North & Central 4WD Tour – 15 Days

General Information

Duration: 15 Days/ 14 Nights
Start/ End: Ulaanbaatar / Ulaanbaatar
Transfer Distance: Approximately 3200km
Tour Route: Ulaanbaatar – Elsen Tasarkhai – Karakorum – Tsenkher Hot Spa – Taikhar Chuluu – Chuluut River – White Lake – Khorgo Volcano – Delgermurun – Murun Town – Khatgal Village – Lake Khuvsgul  – Terelj National Park – Chinggis Khaan Statue Monument Complex – Ulaanbaatar.
Guides: Local Guide (English Speaking Guide, Other Languages upon Request)

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Ulaanbaatar Arrival
Day 2: Ulaanbaatar City Tour & Car Pick-Up
Day 3: Ulaanbaatar – Karakorum Via Elsen Tasarkhai
Day 4: Karakorum – Tsenkher Hot Spring
Day 5: Tsenkher Hot Spring
Day 6: Tsenkher Hot Spa – White Lake
Day 7: White Lake & Khorgo Extinct Volcano
Day 8: White Lake – Delgermurun
Day 9: Delgermurun – Lake Khuvsgul
Day 10: Lake Khuvsgul
Day 11: Lake Khuvsgul – Erdenet City
Day 12: Erdenet City – Ulaanbaatar
Day 13: Ulaanbaatar – Chinggis Khaan Statue – Terelj Nation Park
Day 14: Terelj Nation Park – Ulaanbaatar
Day 15: Ulaanbaatar Departure

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Ulaanbaatar Arrival (D)

Arrive at the Ulaanbaatar International Airport then transfer to the “Bayangol” Hotel. Later, dinner in the restaurant.

Transfer Distance: 60km (Paved road)

Day 2: Ulaanbaatar City Tour & Car Pick-Up (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the Hotel before making a short City tour of Ulaanbaatar capital city. Spend time visiting Main Square, Chinggis Khaan Museum & Money Exchange, and explore the Gandan Monastery Complex with Grand Buddha Statue. The Chinggis Khan Museum is the nation’s Largest & Brand-new Museum and holds a collection of over 8,300 objects relating to the Great Khans of the Mongol Empire and the history of Mongolia from Xiongnu to the end of the 20th century, with a portion of the collected artifacts on display in nine exhibition halls. Totally in the ‘Chinggis Khaan Museum has about 12,000 cultural exhibits; 92% are original exhibits, and the rest of the exhibitions are copies of replicas and displays with official permission and certificates initially located in foreign museums, libraries, and archives.

Founded in 1838, Gandantegchinlen Monastery was one of the only ancient Buddhist monasteries to survive Soviet rule in Mongolia. The 13th Dalai Lama lived here until 1904 and you can enjoy seeing the world’s tallest indoor statue, a stunning 26.5-meter tall gold-leaf and gemstone-covered Avalokiteśvara. Then lunch in the Restaurant, and shopping in the State Department Store, have Car pick-up & Insurance procedure. Subsequently, have dinner /Short breathing about 4WD Expedition Drive in Mongolia/ Packing & Wrap-up time. Overnight in the Hotel.

Transfer Distance: 30km (Paved road)

Day 3: Ulaanbaatar – Karakorum Via Elsen Tasarkhai (B, L, D)

After breakfast in the Hotel, drive to the Karakorum via Elsen Tasarkhai, a naturally beautiful place. Pay a visit to the Camel and Horse-riding Paradise area on the way. Nice Photo shooting opportunities with a small patch of Gobi Desert area with Sand dunes, Rivers, and Rocky Mountain combination. Later, a Picnic Lunch is on the way. Continue to drive to the ruin of the Karakorum, the ancient capital of the Mongolian Great Empire in the XIII Century. Continue to visit the Erdene Zuu Buddhist Monastery Complex, XVI Century, and the Karakorum Museum. After that see the ruin of the Karakorum, the ancient capital city.

The Karakorum was the ancient capital of the Great Mongolian Empire between 1235 and 1260. And the center of the Northern Yuan in the XIV-XV centuries. Its ruins lie in the Northwestern corner of the Uvurkhangai province of Central Mongolia, near today’s town Karakorum soum and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu Monastery, the earliest surviving Buddhist Monastery in Mongolia. They are an important part of the upper of the World Heritage Site of the Orkhon Valley registered by UNESCO.
Transfer to the Tourist camp. Later, dinner and overnight in the Tourist camp.

