- Private ger for every 2 people in Tourist camp
- All meals as listed in itinerary
- All entrance fees
- Sightseeing as per itinerary
- Accommodation in 4 stars hotel in Ulaanbaatar (twin standard room double occupancy)
- Transportations by 4WD vehicles
- English speaking guide (other language guide on request)
- Daily supply of bottled water
A Classic Journey of Mongolia (14 days / 13 nights)
This tour is designed for more comfort by allowing you to fly more and travel less on long, bumpy roads.
Our first destination, Khuvsgul Lake, is one of the most beautiful lakes in Mongolia. Foreign tourists as well as Mongolians enjoy Mother Nature while horse trekking, sailing, or simply taking a walk on the lake's peaceful shores. A visit to a reindeer herder family makes this part of the tour even more special. Reindeer people are one of Mongolia's minority groups. Visitors will be fascinated as they get to know the people and observe their simple, yet unique lifestyle which has been preserved from generation to generation. Overall, there are approximately 700 deer stones throughout Central Asia and 600 of them exist in Mongolia. Deer stones that date back to the Bronze Age can be found at another spot in this area called Uushin Uvur. The stones at this site are especially significant because these man stones have facial features and motifs.
The next destination is the famous Gobi Desert. We follow the path of legendary American explorer, adventurer, and naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews. During four expeditions in the Gobi Desert between 1922 and 1925, he discovered the bones of various kinds of dinosaurs as well as a nest of dinosaur eggs. To the Mongolians he was a “Dragon Hunter,” but to the rest of the world he was a fossil explorer who unearthed the mysteries of the Gobi Desert. Believe it or not, dinosaur bones can still be found there today!
Although the dinosaur findings are the pearl of the Gobi, there is still a lot more to see. Beautiful Yol Valley is a great place to wind down while searching for ibex, mountain sheep, bearded vultures, and other interesting creatures. There's also a dramatic gorge that is filled with ice during most of the year. Don't miss a visit to the fascinating Khongor Sand Dunes which stretch for 100 kilometers. We'll spend time with a camel herder family and ride to the dunes on Bactrian camels.
You'll be guaranteed to have fun as you climb to the top of the Singing Dunes where you will see breathtaking scenery and hear the sand as it mimics the sound of a plane engine.
The tour continues to the Orkhon Valley which is significant because all of the ancient empires and powerful nomadic tribes from the Xiongnu to the Great Mongol Empire established their capital cities in this valley. We will explore Kharkhorin, the ancient capital city of the XIII century Mongol Empire. It was established in 1220 by the great Chinggis Khan. Kharkhorin prospered during Ugudei's reign, but weakened during the reign of Khubilai. Although Kharkhorin has remained a small town, it is still major tourist destination and attracts local and foreign tourists with its long history, beautiful landscapes, and historical monuments. In Kharkhorin, you can visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery. Constructed in 1580, it is the oldest and largest monastery found in the ruins of the capital city.
The last, but definitely not the least destination is Hustai National Park where Przewalski horses were re-introduced to their motherland. It is definitely an unforgettable experience to see these beautiful wild horses grazing peacefully along with roe deer and marmots.
We promise the best service you can get in Mongolia. If you truly love traveling and exploring in untouched lands, Mongolia must, without a doubt, be at the top of your list!
DETAILED TOUR ITINERARY
Arrive in Ulaan Baatar and transfer to your centrally located hotel. The first stop is at Sukhbaatar Square, which is the central square named after the revolutionary hero of 1921 Damdiny Sukhbaatar whom declared independence from China. You will visit the Gandan Monastery that is the largest and most famous functioning monastery in Mongolia; here you may experience the monks in worship and see the impressive Golden Buddha Statue of Migjid Janraisig. Time permitting you can visit the Natural History Museum which is famous for its authentic dinosaur skeletons and also visit the Zaisan memorial hill to get a fantastic view of whole city. You will have a welcome dinner at local restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Lodging: 4 star hotel
After an early breakfast at the hotel, fly into Moron, the center of the Hovsgol province. From Moron, you will be driven to the base camp at Lake Hovsgol (approx. 70 miles). With an area of 1,012 sq. miles lying near the Russian border, Hovsgol is Mongolia’s largest freshwater lake. It is more than 800 feet deep and more than a mile above sea level. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Overnight at the camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight in the Ger Camp
After breakfast at the camp you will have a full day to explore the breathtaking
shores of this beautiful lake. There is ample opportunity to discover the local
nomadic lifestyle. You can plan hiking and photo ventures along the shorelines,
which are excellent habitats for wildlife and birds.
Walking and hiking in the lake shores, Horse riding trek near the lake,
visiting yak breeding family and experience their unique lifestyle
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Following an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred back to the Murun Airport. We bid farewell to our drivers and fly to Ulaanbaatar where we meet our local transport for a 90-minute drive to Gorkhi Terelj National Park. This unforgettable excursion will take you to features such as scenic valleys, a winding river, and restful groves of trees. Many nomads live in the park itself, where they find lush land for their animals, and you may even see majestic herds of yak grazing near the camp. Once inside the park you will be able to visit the notable rock formations "Turtle rock" and “Monk reading a book." You will also have the opportunity to hike up to the Aryabal meditation center and learn more about Mongolian Buddhism.
On the way to the national park, you will take a detour to visit the giant Statue of Chinggis Khan which stands 40m (132 ft) high. The monument is about 33 miles east of Ulaanbaatar and stands at the point where, according to legend, he found a golden whip. The statue is symbolically pointed east, towards his birthplace. It is on top of the Chinggis Khan Statue Complex, a visitor center, itself 10 meters (32 ft 10 in) tall, with 36 columns representing the 36 khans from Genghis to Ligdan Khan. It was designed by sculptor D. Erdenebileg and architect J. Enkhjargal and erected in 2008.
