Mongolia

Mongolia
Sat 26th June - Sat 11th July 2015
MONGOLIA
Photographic Workshops price £2400 for 14 nights
Important Details
Cost for 2015 Mongolia trip is
£2400 per person, including a
£500 deposit.
The workshop starts on Sat
26th July and finishes on Sat
11th July. Good flights
available from Aeroflot flying
out on Friday 25th July via
Moscow and back on Sat 11th,
currently £865 return.
Payment for this workshop is
taken 2 months in advance of
the date of departure. Payment
for both deposit and balance
can be made using Debit or
Credit cards or BACs. There is
a 1.5% charge for a credit card.
Mongolian Photography
Lakeland Photographic Holidays has teamed up Mongolian
Secret History tours to bring the first photographic trip to
Mongolia. Prices include everything
within Mongolia, it does not
include flights nor insurance.
The trip will be led by John Gravett, Photographic Director
of LPH along with local Mongolian drivers and guides
employed by Mongolian Secret History tours.
Highlights
The trip is 14 days/13 nights and will start and finish in Ulaan
Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. It is expected than guests will
organise their own flights and arrival in Ulaan Baatar to meet
the times of the tour. They will be met from the airport by
the local drivers.
Nomadic Lifestyle, ancient
monasteries, extinct volcano
& Gobi desert.
Travel Itinerary
UlaanBaatar, Purevbat Lams's
Monastery, Amabayasgalant,
Uran Togoo, Kharkhouram/
Erdenezuu, Ongi Monastery,
Bayanzag/Flaming Cliffs, Baga
gazriin chuluu, Ulanbaatar.
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Things to Bring To Mongolia
• CAMERA (s) & LENS, not just wide
angle – telephoto lenses can be
used to good effect to isolate detail
in the landscape
• Tripod & Digital Media – at least 2
cards & a laptop for post
processing
• Sun Tan Lotion & Sun Protection
• Walking Boots, with good ankle
support & fleece or warm jumper,
evenings & early mornings can be
chilly, also Water Proofs
• Travel sickness pills – if you suffer
from travel sickness the roads can
be bumpy and twisty.
• Cash
Sat 26th June - Sat 11th July 2015
Day 1 Arrival in Ulaanbaatar
Upon arriving in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar,
you will be welcomed by your personal guide and your
driver. You will be taken on the short journey north to
the Mongolian Secret History Travel complex at
Noyon Mountain. The countryside around Noyon Uul
is famous for its pine-forested ridges and rolling hills,
which make for excellent views of the surrounding
area after a short walk. There is also the possibility of
spotting some of the wolves that hunt in the forests
above the camp so keep your camera handy and
make sure to stay with the group!
Day 2 Avant-garde Buddhist art temple
On this day you will visit a truly unique Buddhist
monastery. The temple’s buildings clings to the edge
of a steep mountainside and are surrounded by a
carefully designed landscape full of fascinating
Buddhist monuments and sculptures set against the
expansive landscape of northern Mongolia. The
temple itself is full of modern and avant-garde artwork
that reflects the strong traditions of Buddhist art in a
modern light.
Day 3 Amarbayasgalant Monastery
The following morning
you will start your
journey to
Amarbayasgalant
monastery, one of the
most beautiful in
Mongolia where your
personal guide will help
you to explore the
buildings and surroundings. The temple is a great and
rare example of Manchurian architecture remaining in
Mongolia and contains many fascinating details for
the keen eyed photographer. Around the area are
several large golden stupas standing prominently from
the landscape.
Day 4 Uran togoo
After breakfast your driver will take you on the journey
to Uran Togoo, an extinct volcano in Bulgan province.
The drive will take in some of Mongolia’s most
beautiful pastureland with rolling green hills, meadows
filled with wildflowers and fragrant sage all beneath an
endless blue sky. At the mountain your guide will help
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you hike to the peak of the volcano and to traverse the
crater’s rim taking in the astonishing panorama.
Travellers can also walk to the bottom of the crater where
a still tarn reflects the blue sky and green, forested
slopes surrounding it. You will spend your 3rd night in a
local ger camp within view of the mountain where you will
enjoy a beautiful sunset and traditional Mongolian
hospitality.
Day 5 Ugii Lake
On this day you will take in crystal clear Ugii
Lake in Arkhangai province. This lake is the
setting for the annual Mongolian triathlon
and is a popular spot for boating. It is
situated directly in the path of a major
migratory flight path for wild-birds so is
something of a bird watcher’s paradise. In
June, visitors will be able to see and
photograph the many different type of birds
that nest here through the summer as well
as picturesque boats against the Mongolian
steppe setting. You will spend the day here
before retiring for the night to a ger camp
right on the shore of the lake for pretty sunsets and a rest after a long journey.
