Spring Migration of Nomads & visiting to Reindeer people with Khasar
Photo safari with Khasar Sandag
- AprilOne departure a year
- HuvsgulNorthern Mongolia
- Max 6Clients per departure
- $4,430Per person, from
Your trip leader
Khasar Sandag is self taught photographer from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia who bought his first camera in 2009 and has gradually immersed in the vast fascinating world of photography. In 2012 he formally changed his profession to pursue photography as a career. Environmental portraits and social documentary are his favorites genres as these provide sincere people photography in their natural surrounding. His true fascination comes from the people who live in the most extreme, remote, exotic and diverse parts of the world. His mission is to try and capture uniqueness of individuals who live on this beautiful planet earth and tell their story. While not on assignment, he runs the only designated local film fixing (Steppe Fixers Mongolia) service in Mongolia. This departure designed to be as an explorer of inside life of rural Mongols and bring yourself part of horse trekking with local Nomads following their spring migration path, plenty of of opportunities of portrait images and untouched wilderness and pack animals. One of the highlight of trip is to shoot images of a few left Reindeer people or Tsaatan herders of Mongolia. Both attractions are involved active horse trekking in remote wilderness of Northern Mongolia.
Learn more about Khasar Sandag
TSaatan people
Dukhas live differently from most other people in the world. The Dukha's sense of community is structured around the reindeer. The reindeer and the Dukha are dependent on one another. Some Dukha say that if the reindeer disappear, so too will their culture. The reindeer are domesticated and belong to the household. In many ways they are treated like family members and shown respect. The community's chores and activities are centered around the care and feeding of their reindeer.
Dukha communities on the taiga are usually a group of tents of two to seven households that move camp to find optimum grazing for the reindeer. Herding tasks are shared amongst the camp with children at a young age learning to care for the reindeer and keeping them safe. The girls and younger women do the milking and make yogurt, cheese, and milk tea. Young men and women and elders help with herding. A few of the men stay with the reindeer in the winter months, living in the open air with their herds to protect them from wolves and other predators. The men also make and repair their hunting tools and reindeer saddles and carts. Since they rarely kill a reindeer, they supplement their diet of reindeer milk products by hunting wild animals from the forest.
Detailed itinerary
Day by day, across two weeks in April.
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia, center of merging economy, upon arrive transfer to centrally located hotel, in the afternoon trip orientation by trip leader Khasar, discuss about trips and tips by him about photo taken etiquettes in Mongolia. Welcome dinner at fine local restaurant. Overnight in hotel. (Hotel; D)
After breakfast we starting to drive to north to Amarbayasgalant Monastery, just before we a leave town stop at Gandan Monastery for shooting inside Monastery, after exploring a Buddhist ceremony we continue your overland journey to Amarbayasgalant Monastery (4 hours), later in the afternoon arrive in Monastery ground, take some images of Buddhist monks and surrounding areas, overnight in gers. (Ger camp; B, L, D)
Continue your drive in northern Mongolia, arrive in Murun at noon, lunch at local restaurant, then continue to host family, afternoon arrive in family at that lives in eastern shore of Lake Huvsgul, Lake Huvsgul keeps 2 % of world's fresh water, meet with your host family, overnight in gers of local family. (Local family or tented camp; B, L, D)
Start your trek following a locals spring migrations, saddle up into your horses and help to families for migration trip, the off beaten trail leads up toward Horidal Saridag Mountain that lays in west of Lake Huvsgul, afternoon we reach at Arsai river valley and camp over there, overnight in gers or optional tented night. In the late afternoon Tented camp or gers; (Local family or tented camp; B, L, D)
Start your trek following a locals spring migrations, saddle up into your horses and help to families for migration trip, the off beaten trail leads up toward Horidal Saridag Mountain that lays in west of Lake Huvsgul, afternoon we reach at Arsai river valley and camp over there, overnight in gers or optional tented night. In the late afternoon walk into surrounding valleys to take evening photos of Horidal Mountain. Overnightin tented camp or gers; (Local family of tented camp; B, L, D)
Continue your horse trek following a last animal supported migration of northern Nomads, Darkhad people, the trail climbs gently up to entrance to Darhad Valley called a Horidal pass (2500 meters), after reaching into top we have pack lunch then we continue to following trail that surrounded b Siberian larch trees and rocky cliffs, afternoon you will cross over the pass and arrive in north side of Horidal Pass, help with your host family to settle up their temporary gers, overnight in tents or gers. (Local family of tented camp; B, L, D)
Today is last day of migration, trek through the larch forests and dried river beds, afternoon arrive in open valley called Khonog Tsol of Jargant River Valley, help with families to settle up their shelters, overnight in tents or gers. (Local family of tented camp; B, L, D)
Farewell to host family and depart from Jargant river valley (3 hours) afternoon arrive in Hogyn River, after driving through Darkhad valley cross the Hogy river and arrive in Soyo township, overnight in tents. (Tented camp; B, L, D)
Reindeer people or Tsaatan people, there are a few hundreds of Dukha origin people left in Mongolia, Tsaatan people considered the most southern reindeer culture of the world, start your horse trek towards nearest Tsaatan camp, later in the afternoon arrive in Tsaatan camp camp that locates amidst of Taiga forest, overnight in tents or teepees of reindeer people. (Tented camp; B, L, D)
Spend all day at Reindeer people's camp, explore the life style of Tsaatan people, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukha_people) ,visiting to their teepees and have taste of tea that made of reindeer milk, overnight in tents of teepees of reindeer people. (Tented camp; B,L,D)
Spend a morning a couple hours to take pictures of surrounding areas or images of reindeer people then we start to ride back to lower area of Hogyn River (4-5 hours), later in the afternoon arrive in river valley of Hogyn, end of horse trek, overnight in tents. (Tented camp; B, L, D)
Morning meet your vehicles and drive back to Murun town 4-5 hours, stop on the way to explore the ancient stone tombs, this ancient ritual site is belong to Scythian culture, dates back to 2-3 Century B.C. continue your overland to Murun town. Overnight in local hotel. (Local hotel; B, L, D)
Spend all day driving back to Ulaanbaatar, stop on the way stretching your legs, and taking images of locals, later in the afternoon arrive in Ulaanbaatar, transfer to your hotel. Farewell dinner at yiour hotel and wrap up photo trip and conclusions by Khasar. Overnight in hotel. (Hotel; B,L, D)
Transfer to airport for departure to your home. (B )
Price
Departures
Six places only, and the migration sets the exact dates, so ask early.
Cost of above trip starts from $4430 from group of 2 people and number of trip participants limited by 6 clients, the cost includes ground transportation based on 4x4 jeep, full board, bi-lingual trip leader and photo expert, field cook, horse rental, horse wrangler's salary, National Park fees, airport transfers, 3 star hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar city.
What is included
Included
- Private guide throughout
- All ground transport
- Accommodation as listed in the itinerary
- Meals as marked in the itinerary
- National park and entrance fees
Not included
- International flights
- Domestic flights within Mongolia
- Travel insurance
- Visas
- Drinks, tips and anything personal
FILL: these two lists are a starting point, not the client’s own wording. Replace both with the real inclusions before this page goes live.