Mongolia Explorer

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the largely modernised capital hub of Mongolia. This city is home to nearly half of the population, and many can be seen in their traditional dress with a huge proportion continuing to live in gers in the suburbs.

For those arriving on time our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 2pm for an orientation walking tour of Sukhbaatar Square - the administrative heart of the nation surrounded by the Government Palace, central banks, theatres and the post office; all in their original Soviet style. There is an equestrian statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar and a massive bronze monument of Chinggis Khan flanked by two of his many sons and two of his most important generals. This will be followed by the introductory briefing at 6pm at the hotel, after which you have the option to meet your fellow travellers over dinner.

If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN), which is a 1 hour drive to our hotel. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up in the hotel lobby on day two.

The adventure begins this morning as we leave Ulaanbaatar and drive out into Mongolia's beautiful countryside, firstly passing through the new, the old and the chaotic parts of the capital, before reaching the famed rolling hills of the Mongolian steppe. Following the country's central road for around 3 hours, we will eventually peel off the tarmac as we head into Hustai National Park in time for lunch at our camp.

Hustai National Park (Khustain Nuruu) has been a protected area since 1993 containing both mountains and steppe within a relatively small area. The national park is home to the rare Mongolian wild horse known as Perzevalski or Takhi; once extinct in the wild, the Perzevalski Horse is a true conservation success story with captive breed horses released into, and then surviving in the wild. After lunch we'll have a little time to view the on-site visitor centre to learn a little more about the region, the horses and various other flora and fauna resident in Hustai National Park. Mid-afternoon offers us the best time to sight the beautiful Takhi horses, so we'll pile into our trucks and drive out into the rolling terrain to spot them coming down from the mountains for water at the nearby river, and if we are lucky we may also spot fox, red deer, roe deer, eagles and various other animals. Once we've finished our Mongolian safari, we'll head back to the camp for dinner and to spend our first night under canvas in our authentic Mongolian Ger.

4WD vehicles are best suited to the rugged local conditions when travelling around Mongolia. The group will be split up into 4WD vehicles (normally 7 seater) with approximately 4 or 5 passengers in each vehicle, each with a window seat. The Tour Leader will ride in one of the vehicles and will rotate between vehicles over the duration of the tour.

The ger camps on this trip generally consist of several canvas and felt tents plus a large dining tent or restaurant. Each ger has 2 or more beds, bedding, plus a table and stools, all hand-painted in local style. Toilet and washing facilities are shared and separate to the living gers, with a mixture of flushing and long-drop style toilets. Should you wish to charge your cameras and electronic devices during your trip, there is electricity in the restaurant gers.

Today, a 4 hour scenic drive takes us to Khogno Khan Mountain - a beautiful and serene mountainous area set in the heart of Mongolia's steppeland. Once the site of a fierce battle between Bhuddist sects, nowadays Khogno Khan is considered a place of spirituality. We will break our journey this morning with a visit to an area of rolling dunes that look out of place surrounded by green steppe, known as the 'mini Gobi', where we hope to stop and visit a local herder family.

The afternoon is spent exploring the stunning terrain where red granite mountains tower above green meadows and arid desert landscapes. We'll explore a solitary Buddhist temple, hidden from the world, but still occupied and very much in use! We'll also head down to the beautiful crystalline lakes which sit between lush green steppe on one side, and towering sand dunes on the other. During the summer these meadows and lakes come alive with everything from flowers, butterflies and tiny frogs to majestic cranes and other birdlife that inhabit the area. Alternatively, simply relax with a good book and an exceptional view.

We'll spend the evening at our ger camp, relaxing under the shelter of the Khogno Khan Mountains.

Waking up in the shadow of Khogno Khan, we'll spend a lazy morning enjoying the scenery of our surroundings before setting off in search of Mongolia's ancient capital - Kharkorum - a 2 hour drive away. Kharkorum was the former capital of the Mongolian Empire. At its height in the 13th century, it was from here that Chinggis Khan's son, Ogedei Khan, once ruled the largest land empire the world has ever known. During Kharkorum's golden age much of the city was comprised of tents and, as the Mongolian Empire went into decline, the city's decay was rapid. These days all that remains of this once-great settlement is the impressive Erdene Zuu Monastery, as well as a few scattered, but not unimpressive, archaeological finds.

