Walking with shamans, not giving lectures
You will travel with at least 2–3 shamans throughout the journey, interacting continuously in nature, rituals, and daily life. At appropriate times, we will also invite them to engage in deep dialogue with us, leveraging the long-established trust between myself and the shamans: How were they called? How did they learn? How do they work with the spirits? It’s not about imparting knowledge, but about entering into their life experiences.
Included:
Accommodation is in basic room types (hotel for 2 people, yurt for 3-4 people).
The itinerary includes meals, entrance fees to attractions, and admission to the World Shaman Congress.
It also includes several key experiences: throat singing instruction, morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) performance, a one-hour camel ride, commemorative T-shirts, guide and translation services, impromptu shamanic teaching sessions, and private shamanic healing and rituals upon mutual agreement.
A local driver and comfortable vehicle will be provided throughout the trip.
A guide who speaks both Chinese and Mongolian will accompany the group.
A professional tour leader from Taiwan will provide services throughout the tour.
Excluded:
International airfare and excess baggage fees.
Meals and activities not listed in the itinerary.
Visa (Taiwanese travelers need to apply for a visa to Mongolia; applicants can complete the application directly through the Mongolian Immigration Agency’s official website: https://evisa.mn), travel insurance.
Personal expenses.
Additionally, courtesy tips are not included in the tour price.
These include daily tips for services such as room service, luggage handling, and restroom use,
as well as tips for drivers, guides, and service staff (10,000 Mongolian Turks for hotel porters, 50,000-100,000 Mongolian Turks for drivers for 5-10 days, and 50,000-100,000 Mongolian Turks for guides for 6-10 days; special thanks are at your discretion). Any additional costs incurred due to flight delays, weather, strikes, or other uncontrollable factors are your responsibility.
— Additional Notes: Some attractions or activities may be canceled due to weather or special circumstances.
We will flexibly adjust the arrangements accordingly.
The schedule and content of shamanic gatherings and camp activities may sometimes be adjusted at the last minute.
This is beyond our control in advance, and we will make the most suitable arrangements based on the situation on-site.
Please understand that such adjustments are not covered by compensation.
The instructors will generally follow the schedule,
but in case of unforeseen circumstances, other suitable instructors may be substituted.
—
Ongons
“It’s not like you raising your hand and saying, ‘I want to be a shaman!’ No, it comes from above. It’s the qualification given by your ancestor – the ongon (the spirit of a deceased shaman in Mongolian shamanism). In the past 11 generations, I have 8 ongons, 8 shaman ancestors. I used to work in the police force, and now I’m retired.
While I was serving in the police force, I was called to become a shaman. Ongons can choose anyone; if it’s a large family, then they usually choose the oldest or the youngest. There are ten siblings in my family, and I’m the youngest.
Shamans are chosen from those who are physically strong and highly intelligent. At the same time, they test me in different ways. They slash me with knives and shoot me while I’m on duty. I survived two serious car accidents… The intensity of these tests is enough to break a person; if he doesn’t break, he perseveres. A shaman must be a spiritual person with a strong will.”
//Mikhail Ogdonov, at the office of the local shamanic organization “Lake Baikal”//
shamanic disease
“I’ve been a shaman since 2007. I’m a hereditary shaman. My uncles and aunts were witch doctors, as were my grandparents, and my father was also a witch doctor. It’s bloodline. I’ve seen all the rituals since I was a child. I dedicated myself to it and began my shamanic work at the age of 37.
Everyone’s ‘shamanic disease’ is different; it’s not always related to alcohol. I’ve never smoked, and I’ve never even drunk alcohol, but my shamanic disease manifests in my life—nothing good happens to me; I have bad luck everywhere I go. I take on projects, and they end immediately. Although I studied different majors at many universities, everything went wrong. I’ve worked as an administrator, guard, nurse, and parliamentary assistant. In the 90s, I served in the special forces and experienced the death of a friend… all sorts of things happened in my life.
On my 37th birthday, I had gained enough experience and knowledge, and when they told me I should become a shaman, I was enlightened, and I understood: Yes, this is my path. I knew from a young age that I would become a doctor or a shaman. I didn’t know when, but I knew I would.”
//Arthur Tsybikov, in the yurt of the local shamanic organization “Eternal Blue Sky” //
Start doing God’s work
“I was an accountant, working in the tax department, where I was the head. Then the shamanic illness started, lasting for three years. When I was 35, some elders started asking me to perform rituals, but I refused because the tax department salary was very good at the time. Then I went to doctors until they got tired of me: two years of treatment, then surgery. I wanted to live! I had to change jobs and start doing God’s work. I became a shaman at 37. I have been helping people as a shaman for 15 years, and I haven’t been to a hospital since.”
//Yuri Bubayev, in the yurt of the local shamanic organization “Radiance of Heaven”//
