Itinerary
- Day 1
Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin
Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel in Ulaanbaatar and head south toward Kharkhorin, Mongolia's ancient capital. The drive takes you through open Mongolian countryside where you'll stop for lunch along the way. By evening you'll settle into a local ger hostel in Kharkhorin. After dinner, the rest of the night is yours to wander around town or take a hike if you're not too tired from traveling.
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Erdenezuu Monastery (one of Mongolia's most attractive Buddhist monasteries, built in 1585)
Optional Activities
- Hike in Kharkhorin
- Wander the streets of Kharkhorin
Landmarks/POIs Erdenezuu Monastery - Day 2
Kharkhorin to Tsenkher Hot Springs
After breakfast, you'll drive to Tsenkher Hot Springs to meet your local host family who'll be your base for the next few days. Spend the afternoon soaking in the natural sulphuric hot springs that heat up to around 89°C/192°F. The water comes straight from the ground and the whole setup is pretty low-key. You'll stay in their ger tonight and settle in for the next few days with the family.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Relax and bathe in Tsenkher Hot Springs
Landmarks/POIs Tsenkher Hot Springs - Days 3 - 5
Tsenkher Hot Springs
Over the next few days you're living with your host family and joining their daily work. You'll learn how to herd sheep and goats out to pasture each morning and then help milk them. Horseback riding is something you can do around the area, and you'll also help keep watch over the animals. If you prefer, there's good hiking in the surrounding landscape. It's hands-on farming life rather than watching from the sidelines.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Herd sheep and goats with host family
- Milk animals with host family
- Horse riding around the area
- Guard animals with host family
- Hiking in the area
- Day 6
Tsenkher to Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Lake
Your host family will arrange transportation to Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Lake, which sits in the Khangai Mountains. The lake is 16 km wide and 20 km long and sits at the center of a protected area where you'll see wildlife and varied landscape. From there you'll head to a ger camp for the night. The high altitude and mountain setting make this a completely different environment from where you've been.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Lake (White Lake)
Landmarks/POIs Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Lake - Day 7
Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur Lake to Kharkhorin
After breakfast you'll drive back toward Kharkhorin and stop at Orkhon Waterfall on the way. There's time to walk around the waterfall area and grab a picnic lunch. In the afternoon you can either ride horses through the countryside or spend more time checking out Kharkhorin's sights. By evening you'll get back to the same guesthouse where you stayed on your first night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Picnic lunch), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit Orkhon Waterfall
- Explore Orkhon Waterfall area
Optional Activities
- Horse riding
- Explore Kharkhorin city
Landmarks/POIs Orkhon Waterfall - Day 8
Kharkhorin to Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, you'll get picked up for the drive back to Ulaanbaatar, wrapping up your tour. The drive takes you back through the Mongolian steppe and through Kharkhorin before heading north to the capital. This marks the end of your time in central Mongolia.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
