Delger River, MongoliaAUGUST 10-20, 2019 Discover Our World

Photo: © Charles Bedford/TNC

Discover Our World 2019 | Delger River

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has worked in Mongolia for 10 years to

protect the country’s extraordinary biological and cultural diversity. Together with our partners, we are supporting the government’s ambitious goal to conserve 30 percent of the country’s magnificent landscapes.

2 Photo: © The Nature Conservancy

Discover Our World 2019 | Delger River3

Protecting the Delger RiverThe Delgermörön River Basin is a picturesque and pristine habitat, home to the headwaters of several

important rivers as well as Lake Khövsgöl — Asia’s second-largest lake by volume. This 2-million-year-old lake (one of 17 ancient lakes worldwide) holds 70 percent of Mongolia’s freshwater, which is so pure

that it doesn’t require treatment.

The Delger is perhaps best known for the rare Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen) that lives in its waters. Found primarily in Mongolia, taimen are prized by fly fishers, yet increasingly vulnerable to hydropower,

mining, overgrazing and overfishing. Here, TNC is working with local partners to demonstrate the tangible benefits of conserving this ecosystem for both nature and people.

With TNC staff as travel partners, guests will have ample opportunities to learn first-hand about the ongoing work to protect the Delger and mitigate the impacts of development. We have brought together

herding communities and tour operators to protect taimen habitat while also helping herders gain financial benefit from visitors that come to fish taimen in their homelands.

Innovative Approaches to Land ConservationTNC is working with the Mongolian government to help protect and sustainably manage 120 million

acres, or 30 percent of the country, by 2030. Over the first 10 years of our Mongolia Program, we worked with local partners to develop the science needed to inform the government’s conservation goals and

developed a model for collaborative grassland management in the nation’s Eastern Steppe. Our data-driven assessments informed the National Conservation Blueprint, guiding the conservation of national

and local protected areas totaling 26 million acres and counting.

Now, TNC is expanding efforts to help communities develop economically while maintaining sustainable herding practices. And we continue to inform development approaches that will help balance

economic growth, livelihoods and conservation.

Partnering with Communities Throughout Mongolia, TNC is working with herding communities to secure access to traditional grazing

lands, implement sustainable land-use practices and provide economic development opportunities. We have already helped to establish 27 community-based herder organizations covering 1.4 million acres

and comprising 926 herder families. Nearly 5,000 herders and government officials are now trained in sustainable grassland management and livelihood development options.

For more information, visit nature.org/mongolia

About TNC’s Mongolia Projects

Photo: © Mongolia River Outfitters

TNC invites you to join us for an 11-day journey to discover the wonders of Mongolia.

“The Land of the Eternal Blue Sky,” as Mongolia is known, is an otherworldly place. Vast and unspoiled, the nation’s terrain ranges from sweeping grasslands and deserts to rugged mountains and crystal-clear rivers. It is one of the least-populated places on Earth.

Here, your destination is the Delger River of remote Northern Mongolia, home to one of the world’s last strongholds of taimen, the largest member of the salmonoid family. TNC is working to protect this prized fish, as well as grayling and large trout, through sustainable, catch-and-release fly fishing that supports local tourism and livelihoods for herding communities.

Floating down the Delger with TNC scientists, you will get a first-hand look at our conservation efforts and experience unique wildlife along the riverbanks, such as roe deer, moose, elk, bears and migratory birds. At night, wolves can be heard in the distance. Few places can match the splendor and solitude of this river. It is truly an adventure of a lifetime.

Photo: Lake Khövsgöl © Flickr Creative Commons, lamoix

Discover Our World 2019 | Delger River5

WHAT YOU’LL SEEDates do not include international travel

Day 1 - Saturday, August 10

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar Best Western Tuushin | Dinner on your ownArrive in Ulaanbaatar (UB) and transfer to your hotel to check-in. Founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic center, UB remains home to many monasteries, as well as museums, cultural events and unique shops. While in UB, a professional guide will be available to introduce you to the capital’s sights. You will also visit TNC’s Mongolia Program office to discuss our ongoing work, with a focus on the Delger Muron watershed.

