Eclipse and 5 Extraordinary Trips in Mongolia and Siberia

Total Solar Eclipse in Mongolia

July-August 2008

Speakers Itinerary Description Route Map

August 1, 2008, will be marked by one of nature’s most beautiful and dramatic phenomena—a total solar eclipse, when the sun, moon, and Earth are perfectly aligned and darkness washes over the Earth in the daylight hours. We invite you to join us to view this awesome event from our special eclipse camp in the spectacular Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. With its clear skies and over two minutes of totality, this is the ideal place to experience the eclipse. Expert astronomer Alex Filippenko, PhD, one of UC Berkeley’s most popular professors, will accompany us to share his vast knowledge of eclipses and astronomy. We have created five extraordinary journeys which include the eclipse, offering unforgettable experiences of the landscapes and cultures of Mongolia and central Siberia.

Call 1-800-368-2794 or Download Here for a complete brochure or Email an Area Specialist

Speakers

Alex Filippenko, PhD, is a professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley and a leading authority on supernovae (exploding stars), galaxies, black holes, and cosmology, and is actively working with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck telescopes. He has coauthored nearly 500 publications and has won numerous awards for his research. His team’s discovery of cosmic "antigravity" was named top "Science Breakthrough of 1998" by the editors of Science magazine. An extraordinary educator, Dr. Filippenko was recently honored as one of four national Professors of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. He has also won the top teaching awards at UC Berkeley, and the student body has voted him "Best Professor" in five of the last 12 years. He has appeared in several TV documentaries, has produced astronomy video courses for The Teaching Company, and is the coauthor of an award-winning textbook, now in its third edition. Dr. Filippenko has seen eight total solar eclipses, joining Wilderness Travel eclipse programs in Peru, Thailand, the Caribbean, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.

Itinerary Description

Mongolia Eclipse Camp: July 27 - August 2, 2008

July 27-29
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar (UB), enjoy lectures by Dr. Filippenko and explorations including Gandan Monastery and the Natural History Museum, with its spectacular dinosaur fossils from the Gobi.

July 30-31
Ulgii / Hoton Lake / Eclipse Camp

Fly to western Mongolia and journey through the mountains to our eclipse camp. From our camp, visit petroglyph sites, meet Kazakh families, enjoy hiking options. Evening lectures and overnights in a comfortable ger camp.

August 1
Eclipse Day

Continue our explorations of the pristine lake valley and its nomad encampments and drive to our mesa-top viewing site for the late afternoon eclipse.

August 2
Ulgii / Ulaanbaatar

Return to Ulgii, fly to Ulaanbaatar, and join post-eclipse trip.

Eclipse Camp Site and Weather Prospects

Our eclipse camp is set in a magnificent grassy valley at about 6,700 feet along the shore of Hoton Lake. According to Jay Anderson, NASA Eclipse Meteorologist, “... there is a broad swath of favorable weather across northern China, remote western Mongolia and perhaps the extreme south of Russia near where the track crosses into China.” He adds that our site “will probably offer one of the cleanest and most spectacular views of the eclipse should the sky be free of cloud.” Totality will last about 2 minutes and 5 seconds at our viewing site. The promising weather prospects make this an ideal program to combine the eclipse with the fascinating yet still largely unvisited country of Mongolia.

Mongolia Eclipse Tours

The opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse is an unforgettable experience, and combined with one of our travel programs, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. We have designed five special itineraries that include our Mongolia Eclipse Program:

Lake Hovsgol & the Eclipse: July 27 - August 6, 2008

Pristine Lake Hovsgol, over 75 miles long, is Mongolia’s blue pearl, surrounded by 9,000-foot peaks and meadows where wildflowers abound. The lake is sacred to Mongolians, who call it “the Mother Sea.” Nomads with their herds of yaks, camels, and sheep live along the shores, and we visit them in their traditional dwellings, enjoy lakeside hikes, kayaking, and have a chance to try Mongolian-style horseback riding. Overnights in private ger camps.
Land Cost from: $5345* per person

The Gobi Desert & the Eclipse:
July 27 - August 8, 2008

The Gobi Desert holds many treasures, from stunning landscapes to some of the world’s most famous fossil sites. Explore on foot or by Bactrian camel at the legendary “Flaming Cliffs” where in 1922 explorer Roy Chapman Andrews made his spectacular finds of dinosaur fossils, visit Yol Valley National Park, habitat for Altai snowcocks, ibex, and Argali mountain sheep, and explore the towering dunes of the Gobi. Overnights in private ger camps.
Land Cost from: $5545* per person

Altai Mountains & the Eclipse: July 27 - August 9, 2008

Hike among the snow-capped peaks of the Altai, a mountain world where traditional Kazakh nomads live by the seasons. Our journey contours through foothills below the Altai Tavan Bogd (“Five Kings of the Altai”), including Mt. Malchin (12,837'), one of Mongolia’s highest peaks. We camp at alpine lakes, visit nomads, and explore the Tsagaan Salaa, considered Mongolia’s richest collection of petroglyphs. Overnights in private ger and tent camps.
Land Cost from: $5945* per person

Heart of Mongolia & the Eclipse: July 27 - August 11, 2008

Journey overland across the center of Mongolia, visiting the horse breeders of the Hogno Han Mountains, enjoying a soak in a remote hot spring in larch-forested hills, and exploring the market town of Tsetserleg, where the desert meets the steppes. In the Orkhon Valley, cradle of Mongolian civilization, visit the ruins of Genghis Khan’s capital, Kharkhorim, and Erdenzuu Monastery, a place of Buddhist activity for 1,000 years. Overnights in private ger and tent camps.
Land Cost from: $5645* per person

Lake Baikal & the Eclipse: July 27 - August 10, 2008

With crystal-clear waters to depths of over 100 feet, Lake Baikal is one of the natural wonders of the world. From the charming lakeside village of Listvyanka, we explore the lake and its islands, including overnights on Olkhon, Baikal’s biggest island, 50 miles long, with a landscape of capes and bays and small villages of Buryat fishermen. Our journey also visits Irkutsk and Vladivostok.
Land Cost from: $7345* per person

*Airfare is not included in Tour Cost

Overview Map

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