VISIT THE TSAATAN REINDEER HERDERS
A journey into the Taiga is an incredible experience in itself, but staying with a Tsaatan family, deep in the heart of it, is truly special. Living in remote camps, reachable only on horseback for the majority of the year, a trip to stay with northern Mongolia’s reindeer herders takes planning and preparation. It’s also important to respect the wishes of this small community when it comes to tourism in the region, organising your trip in a way that will directly benefit the Tsaatan themselves, not an outside tour operator.
Here we’ve gathered all the information you need to plan and book your own adventure to the Taiga and a stay with the Tsaatan.
Hello, I wanted to reach out to you before reaching out to Zaya. I am currently in my junior year of high school and I am exploring cultural learning opportunities overseas to possibly pursue in the summer of 2021. As I read through your blog I think of my ideal trip to the Taiga, I would like to spend upwards of 3 weeks there learning about how life works in such a remote area of the world and experience that style for myself. I am of curious what you did during your stay, How was the communication? Was the community… Read more »
Hi Benjamin, we certainly heard about some other people staying with the community for extended periods of time, so I imagine it is possible. It is best to liase with Zaya, discuss options, and agree a plan together with her on behalf of the community. In terms of what you can do, life mostly just revolves around daily chores like baking bread, milking reindeer, preparing food, foraging, fishing, things like this. It’s less about you being shown what, when and how to do things, and more about just getting stuck in and learning by doing. Communication in English is certainly… Read more »
You are absolutely AWESOME! Thank you for the post, it provides a good start for my dream trip!
Thank you! Hope you can make the trip happen, let us know how you get on! Cheers, Kim
Thanks so much for this blog post. It has been completely invaluable to planning our trip to the Taiga.
That’s so wonderful to hear, thank you! When are you heading to the Taiga?
We just got back and it was AMAZING!!!
Ahh, so glad to hear!! It’s such a special place, people and experience. A trip to stick in the memory for a long time I’m sure…
Hi!, I am planning a trip to the Tsaatan People this coming winter. I have been speaking to a travel agency called Blue Mongolia. Do you know anything about them? I tried to Reach Zaya but have not had any luck. Best Regards!
Hi Svante! Nope, we haven’t heard of them, so sorry we can’t tell you anything more! You may still get a reply from Zaya, I know we waited about a week before she emailed back, but it could be longer. That’ll be interesting to visit in Winter! Let us know how you get on. Cheers, Kim
Hello. My name is Anuka who lives in Tsagaannuur which is located in North mongolia. I worked by English guide since 2013. If you need any help please contact. Anukamongolia@gmail.com