GER to GER Mongolia’s
Cultural Experiences

GER to GER CLIENT REVIEW – JUNE 21, 2019

Let me start off by saying that I’m glad I made this trip. This was what I wanted when I got to Mongolia. First I went on a tour with a guesthouse, which was fine, but it was a lot of driving around, seeing big sites and areas – but it wasn’t riding on horseback! Ger to Ger presents the opportunity of actually riding/trekking from and to each nomad family, -with- nomads. I loved it.

As a solo traveller, I was going alone. I didn’t speak the language, and neither did they speak English. While this provided ample opportunity to meditate on the gorgeous plains, hills and mountains surrounding us, I worried that I might get restless and bored when I couldn’t talk with anyone. But, as it turns out, Mongolian hospitality is extremely accommodating. They won’t stop feeding you and curiously peer over your items and try to talk to you until you go away. And this is another aspect of the nomad culture I really like: If you want to be left alone, you will be left alone. Family members come and go into the ger without greater fuss, and especially before and after meals. So it’s no big deal if you do the same.

I had the most fun when I was out with a nomad guide riding to the next ger. With a phrasebook and a bit of body language, you can get really far, in spite of much confusion and delayed comprehension on my part! I had fun trying to learn and memorize new words, especially with Mr. Byambaochar, who, with some success, drilled Mongolian Ger vocabulary into my brain. I was also glad that I got to ride my horse by myself, and not be towed by the nomad, or having to follow close in his heels. I even managed a bit of galloping at the end, when I was comfortable enough with the terrain.

The tour followed the itinerary on a broad scale and with the biggest sites, but it clearly got modulated. A few things went down differently, and I had a lot of other interesting experiences which wasn’t part of the itinerary.

For example, I saw a “Worship of the Fire” ritual with my second family, where two buddhist monks entered and commenced a lengthy ceremony with the gathered families, all of them gathering in the Ger I was supposed to sleep in! I was almost falling asleep during the ritual (Buddhist droning + a day of horseback riding = lullaby), much to the families’ amusement. I found it pretty hilarious as well – after I got that craved sleep, that is. One of the monks couldn’t keep up with the rituals and had a bit of trouble with his eye-veil, drum, and well, practically everything, which also caused no small amount of ill-concealed snickers and giggles. Truly, a unique and fun experience!

This wasn’t part of the itinerary, by the way. This was just something that ‘happened’ to occur as I got there. Very interesting!

So, all in all, a very nice trip, considerably cheaper than my first one, more physically challenging (which was what I wanted) and it’s giving back to the communities that guide you, to boot. I highly recommend this as a in-depth experience of Mongolian nomadic culture. And if you learn the language before-hand, or get some basic understanding of it, oh boy, you’re going to have a fun time

GER to GER CLIENT REVIEW – DECEMBER 2019

My thoughts on my Mongolian home stays organized through Ger to Ger.

First off, I must say this was one of the most unique, wonderful experiences I’ve had traveling. I spent 5 days/4 nights with four different families in the Terelj National Park area, and then traveled down to Dundgovi and spent 4 days/3 nights with three different families in that part of the Gobi Desert. In Terelj, I was a solo traveler, no one else was signed up for this trip, so I went alone.

During my days near Terelj, I crossed wide green valleys, and forded rushing rivers on horseback, climbed to hilltops and contemplated the vast quiet beauty of the country. I learned to make cheese, milked cows, and even got to bottle feed an adorable baby cashmere goat. I helped prepare meals, prep fresh cheese for drying, and churned yogurt. I played with some of the most darling, engaging children in the world, and practiced my Mongolian, which was laughable to start, but slowly improved with the help of my families and the wonderful guide and phrase book put together by the Ger to Ger staff. I felt so safe and well taken care of by my families, who were such gracious hosts, and so generous with all they had. My comfort was their upmost concern, and they could not stop feeding me! (That was the first phrase I mastered… “Bi tsat san” translation “I am full”). I had my own private ger (yurt) each night, all very comfortable. At night, after some amazing star gazing, I would lay on my bed writing in my journal and fall asleep listen to the rhythmic munching of cattle or horses as they moved about freely, grazing outside my ger.

