Spiritual Tour Mongolia 2019 June 19/20 July 1 11 Days/12 Nights Ulaanbaatar Sun Worship/Fire Ceremony Elsen Tasarkhai The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Orkhon tal/talbiun Lodge Karakorum Ulaanbaatar Discover Mongolia starting with its capital, Ulaanbaatar, and journey to the breathtaking natural scenery of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley, Elsen Tasarkhai, and the Gobi Desert. The highlight of your trip will be a unique introduction to the sacred Sun Worship Ceremony and a chance to take workshops and interact with shamans over several days while experiencing traditional Mongolian lifestyles, crafts, and culture.
Trip Highlights Visit the Sun Worship Ceremony, conducted by Mongolian shamans Visit the Fire Ceremony in the evening, conducted by Mongolian shamans Experience divination and healing sessions as well as workshops by Mongolian shamans Explore Elsen Tasarkhai and the Gobi Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley Visit the ancient capital city of the Mongol empire, Karakorum Experience a nomadic lifestyle Stay in gers (yurts) and enjoy traditional Mongolian cuisine and culture Introduction This tour combines all the highlights Mongolia has to offer from the busy and modern capital of Ulaanbaatar to the Gobi/Elsen Tasarkhai, the beautiful Orkhon Valley, and the nomadic lifestyles that many rural Mongolians still live. We hope this trip will be memorable and an exciting adventure for you. Arkhangai and Uvurkhangai provinces are located in the center of Mongolia. Elsen Tasarkhai is a unique natural wonder, a desert surrounded by mountains. Uvurkhangai province includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley and many archaeological remains of ancient nomadic tribes. The ancient capital of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan, Karakorum, was the center of the largest land empire the world has ever known. Throughout your trip you will encounter and be accompanied by various Mongolian shamans, who will perform rituals and divination and healing sessions while also conducting workshops for you. You will have the chance to live in a ger (yurt) and experience life first-hand on the steppes as the Mongolian nomads have for thousands of years.
Program June 19, Wednesday Depart New York-area airport for Ulaanbaatar (likely stop-over in Beijing) June 20, Thursday (Day 1): Arrive in Ulaanbaatar You will get picked up at the airport and driven directly into the city center, where your hotel is. You will be able to rest after the long flight. Stay: Hotel Novotel June 21, Friday (Day 2): Ulaanbaatar sightseeing; Spiritual gift shop You can rest in your hotel, or do some sightseeing in Ulaanbaatar, including visiting a unique spiritual gift shop that offers various Mongolian crafts and shamanic working instruments such as drums, rattles, and other goods. In the evening, we will prepare to go to the location for the next day s Sun Worship Ceremony, which will take place early on June 22. We will prepare everything for the ceremony and go to the ger (yurt) camp that is located near the ceremony location. Stay: Ger camp or tent
June 22 (Day 3): Sun Worship Ceremony There are certain spiritual power centers in Mongolia, and shamans believe they are connected to each other as one tribe. The shamans gather every year on June 22 and conduct the Sun Worship Ceremony near Ulaanbaatar. In this ceremony, the shamans pray and worship the sun, the surrounding mountains, and Nature. Mongolians believe that every mountain has its own diety, and shamans want to show their respect and love for nature by worshipping them. We will go as a group around midnight and await the sunrise, when the sacred ceremony starts. You will be able to watch all the shamanic performances and rituals as they conduct their prayers in communing with nature, a unique privilege that most non-shamans never get to see but that we are able to see because of a special invitation by Mongolia s preeminent shaman. In the evening we will visit a Fire Ceremony together. It is a way that shamans connect with the ancestor and nature spirits. Shamanic performances will be held, and it is said that participants can see the shapes of the ancestor spirits take shape in the large flames. The Fire Ceremony is a powerful spiritual awakening and healing event, and sometimes participants connect with their spirit guides for the first time at such events. Stay: ger camp or tent June 23 (Day 4): Ulaanbaatar We will return to Ulaanbaatar and rest or do some shopping or sightseeing before your travels during the rest of the trip. Stay: Hotel Novotel
June 24 (Day 5): Sweet Gobi After lunch we will travel to some small sand dunes to the west of Ulaanbaatar, where we will stay in the Sweet Gobi Eco Camp. The Sweet Gobi is an 80-kilometer sand dune that starts from the west of Mount Batkhaan and stretches along the western edge of Mount Khugnu Khan. The main road separates the sand dune into two parts, Mongol Els on the south, and Khugnu Tarnyn Els on the north. The sand is sodden under the surface, so shrubs, willows, elm, and dogwood grow in the area. There are many tourist camps around the area. Elsen Tasarkhai is surrounded by Mount Khugnu Khan to the north and Mount Ikh Mongol to the south. Stay: Sweet Gobi Eco Lodge June 25 28 (Days 6, 7, 8, 9): UNESCO World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley After breakfast, we will travel to Talbiun Lodge. The lodge is located in the beautiful scenery of Khaalgan Denj, Khujirt sum of Uvurkhangai province, which is the heartland of ancient nomads. We will settle into our ger lodge and have lunch.