Once we arrive at Kharkorum, our first stop will be the immense Erdene Zuu Monastery - Mongolia's first Buddhist centre established in the 16th century and now an active monastery as well as a museum. At its zenith there were 1,000 resident monks and, although most of the temples were destroyed in the 1930s, the monastery is slowly being restored and is considered by many as the most important monastery in Mongolia. The political climate in Mongolia is changing and Buddhism, previously suppressed, is currently experiencing a resurgence. We'll hopefully catch the resident monks in their afternoon prayer. Following our monastery visit, we will call at the Karakorum Museum which chronicles the history of the Khan Empire along with artefacts from the ruined city.

These days Kharkorum has a real backwater feel to it, and before we head to our Ger camp for the next two evenings, we'll be sure to cut through its centre so that you can gain a snippet of life in this once grand settlement and, time permitting, we'll stop at the local market for a chance to see the local traders selling their wares within a labyrinth of small buildings and storage containers. There are sure to be lots of locals rushing about in preparation for tomorrow's Naadam Festival celebration. Please note that the celebrations may disrupt our planned itinerary.

Today we'll be celebrating the Naadam Festival; this annual event in the most widely celebrated event of the year and takes place all across the country, drawing many nomadic folk from their isolated existence to come together and celebrate at designated hubs from Ulaanbaatar to small towns and even pre-arranged points in the middle of nowhere. The most widely known Naadam celebrations are in the capital at an excellent but somewhat commercial event that is geared up for tourists. Instead we plan to see Naadam at its roots with real, local people in a more authentic setting in the rural town of Kharkorum, a truly local affair and virtually unchanged over generations. Competing in formal events is a real honour - especially wrestling, horse racing, archery and even lesser-known events such as ankle bone shooting. Naadam is also a time for families and friends to reconnect, share their news, eat their favourite foods and maybe even find a future husband or wife. As well as the games and atmosphere, we'll learn a lot more about the events, such as the unusual wrestling costume of undershorts and an open waistcoat. Legend has it that a woman in disguise once outwrestled all the men, so the outfits were altered to prevent future humiliation. Our aim today is to view the opening ceremony and watch the wrestling, archery and ankle bone shooting which all take place in the same location.

Early this morning we will depart our ger camp to see part of a local Naadam horse race. Unlike what you might expect, the small people on horseback are not jockeys, but young children! These horse races are run between children as young as 7, and are incredibly fast, straight line races across the countryside for many miles.

Continuing on our journey south we leave the festivities behind as we drive to the UNESCO-listed Orkhon Valley; a 4 hour journey that takes us through the Khangai mountain range, offering beautiful landscapes comprising of gorges, river valleys and green steppe. Upon arrival we'll stop to visit the Orkhon Valley Waterfall, Mongolia's tallest at 16 metres, situated at the head of an impressive gorge cut into the landscape over millennia.

The Mongol culture of today is still mainly pastoral and we hope to come across itinerant herdsmen, a group of two or three families, their gers pitched on the steppe. The nomads live in harmony with their surroundings and move with the seasons. Many rear camels, sheep and goats. It is likely that, at some point during our trip, we will be invited to share a drink of airag or koumiss (fermented mare's milk) with these friendly people. There are many polite points of etiquette to learn, but our guide will help us through these so we do not inadvertently cause offence. The provision of a gift when you visit a ger is part of the culture in Mongolia, so feel free to pack something small. Practical items such as torches or sewing kits, that save a trip to town are often the most appreciated. Alternatively, a local speciality from home would be well received such as a biscuit or sweet or whatever you think would be well received.

Finally we check in to our ger camp and base for the next two nights.

Today we'll spend our time relaxing amidst the picturesque surroundings of the Orkhon Valley and you can choose to horseride or walk in this lush green heart of Mongolia's countryside. For those who wish, we'll set out on horseback to explore the mountains, rivers and canyons, passing herds of yak, sheep, goats, and horses which roam the valley.