Day 2 – Sunday, August 11

Travel to MuronTraditional ger tents | Breakfast, lunch and dinner served

After an early breakfast, take a short drive to the airport for a 90-minute commercial flight to the small town of Muron. Upon arrival, you will be assisted with your bags and taken to the upper camp. The drive from the airport to the camp is several hours in a comfortable 4x4 vehicle. You will be on the river in time for an early dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Day 3-9 – Monday, August 12-Sunday, August 18

Travel along the Delger RiverTraditional ger tents | Breakfast, lunch and dinner served

You will explore 150 miles of this remote river with TNC staff and local herders with whom we partner on conservation efforts. After a day of fishing, a downstream camp will await you. Along the way, you will learn about sustainability efforts taking place in the Delger area and across Mongolia.

Discover Our World 2019 | Delger River6

WHAT YOU’LL SEE

Day 3-9: Accommodations

Rustic but comfortable, each campsite along the river is unique and seamlessly integrated into the natural surroundings. Although some sites may require tented accommodations, nearly all camps are outfitted with gers (yurts). With their wooden lattice frames, wood burning stoves and insulating felt walls, a ger is an unforgettable lodging experience, akin to a spacious, streamside hotel room. Each ger accommodates two guests and is outfitted with a table and chairs, wool carpets, two cots with mattress pads and extra blankets. On cool mornings, one of the camp staff will enter at your request and light the stove before sunrise — a memorable way to start the day.

Hot shower facilities and toilets are located in specially designed large tents. Both facilities are quite comfortable and private. There are no generators or stereos — only the sounds of the trees and the river, and light from candles, stoves and one of the world’s most spectacular night skies.

Camp staff will prepare food that is fresh, diverse and well-suited to Western tastes. Breakfast and dinner are served either inside a dedicated dining ger, or in remote camps, a central wall tent with tables, chairs and a wood stove.

Day 10 – Monday, August 19

Travel to Ulaanbaatar Best Western Tuushin | Breakfast and dinner served

For your last morning at the river, you’ll rise early, have breakfast and prepare for the flight back to UB. After breakfast, drive just over two hours across the hills to reach the commercial air strip by early afternoon. There, your guide and driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel.

Day 12 – Tuesday, August 20

DepartureYour guide and driver will meet you at the hotel to transport you to the airport for your journey home.

Photo: © Jay Neumann

Discover Our World 2019 | Delger River7

RATES AND TERMS

Estimated trip cost: US$6,496 per person, based on double occupancy. Every boat will have two guests and one guide. Single supplements will apply. Trip cost is based on a maximum of 4 participants in shared accommodations. Final trip costs will be based on actual number of participants. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule any tour departure that does not meet its minimum enrollment. Guests must arrange their own round-trip flights to and from UB’s Chinggis Khaan International Airport (ULN). Your full-service journey in Mongolia includes the following:

• Hotel accommodations, based on double occupancy• Meals as listed in the itinerary• Transportation within Mongolia• English-speaking guide and driver• Fishing licenses and access fees• Taimen flies

Trip cost does not include:• Passport and visa fees• Medical, evacuation and travel insurance• Sleeping bag/bedding• Fishing gear/reel, rod and line• Excess baggage charges• Personal expenses such as laundry, phone calls, etc.• Optional gratuities to your guides and drivers

About the ItineraryTNC will make every reasonable effort to operate the expedition as advertised, but alterations will more than likely occur, mainly due to weather, or to take full advantage of wildlife encounters or cultural events. We will discuss our planned itinerary daily with our local expert guides and will always choose the best available option. About Wildlife EncountersAlthough we have reported honestly and accurately about our sightings and experiences, Mother Nature is not always cooperative, despite our good intentions and utmost preparation for this trip. We believe that with good planning and a realistic approach, you will have an unforgettable time witnessing the wildlife we have set out to see.

Photo: © Mongolia River Outfitters

Join Us.For more information on TNC’s journey to Mongolia,

please contact Marianne Shaw at marianne.shaw@tnc.org

Photo: © Mongolia River Outfitters