We will have shamanic workshops from June 26 28 from 8:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m., where you will learn directly from Mongolian shamans. In the afternoons and evenings private healing or divination sessions will be available with shamans (fees for private sessions are negotiated separately). During the afternoons, you will be able to visit local nomad families, ride horses on the steppes, hike in the mountains, and engage in various activities that are part of the nomadic lifestyle, or just relax and enjoy the wonderful natural surroundings. On the last day of our stay we will visit the following places as we head to Karakorum: Orkhon Waterfall Tuvkhun Monastery We visit the Tuvkhun Monastery and Orkhon Waterfall, making brief visits to Uurtiin tokhoi and Temeen Chuluu. Tuvkhun Monastery was built in 1654 by Saint Zanabazar, one of the most influential Buddhist monks in Mongolia. He chose this particular place to build one of the most beautiful monasteries, situated on a forested, rocky mountain at the border of Uvurkhanghai and Arkhangai provinces. The monastery was destroyed in 1688 but was restored in 1773.
Uurtiin tohoi is Mongolian for eternal elbow, and is a steep cliff bordering a right-angled bend of the Orkhon River. It is located 1630 meters above sea level and was originally named Khuurtiin Tokhoi. The cliff offers a marvelous view over the Orkhon Valley. The grave stones of Teeen Chuluu has many burial sites dating from the Bronze Age around camp Talbiun.
The Orkhon Waterfall lies in the Orkhon Valley and was formed some 20,000 years ago from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The Orkhon River is the longest river in Mongolia, and the waterfall is the highest in Mongolia at 26 meters. Stay: Talbiun Lodge June 29 (Day 10): Karakorum the first capital of the Mongolian empire After breakfast at the lodge, we will drive to Karakorum, the capital city of the ancient Great Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. The city was established in 1220 and was the capital of Mongolia for 140 years. The Erdenezuu monastery and the ruins of Karakorum were named UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1996. There is a newly built Karakorum Museum and a mosaic of Genghis Khan. Stay: Misheel ger camp
June 30 (Day 11): Ulaanbaatar We drive back to the capital and rest at the hotel. In the evening we will have a folk concert and dinner hosted by A Star Mongolia in a local restaurant. Stay: Hotel Novotel July 1 (Day 12): Depart Our driver will take you from the hotel to the airport. Our price includes 8 overnight stays in ger (yurt) lodges (twin/double bed) entrance fees and taxes to national parks, museums, and tourist attractions, travel permits 3 overnight stays in a hotel minivan with driver transfer to and from the airport all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), not including alcoholic drinks shamans and shaman followers (while in the Orkhon Valley) tour guide Not included international flight tickets soft drinks and alcoholic drinks personal expenses any activities not specifically mentioned in the program personal travel and cancellation insurance insurance personal divination or healing sessions with shamans Price per person: $2,250