Winter Desert Travel (October 1 to May 31) Bulgan Province - Khogon Khan National Park 6 Days / 5 Nights (optional 4 Days and 3 Day Intineraries) USD 265 per person     Winter travel in Mongolia should be at least experienced once in every active adventurers life, whether you are an intrepid traveler or even just a novice you should not pass up the oppotunity to immerse yourself into warm hospitable nomadic culture. Nomadic Lifestyle in Winter (October 1 to May 31) Terelj National Park 6 Days / 6 Nights (optional 4 Days and 3 Day Intineraries) USD 233 per person     On this nomad based winter adventure you will experience the how to prepare a nomadic camp for winter. You will visit nomadic families within the Terelj National Park, and have plenty of opportunities to travel by horseback or even by hot water bottle heated ox carts with warm blankets - this is a great way to enjoy Mongolia's incredible winter scenery. Lunar New Years "Tsagaan Sar" (Confirming) Terelj National Park 4 Days / 3 Nights USD 282 per person     Come and celebrate Lunar Festival with nomadic families! White Month is Mongolia's biggest nationally celebrated winter festival to usher in spring! It is customary to celebrate the first day of the new spring - when old and new years change according to lunar calendar. The festival celebrates the passing of the harsh winter and the welcoming spring. Preperation for this day means to have everything cleaned, tables set with traditional dishes - lots of meat dumplings, and families wears their best traditional garmets before visiting relatives to exchange greetings and gifts. Cashmere Combing Season (Spring 2012) Terelj National Park 6 Days / 6 Nights (optional 4 Days and 3 Day Intineraries) USD 265 per person     After a long cold winter, its time to sheer them goats and sheep and comb their fine cashmere wool. This is a great opportunity for travelers that are wanting to experience the seasonal routines of nomadic families and actively participate in their combing season. Spring Nomadic Migration (May 2012) Terelj National Park 6 Days / 6 Nights USD 162 per person     From the ancient times, Mongolians have been migrating to their seasonal pastures. There is a tradition to decide on what day to move that usualy coincides with a warm and beautiful day. Generally migration preperation starts the day before the family moves locations, during this time the family cleans the surrounding areas of where they lived and organizes their posssessions. The housewife wakes up early on that day, prepares tea for the family and milks the animals. It is customary to bless nature with the first tea while chanting one's thanks for the generous offers that nature has provide the family during their stay. After breakfast, the migration starts! Its the goal to completely settle down in the new location before sunset. This program gives you an opportunity not only to learn Mongolian migration customs, but also participate and help in migration preparation with nomadic herder families.

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WHL Travel
Building a Sustainable Future for Mongolia’s Rural Populations
Ger to Ger aims to give travellers the ultimate, authentic Mongolian experience through homestays, trekking and horseback expeditions along nomadic trails, all involving local people in rural areas, often far from the tourist crowd. Rural nomadic herders are encouraged to become ‘custodians of nomadic culture and heritage’ and pass on their knowledge and experience to tourists. In turn, it is hoped the travellers, now savvy to the benefits of local and responsible travel, will be more likely to veer off the beaten path and spread word of their positive experiences to others. Of course, their valuable tourist dollars provide vital supplementary income for nomadic herders, 65% of whom live at or below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet in increasingly harsh economic and environmental conditions, especially the very harsh most recent (2010) zud (winter storm).

Ger to Ger pursues an innovative two-pronged approach to tourism that immediately sets it apart. The website states that the organisation “systematically enables rural communities to responsibly and sustainably tap the tourism industry to generate sustainable livelihoods through vocational training (Foundation) and market linkage development (Agency).” In other words, the Ger to Ger Foundation teaches people in rural communities how to make a living from tourism and the Ger to Ger Agency gives them the opportunity to put this new knowledge into practice and develop sustainable business ventures.

Ger to Ger Going For Gold! Read more

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (UNESCAP)
Regional Report for Policy Makers on Effective Regional Tourism Development towards Greater Social Economic Development
Ger to Ger was officially cited as an effective regional tourism case study (across Asia and the Pacific) in the report for UNESCAP member countries representing Asia and the Pacific Region. Specifically, Ger to Ger was the only Mongolian cultural tourism initiative cited from Mongolia for nomadic community-based tourism at the Sixty-third Session of UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

LONELY PLANET - MONGOLIA GUIDE BOOK
As the most innovative tourism concept in Mongolia, the Ger to Ger Programme should near the top of every traveller’s wish list.

Online Guide Book Read more

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National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations  GeoTourism Challenge: Ger to Ger Foundation & Agency > Read more

In 2009, Ger to Ger Foundation and Agency were selected among hundreds of companies and initiatives from around the world that highlighted the main criteria of National Geograpahic's and Ashoka Changemaker's Global GeoTourism Challenge called the "Power of Place" - Sustaining the Future of Destinations.

Geotourism adds to sustainability principles by building on a destination's geographical character, its "sense of place," to emphasize the distinctiveness of its locale and benefit visitor and resident alike.

• Geotourism is synergistic: All the elements of geographical character work together to create a tourist experience that is richer than the sum of its parts, appealing to visitors with diverse interests.
• It involves the community. Local businesses and civic groups join to provide a distinctive, authentic visitor experience.
• It informs both visitors and hosts. Residents discover their own heritage by learning that things they take for granted may be interesting to outsiders. As local people develop pride and skill in showing off their locale, tourists get more out of their visit.
• It benefits residents economically. Travel businesses hire local workers, and use local services, products, and supplies. When community members understand the benefits of geotourism, they take responsibility for destination stewardship.
• It supports integrity of place. Destination-savvy travelers seek out businesses that emphasize the character of the locale. In return, local stakeholders who receive economic benefits appreciate and protect the value of those assets.
• It means great trips. Enthusiastic visitors bring home new knowledge. Their stories encourage friends and relatives to experience the same thing, which brings continuing business for the destination.

Global ActionAtlas.org

National Geographic's new Global Action Atlas features hundreds of amazing efforts to reduce human suffering, protect plants and animals, preserve cultures, and more.

National Geographic has launched a sweeping new website to highlight and support the heroic work being done by nonprofits around the world to solve problems facing people and nature. The Global Action Atlas connects people to causes and grassroots projects, enabling those who want to do good to volunteer, donate, advocate, and spread the word about on-the-ground efforts to improve our planet.

If you wish to contribute towards our efforts please follow the Global Action Atlas Link under "memberships" to the right to see our humanitarian projects - from their website you can access our other initiatives by clicking on the "SAME ORG." tab below the map.