Samar Magic Tours-National Ecovolunteer
Agency
Ecovolunteers
who want to participate in the project are very Welcome!. The project
depends on the help of ecovolunteers, as it is difficult for them to
collect enough data otherwise. You can participate in the activities
mentioned on the previous page. During the research you can enjoy the
beautiful nature of the Mongolian steppe. When you participate in this
project, you will be surprised how much you can learn about nature
by observing very accurately. You may indicate your preferred dates
of arrival and departure yourself, provided that you allow
for a minimum period of participation of 10 - 20 days or of three weeks (21 days) for the Przewalski's horses project in Mongolia... Book Now!
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Introduction |
Przewalski
horses have become extinct in the wild only recently, in the second half
of the twentieth century. Happily, some horses did survive is zoo's.
After careful preparation and breeding the reintroduction of the
Przewalski horses is made in the nineties in several Mongolian
nature reserves. Up till now, only the reintroduction in the
Hustain Nuruu Reserve seems to have been successful.
In Mongolia, in the Hustain Nuruu Reserve there is a unique project for
ecovolunteers who are interested in field work with wild horses.
The main objective of the project is to reintroduce Przewalski
horses in the reserve and to protect the biological diversity
of the Mongolian steppe-ecosystem and the implementation of social-economic
programs.
In the nineties, several harems of horses have already been released in
the reserve after being kept under semi-wild conditions in acclimatization areas.
The released harems are monitored to make sure they adjust to
their new environment and to gain a better insight in their behaviour
as there is very little known about wild Przewalski horses. With
the results of the research, the project hopes to built up successfully a
self-sustaining viable population of the Przewalski horse on the
Mongolian steppe.
Ecovolunteers are invited to participate in this project. It is
an exciting opportunity to live and work with these fascinating
animals, and to learn more about the unique biological diversity
and the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Mongolian steppe.
If you are 18 years or older, speak the English language and are
able to work without assistance, you can support this project
by applying as an ecovolunteer. You can help, for instance, with
tracking down the harems walking and collecting data on their
whereabouts and behaviour. |
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Przewalski
horses |
The Przewalski horse (Equus przewalskii Poliakov) or Takhi as
the Mongolians name them are rather small, sturdy animals with
a short, strong neck. They are sand-coloured all over except
for a dark stripe running along the spine into the dark coloured
tail, covered by light dockhairs. The nose is cream-coloured and
the legs show zebra stripes. Their erect manes and tail are dark
brown. The species was named after the man who rediscovered it
in 1878, Colonel Nicolai Przewalski, is the last remaining wild
horse species in the world. Prehistoric drawings in caves in France
and Spain show that these horses were hunted by primitive humans
over 20,000 years ago. The earliest written reports of Przewalski
horses date from the ninth century and in 1226 a herd of Przewalski
horses is said to have caused Genghis Khan to fall of his horse.
For millennia these horses roamed the steppes of Europe and Asia.
The increasing human population drove the Przewalski horse to
remote areas and eventually they where forced of the steppe into
the Dzungarian Gobi-desert in South-west Mongolia. The harsh living
conditions in the desert reduced the changes of survival and when
the desert was also inhabited by nomads with their domestic horses,
camels, and sheep, the number of Przewalski horses decreased dramatically.
The intensive hunting of Przewalski horses by the Kazachs was
the final blow. The last Takhi was seen in 1969 near Gun Tamga.
In the fifties the German zoologist Erna Mohr started a studbook
of the Przewalski horses and the Dutch Foundation Reserves Przewalski
Horse that was founded in 1977 keeps a detailed database on all
individual captive Przewalski horses that have ever lived. All
groups of horses have already been released in the National Park,
after being kept in acclimatization areas. And now the number
of takhi has reached more than 195 (November 2007). |
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Hustain Nuruu
Reserve |
The steppe zone in Mongolia is located in between the forest zone
/ taiga in the north and the desert zone in the south, with two
intermediary zones in between: the forest-steppe and the semi-desert,
each with its own characteristic species. The steppe (steppe,
prairie, savanne, pampa) originally made up over a quarter of
all natural vegetation area on earth. But only very few of this
area is left, most of it is cultivated for agricultural use. Steppe
is a drought-resistant, treeless, grassy vegetation in semi-arid
areas with an annual precipitation in between 300 and 500 mm.
