Mongolia Travel Blog & News
Tsagaan Sar, The Lunar New Year of Mongolia
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
Tsagaan sar, the Mongolia’s Lunar new year is the biggest long-awaited holiday in Mongolia. It is widely celebrated throughout the country around January or February according to the combination of Solar-Lunar calendar that Mongolians use. It is a celebration of passing long harsh winter and welcoming a spring as well as welcoming new year. Furthermore, Tsagaan Sar is a family celebration as all relatives gather at the elders’ home to greet and wish all the best to each other for the following year. The festival lasts for 3-14 days depending on the region. It is non-working national holidays in Mongolia for 3 days.
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MONGOLIAN CULTURE SERIES - MONGOL GER
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
Ger (aka Yurt) has been a reliable accommodation of the nomads of Central Asia for the last three thousand years. Surprisingly, due to its unique characteristics, ger is still used by Mongolian nomads nowadays. Interesting traditions involving gers include that the altar space usually serves as the traditional seating area for elders or respected leaders. Ger’s western half is considered the male part of the dwelling, while the eastern is where women lives and works. In 2013, the traditional craftsmanship of the Mongolian Ger and its associated customs was recognized as part of our Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
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A Beginner’s Guide To Food In Mongolia
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
If you are planning a trip to Mongolia, you must be looking forward to having adventures in the Gobi Desert, exploring ancient history at the Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue Complex, and observing traditional Mongolian customs, like eagle hunting. But, while you are traveling in this delightful country bordered by China and Russia, do not skimp out on your meals! Food can be just as much of a cultural experience as going to a museum or taking an adventure tour in the countryside. It gives you a taste of ethnic cuisine and allows you the opportunity to interact with the local community. Knowing what food you need to try in Mongolia is tough if you’ve never visited the country, so, we have done all the taste testing for you. Below is a list of the food you need to try in Mongolia!
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Travel Blog series by Heather Caveney: Khustai, Where Hiking & Horses Intersect
Posted by
Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
There was something in my father’s pictures that called me to Mongolia. The horizon in the distance, the openness of the steppe, the wildness of the nature. In 2010 we hatched a plan to travel to Mongolia together--it would be his second trip, my first. In 2014 we spent three weeks traveling around Mongolia (and I’ve since spent 3 years living and traveling in the country). While we journeyed many miles and visited numerous sites, it was our time spent in Khustai Nuruu National Park that made my initial dream--to put my hiking boots on the great Eurasian steppe--feel complete.
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DAIRY HEAVEN ON EARTH
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
If you are a big fan of dairy products, then Mongolia is for you! For over thousands of years, Mongolian nomads have developed many different ways to process the milk into very unique dairy products. It is estimated that Mongolian nomads make about 150 different types of dairy products, including cheese, yogurt, curd, fermented drinks and many more. Cows, yaks, and mares are the main source of dairy products but depending on the region, goat, sheep and camel milks are used as well. Dairy production can last from mid-April till October as the livestock usually dry off by October when food becomes scarce.
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Dog’s role in Mongolian countryside
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
Man’s best friend and a loyal partner, a dog is more than just a pet in Mongolia. As we’ve mentioned in the previous articles, Mongolians live in the vast land compared to the number of the residents. Since the traditional lifestyle is a nomadic one, often families would be scattered throughout the land, residing with two or three families at the most. In this situation, where the families live so close to nature with all its dangers as well as the benefits, an animal instinct was necessary for them.
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15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Dukha People
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
Capturing many peoples’ imaginations, the Dukha, Tsaatan or reindeer people, live in the beautiful area North of Lake Khuvsgul in Mongolia. They are an enigmatic group; being relatively unknown because of the remoteness of the lives they live in the boreal forest. Read on to learn 15 facts about this group of people living as they have for centuries.
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A Guide to Visiting Lake Khuvsgul
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
Lake Khuvsgul is one of the best sites to visit for travelers venturing to Mongolia. Located in the northern region of the country, close to the border with Russia, Lake Khuvsgul offers a host of activities and attractions for every type of adventure traveler. From hiking to boating, you’ll be plenty entertained on the shores of one of Mongolia’s largest lakes. Since travelers tend to flock to Ulaanbaatar when planning to go to Mongolia, we figured that a guide to visiting Lake Khuvsgul would be useful for those of you looking to go a bit more off the map. Here’s everything you need to know about Lake Khuvsgul.
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The Perfect Packing List for Mongolia
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Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
You are counting down the days until you leave for Mongolia, and it is finally time to start packing. Whether you are traveling in winter or in summer, in Ulaanbaatar or in the countryside, there is a lot that you will need. You definitely shouldn’t wait until the last minute to get started, but if you have, we’ve put together the perfect packing list for Mongolia to make sure you don’t leave any important items behind. Of course, versatile clothing for varying temperatures, comfortable walking shoes, and personal toiletries are a must no matter where you go. But what items are unique to traveling in Mongolia? We’ve figured it out for you. Here is the perfect packing list for Mongolia!
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The Last Wild Horse on Earth – the Amazing Story of the Takhi
Posted by
Selena Travel / Oct 29, 2024
Before human beings came to Eurasia, many varieties of horses roamed in herds over the vast steppes of the continent. In vast herds, with complex societies and feeding on the seas of grass, they lived and died for centuries. Eventually, mankind roamed in and developed a relationship with one particular species. Humans started to domesticate equus ferus around 4000 BCE.
After another thousand years, this species, equus ferus, started to become more widespread. They outcompeted the other wild horse species, and one by one, they went extinct. The domesticated horse was the last horse standing. Except for one species. A hardy, little black and tan horse called Przewalski’s horse, or the takhi, managed to survive in what is now Mongolia.
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