ENJOY THE REMOTE YOLT VALLEY AND EXPERIENCE THE NOMADS’ TRADITIONS

Yolt Valley, Altai Tavan Bogd

YOLT TREK IN ALTAI TAVAN BOGD

Yolt Trek Map

11 DAYS – 10 NIGHTS (FROM $1950 )

  1. Duration: 11 days 10 nights
  2. Price from: 1950 USD
  3. Best Time: June – Sept
  4. Group size: 2-12
  5. Destination: Yolt, Altai
  6. Difficulty: Moderate
  7. Suitable age: 15-65

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OVERVIEW

The Yolt Valley or well known as the Yolt Valley is located in the southern part of the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park. Bordering China to the south, the valley is famous for its untouched nature and is a perfect destination for camping, trekking, and horse riding. During the expeditions you will be accompanied by the local nomads and all your luggage will be carried by camels. Yolt Valley is not as popular as other parts of the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, but it is no less exciting and in some ways even better, where you can enjoy the remoteness and maximum closeness to Mother Nature compared to Base Camp or Khoton Lake, where it is quite crowded during the tourist season.

Discover Altai Team offers you a well-planned Yolt Trek adventure in the wilderness. Here you can visit many nomadic families and experience their traditions and cultures, fishing at Lake Shegirtai, camp in the wild nature, learn to ride a horse from a master, see wild animals such as fox, red deer and many birds, stay with nomadic eagle hunters and enjoy a homestay in traditional ger and many other hidden gems that can be discovered once you visit such a great destination. 

This is a real wilderness expedition and requires good preparation. We will be far from civilization, with no electricity, telephone service, roads or towns. Please be prepared for all weather conditions and bring a waterproof jacket, walking boots, sunscreen and warm clothing. The full pack list is below. But don’t worry, you’ll be in good hands – the local Kazakh community is famous for its hospitality. As with all nomadic people around the world, you will be treated well by your support team.

Our company is well equipped with camping and cooking equipment. We use a new NorthFace VE-25 tent, which is super comfortable and designed for real wild nature expeditions. We also have plenty of mats and sleeping bags. The kitchen tent will be wide and with all the comforts such as deck, chair and all the kitchen equipment.

You will be accompanied by the best local team consisting of an English-speaking guide, a local driver, an expedition chef who will cook three times a day and provide you with many delicious meals, and horsemen who will take care of you with their camels and horses.

This is a unique expedition, not like any other, where you can enjoy the most remote places of the Altai Mountains. Come and enjoy the expedition of a lifetime!

Tour Itinerary:

DAY 1:  Welcome to Bayan-Olgii Province.

Welcome to Olgii, the land of the magnificent Altai Mountains and home to the last nomadic eagle hunters! You will be met at the local airport in Olgii. Your support team is ready for the expedition. Drive to the Altai village. Arrive at the summer home of the nomadic eagle hunters. Meet the eagle hunter and his family. The Kazakh nomads in this region are famous for their ancient traditional hunting with a specially trained golden eagle. Here you can see the training method, hear stories about the nomads, taste the handmade dairy products and learn about their culture. The families are very hospitable and you will feel free to talk and learn more about their nomadic way of life.  Welcome dinner!

Overnight stay in a traditional yurt!

DAY 2:  TREK to SHAR GOBI / 13KM /

    Here we go! All the luggage is loaded onto the camels and we start trekking. Our first destination is a Shar Gobi. Here ysee many traditional nomad yurts. Visit a nomad family and enjoy their traditional milk tea. One of the most traditional drinks is fermented horse milk and if you like you can try it. Enjoy your trek and the surrounding nature. Overnight stay in tent

DAY 3: TERME OTKEL / 12KM /

      Trek to Terme Otkel, which literally means Silk Road, one of the Silk Roads crossed here. Enjoy your trek.  Overnight stay in tent

DAY 4:  SHEGIRTAI LAKE / DARIHAN NUUR /

   Trek to the waterfall. The trek takes a route along Shegirtai Lake or Darihan Nuur. Here you can enjoy fishing and catch the most delicious Altai crayling fish. There is a waterfall where you can take a short hike and enjoy. Overnight stay in tent. 

DAY 5 : KHORABAI SALAA /12-13KM /

    Today we enter the Yolt Valley. It is a border zone where there are local guards. No more nomads further and we enter into the wild. Enjoy the forest, white water river and untouched nature. Overnight stay in tent.

DAY 6: TALDY BULAKH

     The Yolt Valley trek is an exclusive trek. Here you can enjoy a beautiful flowers, butterflies, fruits, birds, fresh air, and enjoy pure nature. Today we trek to the Taldy Bulakh. Enjoy the surrounding Altai Mountains. Stay overnight at tent 

DAY 7 :  BASKHY SARI GER

Continue the trek to Baskhy Sari Ger. There are several small and medium-sized rivers to cross during the trek and waterproof boots are highly recommended. If you have binoculars it will be great to see some wildlife and birds. Overnight stay in a tent.