Optional program: riding Horse and Camel

Transfer Distance: 260km (Paved road)

Day 4: Karakorum – Tsenkher Hot Spring (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the tourist camp then visits the Mongolian Calligraphy Center in Karakorum County. Next, drive to the Tsenkher Hot Spring, and transfer to the Tourist camp. Lunch in the tourist camp. Continue to enjoy the Hot Spa like the Japanese Onsen on Alpine Mountain. Take relaxing and free time. Later dinner / Mongolian famous Lamb BBQ /Overnight in the tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 120km (Paved road & Country road)

Day 5: Tsenkher Hot Spring (B, L, D)

After breakfast in the tourist camp, enjoy a full day in the Tsenkher Hot Spring which is the second hottest spring in Mongolia after Shargaljuut Spring. The heat of the water reaches 86 Celsius degrees. It is an alkaline spring that contains hydrosulfuric acid and silica union and is used for medical treatment. The Hot Spring is good for treating rheumatism, neuralgia, and muscular pain, and help improve the digestive & immunity system. Lunch in the Tourist camp. Our mechanic will check up on all the vehicles and prepare for the next day’s journey. Later, dinner / Mongolian famous lamb BBQ / Overnight in the Tourist camp.

Optional programs: Horse riding and Trekking in the Alpine Mountain valleys and meadows.

Day 6: Tsenkher Hot Spa – White Lake (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the tourist camp then drives to the White Lake and Khorgo extinct volcano. Enjoy a Photo session for the Taikhar Chuluu, a natural and historical site.
This is a big 20-meter-high rock standing on the bank of the Tamir River. It’s coveredwith 150 writings in different languages and dating back from many periods (runic,
Sogd, Uyghur, Mongolian, Nangiad, Tibetan writings). The oldest one is the runic writing, related to the Turkish period of the 6-7th centuries. Later, picnic lunch on the way.
The canyon is 25 meters deep and very beautiful to stop by. Chuluut River flows through the wide rocky canyon that was made up of basalt from the lava of extinct
volcanoes including Khorgo. It provides perfect streams for white water rafting. Continue to drive to White Lake. Transfer to the Tourist camp. Finally, dinner and overnight in the Tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 200km (Paved road & Country road)

Day 7: White Lake & Khorgo Extinct Volcano (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the tourist camp, then take an excursion to a Photo safari for the Khorgo extinct volcano, Alpine mountain valley, and White Lake surroundings combination.
2 210 m high Khorgo volcano is one of the 10 volcanoes in the national park, which became extinct about 8 000 years ago. The larch tree forest covers the northern slope of the volcano while its crater is 200 m in diameter, with a depth of 70-80 m. Lunch in the Tourist Camp. Next, visit the Yak Herder’s Nomadic Family for deeply meeting face-to-face the real Mongolian nomadic Herder’s lifestyle, culture, heritage & traditions.
About Yak /Bos grunniens/, a long-haired and short-legged ox-like mammal, in Mongolia, live predominantly in high mountainous areas of Mongolia: in the high Altai Mountain range, the Khangai Mountain range, and the Kharkhiraa & Khuvsgul mountains. Later, dinner and overnight in the tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 50km (Paved road)

Day 8: White Lake – Delgermurun (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the tourist camp then drives to the Delgermurun through the Alpine Mountain Wilderness. At the waypoint, photo session for Great valleys with beautiful wild nature. Picnic lunch on the way. Continue to drive to Delgermurun via Murun town, the center of the Khuvsgul province.
Khuvsgul Aimag was established in 1931 year. The Center is Murun town, its borders on the North with Russian Federation and 692 km from Ulaanbaatar. Home to the fresh and deep lake of Khuvsgul and Khoridol Saridag mountain range, isolated and deep forests, and peculiar customs of many ethnic groups is the main destination of foreign tourism in Mongolia. This is the most humid region in Mongolia.
Furthermore, visit the Deer Stone Monument circa Bronze Age. Uushgiin Uvur is the Bronze Age site that contains 14 upright carved stones with heights of 1 to 4 meters, 20-50 centimeters thick, and 30-100 centimeters wide. Some 600 deer stones have been found in Central Asia, 500 of them found in the territory of Mongolia. Deer stones are the first monuments of humans; the earliest of them belong to the Bronze Age. On restored, standing stones, pictures including the sun, the moon, belts, knives, and jumping deer were carved fantastically. Deer stones were not grave markers except for the later Bronze Age ones, but clan totems and worship sites. However, Uushgiin Uvur deer stones mark tombs. Among the 14 deer stones, one stone topped with a women’s head is special as there are only a handful of
such deer stones in Mongolia. Later, transfer to the tourist camp and have dinner, overnight in the tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 280km (Paved and Country road)

