Mongolia Photography Tour
We are extremely excited to add this epic destination to our itinerary!
Experience Mongolia's nomadic culture, meet eagle hunters, and take incredible photos of the vast, untouched landscapes of Altai mountains and Gobi Desert of Mongolia with Swiss Photo Club.
This trip will be led by: Osan Altun who speaks Anglais, Français
Location
Where do we go?
The Gobi Desert (Gobi meaning ‘waterless place’) is a vast, arid region and stretches across northern China and southern Mongolia. You probably know if for its sand dunes and camels. It’s even said that the the Khongoryn Els sand dunes in the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park sing when the wind blows. The Flaming Cliffs are another famous site, where dinosaur fossils have been found.
The breathtaking Altai Mountains form a huge part of the stunning scenery of the Western part of the country and play a key role in the second half of the tour. This is the land that nomadic families have called home for thousands of years up to today.
Eagle Hunting (´berkutchi´) has played a significant role in day to day life and is still a key element in the national culture. We will stay with these families and join them in the hills and creeks to create stunning photos of this spectacular tradition.
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is located on the Western most point of Mongolia in Bayan-Ulgii Province. This vast, mountainous park borders China and Russia with views of Kazakhstan from the highest peak in Mongolia.
Road trip adventure
Mongolia is a huge country. This means that there will be long periods spent in our vehicles getting from one location to the next. Roads are mostly unpaved, where there are roads at all.
This is really a big part of the adventure. With our vehicles, we’re able to drive through the mountains and cross rivers. It will be an experience unlike anything. We’ll be far away from the civilized world, driving through scenery that constantly changes. There will be plenty of photo opportunities along the way. Due to the rough terrain, it may happen that we experience a vehicle breakdown. Our experienced drivers are usually able to fix this quickly--but you can take advantage by walking around and shooting more photos.
Trip highlights
What you can expect from this trip
- Ulaanbaatar
- Drive to Dalanzadgad city in the Gobi desert
- Drive to Khongor sand dunes of the Gobi desert
- Gobi Desert
- Drive to UB from Gobi
- Fly to Western Mongolia
- Eagle photography and drive to Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
- Early morning shooting Altai mountains
- Drive to Altai Tavan Bogd. Khoton Khurgan lakes.
- Photography with eagle hunter in this region
- Drive back to Olgiy
- Departure to Ulaanbaatar
- Departure from Ulaanbaatar
See full itinerary here
Day 1 –
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar means ‘Red Hero’, and this bustling city on the bank of Tuul River is the capital city of Mongolia. It is growing quickly and developing in many versatile ways, but in contrast to its modern flair, it has kept its historical and cultural feel as well as its monastery temples and other buildings of historical value.
Today we meet the members of the team in Ulaanbaatar and will have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants! Our guide and drivers will meet everyone and will pick them up from UB airport, transfer to the hotel and meet with others at the restaurant.
Day 2 –
Drive to Dalanzadgad city in the Gobi desert
During this 5 to 6 hour drive to the main city in Umnugobi province, we will witness the landscape change. We will stop along the way at nice places to get our first landscape shots before arriving at the hotel in Dalanzadgad city.
Day 3 –
Drive to Khongor sand dunes of the Gobi desert
Sunrise session at Khongor sand dunes, which stretch for over 170km in length. The Khongor sand dunes area is the most beautiful--and one of the largest--sandy areas of Mongolia. Camels and the camel herder will be waiting for us for a portrait session and model shoot in the dunes.
Accommodation
Where do we stay?
We’ll stay in a nice hotel in UlaanBaatar. In Olgii, we stay in bit more basic hotel, but still the best in town. The hotel in Olgii has private shower in each room, electricity, wifi, and a private toilet.
During the Gobi desert part of our trip, we will stay in heated Ger tents, sleeping in beds. Women sleep in one Ger, men in the other Ger. There is electricity in every tent in Gobi, and in there is a kitchen in the Flaming Cliffs area. Facilities are camp-style, outside in a sheltered normal toilet. Some camps have modern toilet facilities outside, some have a basic hole in the ground with shelter around.
Dining happens in a separate Ger tent. There is no WiFi for the Gobi part of the trip, but slow cellular internet connection is partially available. There’s a possibility to buy a local SIM card fairly inexpensively prior to the start of the trip. There are no hotels in Gobi, only nice Ger camps . This experience might be a bit out of your comfort zone, but the amazing unspoiled nature around will definitely make up for it!
Please note that we will bring an amazing cook for this trip. Even vegetarian options are available. It’s hard to get veggies in Mongolia, but you can be sure that we will take care of good food during this trip. For example, for breakfast we may have eggs, toast with nutella, sausages, juice, coffee etc. For lunch and dinner, we may have salads, nice soup and meat/pasta/rice.
Included
- Fully loaded program of photography practice, with personalized help based on your needs and interests
- One dedicated, experienced instructor who has your photos as his top priority
- Snacks / Water during the day
- Sharing twin accommodation in hotels where available
- Ger camp /All accommodations
- All transportation: 4 Domestic flights and ground transport by Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 people per car
- Drivers
- Fuel
- Guides and Tour leader services
- National park fees
- Meals
- Chef’s services
- Private Eagle hunting mini festival, Eagle hunting activity – all stages and model fees
Additionally, we will prepare an electric cord line and power generators for remote places with no electricity.
Not included
- Your flights to and from Mongolia
- Medical insurance
- Alcoholic beverages
- Visas (but we will prepare all needed documents for your visa – invitations, supporting letters, etc.)
Your instructor
Osan Altun
Altun PhotographyLanguage: Anglais, Français
Osan left his corporate career in 2013 to follow his passion of photography. After graduating from New York Film Academy, he founded Swiss Photo Club to share his passion and create a community.
He is specialised in Studio, Portraits, Events, Wedding and landscape photography. He is also a certified Adobe Photoshop instructor.
Osan continuously strives to create a personal connection with his subjects, to add that personal spark to each photo. His teaching style is crisp, to the point, and focused on getting the participant practice what she/he learned.
