Mount Khuiten - Mongolia
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at the group hotel in Ulaanbaatar. A single group transfer is provided. KE Land Only package services begin with lunch and an afternoon sightseeing tour of the city on foot.
Day 2: Today, we will have a short transfer and an introductory hike through forest to the top of Mount Tsetseguun (2256m) in the nearby Bogd Khan National Park. After this scenic walk, we return to the group hotel in Ulaanbaatar.
Day 3: Flying west to Olgii, we then drive to the roadhead which takes most of the day, including time to visit and take tea with Kazakh herders en route. We set up our first camp of the trip.
Day 4: During breakfast our camel drivers load their animals and then we set off on the morning's trek to our basecamp which is situated beside the Potaniin Glacier at an elevation of 3095 metres.
Day 5: We have an early start for the long and straightforward trek across open moorland and scree to the summit of Malchin. We have great views of Khuiten today, before returning to basecamp in the late afternoon.
Day 6: We will have a rest day prior to making our attempt on the next 2 peaks. A good opportunity to do some glacier skills work on the nearby Potaniin Glacier.
Day 7: Today, we make our approach to our high camp on the Potaniin Glacier at an elevation of 3775 metres. This involves roped trekking across the glacier, carrying all personal equipment.
Day 8: We have an early 'alpine' start for the ascent of Khuiten (4374m) across open snow slopes and ridges. We return to our high camp after a long day.
Day 9: We have another early start ahead of our straightforward ascent to the summit of Nairandal, at the junction of Russia, China and Mongolia. Returning to high camp in the early afternoon, we trek out to basecamp.
Day 10: We spend the morning admiring the views and breaking camp, then we make the short hike out to the roadhead and our final camp of the trip.
Day 11: Drive back to Olgii, again taking the opportunity en route to stop and take tea with nomadic Kazakh herders at their camps. Arriving in Olgii, we check in at a fixed Yurt Camp.
Day 12: Depending on flight times, we may be able to look around this Kazakh town before transferring to the airport and flying back to Ulaanbaatar. Check in to the group hotel.
Day 13: We drive to Terelj National Park for some great optional day hiking, horse riding and another night at a fixed camp, where we sleep in a traditional yurt or ger.
Day 14: In the morning we have time to explore more of the park, before returning to Ulaanbaatar to spend some free time in the city. In the evening we will attend a cultural show before a final dinner.
Day 15: KE Land Only package services end with breakfast at the hotel. A single group transfer to Ulaanbaatar Airport is provided in the early morning.
Altitude
This holiday involves going to high altitude. During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 3500 metres. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude.
