A Mongolian Ger Camp: Terelj Lodge
Mongolian ger camps are like campsites with gers instead of tents and the quality of amenities vary from camp to camp. Both local and foreign tourists visit them for a night or a few days.
After my younger brother Mike’s wedding in Ulaanbaatar, family and friends, a mixed Anglo/Mongolian group, all piled into vehicles and headed out of the capital to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park for a couple of days relaxation together.
We stayed at the serene Terelj Lodge 55 km northeast of the city. This was the first time that some of us, including my older brother Matt and our friends from England (all still in our first week in Mongolia) had stayed in a ger and was an experience we’d all been looking forward to. It was the most upscale of any ger camp I stayed at during my travels in Mongolia.
After relaxing, walking and eating lunch we all headed to a few local sights including Turtle Rock (Melkhi Khad) and the Aryapala Initiation and Meditation Centre which I’ll post about next. Later we returned to the ger camp for dinner and at night we sat around chatting while some downed beer or the traditional Mongolian shots of vodka.
Following are a few images of the ger camp.
1. Entering Terelj Lodge Tourist Ger Camp
2. View of the ger camp with my younger brother Mike walking towards me
3. Close up of gers
4. Looking inside a ger
5. Typical layout of a ger with woodburning stove, painted table and stools in the center and painted beds around them
6. Close up of paintwork on a bed
7. Close up of typical painted wooden roof framework inside a ger. The circular "tono" in the roof allows light in and an exit for the stove pipe
8. Weathered paintwork on outside of ger door
9. Close up of painted stool
10. View of ger camp and a hide hanging to dry
11. View in another direction with a lone ger
12. Inquisitive cow outside gers in early morning light
13. Our ger
14. Path leading to the restaurant
15. Final early morning image as we left the ger camp
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