The Silk Road. Mongolia epic photo adventure: Eagle Hunters and Gobi desert, 2-12 August 2024

Guided by: Andy Marty, Bayar Balgantseren, Erdenebulgan Battsengel – English speaking professional photography guides

Mongolia is a stunning place to experience a thousand years old culture, photograph epic desert landscapes in the heart of Gobi desert, experience famous hospitality of local people. The first part of our Mongolian adventure is devoted to the Southern Mongolia, where the most famous Gobi sands lay. This is a land of canyons, deserts, beautiful mountains and ancient culture. We meet and photograph locals, have sessions with camel herders crossing sands. We have private sessions organized just for us with Bactrian camels, and visit most amazing places of Southern Mongolia. We stay in traditional Ger camps and photograph not only landscapes – it’s a great mix of nature&cultural experience.

Besides Gobi we organize a very special event in West Mongolia. Every year Eagle Hunters festival takes place in Mongolia. But we decided not to be in the crowd, but bring our own little festival to just our private group. Moreover, after a private festival we visit the most stunning mountain locations with 3-5 eagle hunters to make beautiful photos of West Mongolia. It’ll be a trip where you can mix a cultural experience, portrait and genre photography plus practice in landscape. Mongolia is the land of wild beauty and untouched nature.

We travel by specially prepared Toyota landcruisers with local drivers, live in hotels or Ger tents with beds.

Day 1

Arrival to Ulaanbaatar (Airport Code UBN). You’ll be met by our drivers and transferred to hotel. We meet at 7 p.m. at the lobby of our hotel. Then we drive to our dinner restaurant. There we will have discussion about photo tour and get to know each other. Stay overnight at nice hotel just 5 min from the main square. /D/

You can choose any flight today landing before 5 p.m. Options are via Beijing, Seoul etc. International flight is not included in the tour. It is recommended to arrive a day or 2 earlier to have some rest and make sure you will not miss next morning flight.

Day 2

Today we catch domestic flight from UB to Dalanzadgad. The flight is 1,5 hours. Please note that flight schedule is released in March, so in case of no flights we will travel by cars from Ulaanbaatar (at no additional cost). Please buy your international flight tickets only after local flights will be announced. Depending on the flight arrival time we can also have our first session in Khongor sand dunes at sunset. Overnight in tourist Ger camp. Amenities include electricity and shower. Ger camp is heated. 2 persons per Ger, sleeping on a bed with bed linen, blanket, pillow. Each get has electricity.

Day 3

Sunrise session at Khongor sand dunes, which stretch for over 170km in length. Khongor sand dunes is the most beautiful and one of the largest sandy areas of Mongolia. Camels and camel herder will be waiting for us for portrait session and model shoot in sand dunes.

You’ll meet first rays of light in Gobi desert looking at infinite curves and stunning mountains at horizon turning pink.

At daytime we have some rest and post processing tutorials at kitchen Ger.

Sunset and Night photo shoot are also planned today. We’ve chosen dates in Gobi with no moon, that means if we have a clear sky we may practice at night photography.

Stay overnight at the same tourist Ger camp.

Camp: Has a shower and electricity

Day 4

Get up early for shooting sunrise in Khongor sand dunes. After breakfast we check out and go Bayanzag (Flaming cliffs). We will arrive at afternoon. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur eggs. Other finds in the area include specimens of Velociraptor and eutherian mammals. Stay overnight in tourist camp.

We photograph sunset from panoramic locations with overview of flaming cliffs. At sunset they turn deep red color.

Camp: Has a shower and electricity.

We stay in this camp for just one night (the area is small).

Day 5

Departure from Dalanzagrad local airport back to UB. The local flight will take 1,5 hours and included in tour cost. Again, flights will be released only in March, so please arrange your international tickets after we have local itinerary at hands.

Check in to comfortable hotel in the very center of UB. Dinner in one of local restaurants.

Day 6

Fly on commercial airplane (3 hours, flight around 6:00-8:00 a.m., tba) to Ulgii city from Ulaanbaatar. Drive to local Kazakh family (host) so we can photograph locals and their portraits. This session will include locals in their traditional clothes. We will also have 3-5 eagle hunters at stunning sunset location with mountains around. After sunset we leave back to Olgii to overnight at hotel (1-1,5 h drive back to town on our well prepared Land Cruisers – 3 persons per car, on a gravel road).

Hotel with shower, wifi – it’s a simple hotel in a small town, but you can recharge yourself and your batteries and stay warm with nice shower.

