Arkhangai (Mongolia) - July 2004

Nomad Mongolia

Mongolia, land of contrasts. You've aleardy heard that? And yet, this overused expression, really suits this country. How could you describe otherwise a place where you walk under a drizzle then, after half an hour, where you sweat under a blazing sun and then, where after half an hour again, you're freezing under a hailstorm? How could you describe a place where a horse-riding drunkard obstinately bars your way (even if it's to invite you to his tent to find a good reason to go on drinking) but where, half an hour later, a family welcomes you with kindness and curiosity, offering you their dairy products. In mongolia, half an hour is the time unit: beyhond that, nothing is certain.

It's hard to describe Mongolia in one word: what do the high mountains of Altai, the softer ones of Arkhangai, the steppes and the Gobi desert have in common? However, there is a common point: from one side of Mongolia to the other one, for some time at least, nomadism is king. In this country, with a culture so different than ours, Arkhangai is a nice place for a hike. Let's visit it through these pictures.

Photo gallery

Check out the photos of the trek on Flickr, to download the images in their original size and see on a map the places where they were taken.

Map

The trek map in Google Maps.