We'll also have the chance today to learn traditional nomadic skills alongside a local family. Learn how to build a traditional Mongolian Ger and spend time alongside the family as they teach us about herding, milking, and how they process the milk to create different tasty snacks such as cream, yoghurt and curd.

Today we embark on a longer drive of seven hours from the green mountains of Khangai into the Gobi landscape, passing lush green winding river valleys that transition into the scrub filled desert region. We pass into Saikhan Ovoo, a small province in Mongolia's heartland with green steppe, rugged rock formations and martian-like landscapes. Once again, there are no roads and few tracks to follow. The other thing that will doubtless strike you when travelling through these great expanses of Mongolia is the varied bird life. Mongolian Lark, Demoiselle Cranes and Black Vultures may be seen, to name but a very few.

Our destination is a place of quiet solitude on the Ongiin Gol River known as Ongi Temple. The ruins of two monasteries, Barlim and Khutagt, remain on the north and south shores of the river. We visit this site, commonly collectively known as the Ongii Lamasery, and it's little museum. Ongii used to be one of Mongolia's most extensive monasteries and home to over a thousand monks until the Stalinist purges of the 1930s when it was destroyed. In 2002, some monks returned and began restoration work with a small budget, making up for what they lacked monetarily with inspiring spiritual fervour.

This evening, our ger camp is located only a stone's throw from the temple and offers a chance of serene relaxation, further hiking or exploration.

After breakfast, we depart our ger camp and head into the Gobi Desert proper. We'll journey for around 4 hours today and will pass three mountain ranges known as the 'Three Beauties'. The sheer vastness of the desert is awe-inspiring and, as our drivers set off across terrain with no tracks, let alone roads, we marvel at how they know where they are going. Our foray onto its plains today only gives us a snippet of its actual size, for the Gobi is the sixth-largest desert globally and the second in Asia, a wide-open place of extremes that reaches into China.

Our main destination for today is Bayanzag, home to the Flaming Cliffs - sandstone cliffs and canyons that light up brilliantly at sunrise and sunset. Aside from its obvious wow factor, Bayanzag is also where in 1922 American palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the world's first-ever recorded dinosaur eggs and a mightly haul of various other fossils. A walk along the cliffs here is a walk in the footsteps of the man whom Indiana Jones was modelled on!

Once we have finished our exploration, it's off to the nearby Ger camp where we can relax, drink, and maybe return to the cliffs to catch the changing colours at sunset, making a perfect end to an exciting day.

The adventure continues as we bid farewell to the Flaming Cliffs, board our vehicles and journey for about 4 hours onwards through the wilds of the Gobi Desert to the Khongor Sand Dunes (Khongoryn Els) also known as the Singing Sands. Along the route, we pass some of the typical Gobi terrain, a loose mix of pebbles, gravel and fine sand; however, we will cross a fertile area of steppe where we'll be sure to visit one of the traditional nomadic families who call this desolate region home. The Khongor Sand Dunes, as the name suggests, are a dune system found within the Gobi; as only around 3% of the Gobi desert is covered in sand, the sight of these 300-metre-high gigantic dunes is something to behold. The shifting sands of Khongoryn Els stretch out for over 180 km, and our Germ camp looks out across these giants.

Once we have eaten lunch and waited for the day to cool a little, we'll continue our adventure and visit one of Khongor's resident camel herder families for those interested in the option of riding a camel and dont want to tackle the dunes on foot. Although most of these herder families are now in this region to supply camels to tourists, we can think of no better way to approach these monstrous sandy giants, and even then it may take a little longer than you think to climb the amazing giants. When the wind blows across the sand's surface in the right direction, an eerie sound is emitted hence the 'singing' sands. As with much of the Gobi Desert's natural scenery, the Khongor Dunes come alive at sunset. Maybe view them from the top of the dunes or the comfort of our relaxing Ger camp while enjoying a cold drink after dinner.

