My experience of exploring Mongolia was from the perspective of a nomad with National Geographic Expeditions. My companions on my journey were award- winning photographer, Thomas Keller and Carroll Dunham, who is a Princeton University anthropologist.
We started with spending two days in Ulanbataar. We then took a bus 600 km to the north to the legendary capital of Genghis Khan, Karakoram, and then finally settled in a gir camp called Lapis Sky, located in the Bunkhan Valley, Arkhangai. ‘Bunkhan’ means ‘Valley of the Ancestors’ and the valley is rife with ancient Sythian burial mounds that are possibly around 3,000 years old.
The Lapis Sky Resort houses dozens of girs in a valley with a singing stream. There was never a dull day with lots of activities including fishing, photography classes, archery, yoga or visiting neighbouring nomads. After a couple of days, we moved camp on horseback. We explored the sacred Mandal mountain on foot, and attended a Buddhist ceremony at a sacred ovoo.
I was always intrigued by the great Genghis Khan and wanted to find out more about him. Strangely, someone who had created an empire and changed the course of our history left without a trace. On top of that, the Russians, who ruled Mongolia for 70 years, tried hard to change their Mongol way of life, including their belief in shamanism, and their memory of Genghis Khan.
Xavier Augustin with Thomas Keller and Carroll Dunham
When the country got its independence, they revived everything Mongolian with a vengeance with festivals like the Nadaam, which includes competitions like horse riding, wrestling and archery. It won’t take you long to notice how central the horse as an animal is to Mongol’s cultural identity.
Mongols are nomadic people and live in girs that can be dismantled in 45 minutes. It is the least densely populated country in the world and the open grasslands have no fences since the government owns most of the land, making horse riding through these steppes a heavenly experience.
Mongolia
Most of my trip was spent in the open grasslands, off the grid without an internet or phone. It is places like Mongolia that take you back in time and where you can get authentic travel experiences far from the madding crowds of popular tourist destinations.
Mongols are warm, hospitable and friendly by nature. Visit Mongolia on your next holiday. After all, the old Mongolian proverb “Happy is he whom guests frequent. Joyful is he at whose door guests’ horses are always tethered” is so inviting. I hope I can return to the open grasslands with my children someday.
Xavier Augustin is a National Geographic Lifetime Explorer and the CEO of Y-AXIS
