An unusual winter in Mongolia

Freezing cold temperatures, extreme wilderness and the absence of luxury combined with incredible landscapes, clear blue sunny skies and a culture of nomads who are unbelievably strong and kind these are the unique traits of Mongolia. In addition to that, eagle hunting, dog sledding, ice fishing, a camel festival and domesticated reindeer - that’s what drew our attention to visit one of the most uninhabited countries in the world - in the heart of winter.

- Graeme Edgerton & Tamar Valkenier

How do the nomads adapt to the extremes of the climate? And could we do it too? These were the thoughts crossing our minds.

We (Graeme and Tamar) met in Jordan where we walked 650 kilometers with a donkey (check out the story in Touriosity’s Vol 8, Issue 4, Sept 2019), but were now off to an entirely different kind of adventure.

We prepared ourselves with wool, wool and more wool and set off to stay with a particular family of eagle hunters, who Tamar has grown quite close to over her years of adventuring throughout Mongolia (check out the story in Touriosity’s Vol 6, Issue 10, March 2018). This family lives in the Altai mountains with their herds of horses, camels, yaks, sheep, and goats and carry on the ancient tradition of eagle hunting in the way they were taught by their fathers. This is a Kazakh custom and 90% of people in this westernmost region of the country are of Kazakh ethnicity.

In the summer, nomadic families in the region move high into the hills and set up their felt gers on the grassy stretches next to the river. Many families live side by side and share both pains and pleasures. It takes a while to find out which child belongs to whom, as they all run in and out of each other’s gers.

The nomads move to different places in autumn and spring, but when winter falls most of them retreat to more fixed buildings either in the village or close by along the valley. That is where we were to spend most of our time.