Day 7

We skip sunrise – allowing ourselves a bit of rest. After breakfast we leave back to Kazakh family to same area. It’s a very special day for us. Private eagle festival just for us, Kazakhs on horseback, dressed in their traditional dark coats and scarlet hats, with Golden Eagles hovering on their arms. The Festival is arranged by locals that are committed to preserve traditional Kazakh heritage. Enjoy the rare opportunity to view Golden Eagles close up and allow one to perch upon your arm. We will be able to ask any of them for a private portrait session. The whole event is just for 12 photographers. There’s a public festival happening around this time, but last years it’s totally crowded with almost no possibility to make a good photo. We will have up to 20 eagle hunters with many opportunities to shoot at diverse locations: mountain ridges, river bends and grass marshlands with splashes and reflections. Every single of eagle hunters will be ready for portrait session and very friendly to our group. You’ll feel like in movie set today and bring back home hundreds of good images with no crowd behind.

After this stunning day we return back to Olgii to hotel (1-1,5 h drive).

Hotel with shower, wifi.

Day 8

Lazy morning with a good night sleep after a long day. After breakfast we leave to another epic location for sunset. We arrange private sessions with a total of five eagle hunters in the foothills of the Altai mountains. Background will be holy Tsambagarav (4208m) mountain. That’s stunning 360* location with rocky sharp mountains on one side and snowy capped mountains on the other.

Back to Olgii. Stay overnight at hotel.

Hotel with shower, wi-fi

Day 9

Traditional morning rest. After lunch in the town of Olgii we drive 1 hour on a paved road to beautiful blue lake with panoramic rocky viewpoint. We have 3 eagle hunters today to have another opportunity to shoot sunset with a person in the frame for the scale or a portrait in last warm rays of light.

Back to Olgii. Stay overnight at hotel.

Hotel with shower, wi-fi

Day 10

In the morning after early breakfast we leave from Olgii airport back to UB. Flight is included – 3 hours to fly. Check in to hotel around 2-3 p.m. You’ll have time to stroll around UB city center.

Farewell dinner at UB restaurant. (B, D)

Day 11

Our drivers will take you to UB airport (code ULN). You can select any flight this day, a private transfer will be arranged this day and included in the tour. (B)

Price: 8900 USD

Included in the price:

Sharing twin accommodation in hotels where available
Ger camp /All accommodations/
All transportation: 4 Domestic flights and ground transport by well-prepared Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 persons per car
Drivers
Fuel
Photography Guides and Tour leaders services
National park fees
Meals
Chef’s services
Private Eagle hunting mini festival, Eagle hunting activity – all stages and model fees
Beverages (water)
Additionally we prepare electric cord line, power generators for remote places with no electricity

Full board (all meals included as stated in itinerary!)

Not included in the price:

Medical insurance
Alcoholic beverages
Visas (but we will prepare all needed documents for your visa – invitations, supporting letters etc)
Single supplement in hotels (750 USD) – in Ger camp in Gobi twin accommodation, single supplement for hotel basis (Olgii, UB)
Extra baggage charge (Limit of baggage in Domestic flight is 15kg total carry on and check in), around 2-5 usd charge per extra kg paid by credit card at the airport

What to bring

Gear:
– DSLR camera with tripod and remote shutter release
– A wide angle lens. For example, Nikkor 14-24 or Canon 17-40. Best lens for use in wide-angle scenes or architecture photography
– A middle-zoom lens such as a 24-70 mm
– A telephoto zoom lens, such as a 70-200 mm

Wear:
– Waterproof and windproof jacket (consider the average temperatures +5 – 20 C)
– Waterproof pants
– Warm down-jacket and thermal pants
– Casual clothes for dinners and lunches and photography workshops

Full list of recommended wear will be sent to participants.

Accommodation and food

Amazing hotel in UB, more basic hotel in Olgii (but best in town). Hotel in Olgii has private shower in each room, electricity, wifi, private toilet.

During Gobi part we stay in heated Ger tents sleeping in beds. Women sleep in one Ger, ment in the other Ger (2 persons per one Ger). Electricity in every tent in Gobi, in kitchen at flaming cliffs. Facilities camp-style outside in sheltered toilet (normal toilet, not “hole”). Some camps have modern toilet facilities outside, some basic hole in the ground with shelter around. Dining in a special Ger tent. No wifi in Gobi part, slow cellular internet connection partially available. There are no hotels in Gobi, just nice Ger camps – so this experience might be a bit of your comfort zone, which definitely compensated by amazing unspoiled nature around.

During extension tour (only) in remote part of Altai you stay in traditional Ger tent with stove. Heat up in the night, cool down til the morning). Sleep on the mattress/carpet in provided sleeping bags or take yours. Toilet outside (hole in the ground with mobile tent around it). Electricity by generator run in the evening 2-3 hours.

Please note that we bring our amazing cook for this trip. So even vegetarian options are available. It’s hard to get veggies in Mongolia, but you can be sure that we take care of good food during this trip. Let’s say for breakfast we have bacon and eggs, toasts with nutella, sausages, juice, coffee etc. For lunch and dinner we have salads, nice soup and meat/pasta/rice various nice dishes.

