Itinerary
- Day 1
Ulaanbaatar
You'll arrive in Ulaanbaatar and meet your tour leader at the hotel at 2pm. Start with an orientation walk around Sukhbaatar Square, checking out the Government Palace and Mongolia National Museum. At 6pm there's a welcome briefing, and dinner with other travelers is optional if you want to get to know the group.
Included Activities
- Orientation walking tour of Sukhbaatar Square
- Visit to Mongolia National Museum
Optional Activities
- Airport transfer from Chinggis Khaan International Airport
- Dinner with fellow travelers
- Additional exploration of Ulaanbaatar or visit to Chinggis Khan statue (pre- or post-tour accommodation recommended)
Landmarks/POIs Sukhbaatar Square Government Palace Mongolia National Museum Chinggis Khan Monument - Day 2
Ulaanbaatar to Hustai National Park
After leaving Ulaanbaatar, you'll drive about three hours through changing landscapes into the countryside, heading toward Hustai National Park. Stop for lunch and visit the visitor centre, then join a 4WD safari in mid-afternoon to spot Takhi horses along with foxes, deer, and eagles. That evening you'll have dinner at camp and sleep in a traditional ger for the first time.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Drive through Ulaanbaatar to Mongolian steppe
- Visit to Hustai National Park visitor centre
- 4WD safari to spot Takhi horses and wildlife
Landmarks/POIs Hustai National Park - Day 3
Hustai National Park to Khogno Khan Mountain
A four-hour drive takes you to Khogno Khan Mountain across the steppeland. On the way, you'll visit a mini Gobi section with rolling dunes and stop at a local herder family's home. The terrain around here features red granite mountains, green meadows, and desert all mixed together, plus a hidden Buddhist temple and crystal-clear lakes. You'll relax at the ger camp that evening with the mountains around you.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Four-hour scenic drive to Khogno Khan Mountain
- Visit to local herder family in the 'mini Gobi'
- Exploration of Khogno Khan terrain including Buddhist temple
- Visit to crystalline lakes
Optional Activities
- Relax with a book and exceptional views
Landmarks/POIs Khogno Khan Mountain Mini Gobi - Day 4
Khogno Khan to Karakorum
This morning allows time to take things slower before driving two hours to Karakorum, the ancient empire's capital. You'll spend time at Erdene Zuu Monastery, where you might catch monks praying in the afternoon. After that, walk through the Karakorum Museum and the local market, then head back to camp for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Erdene Zuu Monastery
- Visit to Karakorum Museum
- Walk through local market
Landmarks/POIs Erdene Zuu Monastery Karakorum Museum - Day 5
Karakorum to Orkhon Valley
Head south and after about 90 minutes stop at Tovkhon Monastery, one of the region's more isolated and beautiful spots. A 5-kilometre walk gets you there in 1 to 2 hours uphill, with meditation caves and resident monks to explore. Coming down takes around an hour. Then you'll continue through the Khangai mountain range into Orkhon Valley, passing gorges and river valleys, and stop to see Mongolia's highest waterfall at 16 metres before settling at camp for two nights.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Tovkhon Monastery
- 5-kilometre walk to Tovkhon Monastery with monks
- Exploration of traditional meditation caves
- Drive through Khangai mountain range
- Visit to Orkhon Valley Waterfall
Optional Activities
- Climb along cliffside with monks to find meditation caves
Landmarks/POIs Tovkhon Monastery Orkhon Valley Waterfall - Day 6
Orkhon Valley
You have the full day in Orkhon Valley to relax however you like. Choose between horseback or hiking through mountains, rivers, and canyons where you'll see yak, sheep, goats, and horses roaming around. A local family can teach you how to build a ger, herd animals, and make traditional dairy products like cream, yoghurt, and curd.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Horse riding or walking in Orkhon Valley
- Exploration of mountains, rivers, and canyons
- Learning traditional nomadic skills with local family
- Ger building demonstration
- Herding and milk processing demonstration
Landmarks/POIs Orkhon Valley - Day 7
Orkhon Valley to Ongi Temple
This is a long seven-hour drive from the green Khangai mountains through river valleys that gradually shift into desert scrubland. You'll pass unique rock formations and spot various birds along the way. When you reach Ongi Temple on the Ongiin Gol River, explore the ruins of two historic monasteries called Barlim and Khutagt, plus check out a small museum. Your camp for the night is near the temple.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Seven-hour drive through Khangai mountains and Gobi transition
- Visit to Ongi Temple ruins (Barlim and Khutagt monasteries)
- Visit to Ongi Temple museum
Optional Activities
- Serene relaxation at ger camp
- Further hiking or exploration
Landmarks/POIs Ongi Temple Saikhan Ovoo - Day 8
Ongi Temple to Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
