WT18 catalog single pgs

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FOR MORE DETAILS ON OUR ASIA TRIPS, VISIT 85
On this thrilling “back of beyond” journey, we
explore two of Mongolia’s wildest realms. In
the great Gobi Desert, where our home base
is the award-winning Three Camel Lodge, we
hike to remarkable petroglyph sites, into the
glacier-carved Yol Valley, and sip a sundowner
as we watch a blazing sunset at the legendary
Flaming Cliffs, where the first
dinosaur eggs were found.
In Mongolia’s wild west, we
witness the extraordinary
Golden Eagle Festival
captured in the acclaimed
film The Eagle Huntress.
Kazakh horsemen—
and women—compete with
their magnificent eagles,
releasing them to swoop down from cliffsides.
Breathtaking games of kukbar are played at
a thundering gallop, and we’ll be welcomed
into the gers of Kazakh nomad families.
Days 1-6 Ulaanbaatar / Gobi Desert /
Flaming Cliffs / Three Camel Lodge After
exploring Ulaanbaatar, we fly to the Gobi
Desert, the site of some of the most important
paleontological discoveries of the 20th century.
With overnights at the celebrated Three Camel
Lodge, our hikes bring us to rock art sites and
into the deep Yol Valley, a national park and
habitat of Argali mountain sheep and soaring
lammergeiers. We also explore the Flaming Cliffs,
where in 1923 Dr. Roy Chapman Andrews and
his team from the American Museum of Natural
History found the first nest of dinosaur eggs the
world had ever seen, and we watch the sunset
wash across these legendary cliffs.
Days 7-12 Ulgii / Golden Eagle Festival /
Ulaanbaatar A flight brings us to Ulgii, capital
of Mongolia’s far west. Out in the snow-dusted
High Altai Mountains, we watch the festival’s
opening ceremony, with hunters in traditional
dress parading on horseback with their trained
golden eagles. During the competitions, we can
hike up the hill to watch the birds soar, and
one evening, hunters will visit our camp with
their fantastic birds. Archery and the thrilling
equestrian game of kukbar are part of the
festival’s closing ceremony, and our accommodation
is a traditional ger camp set up just for us
in a beautiful riverside spot. Depart on Day 12
via Ulaanbaatar.
Experience the fascinating world of the Kazakhs, the great nomads of
Central Asia, famed for their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles.
PHOTO: BRUNO MORANDI
BRUNO MORANDI
THE GREAT GOBI DESERT AND GOLDEN EAGLE FESTIVAL
“The festival was
fantastic, the
locations of the
lodging were
beautiful. We were
thrilled to hike to
the petroglyphs
in the Gobi.”
Becky H., Chandler AZ
LISA FILIPPINI
HIGHLIGHTS
• See the epic festival featured in the
acclaimed documentary The Eagle
Huntress
• Watch Kazakh nomads compete on
horseback and hunt with their trained
eagles
• Meet with local Kazakh families in
their gers
• Step right into Kazakh life with an
option to saddle up and ride with local
Kazakh men
• Enjoy the beautiful Three Camel Lodge,
a celebrated ger camp in the heart of
the Gobi
• Sip a sundowner as you view the magical
sunset at the Gobi’s Flaming Cliffs
DETAILS
• 12-day trip begins and ends in
Ulaanbaatar
• 7 nights ger camps, 4 nights hotels
• All meals included except 2 lunches
DATE
Sep 29-Oct 10, 2018
TRIP COST
$6995 (10-15 members)
$7495 (5-9 members)
Single supplement: $1795
Internal airfare: $1250 (subject to change)
TRIP LEVEL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Rugged road travel, walking and light
hiking, cultural adventures