Photography Trip to Mongolia
Capture the magnificence of this vastly untouched land and ancient rich culture, indulge yourself in the traditional way during our new Mongolia Photography Trip.
We are extremely excited to be premiering this epic destination to our itinerary!
Experience the nomadic culture, meet eagle hunters, take incredible photos of the vast, untouched landscapes of Altai mountains and Gobi Desert of Mongolia with Swiss Photo Club.
Trip Dates: September 10-24, 2022
LOCATION
The Gobi Desert (Gobi meaning ‘waterless place’) is a vast, arid region and stretches across northern China and southern Mongolia. You probably know if for its sand dunes and camels and it’s even said that the the Khongoryn Els sand dunes in the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park are singing when the wind blows. The Flaming Cliffs are a famous site where dinosaur fossils have been found.
The breathtaking Altai Mountains form a huge part of the stunning scenery of the Western part of the country and play a key role in the second half of the tour. This is the land which nomadic families have declared home for thousands of years up to today.
Eagle Hunting (´berkutchi´) has played a significant role in day to day life and is still a key element in the national culture. We will stay with their families and join them into the hills and creeks and create stunning photos of this spectacular happening.
Altai Tavan Bogd National Park is located on the Western most point of Mongolia in Bayan-Ulgii Province. This vast mountainous park borders China and Russia with views of Kazakhstan from the highest peak in Mongolia.
Road transfers
Mongolia is a huge country. This means that there will be long periods spent in our vehicles getting from one location to the next. Roads are mostly unpaved or even no roads at all.
This is really a big part of the adventure. With our vehicles, we’re able to drive through the mountains and cross rivers. It will be an experience unlike anything. We’ll be far away from the civilized world, driving through scenery that constantly changes. There will be plenty of photo stop opportunities along the way. Due to the rough terrain, it may happen that we experience a vehicle breakdown. Our well-experienced drivers are usually able to fix this in no-time, which in the same time gives you a chance to walk around and shoot more photos.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
The program in a glance:
- Arrive & depart from Ulaanbaatar
- Goby Desert
- Fly to West Mongolia
- Eagle hunters shooting
- Altai Mountains, Khoton Khurgan lakes
ACCOMODATION
We’ll stay in a nice hotel in UlaanBaatar. In Olgii, we stay in bit more basic hotel, but still the best in town. The hotel in Olgii has private shower in each room, electricity, wifi, and a private toilet.
During the Gobi desert part of our trip, we stay in heated Ger tents sleeping in beds. Women sleep in one Ger, men in the other Ger. There is electricity in every tent in Gobi, and in the kitchen in the Flaming Cliffs area. Facilities camp-style outside in sheltered normal toilet. Some camps have modern toilet facilities outside, some basic hole in the ground with shelter around.
Dining happens in a special Ger tent. There is no WiFi for the Gobi part of the trip, and slow cellular internet connection partially available. There’s a possibility to buy a local fairly inexpensive sim card prior to the start of the trip. There are no hotels in Gobi, only nice Ger camps – so this experience might be a bit out of your comfort zone, which definitely compensated by amazing unspoiled nature around.
Please note that we bring an amazing cook for this trip. Even vegetarian options are available. It’s hard to get veggies in Mongolia, but you can be sure that we take care of good food during this trip. Let’s say for breakfast we have eggs, toast with nutella, sausages, juice, coffee etc. For lunch and dinner we have salads, nice soup and meat/pasta/rice various nice dishes.
Swiss Photo Club is a firm believer in a positive teaching approach. Our tutors will encourage and support what you’re doing right and offer technical and creative input to improve your images and (further) create your own style.
Perfect for anyone who has a good understanding of their camera, this photography tour is suited for beginner, intermediate and more advanced photographers. Your tutor will be with you at all times to help you shoot the astonishing variety of the Mongolian landscape and its culture, offering you tips and tricks to guarantee you will come home with amazing shots.
Because of the small group size, we can customize tuition to your needs. Whether you’re a beginner, an expert or anything in between, you’ll always learn new things
During this photography tour, we will be out in the field most of the time. Hence, this is where most tuition happens. We will have some ‘classroom lessons’ and there’s plenty of room to have 1-on-1 time with the tutor to address your challenges and jump in if you need any help.
When the schedule allows for it, we will have a look at the best images from the day, which is one of the best ways to learn (from each other).
The program will cover:
- Rules of composition
- Everything about exposure (exposure triangle, ISO, shutter speed, aperture)
- Understanding your camera
- Hot to plan your shoot
- Landscape photography techniques
- Portrait photography techniques
- Night photography techniques
- How to review and edit your images
- Get constructive and honest feedback
- Develop your own photographic vision
What is included?
- Fully loaded program of photography practice
- One dedicated experienced instructor
- Snacks / Water during the day
- Sharing twin accommodation in hotels where available
- Ger camp /All accommodations
- All transportation: 4 Domestic flights and ground transport by well-prepared Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 persons per car
- Drivers
- Fuel
- Guides and Tour leaders services
- National park fees
- Meals
- Chef’s services
- Private Eagle hunting mini festival, Eagle hunting activity – all stages and model fees
- Beverages (water)
Additionally we prepare electric cord line, power generators for remote places with no electricity
And, as always with Swiss Photo Club, our attentive guides and tutor will organise everything for you and cater for your every need.
Not included:
- Your flights to and from Mongolia
- Medical insurance
- Alcoholic beverages
- Visas (but we will prepare all needed documents for your visa – invitations, supporting letters etc)
- Single supplement in hotels (200 USD) – in Ger camp in Gobi twin accommodation, single supplement for hotel basis (Olgii, UB)
Hi! My name is Tijmen Hobbel (like Simon with a ‘T’), I’m a Dutch photographer and videographer, roaming the world in search of opportunities to create compelling visuals.
I started as a (touring) concert photographer with bands all over Europe and even beyond. Later on, I focussed more on travel (nature/documentary) and events. Through the years, I gained a lot of experience from all the adventures in so many different environments which I would like to share with those who are willing to learn. I’ve been lucky enough to have captured and edited beautiful footage all over the world for international clients including small sustainable local brands, international organizations, TV stations, newspapers, and a lot of bands.
Mongolia has been one of the most exciting countries to shoot in. The landscapes are just magnificent and the people and culture are a bliss to indulge in. I hope to see you there!
Entry requirements:
You will need a visa to enter Mongolia. Please follow the procedure here.
Clothing & Hygiene
The Gobi desert is the warmest area in Mongolia. But it’s autumn and it can (and will) get pretty cold at some times. We recommend to bring warm clothing. The average temperature in September/October is:
Coldest: -2°C to +1°C
Normal: 6°C to +8°C
Warmest: +13°C to +16°C
A winter jacket, warm sweater and windbreaker are recommended. Make sure to bring comfortable shoes, fit for a short hike in an irregular terrain.
Chances are high we won’t have a daily shower available. Wet towels come in handy for a quick refresh. You can buy supplies in Ulaanbaatar before we start our trip
Physical difficulty
The main tour is easy to moderate in terms of activity. Most of locations in the West even in the mountains are just next to where we park our vans. Some locations require a few hundred meters walk with a 20-30% ascend.
In the Gobi desert you need to be ready to walk up sand dunes. You can obviously stay with the van but the view on top is unbeatable. If you wish, you can bring hiking poles. Usually it’s 30-40 min walk to the most amazing inner dunes.
FAQ
Unless differently stated in the trip description, the following conditions apply to cancellations and booking changes for each trip:
- Up to 90 Days: 20% of the price is held as cancellation
- 89 – 31 Days: 50% of the price is held as cancellation
- 30 – 0 Days: 100% of the price is held as cancellation
Please note that some of the trips have stricter cancellation rules due to agencies we work with. In these cases, the cancellation policy in the trip description applies.
Tickets are not for resale.
For shared rooms, we strongly recommend that you book with somebody you already know and comfortable to share the room with.
If you book a shared room alone, that means you accept to share your room with any other participant regardless of gender or age.
With individual booking of a shared room, your booking can only be confirmed if there is another individual shared room reservation with us. Otherwise, depending on the time and availability, you have the option to upgrade to a private room reservation.
If you decide to upgrade to private room, the conditions depend on the timing of your decision, pending of course on the availability.
Before the trip: Possible by paying the price difference at the time of your decision (e.g. if you bought an early bird ticket but decided to upgrade during normal prices, you pay the difference at normal prices).
After the trip has started: If you decide to upgrade during check-in, if there is room available, you will have to pay the price difference plus 20% of your original payment as penalty.
Unless otherwise stated in the course description, the group conversations will be in English.
Our instructors are all at least bi-lingual, so we will probably be able to help you in your own language in private, in case of any questions. Please check before registration if you do not feel comfortable in English.
No. The application is open to everybody who have the passion for photography and learning. This trip is for beginners as well as for pros because we believe that we all have different talents and we can all learn from each other. Even though, a basic knowledge of photography is highly recommended.
Once we receive your payment, we will get back to you with a short survey or a call to get to know your preferences for language and accommodation. As the trip gets closer, we will keep in touch with you again to confirm the trip, introduce the instructors, update you on the progress and communicate the full program.
No. This trip will be organized by and for Swiss Photo Club only.
Children:
Minimum age of 16 years is required.
Pets:
Pets are unfortunately not allowed to bring.
Allergies/food intolerances:
Please let us know about your allergies and food intolerances so we can adjust the organization according to your needs.
Additional photo equipment:
We have a partnership with great photography manufacturers. If you need to buy photo gear for your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send you a quote (hello@swissphotoclub.com).
There is no insurance included in the weekend photography trip. Please make sure you have health, travel and accident insurance coverage.
We will ask you to give us a way to get in touch with a contact person of your choice before the trip.
You and your beloved ones can contact all of us during our trip and our team back in Geneva and Zurich.
In case of any special allergies or medical treatments, we highly recommend to contact your doctor before applying for the trip.
Swiss Photo Club does not provide any insurance.
You can either pay via:
- Credit Card (fastest/prefered option),
- Bank Transfer
- Invoice (send us an email with full name and billing address)
- Cash (get in contact with us to arrange an appointment)
- Photography equipment for landscape and night photography (body, lenses, tripod, filters, strap, batteries, sd cards, etc.)
- Laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop for the editing session (optional)
- Warm clothes according to weather conditions
You will get a recommended packing list with your welcome information