The Great Wide Open

At a new camp in the steppes of central Mongolia, Kate Eshelby saddles up for the adventure of a lifetime.

- Kate Eshelby

A HERD OF HORSES thundered down a slope, through tall grass feathered with golden light. The animals, including the one I was riding, charged across the wide, unbroken steppe of central Mongolia, their tails fanning out and their manes flapping wildly. In the lead was Dashaa Lkhagvajav, who sported the trilby hat commonly worn by herders in Mongolia. He stood up straight in his metal stirrups, his body raised above the traditional wooden saddle, the reins in one hand, riding with ease. At the start of our ride, he had warned me, “Mongolia's horses are half-wild because they spend most of their time roaming freely across the grasslands. We only occasionally bring them in." Having successfully rounded the herd up, we all cantered back toward camp.

My husband, Mark, our two young sons, Archie and Zac, and I were on the southern fringe of Hustai National Park, about 60 miles west of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. We were there to experience a new camp, Mandala Nomadic, by the travel company Panoramic Journeys. The camp consists of a set of private ger (felt-walled tents), each of which serves a different purpose: there's the home of the nomadic host family, a kitchen, staff quarters, guest quarters, and a tent for relaxing and socializing. The idea is to provide luxury accommodation (which is limited in Mongolia) in spectacular locations, while teaching visitors about nomadic life and providing the host family with financial support. Mandala's first site opened in southern Mongolia's Semi-Gobi Desert in 2018.

"The name Mandala means 'a sacred place," said Temuulen Enkhbold, our guide. "It's represented in Buddhist artwork by colorful geometric symbols." (Buddhism is Mongolia's predominant religion.)