Planning Our Independent Trek In Mongolia

There are a lot of things going into our next trip through Mongolia, Russia, Central Asia & Iran. Perhaps no part of this journey am I more excited for, than the 5-8 day expedition we’re planning in Mongolia! We plan to trek from the Chuluut River, in the Archangai Province of Central Mongolia, all the way up to Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur, fishing and camping along the way.

We’ve had to start a whole new kind of research for this type of travel – ultra lightweight, self-sustainable trekking. We’re in the process of purchasing new bags that will actually be considerably smaller than our current backpacks. We’re ordering an Osprey Farpoint 55L bag for myself, and an Osprey Kestrel 32L bag for Dariece.

My bag will be 15L smaller than my current bag (Deuter Traveller 70L), while Dariece’s will be nearly half the size of her current MEC 65L bag.

On top of purchasing new bags, we’ve also loaded up on new gear including a lightweight tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, cookware, camp pillows and more. We’ll be ordering Mountain House Dehydrated Meals as well to sustain us during the trek.

I’ve also purchased all new fly fishing gear here in China and I’m stoked to get back into this amazing sport. There are plenty of HUGE fish in Mongolia, some reaching 190 lbs!

Our packing style has completely changed from our last trip and evolved into a new, ultra-light style that I think will suit us better on future trips. A 70L bag is simply TOO BIG for just about any trip.

When we finish purchasing all of our new gear, we will post an intensive packing list and gear reviews for all of the items we buy. This will be the ideal list for people who are going on similar multi-day treks. I spent hours and hours researching each product, so I’ll be able to save readers time and money by posting what I’ve learned right here on Goats On The Road!

As For The Trek:

The plan thus far (always liable to change) is to go to Tsetserleg and spend a couple of nights  there just acclimatizing and getting ready for our trek. Then we’ll catch a ride over to Chuluut town where we will begin the hike. We plan on following the Chuluut River and then connecting up with the Tsuman River before hitting the lake and travelling around there for a bit. The total trek will be around 95 kms and we anticipate it taking at least 6 days, taking our time and fishing along the way.

View Trek Along The Chuluut River in a larger map

There will be plenty of nomadic people living in Yurts along the river and we’re hoping to be able to meet some Mongolians and maybe sample some strange Mongolian food along the way.

If this trek goes well then it will open up an entire new window of possibilities for us and our travel style! We absolutely love the outdoors so we may just start finding off the beaten path treks like this and explaining how they can be done independently and on a budget.

We haven’t found any information about people doing this trek in Lonely Planet or anywhere online. We’ve just scouted out a route using google maps and we’ve gained some valuable insight from Cam over at Mongolia-Travel-Advice.

We’ve only got 2 months left before our trip, and the excitement is building rapidly! After 2 trips, lasting over a year-long each, we’ve come to appreciate the joys and the pressures of the planning process and are loving the time spent figuring everything out.

This trek is sure to be an epic one and we’ll be posting everything about it after we’re done so stay tuned!

Mongolia, Central Asia & Iran: To-Do List

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