In the Gobi region, I traveled by public bus, which was very comfortable, and then by jeep over a vast expanse of undulating semi-arid desert. Green with grass, as it had just rained a lot the week before. On this trip I had two other people traveling with me; a couple from Switzerland, who turned out to be just the most wonderful people and excellent traveling companions. We learned to milk goats, rode camels and horses, helped the boys bring in the goats for milking time, and in one of the homes helped prepare the meals and make cheese. We played with the children, tug of war and “Shagai” a game played with sheep ankle bones. (A fun game that can go on for hours…) One of our hosts took us for a hike into the rock formations of Baga Gazarin Chuluu where we climbed among the rocks, took in the views and explored a small cave.

Nothing on either trip was very physically strenuous, what is needed is great patience and flexibility. You needed to be able to “go with the flow” as they say… As Ger to Ger states in their trip descriptions, the home stays are not “guided tours”, the families are bringing you in as a guest, but they are not there to entertain you or take you around to “see the sights”. My main purpose of this trip was to spend time with nomadic Mongolian families. They are busy with their livestock mornings and evenings, times that I joined them and watched, or helped (I truly wasn’t much help milking – I did a little, they make it look so easy!) but I could haul buckets of milk to the ger and move stools and things like that. Between milking and meals I had a lot of free time to myself; I would go for walks, play with the children, write in my journal, or just sit outside and take it all in. It is a great place to go for contemplation.

Due to heavy rains and flooding, my trip itinerary changed mid-stream, the family I was with had to figure out how to get me to my next stop, plans totally changed, but it was exciting and fun. I just learned to roll with it, the great experiences come in not what was planned, but in the surprise twists – the unexpected. Stay flexible, surrender and you’ll enjoy yourself so much.

If you’re fussy about food and what you eat, this is not a trip for you. The nomadic fare is simple, and most tasted good, I grew to love the suutei tsai (milk tea) and drank the sweetest best goat milk in the world there. I still miss it months later. I think the Arruul (dried curds) are an acquired taste… they are hard, and can be sometimes very tangy! The summer food is mostly dairy, lots of milk, dried meats and rice or noodles. The only scant vegetables you’ll see is potato, carrot and onion. Yet as I said earlier, you will definitely never go hungry!

There are also formalities, protocols and customs within the ger that the Ger to Ger staff teach you about in a 2 hour “orientation” they give you before you go. I felt like the staff prepared me well for heading out alone. Respecting your hosts and their culture is of the upmost importance.

Lastly, the most challenging thing I found on the entire trip was the language. Like I said, Ger to Ger sent me out with a booklet loaded with information and a great phrase book (which all the families are familiar with) and as none of us spoke a common language, a lot of time was spent scanning the book looking for the right word or phrase for what I wanted to say or try to understand. And then trying to pronounce it correctly was another challenge! The Mongolians are not big “gesturers” (like Italians) so waving your arms or trying to gesture something most often resulted in blank stares from your host. It could get exhausting.

So that was a long review! If you’ve made it to the end here I will only say this: That a Ger to Ger trip with nomadic Mongolian families will be an adventure you will never forget. You will meet some of the most beautiful, enduring people you will ever meet, have unique adventures, and find that Mongolia and it’s people will hold a special place in your heart forever…

Oh – one last thing – if you’re a woman, make sure you bring a really good sports bra- the trotting gait of the Mongolian horse is very bouncy!

“For the last 8 years when someone asks me what my favorite country to travel to is, I always answer Mongolia. It won my heart a while ago when I went to the Gobi Desert for 2 weeks and spent time staying with and learning from local Ger families. The culture and the barren landscape was so extremely different from anything I had experienced at that point and I felt as if I had just come across this hidden gem…

Eight years later it’s not as ‘hidden’, but it is still a gem. And to get the most out of it I advise you to rough it and meet and stay with locals as opposed to luxury or semi luxury ger camps and fancy hotels…what fun is that? And it’s certainly not extreme travel!”

“How to go: I have utilized GER to GER on multiple trips I love them so much. It’s not easy travel, you are roughing it, but it is my authentic travel!”

SHERRY OTT – OTTS WORLD (FEMALE EXPLORER)