Mongolia

Ursa Major is one of the two ecolodges of the brend "Out of Nowhere", a new generation of ecological lodges born in Mongolia in the previous years.

It's located nearby Khujirt, 40 kilometres (24,86 miles) from the former capital Kharkhorin and offers a spectacular view on Orkhon Valley, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Infrastructures

The site is composed of 15 yurts set up on the oriental bank of the Orkhon River. They're prettily decorated with traditional materials and fitted out in order to ensure a great comfort : king size beds or two separated single beds, silk sleeping bags, furniture painted in warm colours, felt carpet on the ground, and traditional objects. All the rooms are exclusively for two persons maximum, unlike most of the other camps that sometimes host 3 or 4 persons per yurt. The lodge can welcome up to 50 customers.

There is no running water in the camp. Twice a day (or three on demand), the service gives the customers four warm towels profumed with essential oils for them to wash. In each yurt, a screen marks out a personal space in which there's a small reserve of water, in order to wash oneself better.

In a special yurt called "Hair Cocoon", you can have your hair washed "with the teapot" by a Mongolian hostess dressed with a traditional costume. Do like you always do at the hairdresser's, sit in the chair and enjoy a professional hairdressing service : shampoo, massage of the scalp, brush and cut. This is a totally free service, except the cut.

Water closets are dry toilets set up inside tents around the camp. They have a seat and a wooden toilet seat, a bucket of sawdust and a ladle. Using it guarantee a dry and clean place, with no smell.

Other services

• STEP & SPA : inspired by the health and beauty centres, the warm towels is a voluptuous, therapeutic and ecologic service. It's possible to book a massage (made in the yurt by a professional).
• Restaurant : place of honour for yak, beef, mutton and fish, plentiful in this area, prepared in a traditional way or freely performed by the head chef. Breakfast is served on a buffet (occidental or English breakfast) from 6 to 11. If you want to taste Mongolian food, order boortsog (a very substantial cake, perfect if you'll have a hectic day) and white food such as tarag (cow milk yoghurt with a slightly acid taste).
• Astronomic observation with a powerful telescope. With a last generation optical system, the telescope gives the possibility to watch stars with no distortion at all. The location of stars and the orientation of the telescope is automated thanks to an integrated data bank and to 16 GPS channels.

Activities

• Traditional archery on targets on the ground
• Visit of the yurt-workshop of felt (program of conservation of crafts and heritage)
• Visit of the yaks breeders
• Visit of the former capital Kharkhorin
• Visit of the several must-see places of Orkhon Valley, notably Uurtiin Tokhoi cliffs, Orkhon waterfalls, Tovkhon and Shankh monasteries
• Watching stars with the largest telescope of Mongolia set up on the camp
• Pony trek in the steppe.

This lodge is affordable but knows how to mix with a great deal of taste some simple but slick infrastructures, and a service of superior quality. Experience the nomadic life in a quiet, natural and wild environment. We like it!

To know more about the camp and its services, please visit their page here.