Kate Eshelby
A herd of horses thundered down a slope, through tall grass feathered with golden light.
In the lead was Dashaa Lkhagvajav, who sported the trilby hat commonly worn by herders in Mongolia.
We only occasionally bring them in.
A rainbow stretches over the camp.Credit:Kate Eshelby
Having successfully rounded the herd up, we all cantered back toward camp.
We were there to experience a new camp,Mandala Nomadic, by the travel company Panoramic Journeys.
Mandalas first site opened in southern Mongolias Semi-Gobi Desert in 2018.
Zukar Amankyeldi, the camp’s butler.Kate Eshelby
The name Mandala means a sacred place, said Temuulen Enkhbold, our guide.
Its represented in Buddhist artwork by colorful geometric symbols.
(Buddhism is Mongolias predominant religion.)
From left: Temuulen Enkhbold, a guide at Mandala Nomadic, with three of the camp’s horses; games and books inside the"magic ger" lounge at Mandala Nomadic, in Mongolia.Kate Eshelby
At Mandala, it was just us.
Spreading 1,486 miles from east to west, Mongolia is the worlds second most sparsely populated country.
Horses have a significant role in Mongolias culture.
The author’s son Archie kayaking on the Tuul River.Kate Eshelby
From these rippling steppes, Chinggis Khan (a.k.a.
In the center was a stove, with the chimney rising through the roof.
There was also a multipurpose magicger, where we ate our meals and relaxed.
Inside the bedroom at Mandala Nomadic.Kate Eshelby
Meals were a mix of European and Mongolian dishes.
On our first day, we visited thegerof our husband-and-wife hosts, Batmunkh Tserenjav and Jargalzaya Enkhjargal.
After that it is taken down and stowed in Ulaanbaatar until the next year.
Education is altering nomadic life, Enkhbold said.
Many youngsters today want jobs in the city.
Climate change is also having an impact on the traditional lifestyle.
(Ulaanbaatar is one of the globes most polluted cities because of its continued reliance on coal.)
The grass is now drier, shorter, and not as green, Enkhjargal said.
And we have harsher winters.
One initiative supports young Mongolian climate campaigners, like Anu-Ujin, an 18-year-old who makes crafts from recycled goods.
At the summit, we watched red deer run up a facing mountainside and gazed down at the valley.
I spotted a scattering ofger,which glowed a brilliant white, like full moons.
After we descended, we found a surprise lunch waiting for us on the bank of the river Tuul.
Most travelers to Mongolia do a circuit tour, during which they move to a different camp every night.
But we were lucky to spend five nights at Mandala Nomadic.
We believe that wolves are our ancestors, he told us.
These sacred creatures are our totem animals.
On our last day, we kayaked along the fast-flowing Tuul.
Two whooper swans, their necks held out like rods, floated above.
All too soon, it was time to leave.
