Memories of Mongolia

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Andong Hahoe Folk Village
A Walk around Andong Hahoe Folk Village
March 24, 2017

Memories of my Mongolia Gobi Trip

About 15 kilometers outside of Ulaanbaatar, at a seemingly insignificant spot, we turned off the road and followed a set of faint tire tracks. We wouldn’t drive on another road for 6 days. As we steered our sturdy Russian-made van in a southerly direction toward the Gobi Desert, I smiled to myself, imagining what adventures might lie ahead.

After more than fifteen years of travel, few places stand out in my memory like Mongolia does: the wide-open landscape, the nomads we stayed with, the endless dunes of the Gobi, the lonely camels. This is a country like no other.

mongolia gobi trip

Mongolia Gobi Trip

Our week-long trip to the Gobi Desert was filled with long drives, hikes to splendid views, ger-stays, horseback riding, Buddhist monuments and old monasteries. Not only was our destination, the Gobi, the highlight, but the stops along the journey proved to be just as memorable.

I’m a diehard independent traveler, but Mongolia is a great place to go with a group tour. That’s how I went when in 2006 when I was living and teaching English in Ulaanbataar. Don’t worry, this is not mass-tourism I’m talking about. It’s small groups, staying in ger-camps, keeping it real and experiencing the life of the nomads. That’s why we’re offering an Experience Mongolian Gobi Trip over on our travel tours site Unquote Travel.

Mongolia has been listed as a top ethical travel destination for 2017 and our local partner is dedicated to responsible tourism, delivering high-quality tours and has a passion for showing guests life in this fascinating country.

Besides this, we are also offering a trip to western Mongolia and the Golden Eagle Festival.

More photos from my Mongolia Gobi Trip:

*pardon the low-quality resolution, these were taken back in 2006 with an already aging camera at the time.

mongolia gobi trip

mongolia gobi trip

mongolia gobi trip

mongolia gobi trip

 

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Stephen Bugno
Stephen Bugno
Stephen Bugno has been traveling the world and writing about it for the better part of 20 years. His articles and essays have appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Times, and Transitions Abroad magazine. He blogs at Bohemian Traveler and edits the independent travel magazine GoMadNomad.com. He most recently set up a tour company offering authentic, small group tours at Unquote Travel. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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