Welcome to The EL February Newsletter

Our News, Views and Reviews from Mongolia 

By Jess!

February Events In Mongolia

Tsagaan Sar - White Month

Mongolia's Lunar New Year

Mongolia's Lunar New Year was celebrated on February 9th - taking place on the second new moon after the winter solstice. It is a deeply traditional holiday bringing together family members and lasts a minimum of three days. 

What's New?

We can't hope to compete with the advertising budget and global reach of our larger competitors but we can compete by making sure we keep what we offer fresh and up to date with what's happening in Mongolia. Here's what we are currently doing. 

One Day Experiences

One day? What can you hope to experience in one day? Ditch the guidebook and the recommended highlights and come along and see. All our one-day experiences are private, flexible and fluid and designed to get you just that little bit closer to daily life and give you a more local aspect.

These are in addition to the free city walking tour we offer with each trip.

Solo Travellers

A lot of our bookings come from solo travellers.  Having worked in tourism for roughly 19 years, I have never understood why solo travellers get penalised.

There are NO single supplements when travelling with EL. Everyone pays the same price. If you’re on a trip that includes camping, we will offer you your own tent at no extra cost.

Adventure Ahead In 2016

Some travellers to Mongolia come, visit, and move on to the next destination and experience.  For others, it is so much more than that. It is the start of a much longer commitment.  Where the immense, raw silent landscapes and the way the locals make their life in this harsh terrain keeps calling you back.

But first you must come to Mongolia. If you're looking for a holiday with a difference in 2016, then you may want to consider what Mongolia has to offer.

We offer a range of small group experiences through Mongolia. These are personal adventures researched and put together by myself and Turuu - the founders of EL. Our small group trips are designed for you to explore and discover the true heart of wild Mongolia. Flexible and fluid, they provide you with a refreshing authentic journey that will introduce you to the real Mongolia and give you something just that little bit different. All can be adapted into a tailor-made trip.

All trips are guaranteed to depart with a minimum of two. The maximum group size is six. We only put 3 EL guests per vehicle (unless otherwise stated) meaning there is plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the journey.

All of our small group trips currently have a 10% discount. A few have 15% off. Use the second button for details on the 15% discounts!

Events In March

Khovsgol Ice Festival

March 3rd and 4th 2016 - Khovsgol Nuur

Held on the frozen lake surface of spectacular Khovsgol Nuur (Dalai Ej - Mother Sea in Mongolian).  As I write this, Sally from the UK and Yi-Hsin are currently on our 2016 Khovsgol On Ice winter experience. 

Thousand Camel Festival

March 6th and 7th 2016 - Bulgan, Omnogobi Aimag

The camel festival is an annual celebration held in the southern Gobi organised by  a local NGO to help protect the Bactrian camel and the essential role it plays in the lives of the nomadic herders in the region. 

Nauryz Festival

March 21st and 22nd - Bayan Ulgii Province

Nauryz  means 'new day' and is the spring festival that is celebrated through Central Asia and falls on the spring equinox. It is essentially  a celebration of the coming of spring. In Ulgii in Western Mongolia there is a two-day celebration with a colourful parade on the first day and horse racing and games on the second including bushkashi (also known as kolpar) where horse-mounted players attempt a tug-of-war to drag a goat carcass toward a goal. Competition is typically fierce! There is also a mini eagle festival.

As long as you don't require a Mongolian visa, why not join us on our March 14th  Hunting With Eagles experience  (11 Days). Includes homestays with the Kazakh eagle hunters that we work with and joining them as they hunt with their eagles.  

Now down to £1456 pp.

Coming Up In The Next Newsletter

By the end of March I hope to have our 2017 Mongolia trips page up and running. For some of you, making commitments that far in advance simply won’t be feasible. However, for those planning ahead, this page will be for you!

That's it for this month. I'll leave you with an image taken by Turuu during the Ulaanbaatar Winter Naadam event held on February 6th -  a favourable/auspicious day in the Mongolian Lunar calendar. It was around -22 degrees. Quite warm for Mongolia in the winter!

That's it for this edition.  As always, thanks for reading and do get in touch with your thoughts! 

You can always keep in touch with what we're up to through my EL Blog, or our previous newsletters.

Wherever the road continues to take you - Sain Yavaarai - Journey Well, Jess