TOUR ITINERARY DETAILS:

 

Day 1: Arrival in UB

We will meet at either the train station or the airport and first head for your hotel. Once you’re settled in, we’ll give you a basic orientation in UB and talk through the plans for the trip. Depending on the time of day and your energy level, we can go for a walking tour of downtown UB or head for one of the local coffee shops. We like to go out for dinner together on your first night in UB, unless you are too tired of course. In any case, we’ll be leaving early tomorrow so everybody will be turning in rather soon.

 

Day 2: Amarbayasgalan Monastery

After breakfast, we will mount or vehicles and begin our trip. Several hours north of Ulaanbaatar and deep inside the Selenge River Valley we find the Amarbaysgalant monastery. This formerly largest Monastery in Mongolia had suffered extensive destruction but was reconstructed in parts with significant attention to detail. The monastery is still active and monks live and worship here, surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. We spend our first day in the Mongolian countryside and our first night in a gher camp.

 

Day 3: Uran Togoo

 

The Uran Togoo is one of several extinct volcanoes in the Uran Togoo Tulga Uul Natural Monument area. Shaped like a almost perfect cone, the Uran Togoo is named after the Mongolian word for the fireplace, which features heavily in Mongolian culture. We will scale the crater and spend the day hiking on and around the mountain. After a long day of enjoying nature, we spend our second night in traditional ghers.

 

Day 4-5: Khuvsgul Lake & Visit Reindeer Herders

Not the largest, but definitely the most famous lake of Mongolia, Khuvsgul lake is also known as the "Blue Pearl of the North". Famous for its crystal clear water which at times takes a sapphire blue color, lake Khuvsgul offers breathtaking views of the mountains around it, as well as beautiful hiking and relaxation opportunities on the lake's shore. The next day, we will go visit a family of nomadic Reindeer herders to learn about their way of life and the animals they keep. These families belong to a ethnic group called the Tsaatan, one of a surprisingly large number of distinct tribes in a country of merely 3 million people.

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Day 6: Shine Ider

Heading back southwards from lake Khuvsgul we pass through Shine Ider. This area is typical for the northern provinces, with lush green pastures in summer as well as dense forest and rolling hills. Along our way we will see countless domestic animals as well as wildlife. We spend our night in a nice ger camp and enjoy the serenity of northern Mongolia.

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Day 7-8: Terkh Lake & Khorgo Volcano

We are continuing our journey back south towards Terkh Lake and Khorgo Volcano, where we will spend 2 nights in pristine nature. Upon reaching the Terkh national park area, we will hike up to "Khorgo" extinct volcano, surrounded by craters and trees. There is a small pond in center of the volcano, and when hiking into the mountains you will see ground cave with year-round ice, the stone shelters formed by explosions of lava. Apart from hiking in the area, we will ride horses and enjoy a relaxed evening at the lakeshore.

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Day 9: Tsenkher Hot Spring

Leaving Terkh in the moring, we continue to Tsetserleg town, capital of Arkhangai province and visit Zay Gegeen Temple- Museum dated back to 1750s. After restocking on provisions we continue  our journey to the Taikhar rock inscriptions where you find many kinds of scripts dated III-XVIII centuries such as Turkic, old Mongolian, Chinese character, Tibetan and modern Mongolian cyrillics. After lunch, we are off to “Tsenkher”, a natural hot spring that flows out of the ground year-round at 85 Celsius degree and it has a high mineral content which composed of calcium, sodium and sulphuric etc. Hot spring shower and hot spring bath will be waiting for you to relax and chill. 

Overnight, stay at ger tourist camp

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​Day 10: Karakorum City

Today, we will explore the ruins Karakorum city ruin, it was the ancient capital of Great Mongolian Empire built during Ugudei Khan's rein in 1220s. In the center of town youwill find Erdene Zuu monastery. The four stone turtles that originally marked the boundaries of ancient Karakorum still exist nowadays. After visiting the actual site, we will explore the modern Karakorum museum which exhibits many artefacts of the Mongol Empire era, as well as information on Mongolian history and everyday life in Karakorum.

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Day 11: Return to Ulaanbaatar

On our way back to Ulaanbaatar we make one last overnight stop at the Khugnu Khan sand string. This "mini-gobi" is a sand dune over 150km in length and exhibits an eco-system very similar to that of the Gobi more than 1'000km to the south. We will explore the dunes on the backs of camels and hike back over the sand hills over the course of the afternoon. After our last countryside dinner we retire to ghers for the last time, before heading back to UB the next day.

Day 12: Return to Ulaanbaatar & Traditional Song & Dance performance

We begin our journey back to UB. Along the way, we will stop for lunch. The road to UB has improved considerably over the past few years, so we should reach UB in the early afternoon. We check back into the hotel and enjoy the comforts of civilization. In the evening we will get together and enjoy a performance of traditional Mongolian song and dance, taking us back to countryside in our minds for the last time.

 

Day 13:  City Tour - Half day and rest of the time is for you to chill out in UB

While Mongolia is famous for its countryside, many people overlook the treasures hidden in its capital city. Our city tour will cover the main sights, from Sukhbaatar square, National Museum and Gandan temple to the soviet era Zaisan Hill Monument. The second half of the day is free for you, to chill in UB, check out one or two coffee shops and just see Mongolian people of all ages go about their day.

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Day 14: Departure day - Airport / Train Station Drop off