VOLUNTEERING IN MONGOLIA

We offer you an amazing opportunity for traveling in Mongolia, a stunningly beautiful country which is rich in history and rightly described as the ‘untouched jewel of Central Asia’. Mongolia has an almost mystical feel about it which is due in part to its nomadic culture, striking natural beauty and totally unique way of life. The program will last 3 weeks and costs only 700US$. Check out some of the things you will be doing during your time in Mongolia, where there are fewer than 3 million people in a country over 6 times the size of the UK. (Outside of the capital that’s nearly 1 person per km²!). You will experience 7 days of incomparable natural beauty and a life of utter peace, far from the cities and the crowds of people. You will live with a nomadic family, eating with them and staying overnight in a traditional nomadic dwelling ‘Ger’ (circular tent-like shelter).

Arrival. In Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero)
You will fly to Ulaanbaatar and be met at the airport. In first 2 days you will spend your dates in capital Ulaanbaatar city. First Day. Happy city tour!!! Chinggis Khaan’s Grand monument, take the photo with him. Gandantegchilen - the Main Monastery (28 m high Megjid Janraisag sculpture), Winter Palace of Mongolian Last King (he was Tibetan, but Mongolian king), Museum of National History, Choijin Lama Temple Museum.
Second day. Mongol Costume Museum, Mongol games museum, next visit is Mongolian biggest Ger restaurant “Zaisan Urguu” of “Bogd Khaan” Resorts near the Ulaanbaatar. In the evening, enjoy Mongolian fashion “Silk” show in Golomt complex. There you will see Mongolia beauty girls. In the night to interest Mongolian modern Disco club “F-Lux”. Overnight at our guesthouse “Youth Mongolia”.

Week 1. Your new home and orientation
Our program coordinators will meet you at our guesthouse and take you to the Mongolian northernmost provincial centre ‘Murun’. It is where you will be based for the volunteering 3 weeks. Here you will start a one-week orientation, which includes visits to local markets, temples, caves, Mongolian language lessons, cooking classes and sightseeing around Murun.

Week 2-3. With nomads’ children
Teaching in a local rural school. You can assist teachers to teach English in rural primary and secondary schools.

Week 4 Your adventure tour will start.
Option A: Visit Mongolian most popular Eco Tour zone.
Traveling in the Khuvsgul Lake’s National Park. It provides you with opportunity to see a very beautiful nature spirit & scenes and, meet with nomads’ people, interaction with their daily living activities (optional) and the additional programs: horse riding in mountain ranges, swimming, fishing and visit reindeer herders’ family.

Option B: Horseback tour in black forests
An adventure tour to valley of Darkhad for enjoyable fishing, hiking, horseback tour and photo safari. Horse back tour.

Option C: Nomadic home stay vocation
Maybe you want to ask for us that why we chose this place. In this untouched land, you will travel through forest-steppe and all of these areas possess Torrent Rivers meandering among forested mountains and valleys. The mountain range is colorful and picturesque, and the views from the peak are spectacular. So many wild berries grow there, that it looks like a carpet to the north. This province is very rich in its species of animals such as deer, wild boar, roe, wolf, fox and many more! Visit to Nomads Family. Interaction with local nomads. Participate in the nomads’ daily chores - Early morning, wake up early to drive a herd of horses to the family farm and catch foals to tie at the tethering-line. Prepare wood from a nearby mountain for the family’s household use and transport it to the family with yak / ox drawn cart. Milk the local yaks and cows. According to Mongolian tradition, the women do the milking of the goats, cows and horses whilst the men hunt for marmot – Get involved as you chose! In the evening, there will be a time to get involved around an outside fire. You also taste traditional Mongolian vodka. It is fermented with cow’s milk according to the special nomadic technology! A must if you like the odd alcoholic beverage or two!’ You will be treated to a traditional picnic lunch called ‘Khorkhog’.
The next surprise is that you will go mountaineering to pick wild fruit. There’ll be plenty of time to appreciate the beauty of the natural landscape and all of the surroundings of the local mountainous region.
This holiday will be an adventure you’ll never forget and never experience anywhere else! We can not to write whole things. I promise you. You never forget your days with nomads in your urban life.

