GANDAN

Most Buddhist Monasteries in Mongolia were destroyed during the communist regime, which lasted until 1990. One of the only to survive was Gandan Monastery, being used as a showcase for visitors. It's official name is Gandantegchinleng Khiid, or in Mongolian script: Ugy;gymtuxnylty Hna; ( to download Mongol font  click here ). This name signifies something like Great Place of Complete Joy or Great Way to the Cosmos. Literally it can be translated as:

- Gan = rejoyce - Dan = perfect - Teg = vehicle > Tegchin = Mahayna (Greater Vehicle) - Leng = island

Which would result in Mahayana Island of Perfect Rejoice, with Island being a generally used metaphor for monastery.
Gandan is the largest and most important monastery of Mongolia, with over 400 monks.

Naadam Festival

 

Naadam Festival is Mongolian major holiday and a wonderful time to experience the culture and people of this amazing land.

 

          The festival has its roots in the nomad wedding assemblies and hunting extravaganzas of the Mongol Army.  

                The opening ceremony features marches and music from soldiers, monks and
                   athletes before the real fun begins!

 

      In the Naadam Stadium, the three sporting passions of Mongolians, horse racing,wrestling and archery, are played out over 2 days.

This is the best time to see the Mongolian people.

Flaming Cliffs

     Flaming Cliffs site, really Bayanzag is a region of the Gobi Desert in the Ömnögovi Province of Mongolia, in which important fossil finds have been made. It was given this name by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, who visited in the 1920s. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur eggs. Other finds in the area include specimens of Velociraptor. The rock gives off a glowing orange colour, hence the nickname

Ulaanbaatar

   Ulaanbaatar has a long history, and is only now undergoing an industrial revolution. UB is one of the most drab looking cities on the face of the planet, a travesty really, considering it's the capital of one the most beautiful and hospitable countries on earth. Still, as traditionalists, Mongolians love their capital. They understand that it is not an Asian beauty, but in their hearts they are aware of the city's history, culture and many struggles. Foreigners who take the time to get to know the faces that are hidden behind the gray walls will discover a hospitable and warm-hearted people. Explore the city from different angles, while at the same time do not ignore the abject poverty of many of the ex-nomads who in recent years have come to the city to find work after severe winters have killed their livestock. In this way, you will learn to unlock the city's many secrets and discover an Ulaanbaatar that is not initially revealed to the casual visitor.

  Although summer temperatures are around 20°C, the city shivers in sub-zero temperatures for five months of the year, with January and February being the coldest months with temps hovering between -15°C to -30°C. As a result of these prolonged periods of intense cold, the city has an average annual temperature of -1.3°C, giving it the dubious distinction of being the world's coldest capital.

Gobi Desert

The Gobi desert, one of the world's great deserts, covers much of the southern part of Mongolia. Unlike the Sahara there are few sand dunes in the Gobi; rather you'll find large barren expenses of gravel plains and rocky outcrops. The climate here is extreme. Temperatures reach +40° C. in summer, and -40 in winter. Precipitation averages less than 100 mm per year, while some areas only get rain once every two or three years. Strong winds up to 140 km/h make travel dangerous in spring and fall. Great Gobi National Park is one of the largest World Biospheres, with an area larger than Switzerland. It contains the last remaining wild Bacterian (two-humped) camels, wild ass, and a small population of Gobi bears, the only desert-inhabiti bear.

Eco Club

"Mother Lake Khuvsgul" Children's Eco Club in the northern Mongolia

Location: Khatgal village, Alag-Erdene soum, Khuvsgul province

Brief introduction: Children's Eco Club „Mother sea Khuvsgul" was founded on 17th of August 2008 at the initiative and with the support of our company. The initial activity was carried out with involvement of about 50 pupils and 5 teachers of the 11-year secondary school of Khatgal village and the local community.

The core objective of the club is to create awareness among children and teenagers on protection of nature, ensure their creative participation in related activities and assist them in acquiring further in-depth knowledge and education on ecological and environmental issues. 

In order to ensure sustainable and effective implementation of the club activities, "Tour Mongolia" company provided financial support to set up 'Eco class room' and purchase waste can and plastic bottle pressing machine. Also we have started the construction of the training and information center building in Khatgal village aiming to expand further activities of the club. The "Stichting Wintersporten" association http://www.weissensee.nl/ headquartered in the Netherlands has also rendered its support and assistance in carrying out this activity.

Implemented activities: The club has organized the following activities among local community during last 2 years:

- carried out awareness programs on nature protection on a monthly basis;
- organized cleaning of Khuvsul lake area 5 times and collected over 20 tons of waste and carried to the landfills;
- organized children's painting competition on theme 'My motherland Mongolia' 3 times and awarded cash prizes, various stationery and books to winners;
- set up eco-corners in 5 classes of the school;
- collected around 10 tons of secondary raw materials (waste cans, plastic bottles etc.) and delivered to the raw material facility of the province center;
- furnished the eco-room of the school;
- organized quiz contest 'Nature and life' twice;
- planted 500 trees in Khatgal village;
- carried out cognitive tour 'Motherland' 3 times involving 110 children in total.