Khogno Khan National Park

On day three, our itinerary was to leave Ulaanbaatar and head out to the Mongolian Steppe. Andrew’s excitement mounted because we had arranged for him to ride a camel at the Little Gobi in the Khogno Khan National Park.

Nymka and Togo stopped to quickly purchase supplies before we left Ulaanbaatar. We promised to stay in the van like good little foreigners but Andrew, being 100% kid, decided he needed the restroom. I did not expect to walk into a Sam’s/Cosco style warehouse!

The Khogno Khan National Park

The Khongno Khan is a protected national park area. It is a beautiful combination of sand, steppe, pines, and mountains. It is located in the Bulgan province of Mongolia.

In this area, the steppe and taiga ecosystems meet and the science teacher in me was interested in how the two would mix. A taiga ecosystem is similar to our boreal pine forests, while the steppe is a biome of grassland. True enough, tall pines dotted the hills and in other areas the steppe made way to grazing animals.

Our van pulled up to our ger for the evening. We tossed our stuff inside and headed out to see what kind of animals we could find. The homeschool mom in me took over and we started tracking animals by track and scat. Can you guess what left this pile of scat?

At this point there were no grazing animals to be found but we did find this foot print.

Andrew quickly pointed out that the two could not be from the same animal, because the size of the scat and track were not proportionate. As we moved from the wetland area and into the steppe, we found the scat culprits.

Khongo Khan Camels!

I am not sure who was more excited, Andrew or me! I love camels and I find that they have incredible personalities and facial expressions. Bactrian camels are large and have two humps which are full of fat. Close to a thousand wild Bactrian camels still live in the Gobi Desert.

Camel Spit

Any camel can spit at a moments notice and when you least expect it. However, I think it is called spit to make the victim feel better when they discover themselves in the line of an explosive camel payload. In actuality, camel spit is more like vomit than because the contents come up from the stomach. Ewwww! We decided that this camel (below) would spit and then laugh. He does look rather pleased with himself.

About this time, we saw a lone rider approaching who turned out to be the head of our host family. The sun was getting lower and the temperature was dropping quickly. It was time to grab some dinner, our jackets, and ride into the sunset on a camel.

Mounting Camels

It takes awhile to get a camel caravan ready so we helped out when possible and laughed our way through our mistakes. Andrew came prepared with printed instructions about ‘How to Ride a Camel‘. Our host was rather amused.

The directions explaining how a camel stands up was right on. The camel sits on the ground with legs folded. You grab the hump and sling your leg between the fatty humps, and settle in the softness. That’s the easy part. Then the camel stands up with the back legs first, throwing the rider forward, and as the front legs straighten to a standing position, the rider rolls backwards. I was grateful for both camel humps as I watched Andrew face plant into the first hump. I am rather certain that the back hump was the only saving grace that kept him mounted on the camel.

The directions Andrew printed specifically instructs the rider to not fight the balance of gravity. I don’t think you can do anything else, because when that camel gets up, you are going to move in whatever direction the camel decides. You can’t do anything but hang on and hope your camera stays around your neck.

Our Camel Trek

It is comfortable sitting on a camel because the hair is so thick and cushy. The camel’s hooves are wide and perfect for walking in the sand. Their gait makes you rock gently forwards and then backwards, as opposed to a sideways motion. Andrew and I both agree that camels are more comfortable than sitting on a horse.

Camel trekking, like the sunset, is slow and steady. The temperature dropped as darkness settled. It surprised Andrew that a desert could get so cold.

Tired and cold after our camel ride, we were ready for a cozy, snug evening. Andrew curled up by the stove with his book while the adults passed around the communal vodka cup, told stories, laughed, and planned our next day. We were looking forward to seeing more of the Khongo Khan National Park.

While drifting off to sleep, out on the steppe, the animals were softly lowing. It is these travel moments that I cherish the most.

Have you read Life in the Ger, Mongolia or The Spirit of the Mongolian Horse? These are just a few posts about our Mongolian homeschooling travel adventures!

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