In Mongolia grass-species belonging to Festuca and Stipa are dominant,
but the steppe does offer very specific growthforms with adaptations
to the dry climate. In spring / summer beautiful flowers like iris,
crocus, tulips etc. show, but this beauty dries out quickly in
the summer. The Hustain Nuruu Reserve (hustai is Mongolian for
birch and nuruu means mountains) measures about 57,000 hectares,
or including the bufferzone 120.000 ha., and is located on about
100 km west from the capital Ulaanbaatar. The flagship species
for the Hustain Nuruu Nature Reserve is the reintroduced Przewalski
horse. |
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The
reintroduction of the
Przewalski horse on the
Mongolian steppe |
The project joins together two different yet very closely related
projects: the reintroduction of the Przewalski horse on the Mongolian
steppe and the Biodiversity Project. The main objectives of the
project are: protect and restore the biological diversity of the
steppe area of Hustain Nuruu. increase conservation awareness
in the local communities, using the Przewalski horse as a flagship
species. develop a research and management framework for a successful
establishment of a biodiversity reserve. provide on-the-job training
for the reserve staff and provide infrastructure. The Hustain
Nuruu Reserve is the only place in the world where wild Przewalski
horse harems can be studied and there hasn't been done very much
research on Takhi yet. The research is very important to establish
a management program for the reserve and to attain a successful
reintroduction of the Przewalski horse. |
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Main Conditions
to participate
in this project |
Ecovolunteers who
want to participate in the project are very Welcome!. The project
depends on the help of ecovolunteers, as it is difficult for
them to collect enough data otherwise. You can participate
in the activities mentioned on the previous page. During the
research you can enjoy the beautiful nature of the Mongolian steppe.
When you participate in this project, you will be surprised
how much you can learn about nature by observing very accurately.
Date: The best time to visit the project is
in the months June, July, August and September. You may indicate
your preferred dates of arrival and departure yourself, provided
that you allow for a minimum period of participation
of 10 - 20 days or of three weeks or more days.
Visa to Mongolia: You are responsible to get
your Mongolian visa in any Mongolian Embassy or in any Mongolian
consulate. A 30-day visa will be issued at immigration control.
Accommodation in Hustain Nuruu: Your stay at
the project will be rather primitive and sober. You will sleep
in large, round, traditional Mongolian tents of 6 metres in
diameter (gers). Beds, some simple furniture and a wood-stove
are available. In your time of you can watch television or
video, or play basketball, volleyball, darts, chess or checkers.
There are no real showers at the project, but water-sacs with
water that is heated by the sun are a satisfactory alternative.
A hole in the ground with a small house built over it, serves
as a toilet.
Neither the Samar Magic Tours and the Hustain Nuruu
Project and their employees will accept any liabilities that
could have been covered by a travel insurance or a cancellation
insurance.
Conditions for participation: This ecovolunteer
project is suitable for everyone who has a normal physical
health and can walk long distances.
There are some conditions for participation:
-Speak the English language
-be 18 years or older
-be flexible regarding the accommodation
-be a non-vegetarian (as all Mongolian meals contain a lot of
kind of meat) appreciate (or at least be able to stand) the
silence and the open landscape that surrounds you.
-To be ready for the Mongolian Hard Climate.
-To walk everyday in Hustain Nuruu to observe the horses.
-To eat Mongolian Food or similar in the in the Prewalski Horse
Project in the Hustain Nuruu National Park: The Mongolian (!!!)
meals (two hot meals a day, soup once a day, meat all the time, bread
for breakfast) are cooked on a communal basis.
-The drinking water is obtained from 90 meter depth in the ground.
-If you are a vegetarian, you should buy your own vegetarian
food in Ulaanbaatar city or bring it from your country to Mongolia.
That is not really a problem. The vegetarian food does not include
in our prices. The extreme climate here means that many Mongolians,
especially those living in the countryside have to eat a lot
of protein and fat to keep themselves warm and healthy. Visiting
herders in the countryside will inevitably mean that you will
be offered a number of meat and dairy products. Even if some
of them look unappetizing, you will please your host greatly if
only you try a little.
-Full payment by Bank wire transfer is required minimum 45 days
prior to the arrival day in Mongolia .
- In case of Cancellation for any situation: 100% will not be
refunded.
- You must appreciate that Mongolia has limited tourist facilities
and infrastructure
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The
Mongolian
climate |
The
Mongolian climate is continental with large differences between
minimum and maximum day temperatures, long and cold winters, low
humidity, little precipitation, and many hours of sunshine a year.
The mean climatic values of the Hustain Nuruu Reserve are: 2,700
hours of sun, mean temperature of 20oC, mean maximum temperature
of 25.6oC, mean minimum temperature of -28.0 oC, and mean precipitation
of 152.2 mm a year.
The long winter starts quiet abruptly in September and lasts until
May when temperatures start to rise as fast as they dropped.