A roughly four-hour drive gets you into the Gobi Desert proper, passing the Three Beauties mountain ranges. You'll arrive at Bayanzag and the famous Flaming Cliffs, sandstone formations that glow brilliantly at sunrise and sunset. This is where dinosaur eggs were first discovered back in 1922. After exploring the site, head back to camp and later return for sunset viewing.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Four-hour drive through Gobi Desert
- Exploration of Bayanzag and Flaming Cliffs
- Sunset viewing at Flaming Cliffs
Landmarks/POIs Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag) - Day 9
Bayanzag to Khongor Sand Dunes
Drive about four hours through Gobi terrain to reach the Khongor Sand Dunes, also called Singing Sands. Along the way you'll pass pebbled plains and fertile steppe, stopping to visit a traditional nomadic family. The dunes stretch over 180 kilometres and reach 300 metres high. After lunch and once it cools down, visit a camel herder family with the option to ride camels. Later that day, listen for and experience the unique 'singing' sound the wind makes crossing the sand, and catch sunset from either the dunes or your camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Four-hour drive through Gobi Desert terrain
- Visit to traditional nomadic family in steppe
- Visit to Khongor Sand Dunes (Khongoryn Els)
- Visit to camel herder family
Optional Activities
- Camel riding on the Khongor Sand Dunes
- Sunset viewing from top of dunes
Landmarks/POIs Khongor Sand Dunes (Khongoryn Els) - Day 10
Khongor Sand Dunes to Yol Valley
After breakfast, you'll cross bumpy terrain moving from sandy desert through hard clay, rock, and stone into steppe. The landscape keeps changing as you head to Gurvansaikhan Mountains and Yolyn Am, known as Vulture's Gorge. A 3 to 4 hour walk winds through the valley where you can spot eagles and wild goats on the walls, plus small picas among the rocks. Winter ice sometimes stays into the summer months. That evening you'll relax at camp with the group.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Journey through diverse Gobi landscapes
- Exploration of Yolyn Am (Vulture's Gorge) on 3-4 hour walk
Landmarks/POIs Gurvansaikhan Mountains Yolyn Am (Vulture's Gorge) - Day 11
Yol Valley to White Stupa
After breakfast, travel to Dalanzadgal, the provincial capital, and visit the recently opened Gobi Museum of Nature and History which has many dinosaur finds and regional artifacts. Grab lunch, then start heading north back toward Ulaanbaatar. Drive about three hours through Gobi scrub to reach White Stupa, magnificent white cliffs with striking natural scenery. Spend late afternoon exploring the rock formations on foot and looking for ancient petroglyphs before settling at camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit to Gobi Museum of Nature and History in Dalanzadgad
- Three-hour drive through Gobi to White Stupa
- Exploration of White Stupa rock formations
- Viewing of ancient petroglyphs
Landmarks/POIs Dalanzadgad Gobi Museum of Nature and History White Stupa - Day 12
White Stupa to Baga Gazriin Chuluu
After breakfast, drive across the country through typical Gobi scrub that gradually turns into traditional Mongolian steppe. After around five hours including comfort stops and lunch, you'll spot a red granite outcrop rising 1,768 metres. That afternoon, take a walk through Baga Gazriin Chuluu National Park to see impressive geological formations, ancient petroglyphs, and burial mounds. You'll also visit a hidden temple and meet nomadic herders, then have milky tea before arriving at your final ger camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Drive through Gobi and Mongolian steppe
- Afternoon walk exploring Baga Gazriin Chuluu geology
- Viewing of ancient petroglyphs and burial mounds
- Visit to hidden temple ruins
- Meeting with nomadic herders
Landmarks/POIs Baga Gazriin Chuluu National Park - Day 13
Baga Gazriin Chuluu to Ulaanbaatar
A four-hour drive takes you back to Ulaanbaatar from the countryside. You'll visit Gandan Monastery, the city's largest Buddhist complex, which has an impressive 26-metre-high gold-coated indoor Buddha. After lunch, check out the State Department Store for souvenirs and city history, see the Beatles Statue, and find out why this Liverpool band gets commemorated in Mongolia. The tour finishes with a farewell dinner celebrating everything you've experienced.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Farewell dinner)
Included Activities
- Four-hour drive to Ulaanbaatar
- Visit to Gandan Monastery
- Visit to State Department Store (Ih Delguur)
- Visit to Beatles Statue
- Farewell dinner
Optional Activities
- Rest at accommodation
- Further local site exploration with tour leader suggestions
Landmarks/POIs Gandan Monastery State Department Store (Ih Delguur) Beatles Statue - Day 14
Ulaanbaatar
The tour ends after breakfast at your hotel. There are no scheduled activities, so you're free to depart whenever your flight leaves. Luggage storage is available if you need it while waiting for a later departure.
- Meals
- Breakfast
