Mongolia. with a country Naadam Festival August Ulaanbaatar Hustai Kara Korum Gobi Optional Post-Tour to Siberia & Lake Baikal

Transcription

1 Mongolia with a country Naadam Festival August Ulaanbaatar Hustai Kara Korum Gobi Optional Post-Tour to Siberia & Lake Baikal

2 Program Highlights Listen to the mesmerizing sound of Mongolian throat-singing. Explore the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum on a curator-led tour. Search for the elusive Przewalski horse, the last remaining breed of truly wild horse, in Hustai Nuruu National Park. Visit homes of local nomads and perhaps sample airag, fermented mare s milk. Watch the sun set over the Gobi Desert at the luxury Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia s premier ger camp. Learn from a Mongolian paleontologist about the discovery of the first dinosaur eggs, those of an Oviraptor, discovered by Roy Chapman Andrews in Discover Erdene Zuu (Thousand Treasures) Monastery, built in 1586 from the stones of Genghis Khan s ruined capital, Kara Korum. Witness a local country Naadam celebration, a tribute to the nomad s strength, dexterity and marksmanship Study Leader: John Ordway John Ordway is a retired Foreign Service Officer who is the U.S. Commissioner for the New START Treaty s Bilateral Consultative Commission. He served as Ambassador to Kazakhstan and to Armenia. He was Director of African Affairs at the NSC during the George H.W. Bush Administration, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow from Following retirement from the Foreign Service in 2008, he served in the U.S. Embassies of Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic & Kazakhstan. From November 2014 until July 2015 he was Senior Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, working on the resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ambassador Ordway graduated from Stanford University and the University of California s Hastings College of Law before entering the Foreign Service in He was the runner-up for the 2008 Charles Cobb Award as the ambassador who had contributed the most to commercial diplomacy, and received awards from the American Chambers of Commerce in Russia, Armenia and Kazakhstan. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

3 Land Program Rate: $7,495 (per person based on double occupancy) Single Supplement: $1,295 Siberia Extension: $2,990 Single Supplement: $495 Included: All accommodation, hotel taxes Meals per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner) Arrival/ departure transfers for passengers arriving/departing on scheduled start/end days Round trip airfare between Ulaanbaatar and the Gobi in economy class All overland transportation per itinerary by private vehicles Special cultural events and extensive sightseeing, including entrance fees English-speaking guides and Tour Manager throughout the itinerary Gratuities to local guides, drivers, Tour Manager and restaurant staff during included meals Baggage handling at the hotels and airports where available Comprehensive pre-departure packet Not Included: International airfare to/from Ulaanbaatar. Our tour operator MIR Corporation can assist with reservations Travel insurance Meals not specified as included in the itinerary Personal items such as telephone calls, laundry, excess baggage fees, incidentals Air Arrangements: Program rates do not include international airfare to/from Ulaanbaatar. Because of the global nature of our members and patrons, there is no group flight for this program. Information on a recommended flight itinerary will be sent by our tour operator upon confirmation. What to Expect: This trip is active due to the substantial distances covered and the extensive walking and stair climbing required. The tour is not wheelchair accessible. To reap the full rewards of this adventure, travelers must be able to walk at least two miles a day (with or without the assistance of a cane) over uneven terrain while keeping up with the group, and stand for extended periods of time during walking tours and museum visits. Availability of western toilets on the trip is unreliable, and squat toilets are prevalent at museums and many of the restaurants. With the exception of Three Camel Lodge, Mongolian ger camps are small, rustic encampments of round yurt-like dwellings heated by wood stoves. Shower and toilet facilities are found in a separate building. Flexibility and the willingness to accept local standards of amenities and services are essential to the enjoyment of this program. Reservations and Payments: Please mail the completed registration form with check (payable to MIR Corporation-CA Trust) or credit card information to The Commonwealth Club. Balance of payment for all land and air costs is due by June 5, 2018, 60 days prior to departure. Payment of the balance is due by check or bank transfer only. Eligibility: We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. People who live outside of the Bay Area may purchase a worldwide membership. To learn about membership types and to purchase a membership, visit commonwealthclub.org/membership or call (415) Cancellations and Refunds: All cancellations must be made in writing to MIR Corporation and the following cancellation charges will apply: Cancellations received 61 or more days before departure, forfeit the $500 per person non-refundable deposit; those received 31 days to 60 days before departure, forfeit 50% of land tour cost per person; those received 30 days or less before departure, no refund. Refunds cannot be made to passengers who do not complete the full tour for any reason at all. Commonwealth Club Travel and our tour operator MIR Corporation reserve the right, without penalty, to withdraw the tour announced (i.e., cancel a tour). MIR Corporation reserves the right to decline to accept any person as a participant in a tour, or to require any participant to withdraw from a tour at any time at his/her own expense, when such action is determined by tour staff to be in the best interest of the health, safety, or general welfare of the tour group or of the individual participant, and subject only to the requirement that the recoverable cost of unused services and accommodations be refunded, if any. Note: Neither Commonwealth Club Travel nor MIR Corporation accepts liability for any airline cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket in connection with this tour. It is recommended that you not purchase international flights until instructed by MIR Corporation. Single Travelers: We make every effort to match single travelers who request a roommate. However, shared accommodations cannot be guaranteed and a single supplement rate will apply. Insurance: A medical/evacuation and trip cancellation/interruption insurance policy is recommended. Information will be provided by the Commonwealth Club with your confirmation packets. Responsibility: A detailed statement of limitations and exclusions of liability of Commonwealth Club Travel and MIR Corporation for loss of property, injury, illness or death will be provided to passengers upon enrollment and is available to prospective travelers upon request. A signed release of liability/assumption of risk agreement is required for trip participation. CWC: CST # ; MIR Corporation: CST # WST # MIR Corporation, all rights reserved. Photos: Peter Guttman, Helge Pedersen, MIR Corporation

