Mongolia - Dlanzadgad, Naadam, Gobi, Altai. Come along for the ride…

I’ve got one or two seats free during July when I’m driving myself on a photo-tour for 10 days. This is not a commercial trip – I’m looking for someone or two people as travel companions, not as paying tourists.

I’m planning to leave UB by landcruiser on the 9th or 10th July and get to Dalanzadgad for Naadam on the 11th and 12th. I went here 2 years ago and it’s a great place to see Naadam as you can get right up to the action. After Dalanzadgad I’m looking for good places to take photographs (countryside, country-life, wild-life) and as long as it’s somewhere photogenic the route is open to suggestions, but at the moment the plan is to head up to Altai (passing Bayanzag, Khongoryn Els, Yolyn Am, Ikh Bogd and some of the lakes) before returning to UB sometime around the 20th. I work in Mongolia and have driven some of this route a few times in the last year or two so know what to expect.

I’ll be in and out of UB until a day or so before the trip but would like to meet anyone or any two people who are seriously interested in joining me for this trip. I’m thinking of people who are fairly active, fit and healthy so they can stand up to the bumps on the road, nightly wilderness camping and camp food. If you only have 2 weeks in Mongolia then this isn’t for you, but if you’re able to take other trips later, or already have done, then this could be something a bit different. If you came to Mongolia specifically to take photos then we’d be in a similar frame of mind.

If you are interested then drop me an e-mail on trip2005jul@tom-sant.com telling me who you are, what you have done/want to do in Mongolia and what you do and have done in the real world. Let me know any background that may contribute to the trip (specialists in Mongolian history, flora and fauna particularly welcome!). Finally ask any questions you have about the trip and suggest a route after Dalanzadgad if you have one in-mind. I’ll reply to all the relevant e-mails as soon as possible and can meet any likely candidates later next week in UB.

The Upside:

• You get to be driven around Mongolia for almost nothing (we’ll just split the fuel and food costs, fuel will be around 300 to 400 USD total so you pay half if one person or 2/3 if 2 people).
• The vehicle is well maintained and has just done a 2350km Gobi trip as a shake-down with no problems.
• The driver (me) has 10 years of off-road driving experience, the last 3 years spent in Mongolia.
• We’ll be exploring places at a more leisurely pace than the normal tourist jeep trips.
• Photographic advice is free and I’ll probably bring along a laptop for photo downloads and reviews.
• An ipod with 5000 tunes on-board playable through the radio.
• You can jump out anytime though I’d prefer company for the whole trip if we are getting on ok.

The Downside:

• I’m not using a local translator/guide so any interaction with passing nomads will be by sign-language.
• I’m not into staying in local gers and intend to camp each night somewhere photogenic and in the middle of nowhere, or 5-10km away from the big towns.
• This is currently a one vehicle journey. If it does break down it could be a real adventure getting back to UB (I will have a sat-phone, spare water, first-aid etc just in case). VERY interested in hearing from anyone else who would like to tag along in a second vehicle)
• I get the over-riding say in the route and timing (but I’m getting mellower these days).
• You will need your own tent, sleeping mat and sleeping bag.
• An ipod with 5000 tunes on-board playable through the radio.
• I can leave you in the centre of Dalanzadgad, Altai or Bayankhongor if we are not getting on ok.