All that training and fundraising is finally over and the big day is now here. As we prepare to board the flight to Mongolia, we will meet the Charity Challenge representative and our fellow riders. And then we’re off!
A local Charity Challenge guide will meet the group upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar during the late afternoon. Once we check in at the hotel, we will have dinner and a full briefing about the challenge ahead. Overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast will be followed by a guided tour of the Gandan Monastery, National History Museum and Bogd Khan Palace, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. We will then transfer to the station for a two-hour train ride to Mandal. On arrival we will be met by our horseman and start riding towards the Bayangol River, near the Bayangol Resort. Overnight in tents.
Exploring the Mongolian plains by horseback is one of the true remaining ways to unleash your inner Nomad. After breakfast, we will start riding through wide-open lands until Tsokhiot Mountain, passing the small village of Udleg. The following stretch takes us through a deep forest of Siberian larches (pine trees), which are home to deer and moose. We will camp near Sanzai Mountain in the forest.
Today’s adventure takes us up the slopes of Ikh Yan mountain, along the Uliastain River, and finally to the plain of Burkhantyn Zuu where we set up camp. Of particular interest in this area are the rock paintings of ancient gods. Overnight in tents.
After breakfast at the camp, we will ride towards the Shar Khooloi valley and down to the Uliastai River and pass through Davaany Am. We will camp overnight on the banks of the Khoondoi Ekh. Overnight in tents.
Today we continue to ride along the Terelj River and past the park. As we leave civilization behind, we will start seeing squirrels, marmots and various birds. Our campsite will be on the slope of Shilj Ereeny Pass, where we will encounter many different plants, flowers and animals. Overnight in tents.
After breakfast, we will ride up to Nuramt Mountain of Gachuurt which is the heartland of the Khentii Mountain range at the banks of the mighty Tuul River. Here we’ll have the opportunity to observe and explore the area with a trained guide. After covering about 30kms on horseback today, we will dine and spend the night at a tented ger camp.
Having completed the challenge, we return to Ulaanbaatar by road. After checking into our hotel, we will have the chance to visit the Bogd Khan Winter Palace, the home of the last religious king of Mongolia and the Fine Arts Museum – and also do a bit of shopping. Then it’s out for a night of celebrations, including a delicious dinner and a Mongolian cultural show.
An afternoon departure means that we have a free morning to recharge or explore the city some more. Then it’s a one-hour transfer to the airport for our overnight flight back home.
Be sure to swap details with your new-found friends and riding partners, before you arrive back home to share the memories of this incredible challenge.
BELIEVE >> ACHIEVE >> INSPIRE
We hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 6546. Many of the flight-inclusive challenges on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This ATOL protection only covers challenges that include flights booked by Charity Challenge and that originate in the UK. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLcertificate
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