In the afternoon we will drive back to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in 4* hotel,
Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, we drive to airport for flight to Gobi, one of the most famous and exotic areas in the world. The Gobi occupies about one-third of Mongolia and consists of sand dunes and dry mountain ranges. As one of the harshest environments on earth with extreme temperature and seasonal changes, the Gobi is surprisingly full of wildlife such as white and blacktail gazelles, wild ass or “hulan” in Mongolian, wild camel or “havtgai”, antelopes, ibex, and argali sheep, the biggest wild sheep on the planet. The majority of Mongolia’s population of bactrian camels live in this area, and you can take a camel ride if you like.
Overnight in Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Today we will drive to Khongorinn Els sand dunes, the largest sand dunes in Mongolia. These dunes lie in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park. The drive is through some incredible desert scenery with flat, stony plains; outcrops of vegetation; hills of interesting rock formations; and herds of wild antelope racing across the plains.
Overnight in Ger Camp,
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Today we will have a full day exploring the sand dunes and rest after the long drive. The dunes seem to stretch on forever like a soft ribbon of sand draped over the desert. The shifting sand blown by the wind or someone makes sound so it is called Singing Sand Dunes. There is a beautiful green oasis known as Seruun bulag near the Khongor River. Return to the camp for lunch and enjoy feeling silence and a peaceful in the beautiful surroundings Gobi Deserts.
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Drive to Bayanzag which is located 20 kilometers far from Bulgan soum, where 70 million years ago a lot of Paleontological findings have been discovered. The place is known as Flaming Cliffs so named by Roy Chapman Andrews American explorer who had visited Mongolia in 1922. During two years he searched through the Mongolian Gobi Desert and he found dinosaur fossils and dinosaur eggs about 10-15 cm from the Bayanzag for the first time in the world. Visiting and exploring native land of dinosaurs and taking some photos for beautiful surroundings.
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
In the morning we drive to the site of the Khavtsgait Petroglyphs. The Khavtsgait
Petroglyphs from the Bronze Age (4000-3000 BC) are beautifully carved on many
rocks on the top of a sacred mountain. It is easy to find the rock paintings
there because they are spread on rocks all around. The area is very rocky and
can be slippery to climb, but by carefully following a path up the mountain, you
can reach the top to see these beautiful rock paintings.
The petroglyphs were carved and painted with motifs consisting of animals,
hunting scenes and weapons. They depict various animals related to everyday life
of ancient people including deer, bears, wolves and hunters, and wolves with
livestock. Other paintings depict more domestic scenes of yaks pulling carts,
the wheels and horses flattened sideways like hieroglyphs, and herders on
horseback. The engravings vary in size, ranging from two-centimeters to the real
life size of horses.
After the rest, we will visit a herder family nearby. We will spend some
time there getting to know the family members and their casual yet unique daily
lifestyle. It is a good chance to see how the family members cooperate together
to do their daily even hourly chores such as milking mares, fencing and milking
the goats. If you wish, you are welcome to try some mare's fermented milk and
other dairy products.
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Drive to Ongi temple. The ruins of Ongi Temple are found in Saikhan Ovoo soum of Dundgobi (Middle Gobi) province. It used to be a big Buddhist monastery compound built by Bari Yonzon Khamba at the bank of Ongi River. Transfer to the camp before the lunch. Visit the ruins of temple also there is small ger museum signifies ancient things.
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Early morning drive to Karakorum and arrive late afternoon, on the way picnic.
Ancient capital of Mongolia Karakorum city was located on the right bank of
Orkhon River and on the north-eastern slopes of the Khangai Mountain and founded
by Chinggis khan in 1220, was not only the capital of the vast Mongolian Empire
but the epicentre of trade along the Silk Road. At that time the inhabitants of
city were mostly Merchants craftsmen who came to karakorum from all over the
world. Khubilai khan moved to the capital of the Mongolian Empire to China,
establishing the Yuan Dynasty, began losing its importance. In 1379 much of the
city was badly damaged during an attack by the army of the Min Dynasty.
Erdene Zuu monastery
Erdene zuu monastery was built by Avtai Sain Khan on the ruin of the
Mongolian capital Karakorum in 1586. It was the first great Buddhist Monastery
of Mongolia. It is part of the World Heritage Site entitled Orkhon Valley
Cultural Landscape. Stones from the ruins of Karakorum were used in
construction. It is surrounded by a wall featuring 108 stupas, 108 being a
sacred number in Buddhism, and the number of beads in a Buddhist rosary. The
monastery was damaged by warfare in the 1680s, but was rebuilt in the 18th
century and by 1872 had a full 62 temples inside. The Erdene Zuu Monastery was
taken to state protection and became museum in 1944.
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Drive to Hustai National Park Hustai National Park is the site of a unique re-introduction scheme of Przewalskii’s horse (Equus przewalskii), called "takhi" by Mongolians. It became extinct in the wild in 1969 and, since 1992, has been successfully re-introduced to Hustai from zoos around the world. This has been an international effort monitored by The Foundation for the Przewalskii Horse, based in the Netherlands and MACNE (Mongolian Association for Conservation of Nature and the Environment).
Overnight in the Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
After breakfast, we will drive to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to hotel. Visit the Bogd Khaan Winter Palace Museum. The Bogdo Khaan Winter Palace is the home of the last Mongolian King, Javzun Damba Khutagt In the afternoon free time do shopping for cashmere shop, souvenir shop and State Department Store. Enjoy watch national folklore performance by “Tumen Ekh” national song, throat singing, tsam mask dance and so on. A farewell dinner and stay overnight in hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
lodging: 4 star hotel
Check out from the hotel and transfer to the “Chinggis Khan” International airport for departure.