Marvellous Mongolia: Mongol Nomadic Camp 1

This morning we were up, packed and ready to leave around 09:00 having had a better than expected breakfast. We're driving about 60kms west to the Mongol Nomadic Tourist Camp where we'll "enjoy" our first overnight stay in a ger and also get to witness a mini Naadam Festival. I'm not attempting to photograph through the minibus windows as they are slightly tinted and the road surfaces are generally quite bumpy so no pictures en route.

The Naadam Festival is believed to have existed for centuries in one fashion or another and it celebrates the Three Games of Man: wrestling, horse racing, and archery. It runs from 10-15 July each year and offices, shops and government departments close to celebrate the occasion. Many of UB's residents head back to their homes in the countryside to spend the time with their families.

We'd briefly toyed with the idea of coming to Mongolia during July to witness it but were put off by the thought of large crowds, so what we’ll see instead is a smaller version put on for the tourists.

The views across the steppe as we arrived at the camp were just stunning.

I've always used the word Yurt for these round dwellings and essentially they are the same although Gers use straight roof poles that create a gently sloping roof whereas Yurts have bent poles which make a steeper roof. Ger is the Mongolian word for the structure and it means “home” and they have a standardized interior layout with precise placement for the stove, beds, and designated sides for men and women.

Obviously these ones aren't designed to be dismantled and moved like the nomads' ones are.

Inside was lovely; two single beds and an attached bathroom. The shower was more like a sauna as you just had a bucket and small stool - but it was fine.

Our group was lucky enough to be in the front row of gers and so we had uninterrupted views and what a view it was!

Having dumped our cases we wandered down the field to meet the locals and, rather reminiscent of when we visited a Masai village in Kenya, we didn't have a clue what to expect. This was our first sight.

Bactrian (or Mongolian) camels, yaks and horses all being ridden by people in beautiful traditional costumes.

It was only a couple of months ago in Uzbekistan I'd seen my first ever Bactrian and I do think they're slightly better looking than dromedaries.

There are over 12 million domesticated yaks; very hairy cow-like creatures with upwards-curving horns and they grunt rather than moo. They seem very docile - mind you I think I'd be docile with a huge ring through my nose.

Cloven-hoofed and pigeon-toed all in one foot.

We were given a short demonstration of how the nomads pack up and transport their gers from the winter to summer grazing areas each year. In the winter they camp in the lee of mountains/hills for shelter against the winds and snows, but during the summer months (June to August generally) they venture further across the steppe to give the winter grass a chance to recover.