Mongolia's Golden Eagle Festival

• Accommodations, as noted in the itinerary. They range from a four-star hotel in Ulaanbaatar to 6 nights in ger camps. 3 nights are at deluxe Three Camel Lodge in the Gobi, where all gers offer en suite western-style toilet and a sink for running water, and showers are located in a separate building. The 3 nights in Ulgii are spent in a temporary ger camp with shared pit toilets and no running water.
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner every full day of the tour (11 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 10 dinners).
• Restaurant tips for included meals.
• Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides, drivers and other staff, including a MIR Tour Manager.
• Arrival/departure airport transfers. MIR will arrange for all travelers to be met on arrival and seen off on departure whether we make your airfare arrangements or not, provided you arrive and depart on the tour start/end dates in the tour start/end city.
• Ground transportation throughout the itinerary by jeeps or minivans (type and number of vehicles depends on group size and terrain).
• Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees as outlined in itinerary.
• Special events, excursions and cultural performances per the itinerary.
• Baggage handling where available - though porters are rare in the more remote parts of the program.
• Gratuities to local guides, drivers, porters and other service personnel.
• Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
• Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements (on request; please note that international airfare is not included in the land tour cost).
• Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.
• Golden Eagle Festival entrance fees.

• Internal airfare (internal airfare is quoted separately and is subject to change by airlines).
• International airfare or taxes/fuel surcharges.
• Meals not specified as included in the itinerary.
• Partial single supplement charge, if requested or required.
• Items of a personal nature (phone calls, email, laundry, alcohol, excess baggage, etc).
• Gratuities to Tour Manager.
• Visa/passport fees, airport departure fees if required (note: no Mongolian visa is required for U.S. passport holders).
• Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
• Travel and trip cancellation insurance.

Level 4: Rigorous

This intentionally adventuresome small group tour features rustic accommodations, often without reliably constant electricity, with challenging overland travel including rough off-road conditions, long days walking and standing while touring, unpaved sidewalks and streets, uneven surfaces and steps, absent handrails, significant stair-climbing, and absence of elevators. Only those very fit to travel and who are willing to accept local standards of amenities and services, and the physical challenges of the program, should consider joining. Conditions are expected to be particularly challenging in western Ulgii, where the Golden Eagle Festival is held. We strongly encourage you to speak with us about any questions you may have regarding the rigors of this trip or destination when considering this tour.

Six nights are spent in ger camps – all gers are heated only by wood stoves. Three nights will be spent in gers with shared pit toilets and no running water in Ulgii; and three nights will be spent at the Three Camel Lodge Ger Camp in the Gobi, where all gers offer en-suite toilet, sink, and shower. If you rely on electricity for CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) or for any other reason, you must have your own battery or other back-up since electricity is not a reliable constant throughout the itinerary – or please reconsider participation.

Ulgii camp conditions are rustic, and the temporary camps lack a central building with running water and electricity. Pit toilets are set up in a separate tent away from sleeping gers, and meals are taken in a central, larger dining ger. Ground conditions can be uneven or soggy/muddy. Electricity is extremely limited. Do not expect flush toilets or shower facilities in this remote part of Mongolia. Camp-style showers (warm water ‘bucket’ showers) may be available, but should not be relied on.

Travelers must be able to walk two to three miles a day, with some hiking, while keeping up with fellow travelers on a variety of terrain including through grass and dirt (possibly soggy ground), on dirt paths, across gravel and stony scrub, shallow streams, smooth stones, and the like. Overland drives in Mongolia will involve very rough and bumpy drives over dusty and unpaved tracks in basic vans, Russian jeeps, or other vehicles. During city touring you’re likely to encounter uneven surfaces and attractions accessible only via steep staircases. Museums generally do not have elevators.

In Mongolia, the airline infrastructure is not as developed as it is in the west. Flight schedules change constantly, and there is a strong likelihood that the program will have moderate to significant routing and timing changes based on changing flight schedules

Other challenges include overall shortcomings in the tourism infrastructure in remote Mongolia. Past travelers have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, variety of locally available foods, and availability and quality of public restrooms.