4 Day by Day Itinerary Aug 3-4 Depart USA Arrive Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Depart the U.S. on flights bound for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Upon arrival transfer to hotel. Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel (Meals in flight) Aug 5 Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the political and cultural heart of Mongolia, and the country s largest city. Located on a high plateau and bathed in brilliant sunshine much of the year, it is home to the country s most extensive cultural, historical and archaeological collections. Visit the Gandan Monastery, with the 20-ton gilded statue of the Lord Who Looks in Every Direction. Take a curator-led tour of the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art, named in honor of the 17th century Buddhist leader, a painter, sculptor, linguist, and architect. Visit the Museum of Paleontology at Hunnu Mall, and attend a lecture by a paleontologist from the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Enjoy an evening performance of Mongolian throat-singing, an otherworldly musical form in which a single vocalist produces two or more distinct tones, or overtones, simultaneously. Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel (1B, 1L, 1D) Aug 6 Hustai Nuruu National Park Drive to Hustai Nuruu National Park, home of the Przewalski horse, the last remaining breed of truly wild horse in the world, reintroduced into the wild in Learn about the current conservation efforts and status of herds. Spend the night here in a ger camp, a rustic encampment of a number of round yurt-like dwellings. Hustai Ger Camp (B, L, D) Aug 7-8 Kara Korum Ulaanbaatar Visit the ruins of Kara Korum, Genghis Khan s 13th century capital. Nearby Erdene Zuu (Thousand Treasures) Monastery has remained intact since its construction in 1586, and is built from the stones of the ruined capital. It stretches nearly a quarter of a mile in either direction, and is surrounded by a brick wall studded with 108 stupas, or shrines. Kara Korum and Erdene Zuu are included in the Orkhon Valley UNESCO Site, an area covering more than 300,000 acres along both sides of Mongolia s Orkhon River. The site also encompasses the 8th century carved rock memorials to Turkish heroes Bilge Khan and Kul Tigin, discovered only in the late 19th century; the ruins of 8th century Khar Balgas, capital of the Uighur Empire; Tuvkhun Hermitage; and the remains of the 13th and 14th century Mongol palace at Doit Hill, possibly Ögedei Khan s residence. Overnight at a local ger camp, and drive back to Ulaanbaatar in the afternoon. 1 night: Munkh Tenger Blue Sky Ger Camp, 1 night: Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel (2B, 2L, 2D)