DAY 8 :  SARI HAMIR

Pass over Uvchin Uul, where a great view of the surrounding area opens up. Here you can see again the yurts of the nomadic families. Enjoy your trek. Overnight stay in tent

DAY 9:  NURBEK’S PLACE / 25KM / HORSEBACK

The last and longest day of the trek. If you are feeling well, you can enjoy a horse trek today. An alternative is to trek half way and switch to the car. Arrive back at the nomadic place where we started our journey. Spend the night in a traditional yurt.

DAY 10:  BACK TO OLGII

          Drive back to Olgii town and be transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a hot shower and the internet! Take your time! Farewell dinner at the restaurant.

Day 11:  FLY BACK TO ULAANBAATAR

End of the trip. We will take you to the local Olgii airport for your domestic flight to Ulaanbaatar. Thank you for coming! Hope to see you again!

Everything You Need To Know

Tour information

During the trip, you will be supported by local experienced guides. The team consists of a local English-speaking tour guide, an experienced driver, and an expedition cook. Also, all baggage will be transported by camels and local herder guys will help us with that. Our Discover Altai team has representatives in all positions of the tour. We will take excellent care of our guests.

During the tour, we mostly stayed in tents (The Northface VE-25). We are equipped with sleeping bags and mattresses. For two days of your stay in Ulgii, you will get to experience the comfort hotels in the downtown.

In addition, you will also have a chance to live with local nomads in their ger camps (a round tent used by Mongolian nomads) and get first-hand experience of Mongolian customs and their way of life.

Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is located at a high elevation. The weather in this area changes really fast (Mountain climate). In the daytime, it can be sunny and hot, but in the evening it gets cold especially in the thickly wooded sections. We recommend you pack extra clothes to be ready for all types weather of conditions. Warm clothes, waterproof jacket.

June, July, August.

Headlight, hiking boots, sunscreen, warm clothes, sunhat, gloves, day backpack, books, antibacterial handwash, towel, waterproof jacket and pants, sandals, towel, personal medicine, anti-mosquito cream, power bank, solar charger, walking sticks. If you don’t have them, don’t worry, you can get everything from Mongolia’s famous Black market. (Narantuul zakh)

There are no signals and electricity at the National Park. We highly recommend you let your family know about your trip in advance. To make sure they will not be worried. We will have only an emergency call.

Tour Price includes

  • All accommodation during the trip /tent, traditional yurt, /
  • Domestic flights(internal flights), round trip
  • Local driver
  • All transportation /+Fuel/
  • English-speaking tour guide
  • Expedition cook Eat & Drink (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Bottled water and snacks)
  • All Camping & Cooking equipment
  • Camel support
  • Visit eagle hunter’s family
  • Invitation Letter for Visa
  • Pick-up and drop-off services
  • National Park permits and all fees during the trip.

 Tour price excludes

  • International airfare
  • Personal needs
  • Alcohol drinks
  • Excess baggage fee (15 kg domestic flights )
  • Travel Insurance
  • Gratitude

Please Come & Enjoy the Best-planned Mongolian Adventure

Tour Price & Scheduled dates:

Tour Price

2 PAX – 2600 USD p/p
3 PAX – 2300 USD p/p
+4 PAX – 1950 USD p/p

Scheduled dates:

6th-16th June 2025
25th-5th June/July 2025

Cancellation Policy:

·        Cancellation more than two months fee would be 400 USD
·        Cancellation more than 45 days fee would be 500 USD
·        Cancellation less than a month before departure will 600 USD
·        And rest of the payments will be return back.


How to BOOK?

  1. Confirm with our tour itinerary
  2. Agree with terms and conditions
  3. Set the tour departure date
  4. Deposit 600 USD per person
  5. Send us a copy of your passports

Discounts:

  • First two travelers who join the group, we offer a 5% discount.
  • Group tour 5% – 10 %

So, Ladies and Gentlemen! The Discover Altai team is looking forward to meeting you and providing unforgettable expeditions to this remote corner of the world!

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is special about the Altai Mountains?

The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan come together. The Altai Mountains are home to a number of different animals, including the snow leopard, the argali (a type of wild sheep), and the ibex (a type of wild goat).

Can you hike the Altai Mountains?

Yes! The Altai Mountains are a popular destination for hikers and trekkers from all over the world.

What animals live in the Altai Mountains?

The Altai Mountains are the natural habitat of a few choice animals, including the argali (a kind of wild sheep), and the ibex (another type of wild goat). However this mountain range is most famous for being the dwelling place of endangered snow leopards.

How long is the Altai Mountain range?

The Altai Mountain range stretches for about 2700 kilometers or 1700 miles. It runs from the altitudes of 900 meters or 3000 feet in the west, to 4500 meters or 14750 feet in the east.

Are the Altai Mountains cold?

The Altai Mountains are located in Central and East Asia, where the climate is generally cooler than in other parts of the world. However, the temperatures in the Altai Mountains can vary depending on the time of year and the altitude. In general, the higher up you go in the mountains, the colder it will be.

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