- 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
Jewels of Mongolia with Rural Naadam Festival in Khuvsgul lake (12 days / 11 nights)
This tour is designed for more comfort by allowing you to fly more and travel less on long, bumpy roads. The Crystal Blue lake Khuvsgul and the Gobi Desert which are the most beautiful places in Mongolia make this trip special. The first destination of this trip is the lake Khuvsgul which is known by the name “Ocean Mother” and “Blue Pearl” among the Mongols. We recommend you to see the local “Naadam” festival at Khuvgul lake at the same time exploring the beautiful landscape, reindeer and yak herders and their nomadic way of life. Seeing Naadam festival in a rural area is better than seeing it in a busy and crowded city as it gives you an opportunity to see more interesting things during the festival. You will enjoy watching wrestling, horse race and archery which are the main events of the Naadam festival. The young but strong jockeys will make you admired by their horsemanship whereas wrestlers and archers will attract you by their strength, technique and beautiful traditional costumes.
While spending your days at the shore of the lake, take every opportunity to do interesting activities including horse- back riding, kayaking, and going on a boat to explore the sacred spot “Sant Asar” and visiting reindeer and yak herding families. Reindeer family lives in a tepee- style dwelling in northern Mongolia. It is also a good chance to visit them, know about their lifestyle and have your pictures taken with reindeer and reindeer herders. Northern Mongolia is a home to yaks since it is more mountainous than other regions in Mongolia. Don’t miss the opportunity to taste local dairy products including yak cream, curds and yogurt when you visit the yak herding family. Deer stone site at “Uushgiin Uvur” which draws the attention of many tourists from the images of human faces, the statue numbers and other artful illustrations on the deer stones is offered to see for you. After you do the northern Mongolia, you will be back to UB for one night. Be sure that another wonderful day is waiting for you.
The next destination is the Gobi Desert, which is popular with tourists for its beautiful landscapes including sand dunes, splendid gorges with unique formations, birds of prey, small rodents, remains of dinosaur fossils as well as two-humped camels and camel herders. While traveling around the Gobi, you will be fascinated by the contrasts between the Three Beauty Mountain Ranges, ice in the Eagle Valley which remains frozen until July and sand dunes known as the name “Singing dune”. When you walk through Eagle Valle, observe and take pictures of pikas, the small cute rodents which are dragging grass into their burrows for winter consumption. We offer you to explore the Flaming Cliff which was discovered by an American explorer and naturalist, Roy Chapman Andrews in the 1920s. The red sandstone cliff is known as the name Bayanzag among the Mongols. Pieces of dinosaur bone are still being found at the Flaming Cliff and other famous locations in the Gobi Desert.
Khongor Sand dunes are another wonderful place to see in the Gobi Desert. If you get to the high sections of the dunes in the northwestern corner, you will have a chance to hear the sounds of the “singing dunes.”Another chance to hear the “singing dunes” is from the top. If you slide off the dunes by kicking your legs and pushing your two arms forward, it can be heard. Mongolian Gobi is the only place where you can see two-humped Bactrian camels. Enjoy your trip to the Gobi by visiting nomad family, making friends with camel herders and finding out more about their lifestyles. Their hospitability and nomadic way of life makes this trip special too.
DETAILED TOUR ITINERARY
July 3 Day 1 ~Arrival in Ulaanbaatar & City Tour
Upon arrival at Genghis Khan International Airport, you are met by our guide and
transferred to the hotel in the city center. We set out to explore
Ulaanbaatar-the capital city of Mongolia-the home to over a one third of the
country's population where the traditional gers and Buddhist temples coexist
with sky-kissing towers! Begin from the Gandan Monastery-Mongolia's most revered
religious site-home to more than 100 Buddhist monks with beautiful chapels,
courtyards and a giant 75-foot gold gilded Buddha statue.
Next, we stop in the Natural History Museum that showcases the spectacular
fossils found in the Gobi desert. After lunch, we visit the National Museum of
Mongolian History and culture that has rich collection of stone and Bronze Age
artifacts, costumes, sacred relics and items related to the nomadic life such as
hunting and fishing tools.