5 The Commonwealth Club Aug 9-11 South Gobi Fly to the South Gobi, Mongolia s southernmost province of semi-arid desert. Explore Yolyn Am (Vulture s Mouth) Canyon, which cuts a narrow path into the rocky slopes of the Gurvansaikhan Mountains. Discover one of the few areas of sand dunes in the Gobi, Moltsog Els, where the constantly shifting sands are piled by the wind and reach surprising heights. Join with local people to celebrate an intimate rural version of Ulaanbaatar s annual Naadam Festival. Gobi dwellers gather from near and far to participate. Drive to Togrogiin Shiree, where the famous Fighting Dinosaurs (a fossil of a Protoceratops and a Velociraptor locked in combat) were discovered in the 1970s. Admire the Flaming Cliffs, one of the most renowned paleontological sites in the world, where the world s first nest of dinosaur eggs was discovered in Three Camel Lodge & Ger Camp (3B, 3L, 3D) Aug 12 Ulaanbaatar Fly back to the capital today and enjoy free time for independent exploration, last-minute shopping, or packing. Gather for a festive farewell dinner. Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel (B, L, D) Aug 13 Depart Ulaanbaatar The tour concludes with transfers to the airport for international departures. (B flight time permitting) Siberia & Lake Baikal Post-Tour August Aug 13-14: Irkutsk Aug 15-16: Olkhon Island Aug 17-18: Irkutsk Fly from Mongolia to nearby Siberia for a six-day/five-night Siberian adventure. Explore Siberia s charming capital city, Irkutsk, once a staging area for trade convoys and exploring expeditions. Climb to the top of the bell-tower of an Irkutsk church to enjoy a concert of chimes by a master bell ringer. Then head to UNESCO-listed Lake Baikal. More than a mile deep in places, Baikal holds about twenty percent of the world s unfrozen fresh water. Explore its largest island, sacred Olkhon. Attend a shaman ceremony at Olkhon s best-known spot, Shaman Rock, and walk Khoboi Cape, a sharp and narrow outcropping that gave it the name, which means tusk or fang. Details will be sent with confirmation.

6 Please mail the completed registration form with check (payable to MIR Corporation-CA Trust) or credit card information to The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA Balance of payment for all land and air costs is due by June 5, 2018, 60 days prior to departure. Payment of the balance is due by check or bank transfer only. Space is limited. Reservations will be processed in order of receipt, subject to availability. We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. Please check one of the following options: I am a current member of the Commonwealth Club Please use the credit card information below to sign me up or renew my membership. I will visit commonwealthclub.org/membership to sign up for a membership The enclosed non-refundable deposit of $ ($500 per person) to hold place(s). Enclosed check, payable to MIR Corporation-CA Trust Visa Mastercard American Express Discover Credit card number Exp date CVC Billing Address (if different from mailing address) Signature of cardholder Full name #1 (as listed in passport) Date of birth Full name #2 (as listed in passport) Date of birth Mailing address (no PO boxes please) City State/Province Zip Country Phone (Home) (Work/Cell) Please note preferences: I am traveling alone and prefer a single room wherever available at the single supplement rate ($1,295). I will share accommodations with I am traveling alone and would like to share a room with a Non-smoker Smoker (shares are not guaranteed) International airfare is not included in the tour price. Information on the recommended flight itinerary will be sent by our tour operator upon confirmation. For more information, contact The Commonwealth Club at (415) or travel@commonwealthclub.org You may fax this reservation to (415) The Commonwealth Club of California 110 The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94105