Nomadic Mongolia
14 days, Ulaanbaatar to Ulaanbaatar
Itinerary
Day 1Ulaanbaatar
Arrive at any time.
There are no activities planned until an evening welcome meeting.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Day 2Ulaanbaatar
Enjoy a morning city tour including visits to Gandan Monastery, Bogd Khan Palace, and Zaisan Hill, then spend a free afternoon exploring the city. Make sure you stop for a cold one at the local Chinggis Brewery.
Enjoy the sights of UB with visits to the Gandan Monastery, Bogd Khan Palace, and Zaisan Hill.
Spend a free afternoon exploring this fascinating capital city.
Ulaanbaatar City Tour
Visit the highlights of Ulaanbaatar with a guided tour to the Gandan Monastery, Bogd Khan Palace, and Zaisan Hill – where you can take in a bird's eye view of the city.
Free Time
Explore the city— go shopping, drink a Chinggis beer, or visit some more museums.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
Chinggis Beer Hall Visit
4000-5000MNT per personGrab a beer and toast to a great vacation. Chinggis Beer is brewed right in town and has produced high quality beer since 1998. Cheers!
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Ulaanbaatar/Baga Gadzrïn Chuluu
Drive to the Dungobi Aimag region – Middle Gobi – stopping at the Choir Monastery on the way. Spend the night at the first Mongolian ger camp.
Leave the capital and head south through the steppe to the Middle Gobi.
Visit the Choir Monastery before continuing on to a small ger camp not far from Mandalgovi, the regional centre.
Gers are traditional Mongolian tents made with wooden frames and layers of felt. The camps we stay at will have 4 beds per ger with mattresses, linens, and extra blankets. They have a central stove to keep the place cozy and a small table and chairs.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Choir Monastery Visit
Established in 1779, the Choir Monastery had many lamas living there and was a major religious centre in the region. In the 1930s, there was a time of religious persecution in Mongolia and the monastery was destroyed. Today, its ruins are protected by the government.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Baga Gadzrïn Chuluu/Gurvan Saikhan
Spend two days in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park in a ger camp. Look for vultures, wild Argali sheep, desert gazelles, and golden eagles. Explore flaming cliffs and opt to go on a hike or two.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Gurvan Saikhan
Explore more of the park looking for wild animals. Visit the flaming cliffs and opt for a hike or two.
Explore the Flaming Cliffs. Made of red sandstone, the cliffs and canyons, where fossils were found in recent years, are a beautiful place to spend some time.
One of the main attractions in the area is Yolyn Am — a narrow gorge in the Gurvan Saikan mountains. It's an amazing place for hiking. Bring stable shoes and warm clothes, as some places are covered in thick ice year round.
Free Time
Get out and explore the wilds of Mongolia.
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Yolyn Am Visit
One of the main attractions in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National park is Yolyn Am - a narrow gorge in the mountains. It's an amazing place for hikes.
Flaming Cliffs Visit
Explore the Flaming Cliffs. Made of red sandstone, the cliffs and canyons where fossils were found in recent years are a beautiful place to spend some time.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Gurvan Saikhan/Bayangovĭ
Drive to Khongoryn Els. Enjoy the activities the Gobi Desert has to offer— hiking in sand dunes, visit a nomadic camel-herding family and try riding camels.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes Visit
Visit Khongoryn Els, the biggest sand dunes in the western Gobi. They also are known as "singing sands" because the sand makes a musical noise as it moves with the wind.
Free Time
Visit a local family, run around in the sand dunes, or ride a camel.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 7Bayangovĭ/Ongiin Hiid
Drive through western parts of the Gobi Desert. In the surrounding mountains, visit the ruins of the Hoshuu and Ongiin Khiid monasteries.
Drive to the Delger Khangai Mountains area. Explore the ruins of the monasteries in the area.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Ongiin Khiid and Hoshuu Monasteries Visit
Both these monasteries were important centres in the region before they were destroyed. The systematic destruction of religious sights under Communist rule was pervasive. Built in 17th century, the Ongiin Khiid monastery was among the largest temples in the country and was a home for over 1,000 monks. See the ruins and learn the sad history of the place.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 8Ongiin Hiid/Nomad Camp
Leave the Gobi Desert and drive through the Mongolian grasslands. Spend the with a local nomadic family, observing how they live. Enjoy a traditional meal with them.
Enjoy a long drive northwest, leaving the Gobi desert area and heading into the Mongolian steppe.
The nomads here live simple lives and move their cattle along the same routes their great-grandparents travelled hundreds of years ago.
In the evening, have dinner together with your hosts. One of the best things to try is the famous Mongolian barbecue.
Depending on the size of the nomadic family and their gers, accommodations can be very basic, with minimal to no facilities. In case if nomads can’t provide enough space for our group, we will camp nearby (camping gear is provided).
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 9Nomad Camp/Tsenkher
Journey to Tsenkher Hot Springs. Visit the springs and soak in their healing powers.
The hot springs are about 30km (18.6 mi) from the Karakorum and are very popular with both locals and travellers.
Stay in a ger camp nearby with options to visit the springs, go horseback riding, or chat with the locals.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 10Tsenkher
Enjoy a relaxing time at the ger camp at Tsenkher Hot Springs. Visit the springs and soak in their healing powers. Opt to go horseback riding or hang out with the locals.
Free Time
Enjoy this scenic area.
Optional Activities - Day 10 HideShow
Horseback Riding
15000MNT per personSaddle up and ride Mongolian horses around the area. It's a great way to see the country in the way the locals do.
Tsenkher Hot Springs Visit
Enjoy a soak in the natural hot springs. The place is very popular with both locals and tourists as the hot water here is said to have healing powers.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 11Tsenkher/Kharkhorin
Drive to Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia. Visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery, the first centre of Lama Buddhism in Mongolia.
Journey to Kharkhorin, stopping at the beautiful Erdene Zuu Monastery. Destroyed during the Communist era, this monastery is slowly being rebuilt.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Erdene Zuu Monastery Visit
The beautiful Erdene Zuu Monastery began its construction in 1586 and continued for over 300 years. It was the first centre of Lama Buddhism in Mongolia. At its peak, the monastery housed over 1,000 monks and held 62 temples. In the 1930s, most of the temples were destroyed and monks killed in the Communist purges. Now, the monastery is slowly being restored.
Explore the monastery grounds and, if you're lucky, listen to monks chanting.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 12Kharkhorin/Khustai National Park
Stay in Khustai National Park—home of Mongolian wild horses. Here, look for Takhi horses in their natural habitat.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Khustai National Park (Khustain Nuruu) Visit
Home to the last of the truly wild horses in the world, the park is a wonderful chance to see the Takhi horses in their natural environment. At one point there were none in the wild, but after a hugely successful captive breeding program in various worldwide zoos, they were reintroduced.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 13Khustai National Park/Ulaanbaatar
Drive back to the capital for last minute sightseeing. Opt to see a local cultural show, an excellent display of dancing and Mongolian throat singing.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Explore with a few more hours in this international city.
Optional Activities - Day 13 HideShow
Mongolian Cultural Show
30000MNT per personEnjoy an evening of song and dance at the Mongolian Cultural Show. The show includes 15 different performances, including traditional songs, dancing, throat singing, and contortionists.
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 14Ulaanbaatar
Depart at any time.