Day 6 Ancient capital of Mongolia - Kharkhorum and Erdenzu
After breakfast you will drive to Karakorum, the 13th century capital of Chinggis Khaan's
Mongolian Empire. The ruins of this ancient city are still clearly visible and you will be
able to walk around the site with your guide. This is also the site of Erdene Zuu
Monastery, the first and formerly one of the largest in Mongolia. The temple sits in the
centre of the majestic Orkhon valley with spectacular views in all directions and frequent
thunderstorms heightening the drama of the landscape. The temple itself contains
examples of many different kinds of Buddhist building styles in a central enclosure. The
highly varied structures are full of fascinating carvings, paintings and woodwork – both
inside and out - displaying an amazing array of details and colours. Taken against the
stormy skies of the central Mongolian valleys this makes for an impressive, imposing and
absorbing spot for photography.
Day 7 Ongi Monastery
Today you will be visiting the ancient Ongi Monastery in the Gobi Desert. This was
formerly the largest University for Lamas in Mongolia with up to 800 students at any one
time. The landscape of the Ongi Valley is unlike any other that you will have seen so far.
Surrounded by razor sharp stony cliffs and mountains the Ongi River Valley is an oasis of
lush trees, soft grasslands and desert flowers. For those who are willing to brave the heat
and hike around the area there are a number of spectacular views to be taken in.
Possibly the best thing about visiting Ongi is the contrast between differently coloured
stone mountains and the rich green of the valley floor making for some interesting photo
opportunities. Following on from this you will have the chance to relax and enjoy a range
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of activities and services including a full body
massage at our award winning Secret of Ongi
Tourist camp at the foot of the hill beneath the
complex. Supper and overnight stay in the camp.
Day 8 Porcelain City
On this day you will visit several local sites of
interest including ancient stone paintings
(petrogram), caves used in the past by monks for
their meditation, extraordinary natural rock
formations, the ruins of the 13th century Porcelain City, ancient graveyards and tombs.
You will also have the option to photograph traditional camel herders as they go about
their daily tasks.
Day 9 Bayanzag /Flaming Cliffs Today you will be driven to the world famous Flaming Cliffs or
Bayanzag in the heart of the Gobi desert. Explore the site of the
first paleontological discoveries in Mongolia following in the
footsteps of the famous Roy Chapman Andrews. The cliffs appear
from the landscape as a huge red sandstone monolith that ignites
with colour as the sun sets, earning it its name. From atop the cliffs
the Gobi landscape stretches endlessly below you taking in dunes,
mountains, camels and scrub vegetation. Keep an eye out for
approaching sandstorms that can set in suddenly and unexpectedly
from across the vast expanse of desert.
Day 10 Yol Va%ey
On day 10 you will visit Yoliin Am National Park for a chance to
take photographs in some truly stunning surroundings. Aside
from the sheer black rock cliffs there are 2 excellent reasons to
visit Yolin Am. Firstly, for the eagle-eyed traveller this valley lies
in a nature reserve in which can be seen the few remaining,
critically endangered Mongolian Ibex perched precariously on
the cliff edges as they feed on the sparse vegetation.
Secondly, at the valley’s heart lies a sheet of perennial blue ice
impervious to the temperatures outside, contained in its own
microclimate.
Day 11 Tsagaan Suvarga
After breakfast at a ger camp guests will visit a bizarre, natural
formation of white limestone cliffs known as Tsaagan Suvarga towering up to 60 meters
and stretching for kilometres in either direction. Some say that they resemble modern
architectural, urban buildings when viewed from the correct angle and others that they
are more like ancient Buddhist Stupas. No matter how you see them they are certainly a
beautiful sight and clearly a difficult one to describe adequately. The landscape below is
made up of shallow hills of rolling reds, purples, yellows oranges, black and white and
can be tricky to do justice to when photographing. Certainly it is a challenging but
worthwhile destination for any photographer. The area is also home to the endangered
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Gobi gazelle and visitors can wander through the lunar scenery going from oasis to oasis
snapping woodpeckers, hidden Buddhist shrines and enormous birds or prey.
Day 12 Baga gazariin chuluu
After breakfast you will drive north to a uniquely
beautiful area called Baga gazariin chuluu. You
will be able to take in the amazing scenery and
visit another ruined temple nearby. Baga
comprises a number of enormous granite craters
at high elevation and your driver will expertly
navigate between them stopping off at all the
best beauty spots, pointing out shrines, rare
wildlife and the entrances to enormous
underground cave systems along the way.
Day 13 Ulaanbaatar tour
On this day you return to Ulaanbaatar. After lunch and once you have checked into your
hotel your guide will take you for a full tour of Ulaanbaatar. This will include Sukhbaatar
Square, the National Historical Museum, The Zanabazar art museum and the 976
modern art gallery for a glimpse of how Mongolian art has evolved since the installation
of democracy. Additional highlights include Gandan Monastery and the Mongolian artist’s
exhibition hall if time allows. In the evening you will attend a traditional art concert in the
national theatre.
Day 14 Departure
On the day of your departure your guide and driver will take you to the airport to bid you
farewell, or if you are leaving in the afternoon or evening then we will organise a final tour
of the city’s less frequented sites of interest as well as some souvenir and cashmere
shopping before dropping you at the airport or train station.
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