Depature.
After come back from Khuvsgul province you will stay in our guesthouse 2 days.

Some words about our program

Lake Khuvsgul and Shamanism
Khuvsgul Lake is one of the northernmost parts of Mongolia and is recent years has cemented its position as one of the most popular tourist sites in the country. Khuvsgul is the largest and deepest like in Mongolia and it is largest tributary to Lake Baikal over the border in Russia. The lake is frozen through winter not only can it be traversed by car, but annual ace festivals are held on it every year. Khuvsgul’s popularity stems from its classic natural beauty and the spiritual forces that bind the local peoples to it. Several different ethnic groups live within the park: Khalkh Mongols, Buiat, Tsaatan and Darkhad. A small number of Tsaatan families live in the taiga forest north of the lake where they continue to live their ancestral culture based on Shaman rituals and nomadic reindeer herding.

About your teaching place.
This place is secondary school of Mongolia and located in Murun small town. Before, this school have two American teachers who came from USA by Peace Corpration. Your gap will live with a teachers family, who is derictor of this school.

Programme start dates
This programme starts from Apr. to Jun., second period from Sep. to Nov. (except from Jul. to Sep. - due to the school holidays). You have two choosing for getting to Murun. You will fly into Murun airport. This is a small size airport. You will be personally met at the airport on arrival by our coordinator who will transfer you to the school III in Murun. Also, you could catch shuttle van from UB to Murun.
(Summer time is vacation of secondary schools) Because of it, we would like to offer another volunteer program for example: language course & etc. during summer time. (From July to September)
We prefer that local people than urban people, countryside who they need English, because in countryside English teacher is not enough for children. But secondary schools are held in winter time in Mongolia. (From Sep. to Jul.) Winter time is very cold. About 25 centigrade below zero.

Training
You will have one months training and orientation in order for you to feel confident to teach and have a good understanding of Mongolian life. The introduction days is arranged on the Murun school.
Also it means that you will be among Mongolian pupils who want to become teachers so it is a good opportunity to make friends with Mongolian pupils who speak English. These new friends that you make will be keen to show you the local area and get you involved in the activities both in and out of school.

Accommodation:
The Mongolian yurt, called a ger, is ideally suited to the country’s sharply continental climate and the people’s nomadic way of life. This is a multipurpose dwelling which can be easily collapsed and put up again fully preserving its original shape. The yurt appeared centuries ago.

Interior of ‘Ger’, the Mongolian traditional dwelling (tent like shelter)

Meals
It is generally thought that the Mongols eat nothing but meat. In the ceties meat consumpsion is practically on the same level throughout the year; in the countryside dairy products, so called white foods area mainly consumed in summer, white meat only appears on the table with the onset of cold season. In the countryside food is cooked once a day. In the morning and afternoon people drink milk tea with boortsog-butter biscuits fried in oil, and eat meat boiled the night before. Most of the time it is boiled meat and broth to which noodles, rice or other groats are added to taste. It would be hard to list all the dishes prepared from milk of the five different domestic animals. There are all kinds of sour milk, curds and cheese which are eaten separately or in dishes made with them which have their specific names. The same dishes prepared from the milk of different animals differ from each other. Preference is usaully given to cow’s milk.

Other information:

Currency:
Mongolian currency is Tugrug (MNT), this is also called Mungu. At the time of writing the exchange rate is approx 1164 Tugrug to 1$US.

Internet Access:
There is Internet access not available at the school. There are only one small internet cafe in the town. For 1 hour it will cost you 600 Tugrug.

Mobile Phones:
Your own mobile handset should work in Mongolia – however you should check this with your provider. It is cheaper to buy a SIM card when you. You can buy telephone cards for international phoning.

Electrical Current:
Electrical current in Mongolia is 220v. You will need to take an adaptor with you to use electrical appliances. You can get these at the airport prior to departure.

Banking:
Visa cards are accepted.

PRIVATE PACKAGE TOURS:

Travel Guide

Group Scheduled tours

Small group tours

Additional services