After enjoying another filling breakfast in our Ger camp, it's back aboard our vehicles as we continue the adventure. The journey is short today but the going is bumpy as we leave the Khongor area on our way to the Yol Valley. You can see how the landscape transitions from a typical sandy desert into hard clay, rock, stone and steppe - showing how diverse the Gobi Desert really is.

We'll eventually arrive at the Gurvansaikhan Mountains. Due to the altitude and deep gorges, a temperate ecosystem exists, with argali sheep, ibex and snow leopards living here - as opposed to the desert species we might expect. The Yolyn Am (Vulture's Gorge in Mongolian) is a magnificent 40 km long valley with great views that we explore on foot with a walk of around 3 to 4 hours. Over the winter months, the river builds up a thick layer of ice which thaws slowly and, at times, remains long into the summer months. As you follow the winding path, eagles rise to circle in the thermals high above the canyon whilst wild goats can be seen perched on the high valley walls and picas scurry amongst the rocky terrain.

Finally we will drive to our accommodation for tonight, another well-appointed Ger camp where we will have a chance to chat about our adventures and relax over a drink or two.

Following a hearty breakfast we'll head for the provincial capital of Dalanzadgad to visit the recently opened Gobi Museum of Nature and History, a modern museum that houses many of the region's dinosaur finds and artifacts that help explain the history and culture of the Gobi.

After lunch, we'll start our journey north back towards Ulaanbaatar, but between us and the capital there is plenty more to see. Today's drive leads us on through the Gobi and after about 3 hours we will reach our destination - White Stupa. These magnificent white cliffs tower over the desert floor creating some of Mongolia's most stunningly picturesque natural scenery. We'll spend some time in the late afternoon traversing and admiring these natural rock formations on foot, and we'll also have a chance to see some ancient petroglyphs carved by the former inhabitants of this corner of the world. Finally we will head to our ger camp for the night.

Following breakfast, we make our way across country, continuing our journey to an area known as Baga Gazriin Chuluu. The trip will take us across typical Gobi scrub, transitioning finally into the more famed and well-known traditional Mongolian steppe. After around 5 hours of driving plus the usual comfort stops and a break for lunch, we will start to see a red granite outcrop that rises to 1768 metres above sea level surrounded by flat, featureless Mongolian steppe.

Baga Gazriin Chuluu National Park is home to 20 rare species of plant, ibex, marmot and mountain sheep. We will explore the impressive geology and scenery on a walk in the afternoon along with some more ancient petroglyphs and burial mounds. We'll also visit the ruins of a temple, hidden between these towering rocks - a chance to see how nature has reclaimed this site. Should time and opportunity permit on our journey, we will also stop to meet and interact with a few more nomadic herders who will also be passing through the region (just on a longer journey). Time permitting, we'll stop for the ubiquitous cup of milky tea before continuing on our own adventure to our final ger camp.

Today, we leave the countryside and head back to the hustle and bustle of Ulaanbaatar. After a morning's drive of around 4 hours, we return to the city of nomads and our first visit before lunch is the unmissable Gandan Monastery - Ulaanbaatar's largest and most impressive Buddhist monastery. The complex is comprised of varying temples from different periods and one of the highlights is viewing the 26-metre-high gold-coated indoor Buddha.

Following lunch, we'll make our way to the State Department Store, known in Mongola as 'Ih Delguur' or 'The Big Shop' - a chance to pickup those last minute souvenirs and learn a little more about the history of Ulaanbaatar. We'll also visit the Beatles Statue to discover why there is a monument to the Liverpudlian band in the middle of Mongolia.

Next, we'll head to the heart of the city and visit the impressive newly-constructed Chinggis Khan museum. This massive building tells you everything you need to know about one of history's most divisive characters and more. For those who wish, it's possible to cross from the square to our accommodation for a well-deserved rest, whilst for those wanting to enjoy a late afternoon of further city exploration we can suggest a few more local sites. We'll end the day with a farewell dinner, and perhaps a drink or two, as we reflect on our adventures.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Ulaanbaatar. Although the tour is over, we hope you'll be flying home with a head full of memories and stories to share with your friends and family!

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Ulaanbaatar at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you need to depart from Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN), which is a 1 hour drive from our hotel.