In October the first night frost occurs and this lasts until April. The
frost reaches a depth of 3.5 metres underground. In shady places
on the north slopes the ground (1-7 metres deep) stays frozen
during the summer (permafrost). |
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National
Ecovolunteer Agency-Additional arrangements/
support
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2009
Rates |
On
Line Request Form
 Prices per
day in Euros:
1. Staying at Mr. Gomez
Budget Hostel in Ulaanbaatar city (*only 200m to Ulaanbaatar
International Railway Station) in private Twin room with Cable
TV, Private Toilet & Shower and with daily breakfast: €
35.00
2. Staying at Mr. Gomez
Budget Hostel in Ulaanbaatar city (*only 200m to Ulaanbaatar
International Railway Station) in Triple or Quadruple Private
room and with daily breakfast: € 9.00
RAIWAY STATION
PICK-UP FOR FREE! We can arrange pick up service from the railway
station (200m) to Mr. Gómez
Hostel for FREE!. *If you want us to
pick you up from Ulaanbaatar railway station to our Mr. Gomez
Budget Hostel, please let us know in advance the train number
and the arrive time by email.
AIRPORT PICK-UP
FOR IS NOT FREE!
a) We can arrange pick up service from UB Airport to our Mr.Gomez
Budget Hostel for € 15 per person (ONE WAY!)
from 09:30AM TO 09:00PM!.
b) We can arrange pick up service from UB Airport to Mr. Gomez
Budget Hostel for € 20 per person (ONE WAY!)
from 10:00PM TO 09:00AM!.
If you want us to pick you up from the airport, please let us
know in advance the flight number and arrive time by email.
3) 10 - 20 days of participation: € 60
4) 21 days participation or longer: € 56
5) "Winter"-season daily mark-up: € 5
METHOD OF PAYMENT (FULL PAYMENT MINIMUM 35 DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR
ARRIVAL):
  1.
Master or Visa Credit Cards Accepted (*but you must to add 3%
due to the Bank's discounts).
2. Cash transfer - Money Gram or Western Union
3. Bank wire transfer (you must to add a minimum of €
60 Euros, due to the Bank's discounts of the Intermediary
Bank and the Mongol Banks). |
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Personal Experiences:
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To
calculate the prices to USD or to your national currency at the
current exchange rate visit a currency converter, for instance
www.xe.com/
Dates: Participation possible from mid-March
to mid-November: Summer: in the months June to September.
Winter: the rest of the year a mark-up for fuel will
be applied, needed for the heating of the gers.
Personal Experiences: Ecovolunteer From England: I
couldn't restrain myself from visiting your website again. At
my new trainee post I got free access to the Internet which means
that I simply had to 'come around'. So, when I saw the pictures
of the reserve and of the horses (Paritet!) tears welled up in
my eyes. It brought me straight back to Hustai. Both my friend
and I have been infected with the most severe form of 'Mongolia
homesickness' you can imagine. We were having a splendid time
over there, and did enjoy every little bit of it! Often I see
my self again sitting on a rock in the warm sun observing Bohemian
or Paritet (and their consecutive harems, of course!). Or that
time when we spotted a wolf, or when we went to the cattle branding
feast of
the herdsmen in the Tuul Valley. Well, I really could
go on for hours. Learn more. |
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Time in
Mongolia |
Mongolia
is + 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. |
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Price to
include
the following: |
Meet,
assistance and transfers from Ulaanbaatar airport or Railway International
Ulaanbaatar station to "Mr.
Gomez" Budget Hostel in Ulaanbaatar city for the
first night and the last night in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Mongolia Meals or similar
in the Prewalski Horse Project in the Hustain Nuruu National Park,
according to above conditions.
Transfer from Mr.
Gomez Budget Hostel in UB city to
the project site and back to Mr.
Gomez Budget Hostel
in Ulaanbaatar city.
Supervision Participation
in the project in accordance with this information. |
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Prices not
to include: |
International
Flight or Train to and from Mongolia
Transport inside
in the Prewalski Horse Project in the Hustain Nuruu National Park.
Horseback riding
in the Prewalski Horse Project in the Hustain Nuruu National Park:
*Organising horse rides is not a part of the ecovolunteer project.
Passport / Visa .
Travel- and cancellation
insurance (all participants should carry both).
Personal expenses like
telephone bills, souvenirs, etc.
Cancellation due
to Mongolian Climate Conditions: *if some activities were cancelled
because of the cold.
Cancellation for
the Mongolian food or similar in Prewalski Horse Project in the
Hustain Nuruu National Park.
Cancellation
for the accommodation in primitive traditional Mongolian tents
of 6 metres in diameter (gers).
Cancellation for
no access to the biologists or researchers, since they were busy
with other park activities: *Of course, they have their own activities
and they are not there for the entertainments of ecovolunteers.
For Any Cancellation, Not Refund.
Drinks.
Optional Tourist
activities.
Any discounts to the fixed
price.
Extra English
guide-interpreter in the Prewalski Horse Project in the Hustain
Nuruu National Park.
Items for personal nature.
Additional
services in Ulaanbaatar city.
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Tel: 976-11-311051