The balance of the day is open for you to stroll the streets of the city on
your own.
Overnight in 4* hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
July 4 Day 2 Fly to the Gobi Desert (1.2 hours) and then drive to Yol Valley and Gurvansaikhan National Park
This morning we fly over vast steppe to the Gobi, Mongolia’s southernmost province of semi-arid desert. Meet your local guide and driver and then transfer by 4WD vehicle to the Yol Valley in Gurvansaikhan National Park, situated in the lap of Altai Mountains. On the way to our lodge, we stop to visit the local Natural History Museum for an insight to the flora and fauna of the area.
Overnight in ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 5 - Day 3 Yol Valley to Hongoryn Els
After breakfast, take in the stunning scenery of the Gobi-Altai Mountain range as you transfer to the towering sand dunes of Khongoryn Els, home to the ‘Singing Sands’. These spectacular dunes got their name from the noise made by the shifting sand in the wind. Feel the breeze in your hair as you ride a camel across the dunes before returning to the ger camp. Isolated from the rest of the country, the Singing Sands are the best kept secret for thousand years in the history of Mongolia.
Overnight in Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 6 - Day 4 Khongor sand dunes
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 Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 7 - Day 5 Day trip to Khavtsgait Petroglyphs and Nomads day
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 Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 8 Day 6 Drive to the Flaming Cliffs
Following breakfast, we drive to Bayanzag. After lunch and some rest, we drive to Bayan Zag, popularly called as “The Flaming Cliffs” for its glowing orange rock. It was here, in 1922, that Dr. This area got international name as Roy Chapman Andrews and his exploration team from the American Museum of Natural History discovered the first nest of dinosaur eggs here. The area is haven for the natural history scientists as the area is rich in dinosaur fossils.
Overnight in ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
July 9 Day 7 Return to Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, we return to Muron for our afternoon flight to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel in the city and rest of the day is open for you to pursue your own interest.
Overnight in 4* hotel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 10 Day 8 To Lake Khovsgul in the North.
1.2 hours flight to Muron and 4 hrs drive to the Lake
Khovsgul
Following breakfast, we are transferred to the airport for flight to Muron
in the north. Muron is the headquarter of the Khovsgul Province. We meet our
local guide at the airport and then we drive by 4WD vehicle through the vast
Mongolian steppe into the forested mountains and finally we arrive at the Lake
Khovsgul-Mongolia's largest lake. The lake, also known as the "Dark Blue Pearl"
of Mongolia is situated amidst the pristine nature with beautiful forests,
mountains and meadows and abundant with bird species and orchids.
Overnight in Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 11 - Day 9 Rural Naadam Festival in Khuvsgul lake
During whole lovely day you enjoy watch Naadam festival or three manly sports such as wrestling, archery and horse racing. Visit opening ceremony of Naadam festival at the national stadium. And you will see archery, wrestling and horse racing during Naadam festival. Naadam festival is of the victory of the People’s Revolution. Mongolia celebrates its independence and its rich cultural heritage with a festival of sports and revelry in Ulaanbaatar. The distinctly Mongolian feel and flair of the Naadam Festival make it a wonderful spectacle, a joyous time, and an intriguing cultural event. Colorful ceremonies and parading soldiers kick off the celebrations.
Overnight in Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 12 Day 10 Discover Khuvsgul National park
During whole lovely day, you will have an opportunity to ride reindeer and observe them. We spend the next two days in walking, hiking, horseback riding in the environs of the lake and the nearby mountains and visiting the local nomadic families. Optional boating trip is available on request. Walking and hiking in the lake shores, Horse riding trek near the lake, visiting yak breeding family and experience their unique lifestyle
Overnight in Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 13 Day 11 Back to Ulaanbaatar
Following breakfast, transfer back to the airport and fly to Ulaanbaatar. There is more to see if you are interested. Visit the Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum-residence of Bodg Jabzan Damba Hutagt VIII-Mongolia's last theocrat. Or take leisurely stroll in the town center. In the evening, enjoy dinner and local folklore dance shows.
Overnight in 4* hotel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
July 14 Day 12 Depart Mongolia
Transfer to the airport for flight to next destination
