Altai Mountain Horse Trek

Ride high and far

If the thought of riding deep in to the Altai mountains, through the untracked wilderness of 'no-mans land' along the Chinese border gets your heart racing, this is the trip for you.

The Altai Expedition takes us to a remote and beautiful corner of Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, amongst the snowy peaks forming the border with China. This is an area normally closed to foreigners, so you are unlikely to see anyone else here. Luckily we have a good relationship with the Mongolian border patrol - everyone knows everyone around here.

Our local friends who will be accompanying you on this trek know all the secret game trails and hidden passes from the days when they hunted these mountains.

Who is this trip aimed at?

This area is remote and mountainous, with demanding terrain. Therefore it is essential that you are fit and active and willing to take on a challenge. The camping is basic, and we cook simple meals over an open fire. If you are not familiar with the outdoors, or are unsure whether this is the right trip for you, we are happy to discuss.

The pace is generally slower than our other treks, due to the terrain, so is suitable for less experienced riders. But for experienced riders there are some spots that are great for a gallop.

The biggest challenge on this trek is the mountain environment. The weather can change quickly, bringing snow at any time of year (don't worry, it's more often warm and sunny). Those who do not have a lot of experience of wilderness camping may struggle initially, but the rewards are great - to ride where few outsiders have ever travelled.

The horses of the Altai Mountains

Born and bred in the mountains, these horses are perfectly at home in even the most difficult country. Compared to the horses on our Zavkhan Classic trek, they tend to be calmer but still need to be treated with respect. No flapping raincoats please.

The journey

We start off riding across open country and through valleys inhabited by nomadic herders and then begin to climb in to the mountains, as we set off for 12-13 days exploring on horseback. After riding in to the National Park as far as the 4WD support vehicle can accompany us, we reach our base camp, with our large ger (or yurt, the traditional felt tent used by the local people) to retreat to if the evenings are cool.

From this point there are no roads and barely a game trail to follow, so we will need to load up the pack-horses (or camels), and be fully self-sufficient to continue further.

When it comes time to retreat back down from the mountains, we head over the Pass of Death. Not a fun place if you are scared of heights, but for most of us it's exciting rather than dangerous.

Meet the colourful locals

The local people are ethnically a mix of  Mongolians and Kazakhs. Their generosity and friendliness to strange foreign horse riders has to be experienced to be believed. There will be plenty of opportunity to enjoy their hospitality during our journey, including seeing their hunting eagles. Most people in the area are related in one way or another to our team.

Amangul, our main guide, is something of a local celebrity, famous for her singing and playing of the two-stringed dombra. Her balzak (rather like a deep-fried donut) are fabulous too.

Our local team are not 'tour staff' in the usual sense, they are herders and horsemen who put down their tools when we arrive, to show us their beautiful backyard.

Mini-Eagle Festival and horse games

It wouldn't be right to come all the way to the west of Mongolia and not get a taste of the famous Eagle Festival, held later in the year. Toward the end of this trek we invite our eagle hunter friends to join us and demonstrate this fascinating part of their culture. Learn how young birds are caught in the wild and trained to become much-loved hunting companions.

As at the annual Festival, there will be horse games too, but the difference at our mini-festival is that you will be able to participate, rather than just watch. OK so you won't be playing bushkazi with a goat, but tug-of-war from horseback with an old sack is just as much fun. You also get to chase your fellow riders at the gallop, with a horse whip (not that we encourage that sort of thing of course).