Description
Winter rides in Mongolia are not for the faint-hearted! The weather in Mongolia from November to March is very cold, but also very dry, so you will experience the wonder of the steppes glittering under a forever blue sky. Discover on horseback the magic landscapes of the Orkhon Valley, the dunes of Bayan Gobi desert and the wild Przewalski's horses in Hustai national park, all in a wintry white wonderland that few tourists will witness.
As most of the tourist ger camps are shut during the winter months, you will spend most of your nights with a Mongolian nomadic family, sharing their lifestyle and discovering how they survive the harsh winters. This is a unique experience to interact with nomads and their livestock - horses, yaks and sheep.
Another highlight of these trails is the chance to ride in Hustai national park, where the Przewalski's horses can still be found. These rare and endangered wild horses have never been domesticated and remain the only truly wild horse in the world. It was once believed that Przewalski's horses were ancestors of the domestic horse, but recent DNA tests have shown that they are in fact a unique species!
One date in particular each winter is set around the Tsagaan Sar or Mongolian New Year, which is set according to the lunar calendar. Tsaagan Sar means "white month" and begins with the rising of the new moon. A trip to Mongolia during Tsagaan Sar is always colourful as everybody dresses in their newest and finest clothes and celebrates with their family. A special celebration cake is offered which consists of an odd number of large layered biscuits (two layers of happiness to frame a layer of evil!) covered with sweets. It is important to honour it if offered, by touching the base with your left hand and using your right hand to take a sweet (not a biscuit!).
