Staying with a nomadic family in Mongolia

We take a trip around Mongolia! The country is stretched and varied; in the west you find beautiful lakes and is home to the falconers, in the far north you find the reindeer families who live off their herds, in the northeast you find the cultural heritage of Genghis Khan’s, the 13th century warrior who created one of the greatest empires and in the south you will find the untouched Gobi Desert.

We choose the south, with the opportunity to spend time with Mongolian nomadic families. We leave Ulaanbaatar with a few fellow travelers in two Russian minivans, driving south. Up until an hour’s drive outside the capital of Ulaanbaatar, the roads are paved. Soon after that the endless dirt roads full of potholes and bumps take over. In terms of infrastructure, Mongolia clearly has different priorities.

Our Russian minivan, chosen by the tour organization because it’s “so easy to fix”, sounds like a rattling tractor and after a few hours, it stops working. Fortunately, we can hitch a ride with another backpacker van, and a little further along we are transferred to a new driver who came to pick us up and we finally end up at the right place.

Living in a ger

And that place is beautiful; at the foot of rocky hills in the middle of the steppes, we stay with our first nomadic family of this trip. A bunch of gers (Mongolian tents where the families live) are put up next to each other in the scenic area. And about 50 meters away from the ger, you find a lonely wooden box; the squad toilet. Basically a hole in the ground with a box around it. Although we have to get used to it a bit, we know that this bathroom has one of the best views in the world.

We settle into our ger, which has four beds along the canvas and has a minimalist design. Another ger has a small fireplace, which also serves as a stove and gets fueled with dried horse and cow manure.

The nomadic family often has two gers; one to live in and to sleep in, and one that serves as a kitchen and storage space. The entire family is sleeping together, on the floor. Along the side are some painted tables and is in the middle you find the oven. We also see a big bag hanging in many gers, made of skins, filled with mare’s milk. At some of the families, we are welcomed with a bowl of that milk (very acidic), warm camel milk tea (which tastes better), a kind of mini donut (which, with all due respect, resemble dog biscuits) and yogurt sweets, again made with camel or horse milk. Our stomachs have to get used to all the new acidity.

Riding on half-wild horses

Despite the drizzle, today the horse riding is on our to do list. The family has a herd of half-wild horses; in winter they get sent to the steppes and they have to support themselves, but in summer the family picks out the tame animals and these are ridden, milked, traded, butchered and eaten. Also the goats and sheep which some nomadic families are herding, are used for these purposes. Though mostly it is one of the children who occasionally thinks it fun to sit on a little goats back.

We ride around the impressive open fields towards a hill, to enjoy the breath-taking views from there. Then we turn around and it’s ‘Sjoe-time’. On “Sjoe” the horses know they need to go faster. Even though I have been riding horses for many years and think I know how to do it; without the encouraging “Sjoe sjoe” you’ll just get laughed at by the Mongolian horses and they will not go any faster.

Fortunately, after the magic word there are several gears on the steppe horses, and we gallop around the hills in full speed. Even Ydwer, who is riding a horse for the first time, is really enjoying all of it, whilst bouncing around on the horse’s back.

Rice with ketchup

After returning to the family, the food is waiting for us; rice with a little ketchup, mutton (sheep meat) and some vegetables for the vegetarian. They don’t grow many vegetables in this country, so the Mongols themselves especially eat the rice and meat from the animals they herd. However the dinner during our trip is usually a little bit more western; pasta is a favorite of the cook. Nevertheless, the lunch always consists of the rice with ketchup, with or without sheep. A real treat for the Mongols we think.

We spend the night playing cards with fellow travelers while enjoying a bottle of Russian vodka, still left from the Trans-Siberian train. This coming week during the desert trip, we will stay at a different nomadic family every night. Not with the comfort level of the more touristy ger camps and occasionally we lay awake at night because of the barking dogs trying to keep a herd of goats together, or the hard beds or the sleeping the ground (only once). But it’s worth it; an unforgettable experience for sure!

Watch our 360-degree video of our stay with the nomadic family. Move your mouse on the video and look around: