The Tsaatan, or Dukha, are the last reindeer herders of Mongolia. Around forty families remain, living in the taiga forest of northern Khövsgöl at 2,200-2,500 metres. Their homes are not gers but teepees, urts, covered in reindeer hide. Their economy is reindeer milk, reindeer travel, reindeer companionship.
How to Get There
Fly UB to Mörön. Drive eight hours north to Tsagaan Nuur. Then horseback another day and a half into the forest. This is not a day trip.
What to Expect
Three nights in an urt with a host family. Fire in the centre, beds around the edges. Reindeer tied outside at night. You will help milk them in the morning. The milk is rich, almost coconut-textured.
The Ethics
We work with two specific families and we rotate the guests. Over-visiting is real. We do not photograph children without consent. We do not bring sweets (it damages their teeth and there is no dentist). We bring flour, tea, matches, and we carry out our own waste.
The Weather
Mid-summer only. July-August. Even then, nights are 5°C. Snow is possible in August. The season is brutally short.
What You Take Home
Nothing, officially. No gifts, no antlers, no photographs sold. You take home the memory of a way of life that may not exist in fifty years. Our fee to the host family is our contribution to its continuing.
