time slows right down; there is no clock-watching on the steppe – there aren’t a great many clocks for that matter.
You don’t always stay the night – travelling on the steppe you will frequently encounter nomadic people. Impromptu meetings are a chance to learn about the lifestyles of these families, and taste their homemade cuisine, like cheese curd, buuz (stuffed dumplings), or the fearsome arak, an alcoholic drink made from fermented milk.
“Only a fairly small percentage of the Mongolian population is nomadic, and not all of these people are always on the move. But that’s where nearly all of the tourism marketing in Mongolia is concentrated,” says Jess. “The main focus for herders is their livestock; they don’t have any training in how to host tourists or large groups, and so the drive for authentic, unique experiences puts immense pressure on people. I would like to see some form of training for families to help them protect their customs.” On our Mongolian steppe tours you can stay with herding families who have been hosting visitors for many years, but always on their own terms, so they have never been asked to change their way of life for the sake of tourism.
Hosts will generally speak only rudimentary English, sometimes none at all, so local guides are essential in bridging the conversational gap, and explaining cultural necessities such as the correct way to approach or enter a ger. Our holidays will often use female guides and trip assistants, Mongolian women who have been recruited and trained to help them break into the tourism industry. The development of tourism creates careers on the steppe rather than forcing people to leave for the capital. Progressive initiatives like this led to Eternal Landscapes being named Gender Equality Champion of the Year by the Equality in Tourism organisation.
Often your itinerary will be steered by the families themselves, and in this way, you’ll see a genuine ‘day in the life’. You might lend a hand bringing in the yaks and goats from pasture before nightfall, or learn how to milk them at sunrise. Time slows right down; there is no clock-watching on the steppe – there aren’t a great many clocks for that matter.
You don’t always stay the night – travelling on the steppe you will frequently encounter nomadic people. Impromptu meetings are a chance to learn about the lifestyles of these families, and taste their homemade cuisine, like cheese curd, buuz (stuffed dumplings), or the fearsome arak, an alcoholic drink made from fermented milk.
“Only a fairly small percentage of the Mongolian population is nomadic, and not all of these people are always on the move. But that’s where nearly all of the tourism marketing in Mongolia is concentrated,” says Jess. “The main focus for herders is their livestock; they don’t have any training in how to host tourists or large groups, and so the drive for authentic, unique experiences puts immense pressure on people. I would like to see some form of training for families to help them protect their customs.” On our Mongolian steppe tours you can stay with herding families who have been hosting visitors for many years, but always on their own terms, so they have never been asked to change their way of life for the sake of tourism.
Hosts will generally speak only rudimentary English, sometimes none at all, so local guides are essential in bridging the conversational gap, and explaining cultural necessities such as the correct way to approach or enter a ger. Our holidays will often use female guides and trip assistants, Mongolian women who have been recruited and trained to help them break into the tourism industry. The development of tourism creates careers on the steppe rather than forcing people to leave for the capital. Progressive initiatives like this led to Eternal Landscapes being named Gender Equality Champion of the Year by the Equality in Tourism organisation.
Mongolia winter holiday
Authentic culture, warm hospitality & wild winter landscapes
From
US $2300 to US $2975
9 days
ex flights
Mongolia tour, winter landscapes and Khovsgol ice festival
Winter discovery tour with ice festival in northern Mongolia
From
US $3560
14 days
ex flights
Western Mongolia tour, the Altai mountains & eagles
Culture and adventure in the landscapes of western Mongolia
From
US $3805 to US $5525
13 days
ex flights
Eagle festival tour in Mongolia
Stay with local Kazakh Eagle Hunters in the Altai Mountains
From
£2799
10 days
ex flights
Mongolia tour, land of the great Khan
Journey through Mongolia's epic landscapes
From
£4095 to £4220
15 days
ex flights
Contact Us
Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.
01273 823 700
Call us until 6pm
Calling from outside the UK
Cultural festivals
There are a number of exuberant festivals on the Mongolian steppe. These events are as welcoming as they are exciting, and open a fascinating window on the culture of the steppe and its peoples.
Naadams are festivals that celebrate the ‘three games of men’: horse racing, archery and wrestling, and take place in various parts of the country during July and August. A fourth event, knuckle-bone flicking, is inscribed in UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On our Naadam tours you can attend the grand opening ceremonies before wandering the stadium, thronged with Mongolians in traditional attire, to soak up the vibrant atmosphere.
