In remote farms hidden deep within the taiga forests, the oldest reindeer tribe lives. The Tsaatan were originally a small community of reindeer herders from the Tuva region of southern Russia. They later settled in Mongolia and split off into small groups to move to the ancient reindeer grazing areas. To this day, there are still Tsaatan camps in both the western and eastern taiga.
On remote farms deep within the taiga forests lives the oldest reindeer tribe.
The world's last primitive tribe
The last reindeer herders choose to live in a natural environment isolated from the outside world. Their home is the trackless plateaus in the taiga forest northwest of Lake Khövsgöl. The tribe migrates at the change of seasons, and when the weather warms, they must go deeper into the cold -40 degrees Celsius to keep the reindeer herd healthy. They accept to live in harsh conditions just like their primitive ancestors did. Because for them, reindeer and nomadic culture are an extremely sacred connection, a thread through time to find the ancient roots of humanity.
That is why nomads never eat reindeer meat unless the animal is no longer able to move. They domesticate and raise them, and thus, the reindeer herd has entered deeply into the lives of the people, becoming their source of life. When they grow old and die, their skin will be used to make clothes and shoes, the antlers will be used for medicine or to decorate graves, reindeer skin will cover the tents. And in the meals, there is always the aroma of warm reindeer milk.
For the Tsaatan people, reindeer and nomadic culture are a sacred connection, a thread that goes back through time to the ancient roots of humanity.
The name Tsaatan is what the Mongols call this nomadic tribe, Tsa is the name for reindeer, and Tan means "people". However, the "reindeer people" prefer to call themselves Dukkha in their mother tongue. The Tsaatan still preserve their language, they speak Tuvinian, a language from the Baikal region and have nothing in common with Mongolian. However, the Tsaatan are extremely hospitable and always have connections outside their community, so it is not difficult to find an interpreter, or even a Vietnamese-speaking Mongolian tour guide.
While most visitors will stop at traditional Mongolian camps called Gers on their way to the tribe, the Tsaatan live in orts, or teepees. Hundreds of reindeer travel with them on each migration. The Tsaatan leave behind their wooden poles, loading only the strongest reindeer with tarps and basic gear. Each Tsaatan, from the oldest to the youngest, mounts their favorite reindeer and begins their journey across the taiga.
During the migrations, from the oldest to the youngest members of the tribe will mount their favorite reindeer and begin their journey across the great taiga.
Despite their traditional lifestyle, the Tsaatan have welcomed modernity into their lives. Most of their food is brought in from Ulaan-Uul, west of Lake Khövsgöl, the administrative center of the Tsaatan minority. Children aged six and older are sent to the village of Tsagaan Nuur to attend school and return to their families during the summer holidays. In the summer, some families choose to take their children deeper into the forest, while others leave them in Tsagaan Nuur because of the large temperature difference between day and night. Tourist groups who visit the tribe also have to endure a difficult journey on horseback through mud when the thaw makes the forest floor soft.
Modern-looking houses in Tsagaan Nuur village
Difficult journey for both tourists and tour organizers
When winter comes, Tsaatan families will move closer to the edge of the forest, tourists can go directly by car to the primitive and beautiful tents of this nomadic tribe. However, Mongolia in winter has almost no tourists, tourist camps are also closed for winter because the weather here is -30 to -40 degrees Celsius. Because of such harsh environment, many travel companies can only let tourists visit reindeer raised in tourist farms in the summer.
To prepare for an adventurous journey, Ms. Mai Huong, founder and operator of the experiential backpacking project, said: "To be able to reach the reindeer tribe, tour organizers like us will have to prepare a comprehensive support team. First, the local tour guides will contact to determine the location of the Tsaatan family. And especially, the guide team must be proficient in the terrain, weather, language and have basic first aid and medical skills to support guests in case of an incident. Because once in the taiga forest, people will be completely isolated from the outside world. In addition, guides and drivers must know how to cook to ensure nutrition for passengers. Next, the group will need professional horse riders. The horse riders need to have horse-leading skills, be proficient in the terrain and understand their horses so that tourists are always safe."
Ms. Mai Huong, founder and operator of the experiential backpacking project
During winter trips, to safely overcome the harsh weather of -40 degrees Celsius, visitors need to prepare all the necessary warm clothes from clothes to heat patches. Because the temperature difference between day and night here is quite large, from -10 degrees to -40 degrees Celsius, it is very important to keep a fire burning to keep warm continuously.
"There are days when it's -37 degrees outside, but inside the tent it's always warm. The drivers always set a timer to wake up and watch the heater to keep the whole group warm. Sometimes I even feel hot," said Diep Anh, a female tourist who just returned from Mongolia.
But no matter how well supported, tourists coming to Mongolia need to prepare themselves with good health and an adventurous spirit. The Tsaatan tribe is not a tourist destination so they cannot provide you with tourist amenities including basic utilities such as electricity, water and internet. As nomadic herders, the Tsaatan welcome tourists to their community as a way to support the tribe to continue maintaining their traditional lifestyle. And at the same time, tourists need to always respect the culture and living environment of the tribe. Once coming to the Tsaatan family, you will sleep in simple traditional tents like them, drink from the same spring water as them.
As nomadic herders, the Tsaatan welcome tourists to their community as a way to support the tribe in continuing to maintain their traditional way of life.
And when you leave behind the conveniences of the 21st century, the scene you wake up to every morning is pine forests covered under a blanket of pure white cotton, the only noise in this place is the rustling of reindeer and the only worry of the people here is losing a reindeer in the field.
Among the group of tourists returning from Mongolia, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue is a 60-year-old tourist. She shared with Travellive: "The children in the group have just returned and are already talking about coming back here this summer. So she will definitely come back because this trip is truly the most wonderful trip of her life."