Day 9: Delgermurun – Lake Khuvsgul (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the Tourist camp, then enjoys the Mongolian Rodeo Show, an important part of the Mongolian Horse culture and tradition. This is one of the best performances and play-offs. Perfect time to take the most alive and fascinating photos of real Mongolian Nomadic life heritage and old traditions related to Mongolian horses.
Mongolian Horse Culture Mongolian history and culture are inextricably linked to the horse. Many thousand years ago humans tamed the horse in the steppe for the first time, a big step in human civilization. It is difficult to imagine the nomad’s life and history without horses; the horse was the speed, and the speed was
the power. The Horse was the one of main factors in the success and power of the Mongolians. During Chinggis Khan’s conquests, stirrup and trousers were introduced to the world and after that time became widespread around the world. Lunch in the tourist camp, and afterward, drive to Lake Khuvsgul. Transfer to the Tourist camp. Later, dinner and overnight in the tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 160km (Paved and Country road)

Day 10: Lake Khuvsgul (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the tourist camp. An optional Boat tour excursion to Photo Safari for Crystal Clear Lake Khuvsgul shore with Alpine Mountain Combination with True wilderness and naturally beautiful area. The most scenic destination of Northern Mongolia, Lake Khuvsgul is the largest freshwater lake in Mongolia by volume and second largest by area holding 2% of the World’s fresh water. Located near the Russian border, at the foot of the eastern Sayan Mountains, it is nicknamed “Younger sister of the sister Lakes (Lake Khuvsgul and Lake Baikal)”. The area of Khuvsgul Lake raised well above sea level, is 2760m. Its length is 136 km and width is 36.5 km, and up to 260m deep. The foreign tourists called “The Mongolian Switzerland”. Then, after lunch in the tourist camp, take a short excursion by own vehicle drives to the West bank of Lake Khuvsgul. Dinner and overnight in the tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 60km (Country road)

Day 11: Lake Khuvsgul – Erdenet City (B, L, D)

After breakfast in the tourist camp, drive to Erdenet city via Murun town. Next, visit the Murun Black market to more deeply understand the local community lifestyle.
Picnic lunch on the way then Photo shooting session on the way driving. Continue to drive to Erdenet which is the second largest city in Mongolia and 1/10 biggest Copper mining sites Worldwide.  Approaching Erdenet city and transfer to the hotel. Later, dinner and overnight in the hotel.

Transfer Distance: 540km (Paved road)

Day 12: Erdenet City – Ulaanbaatar (B, L, D)

Drive to the Ulaanbaatar Capital city before breakfast in the hotel and lunch on the way to the local Restaurant. Continue to drive to Ulaanbaatar, and transfer to the “Bayangol” Hotel. The car gives back procedure. Dinner and overnight in the Hotel.

Transfer Distance: 380km (Paved road)

Day 13: Ulaanbaatar – Chinggis Khaan Statue – Terelj Nation Park (B, L, D)

After breakfast in the hotel, drive to the Chinggis Khaan Statue Monument Complex at the Tsonjin Boldog. Visit the Chinggis Khaan’s Horse-backed Statue, the biggest in the World which is 40 meters tall. Chinggis Khaan established the Horse Relay postal system which is nowadays the base of all kinds of modern infrastructure networks. Also, the origin of modern diplomatic theory was created under Chinggis Khaan’s reign. Next, lunch in the Restaurant and drive to the Terelj National Park later. Transfer to the tourist camp. Dinner and overnight in the Tourist camp.

Transfer Distance: 160km (Paved road)

Day 14: Terelj Nation Park – Ulaanbaatar (B, L, D)

Breakfast in the tourist camp, then drives back to the Ulaanbaatar capital city, next shopping in the Gallery Mall. Lunch in the Restaurant. Later, transfer to the “Bayangol” Hotel. Packing and Wrap-up time / Free time / Dinner with the Closing ceremony in the Shangri-La Buffet and overnight in the Hotel.

Transfer Distance: 50km (Paved road)

Day 15: Ulaanbaatar Departure (B)

Breakfast in the “Bayangol” Hotel and transfer to the International Airport. Your Mongolia tour package ends

Transfer Distance: 80km (Paved road)