Mongolia – Genghis Khan Warrior Training

Looking for an adventure holiday in Mongolia with a difference? Live the life of a Mongol Warrior under Genghis Khan, as you head out onto the Mongolian steppe and learn what made this the greatest military empire the world had ever seen. Riding techniques, shooting with a bow and arrow, battle tactics and much more are all covered as you stay in a felt ger and don full costume, this is one of Mongolia’s most unusual adventures.

It exceeded all my expectations; there was a great mixture of fun and a true experience of Mongolian culture and hospitality.

– Caroline Mumford

This trip, featured in a recent BBC book Unforgettable Things To Do Before You Die, will show you first hand what it felt like to be a Mongol warrior under the mighty Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan established the Mongol nation, conquered most of the known world, and rightfully earned the reputation as one of the great military leaders of all time. Uniting a small confederation of rival nomadic tribes on the Central Asian steppes, he created the largest empire the world has ever witnessed. The Mongol warriors under the Khan were the strongest, swiftest and most agile military force of their day, employing highly advanced tactics and strategies. By the time of his death in 1227, the Mongol empire extended all the way from Beijing to the Caspian Sea. The site of his grave has still not been found, although it is believed to be somewhere in the Khentii mountains.

This adventure will show you what it really felt like to be a warrior under the Great Khan and to discover the reasons that made the warriors such a powerful troup.

Dressed in full costume and staying in felt gers (the portable tents designed for a nomadic lifestyle), you can have a taste of what it felt like to be a Mongol warrior, and discover the reasons that made them such a power. Every aspect of this adventure is a discovery: learn bow and arrow making, orientation techniques, field cooking, how to shoot from a standing position and on horseback, learn the different knots used in the daily life of the steppe nomads, how to herd horses and lasso them, as well as discovering the battle tactics used by the great Khan, such as the art of lighting many campfires quickly so as to confuse the enemy at night. You also prepare your own weaponry, and re-enact different tactical techniques to ensure a successful war campaign.

Mongols moved great distances, and it was only by adopting a basic lifestyle and employing simple but well-proven technologies that they were able to do so. A perfectly organized network of urtuuns – a day’s riding – stretched across the entire Mongol Empire, enabling messages to be delivered from as far as the Black Sea in just two weeks. While riding, we visit nomadic families who move across the grasslands in search of good pastures, and share a lifestyle that has not changed in centuries. There will be opportunities to taste the renowned koumiss (fermented mare’s milk) and Mongolian milk vodka, and through your interpreter, understand how these people eke out a living in this harsh but astonishingly beautiful landscape. In the evenings, sitting by the campfire, you can listen to the old legends as you gaze up at the unbelievably clear night skies.
On the afternoon of the last riding day you are met by our support team and taken to Ulaanbaatar for a farewell dinner, before transferring to the airport for your flight home the next day.

One must not perceive the attack of the medieval Mongols’ as a chaotic advance of a tribe of brutes. It was indeed a well-planned campaign run by highly disciplined, and organized army.

– Napoleon Bonaparte