2008: Total Solar Eclipse in Mongolia

Dartmouth College, Columbia University, MIT Travel, Harvard Museum of Natural History, University of Southern California, Vassar College

July 24 - August 03, 2008

This trip took place in July/August 2008.

Itinerary

Day 1: USA

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Depart the USA for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Day 2: ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA

Friday, July 25, 2008

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and proceed to our centrally located, comfortable hotel.

Accommodation: ULAANBAATAR HOTEL

Day 3: ULAANBAATAR

Saturday, July 26, 2008

The tour of the city includes Gandantegchinlen Monastery, the largest in Mongolia; the splendid dinosaur exhibits in the Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of Mongolian History for an introduction to this colorful culture. Enjoy a traditional Mongolian folklore performance.

Accommodation: ULAANBAATAR HOTEL

Day 4: ULAANBAATAR - GOBI DESERT

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Today, we fly to the Gobi Desert, one of the most famous and exotic areas in the world, with a rich history of adventurers and explorers. The desert is home to khulan (wild asses), rare Saiga antelopes, untamed takhi horses, the world's only desert bear (the Gobi bear), ibex, snow leopard, wolves, exotic and shaggy-necked Bactrians (two-humped camels) and gazelles.

Upon arrival, transfer to our base camp. Visit the Yol Valley National Park and experience the stunning landscape, the Gobi Glacier and intriguing wildlife. Yol (Lammergeier) Valley features a spectacular narrow river canyon. A small museum marks the entrance to the canyon and provides information on the petrified tress, fauna and flora of the Gobi. After dinner at our base camp, we visit a local family that breeds camels.

Accommodation: NEW TOVSHIN GER CAMP

Day 5: GOBI DESERT

Monday, July 28, 2008

After breakfast, we drive to the Hongor Sand Dunes, the largest accumulation of sand in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. The dunes stretch for over a hundred miles and rise abruptly from the plain to reach an imposing 600 feet in height. They are called “singing sands” by locals as they produce various sounds when the wind is blowing. We enjoy hiking, trekking and sliding in the dunes before returning to our base camp for dinner.

Accommodation: NEW TOVSHIN GER CAMP

Day 6: GOBI DESERT

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Today features an excursion to the “Flaming Cliffs" of Bayan Zag, and the Gobi Cemetery of Dinosaurs. The Gobi desert is a dreamscape for paleontologists and we follow the trail of Roy Chapman Andrews, an American explorer who led a series of expeditions in the area and discovered the first-known fossil dinosaur eggs. Petrified forests, remains of mammals and in particular the skeleton of a hornless rhinoceros, the largest known mammal in the world, are also found here.

Accommodation: NEW TOVSHIN GER CAMP

Day 7: GOBI DESERT – ULAANBAATAR

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

After breakfast, we fly back to Ulaanbaatar. Today’s visit is to the Bogdo Khaan Winter Palace Museum, home of the last Mongolian king. The Palace contains the private collection of Bogdo Khaan, composed of gifts from rulers and kings from all over the world. The artworks displayed here were made by top Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese master-sculptors of the 18th and 19th centuries and represent the gods of the Buddhist pantheon. The rest afternoon is free for individual sightseeing and shopping.

Accommodation: ULAANBAATAR HOTEL

Day 8: ULAANBAATAR - WESTERN MONGOLIA

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Fly to Western Mongolia and drive into the Altay mountains to our camp, located on the centerline of the eclipse path.

Accommodation: PRIVATE GER CAMP

Day 9: ECLIPSE DAY!

Friday, August 01, 2008

This afternoon, observe the total solar eclipse.

Accommodation: PRIVATE GER CAMP

Day 10: WESTERN MONGOLIA - ULAANBAATAR

Saturday, August 02, 2008

This morning transfer to the airport for a flight to Ulaanbaatar where we rest at the hotel. This evening fly to the USA, via Seoul, Korea, or join the extension to Bayangobi and Karakorum.