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Five happy children are playing with their father

STAYING IN A NOMADIC FAMILY'S GER CAMP

WHAT IS A NOMADIC FAMILY'S GER CAMP?

Visiting a nomadic family in Mongolia and staying with them can be a profound and enriching experience if done in a responsible and respectful manner. This is a unique opportunity to connect with a different way of life and contribute positively towards the preservation of their culture.

By being a responsible tourist, you can ensure that your visit is beneficial for both you and the nomadic families you encounter. It is important to remember that responsible tourism involves creating meaningful connections, respecting cultural differences, and leaving a positive impact on the places we visit. This experience is particularly suitable for tourists who are seeking an authentic and immersive cultural experience.

If you choose to stay in a nomadic family's ger camp, you will have an excellent chance to experience the traditional nomadic lifestyle. However, please keep in mind that the facilities available to you may be limited in comparison to those of a tourist ger camp. For example, the toilet is a simple outhouse and there is no shower.

MEALS WITH A NOMADS

lots of foods on the plate

Different types of meals offered simultaneously are not customary in Mongolian tradition. There will be one meal at a time – soup or a main dish. You should expect a lot of meat for meals, mostly mutton, beef, and goat. The nomads may serve horse or camel meat if you agree to eat it. Mongolians consume lots of flour products (homemade cookies, pancakes, and bread) and dairy products such as milk, yogurt, milk butter, hard and sour dried curds, salty milk tea (black tea is available), sour fermented mares’ milk, and sometimes vodka. If you have dietary restrictions, please inform us in advance. We will gladly arrange the meals accordingly.

NOMADIC FAMILY'S BATHROOM & WASHING FACILITIES 

You should expect lower levels of privacy and comfort than you may be accustomed to while staying with a nomadic family, including WC, shower, and tap water to wash. Hand and face wash is done using a mobile washstand with a re-fillable small container connected to a small tube.

Mongolians use a water-filled kettle when washing their face and hands. Nomads hand wash clothes in a washing bowl or portable bathtub in heated water. There is usually a pit latrine in the nomad’s relatively permanent residing areas.

Inside of traditional Mongolian ger

ABOUT HOST FAMILY

Middle age ladies are standing in front of Ger

You will find a nomadic host family in all regions and almost at each location. Although we have some requirements when choosing the host family – the family should be authentic nomads who are naturally hospitable and happy to share their experience with our clients. Thus, some of our host families reside away from the main tourist attractions. Near the main tourist attractions, you will find many gers built by local nomadic people, and those guest gers are a good alternative for budget travelers than experience seekers.

You will be one of their many daily visitors, and they tend to refuse to cook meals for you because of their daily chores with animals and the gers. Therefore, if possible, please inform us of your interest in the nomad experience and let us choose a family. The second requirement is sanitary. We have some measures to choose one family above the other family.

THE HOST FAMILY GER & BEDS

The nomad families, we choose for our customers have extra gers in which visitors can stay to enjoy privacy and comfort at night. The gers have 2-4 beds. The nomads wash the bedclothes after each guest visit. However, using freshly washed sleeping bags provided by us is the best option.

3 beds inside of Mongolian ger
Traditional Mongolian door is open

ELECTRICITY & INTERNET WITH NOMADS

Mongolian nomad families do not have 24-hour electricity. However, the majority of nomad families have solar panels or battery devices for light in the evening and possibly watching TV.

Regarding the internet, we advise you to buy an internet data sim card before leaving Ulaanbaatar. 15GB sim card costs approximately 5 to 6 USD (15000 to 20000 MNT)

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