Welcome to The EL April Newsletter

Our News, Views and Reviews from Mongolia 

By Jess!

April Events In Mongolia

Community Tree Planting, Nogoon Nuur, Ulaanbaatar

Nogoon Nuur, formerly a waste dump site, is now a thriving community space in Ulaanbaatar. The whole vision is made possible by a committed individual, Ulzii. Ulzii has been committed to renovating this public space since 2012 and over this time has planted over 500 trees and focused on creating a  healthy, green, public space for Mongolian people, especially children in the ger area. 

This is one of the areas we visit on my newly designed Ger Area Tour (see link). To help to kick-start community participation, the cry went to to support Ulzii - to help him plant more trees and help him improve this community park. The work focused on volunteers preparing the area for the planting of trees, landscaping and the building of a composting system.  

I arranged for my female trip assistants that were available to go along and help provide some (female) manpower. I also made a donation to cover transportation of volunteers and to help with the purchasing of trees.

Ulaanbaatar

Start off in Mongolia’s capital city. Not with a typical tour of museums or souvenir shopping but by meeting local people. The ger districts form part of the urban landscape of Ulaanbaatar - large informal settlements that have grown on the edge of the city.

This full day walk is arranged in association with the Ger Area Mapping Centre.

Come for the day and learn not only about the challenges but experience every day life and meet local Mongolians who are making a positive impact in their local ger communities. 

Gobi Oasis Tree Planting Project

Gobi Oasis Gobi Oasis is a small, family run, non-profit conservation project. Their main conservation work is the planting of seedlings and nurturing them into trees to help combat desertification in the semi-desert steppe.

During your stay you will also visit the spectacular Ikh Gazriin Chuluu rock formations. It is also a protected area and for those interested, your time here will include a visit to the local protected area ranger to learn more about his way of life and the work he does. He will also take us on a guided tour (walking or by van) to some of his favourite areas. 

Well Restoration Project

CAMDA (Cambridge Mongolia Development Appeal) is a UK based charity dedicated to supporting and bringing resources to Mongolia’s herders.

By refurbishing derelict wells or constructing new ones, herders have access to wells in the winter when the streams and rivers are frozen. In the summer months, it also means (with more wells) that grazing is spread out rather than focusing on just around one water source. This helps with degradation of the pasture. The wells are created using local labour and materials and when the well is complete, handed over to the local authority with a designated person for maintenance. 

 During this trip we will stop off and visit some of the wells supported by CAMDA and learn more about their importance to the life of a herder.

Cooperative Ar Arvijin Delgerekh

Meet the families involved in the Cooperative Ar Arvijin Delgerekh. This cooperative focuses on working specifically with yak herders in the remote Khangai Mountains producing spun yak wool, providing them with an alternative to diversify and increase their income.

During your time here you will walk ‘ger to ger’ meeting a few of the families working as part of the cooperative and gaining a further understanding as to their way of life. 

Community Clean Up

The three-day clean up is a joint effort between the administration of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, members of the local community and the EL team (including you as our guest). Our  aim for 2016 is working with the rangers on signage for waste in the lake area, focusing on improving wilderness conservation and visitor management and of course the rubbish collection particularly  covering camp grounds, the shore line and surrounding steppe and forest land.  

Eternal Landscapes covers all costs (including yours for the three days).

Interested? The dates are September 17th - October 2nd. It is a guaranteed departure with only six places remaining.  Please do get in touch for further details!

The Tsaatan - Mongolia's Reindeer Herders

The Tsaatan (also known as Dukha) are Mongolia’s smallest ethnic minority. They make their home in remote northern Mongolia, on the border of Siberia in Khovsgol Province. There are two main areas where the Tsaatan community live and herd reindeer called the East and West Taiga (Tsagaan Nuur village is located between these two areas, central to the entire Tsaatan community). Though the regions are geographically distinct, the two groups share many kinship ties and are part of the same wider community.

I work with the TCVC (Tsaatan Community Visitors Centre) to arrange our trips. Based on the principles of community-based tourism, the TCVC is designed to maximise economic benefits to the Tsaatan community as a whole, protect natural resources and the environment, and advance the long term goals of the community. I'm heading there in August to spend time at the centre talking about the various winter options. 

As part of my series of winter experiences, I am thinking of extending what I offer to include a winter trip to the Tsaatan to coincide with the Khovsgol Ice Festival. The first trip will be a recce and I'm aiming for February 2018. 

This is the image (taken by Turuu) that inspired the potential new trip - Tsaatan  horse sleighs coming down through the Khoridol Saridag Mountains and onto frozen Khovsgol Nuur this March en-route to the Khovsgol Ice Festival. 

Interested?!

(We also have a summer trip departing September 3rd. Please get in touch for details!)

Behind The Scenes!

A brief insight into what goes on behind the scenes of EL! 

Toilet Tents!

Those of you who have travelled with me know how much I hate seeing toilet paper left out in the countryside. It will always be a challenge but I was determined to do something positive to prevent this.

(Yes, toilet paper actually biodegrades more quickly when left out in the air - rather than buried). However, it then becomes a health hazard to Mongolia's livestock and wildlife.)

So. It started with trowels. We provide small trowels in each EL vehicle. Our guests are then encouraged to use them on driving days when required to bury toilet paper. The trowels often got left behind or lost but still, it was a start.

We also work with herding families and the expense of putting in a long-drop toilet is immense - in terms of money and time. It is typical that some families do not have toilets - especially at their spring or autumn camp where they may only be for a month or so.

The next step is our '2016 toilet tents!' We've started 'road-testing' them (so to speak!). Turuu and I designed them between us and Turuu has made them using local materials. Each EL vehicle will have one. A main hole will be dug by the EL driver and then after each visit, covered with top soil (using the small provided trowel). There is a toilet paper holder (with a waterproof flap to stop it getting wet). 

When required, they will be located at a suitable distance from the campsite and / or  ger accommodation. There will still be the trowels in each vehicle for use when driving. 

It's not a perfect answer but I feel it's a positive step in the right direction. I'll let you know how it goes! I particularly like the camouflage scheme!

What's New?

I 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.

Winter Journeys 2016/2017

I have been working on our 2016/17 winter small group trips.

• A five-day wilderness dog sledding experience?
• Being part of an EL family during the three-day Mongolian Lunar New Year?
• Staying with the Kazakh eagle hunters and learning more about this winter sport?
• Experiencing the Khovsgol Ice Festival?
• A short Mongolia Insight experience?

Thinking About 2017 ?

2017. For some of you, making commitments far in advance won’t be feasible. Your work, family and other commitments are too fluid to allow for that degree of forward planning.

For those able to think ahead this page is for you.

You will also benefit from my early booking incentive (15% off our 2016 prices) - for private trips as well as group trips.