Tsagaan Sar is Mongolia’s Lunar New Year, which usually falls in February. Our winter holidays take in the celebrations, staying in a small town on the steppe where you’ll sit side-by-side with local people and join in with the feasting. Gorge on steamed dumplings, grilled meats on skewers, and parcels of sugary fried dough known as boortsog. Tradition has it that if you finish the day hungry, you’ll be hungry for the rest of the year, so do help yourself to seconds.
Then there are the famous Golden Eagle festivals. There are three in total, displaying the prowess of Kazakh eagle hunters. But while you’ll witness some fantastic feathered feats, these events are aimed primarily at tourists. For a richly authentic take on the lives of eagle hunters in Mongolia, you can stay with a family of them in the Altai Mountains, following them as they care for and train their birds, and getting a feel for the intensely close bonds that form between the eagles and their owners. Okay, mountains are not steppe. But you fly over the steppe to get there, so we’re counting it.
Naadams are festivals that celebrate the ‘three games of men’: horse racing, archery and wrestling, and take place in various parts of the country during July and August. A fourth event, knuckle-bone flicking, is inscribed in UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On our Naadam tours you can attend the grand opening ceremonies before wandering the stadium, thronged with Mongolians in traditional attire, to soak up the vibrant atmosphere.
Tsagaan Sar is Mongolia’s Lunar New Year, which usually falls in February. Our winter holidays take in the celebrations, staying in a small town on the steppe where you’ll sit side-by-side with local people and join in with the feasting. Gorge on steamed dumplings, grilled meats on skewers, and parcels of sugary fried dough known as boortsog. Tradition has it that if you finish the day hungry, you’ll be hungry for the rest of the year, so do help yourself to seconds.
Then there are the famous Golden Eagle festivals. There are three in total, displaying the prowess of Kazakh eagle hunters. But while you’ll witness some fantastic feathered feats, these events are aimed primarily at tourists. For a richly authentic take on the lives of eagle hunters in Mongolia, you can stay with a family of them in the Altai Mountains, following them as they care for and train their birds, and getting a feel for the intensely close bonds that form between the eagles and their owners. Okay, mountains are not steppe. But you fly over the steppe to get there, so we’re counting it.
Horse riding
When you hear of ‘overlanding across the Mongolian steppe’, most of the time people are talking about epic 4x4 adventures. But the best way of overlanding, the one that brings you closest to the landscapes and the people who call them home, is on horseback.
Our horse riding trips on the Mongolian steppe explore the remote province of Zavkhan in the west of the country. Experienced wranglers match you with a steed that best suits your abilities before you set off across the open plains, with vast blue skies above you. You’ll camp each night in the wilderness, share stories while wrapped in handmade goatskin blankets around the campfire, and really get to know your guides, and they you.
The well-trained guides are local people, often from nomadic communities in the area. Among the things you’ll learn is the importance of clean water here, and keeping rivers and streams as pure as possible. So, your toilet hole will be dug a good distance away from the water course, and when you bathe in the river, it will be soap-free. If you’re used to a daily hot shower, that might take some getting used to. But if you want an authentic sense of life on the Mongolian steppe – jump in.
Our horse riding trips on the Mongolian steppe explore the remote province of Zavkhan in the west of the country. Experienced wranglers match you with a steed that best suits your abilities before you set off across the open plains, with vast blue skies above you. You’ll camp each night in the wilderness, share stories while wrapped in handmade goatskin blankets around the campfire, and really get to know your guides, and they you.
The well-trained guides are local people, often from nomadic communities in the area. Among the things you’ll learn is the importance of clean water here, and keeping rivers and streams as pure as possible. So, your toilet hole will be dug a good distance away from the water course, and when you bathe in the river, it will be soap-free. If you’re used to a daily hot shower, that might take some getting used to. But if you want an authentic sense of life on the Mongolian steppe – jump in.
More Mongolia articles
Climate information, from Ulaanbaatar and the Gobi Desert to the Zavkhan Province.
Insightsinto the world's least densely populated country, covering steppe and ger camp, camel treks and eagle festivals...
Whether you're travelling by train, on foot or by horse or camel, here's where to go.
Mongolia is a fantastic, offbeat idea for a family holiday, and surprisingly doable.
As the snow starts to settle on the landscape, peace descends on the quiet ger camps.
The Kazakh eagle hunters of Western Mongolia live in one of its most remote regions.
These festivals have surprising, not-so-ancient origins, and showcase Kazakh falconry skills.
Discover the unmissable activities - such as visiting a nomadic family - and the things you should avoid.
From poverty and modernisation, to mining and conservation , find out more about Mongolia.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the 21st century has not touched this country.
.jpg){kind=link}
