Mongolia

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Mongolia is a landlocked country located between China and Russia. It is a vast emptiness that links land and sky, and is one of the last few places on the planet where nomadic life is still a living tradition. Mongolia may have geopolitical, cultural and geographical meanings. Mongolia consists of historic Outer Mongolia. The province of Inner Mongolia is geographically and politically separate and located in northern part of China yet it shares common borders with Mongolia.

The area of what is now Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires, including the Xiongnu, the Xianbei, the Rouran, the Gökturks and others. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols returned to their earlier pattern of constant internal conflict and occasional raids on the Chinese borderlands. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Mongolia came under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. At the end of the 17th century, all of Mongolia had been incorporated into the area ruled by the Qing Dynasty. During the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, but had to struggle until 1921 to firmly establish de facto independence from the Republic of China, and until 1945 to gain international recognition.

As a consequence,[clarification needed] it came under strong Russian and Soviet influence; in 1924, the Mongolian People's Republic was declared, and Mongolian politics began to follow the same patterns as the Soviet politics of the time. After the breakdown of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in late 1989, Mongolia saw its own Democratic Revolution in early 1990, which led to a multi-party system, a new constitution in 1992, and transition to a market economy.

At 1,564,116 square kilometres (603,909 sq mi), Mongolia is the 19th largest and the most sparsely populated independent country in the world, with a population of around 2.75 million people. It is also the world's second-largest landlocked country after Kazakhstan. The country contains very little arable land, as much of its area is covered by steppes, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately 30% of the population are nomadic or semi-nomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state's citizens are of the Mongol ethnicity, though Kazakhs, Tuvans, and other minorities also live in the country, especially in the west. About 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization in 1997 and seeks to expand its participation in regional economic and trade regimes.

Ulaan Baatar is by far Mongolia's largest city and it is the capital city in every respect. It is located in the north-eastern part of central Mongolia, along the Tuul Gol river and surrounded by mountains. Although the city centre has a very Soviet-style look, the city is being modernised at a dazzling speed. Old buildings are being modernised and new trendy shops and hotels emerge in the Ulaan Baatar streets. This, in contrast with the suburbs, where - under primitive circumstances - the traditional gers of some 250.000 people still dominate the sights. It is particularly in those suburbs, where one can easily sense the laid-back atmosphere of Mongolian's daily lives and admire the colourful traditional costume that is still worn by many.

Ulaan Baatar has many museums, monasteries and other places of interest, most of them located near or around the city centre and its Sukhbaatar Square in particular. Sukhbaatar Square represents Ulaan Baatar's heart as it is located right in the middle of the city centre and is the home of the State Parlianment House, the Palace of Culture, the National Museum of Mongolian History, the Mongolian Stock Exchange and the State Opera & Ballet Theatre. The square was named after Damdiny Sukhbaatar, "the revolution hero" who declared Mongolia's independence from China here in 1921. The square is often used for parades and ceremonies. All our tours include a stay in Ulaan Baatar.

Our Ulaan Baatar excursion package includes a visit to the Gandan Monastery, the Sukhbaatar Square, Bogdod Kahn's Winter Palace and the People's Historical Museum. Apart from visiting all the prominent city's highlights, you will also get acquinted with the real Ulaan Baatar and the traditional life of the ordinary Mongolian by a trip through the city's outskirts. There you will visit a genuine nomad family in their ger, a small ger factory, a local market and a school (only outside school holidays), where you will be told about Mongolia's educational system. As for accommodation, we can offer you: a room in a comfortable 3-star hotel (with shower/toilet and telephone) in the centre, overnight stays in a genuine purpose-built ger in a gercamp in Terelj National Park (located some 50kms outside the city, amidst the typical Mongolian scenery of unspoiled rough nature)

The house of Mongolian

Hustai National Park

The history of Hustai National Park starts with the extinction of the Mongolian Wild Horse, also known as the Przewalski horse. The species were first discovered by a Russian general and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky in the 19th century. The horses lived of the grass on the vast Mongolian steppes. The population declined dramatically in the 20th century for a number of reasons. First of all, the horse was wanted for its chloroplasts. In a chemical process, which is unique to the Przewalski horse, the animal produces certain chloroplasts in the back of their throat as a result of a chemical process after eating steppe grass. The very same chloroplasts were used as an anti-viral drug to conquer an outbreak of a disease in the early 20th century. Secondly, the horse was simply hunted for its meat. It was an easy target as it lived on the open steppes and was never used to be hunted (Przewalski horses had no natural enemies).

The last Przewalsi horse was seen in 1967. A special expedition to track the animal in 1969 had no result. In order to bring the Mongolian Wild Horse back to its native land, the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse was founded in 1977. They used Przewalski horses from zoos all over Europe to start a special breeding program. In 1992, the foundation reintroduced the first 16 horses to the Mongolian steppes. The horses bred succesfully and more of them were released in the years to follow.

The area (Hustai) in which the horses were released was given the status "national park" by the Mongolian authorities in 1998 in order to protect the animal. Hustai National Park was born and with it the first ecotourism in Mongolia.

View of desert at Mongolia

Gobi Desert

When people think of deserts, they often imagine an endless area of sand, drought, heat and emptyness. This is exactly what the Gobi desert is not. The Gobi has high mountains, springs, forests, sands, glaciers (!), vast steppe lands and is full of life. Even more, the Gobi hosts several species which cannot be found elsewhere! The Gobi is the home of many nomad families, moving from one place to another with their flocks of camels and horses. Actually, nomads have been inhabiting the Gobi ever since acient times. Recently, the Gobi houses a whole different kind of people: scientists and paleontologists. Not very long ago, scientists from all over the world declared the Gobi Desert as one of the world's greatest dinosaur fossil grounds. Several nearly-complete 80 million year old skeletons of dinosaurs that were caught in acient sand storms have been revealed in the Gobi. However, the Gobi is (like any other desert) not a place that can be discovered on one's own, unless with an expert guide and the necessary equipment and supplies. Gardi Tours makes it possible for you to go on a true one-week Gobi Expedition, allowing you to experience the Gobi's unique scenery, life and atmosphere from a 4-wheel drive terrain jeep. For more information we would like to refer to our tours-page.