I have just finished a spell in Mongolia and, from internet research, decided to book a 12 day Gobi trip through Ger to Ger, an organisation offering trips to various parts of the country, based on camping beside the family gers of nomadic herders, experiencing their way of life, and traveling from one ger to the next, guided by a family member, on various forms of transport including on foot, horseback, horsecart, camelcart etc. It seemed it would be an interesting and varied way to experience nomadic life, rather than whizzing through in a jeep and staying in tourist camps.
In many ways it was a fantastic experience and my friend and I had some unique experiences such as finding oursleves at a Mongolian ger wedding, in addition to the expected camel-milking and playing shagai. Spending time with the herders in their gers was a privilege and they were extremely hospitable.
HOWEVER... if you are planning to do a trip with Ger to Ger (and I would recommend them, in many ways), think carefully about how long you want to travel, what great you need and ask many questions before you sign up. I have been travelling independently for years and rarely take tours - when I do, I half expect that a lot of what is promised won't materialise and I am flexible on this. Given that Ger to Ger has won ecotourism awards and has the backing of a Swiss Ngo and Save the Children charity, my expectations on this trip were higher, though and I believed what I was told! The reality was that:
- The itinerary we were given details many activities we would get a chance to try and to learn and the majority of these did not actually take place. For example, learning traditional woodcarving skills, learning how to make dairy products, trekking from one ger to another for 15km... the first two never happened and insetad of the trek, which we were keen to do, the family tried to make us go by jeep as it would save time! There were many other examples.
- Timing - in the orientation session you will be told that timings are flexible - this is absolutely fine and to be expected. However, do push for a vague schedule of when you may need to be ready to leave and how long you may have at lunch stops. We found ourselves often sitting around waiting for departure, with no idea if it would be in 10 minutes or 3 hours, and therefore unable to utilise the time to go for a walk etc. Because of the communication difficulties, we could not get info on this once the trip was underway, and pointing at watches, writing times down on paper and questioning gestures failed to help! There were places where it would have been great to go for a walk for an hour or so and we missed many such chances. Also, on the days when we were traveling with jeep and driver, as part of the trip, we were keen to leave at a reasonable time to maximise the time we would enjoy at the days focus, such as cliffs or rock formations - some dasy we were left waiting till midday before the driver collected us, leaving us with only 20 minutes at what was the main highlight of the day, with the rest of the day being spent sitting waiting and then sitting in the jeep.
These difficulties meant that after a few days we were very frustrated and fairly disillusioned with what we had expected to be a really good trip. - Quality of rental equipment: the tents used are unsuitable for camping on sand and also are in poor repair - if you can bring your own, do, and if not at least pick up some big sand pegs- if not, in the Gobi, you are likely to lose pegs in the sand overnuight as the sands move and end up with barely enough to pitch your tent! Also for a trip in September or later, the weight of the sleeping bags is inadequate for the night temperatures - again bring your own, or buy one from the State Dept Store. The camp mats we rented were thermarest-style, but with punctures - bring your own!
If I were doing it again, I would opt for a shorter 3 -4 day Ger to Ger trip, just to be able to enjoy the nomadic ger experience, and I would spend the rest of my time on one of the many varied jeep tours running out of the main guesthouses in UB. This kind of jeep tour was exactly what I was avoiding, in booking ger to Ger, but in retrospect, I think they would have offered a good way to see a lot, in addition to a shorter tour allowing me to see a little in more depth, with Ger to Ger.
Again, I advise that if you are thinking of doing a trip with Ger to Ger, seek clarification on the itinerary and rough timings and what you will definitely get to see and do.