Physical difficulty

The main tour is easy to moderate in terms of activity. Most of locations in the West even in the mountains are just next to the car parking. First and second location in West Mongoia – 50-100 m from the car). Third location in West Mongolia involves 300 m walk with 20-30 m ascend on a 20%-30% slope to reach little panoramic hill. At Gobi desert you need to be ready to walk in sand dunes. I recommend bringing hiking poles here. Usually it’s 30-40 min walk to most amazing inner dunes.

Temperatures in the night might be colder, so you just need to prepare yourself in terms of wear, especially for extension part in remote Altai.

In this tour lots of driving is involved on unpaved roads (although on nice landcruisers). In Western part it’s 1-2 hours to location and back, to get to Gobi from Dalanzadrad is 4-5 hours to drive and back).

Weather: (Averages in Aug – Oct)

Coldest: +1°C to -2°C

Normal: 6°C to +8°C

Warmest: +13°C to +16°C

The Gobi desert is the warmest area in Mongolia. But it’s autumn time and it gets cold in the night time. So please take your warm clothes. Full packing list will be sent to participants 2-3 months before the trip start.

Tour leaders

BAYAR BALGANTSEREN

Bayar graduated with a degree in economy and he took on photography in 2007. He taught himself through online study and relentless practice.

Bayar uses mostly Nikon equipment and specializes in nature, wildlife, landscape, and traditional Mongolian nomadic lifestyle photography.

His first photography book, Bayar’s Photography Impressions, was published in 2013.

An exhibition to celebrate his work was held in Mongolia at the Blue Moon gallery in January 2013.
In February 2014, Bayar showcased his work in three Japanese cities – Tokyo, Saitamo, and Yokohama – with an exhibition called Beautiful Sceneries of Mongolia
Also he held exhibition in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Chita cities Russia, in January 2015 and 2016
His exhibitions were in Bassano del Grappa on 19 September – 8 November 2015, 2017 Italy.
And in Dolo city on 28 February – 6 March 2016 in Italy.
Arxian city on15-30 December in 2016 China.
“Beautiful Mongolia” Ottawa 2-15 March 2017 in Canada.
“Beauty of Mongolia” Krakow city 25-30 October Poland

In the past four years, Bayar’s travel photography has been featured in multiple Mongolia magazines: National Geographic Traveler, Deejis, Goodali, Mongolian Photo, and Wonderful Life.

Awards:

Won First Place at the Glowing Sunsets Photography Competition organized

by Canon in 2014

Very Popular Photo at the Mongolian Photography exhibition held by

Cresc. 5. Japan, 2013

Nominated First Place for Nature Photography at the Mongolian Press Photo competition, 2012
Won Third Place at the Mongolian Birds Photography Contest organized by the Mongolian Centre for Wildlife Protection, 2012
Best Participant in the EZNis Contest My Beautiful country – 2012
Nominated one of the 40 best photos of the Mongolian Flickr group 2012
Won Best Photo at the CIS corporate photography competition aimed at promoting Mongolia worldwide, 2011

Erdenebulgan Battsengel

Erdenebulgan is a landscape, travel photographer. He took photograph since 2011.

In the past years, Erdenebulgan’s photography has been featured in multiple magazines: Lonely Planet, Viewbug, Deejis, Goodali, National Geographic Mongolia etc…

2015: Feeling Chain – Photo exhibition

Awards:

Winner in the EZNis Contest My Beautiful country – 2012
Winner in the “Hureelen” Best of Mongolia photo contest – 2014
Winner in the Delta outfitters photo contest – 2015
Also many 3^rd place awards and best participants..

Andy Marty

Born in Australia, I moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2009 and now call the cosmopolitan city of Dubai home.

My passion for photography started from an obsession with travel – providing a vehicle to inspire others to venture far and wide. Photography allows me to draw on a destination’s culture and represent it visually – whether that is the bazars of India, landscapes of Iceland or the iconic New York City skyline.

Over the years, my photography has developed to include as many styles as possible – from cityscapes to wildlife and time-lapse to portraiture. This approach has allowed me to create content for international brands like Audi, Fairmont Group, One&Only, Visit Rwanda and flydubai. Photography is all about visual story-telling and the opportunity to take people to some amazing destinations around the world via my lens. Whilst many images these days are destined only for social media, I still firmly believe that the best place for a great photo is printed and hung on the wall. I take pride in trying to capture images that will be well suited framed and enjoyed everyday.

I am passionate about sharing my knowledge of photography through workshops and photo tours. I currently guide private photography sessions, workshops for Nikon and tours for Iceland Photo Tours and Daniel Kordan Photography.

In a world where we are taking more photographs than ever before, I still love the challenge of getting that perfect shot.