Treasures of Mongolia – 12 Days

General Information

Duration: 12 Days/11 Nights
Date: Optional (Available all time)
Start/End: Baga Gazriin Chuluu’s rock/Mt. Bogd Khan Climb
Tour Route: Ulaanbaatar – Gobi Desert – Yol Valley Ice Field – Khongor Els (Singing Dunes) – Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs – Orkhon Valley – Orkhon Waterfall – Kharakhorum – Hustai National Park – Mt. Bogd Khan Climb
Tour Type: Natural and Landscape, History and Culture
Tour Customize: Absolutely (Feel free to tell us your requirement in the inquiry form)
Guides: Local Guide (Available in English and also other languages if requested)
Transportation: Private first-class air-conditioned Vehicles
Accommodation: Listed below or equivalent

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Ulaanbaatar – Rock Formations Of Baga Gazriin Chuluu & Tsagaan Suvarga – Gobi desert
Day 2: Tsagaan Suvarga cliffs
Day 3: Dalanzadgad, Yol Valley
Day 4: Khongor Els
Day 5: Desert Sand Dunes, Cooking class
Day 6: Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs
Day 7: Ongii Temple
Day 8: Orkhon Valley
Day 9: Orkhon Waterfall
Day 10: Kharakhorum, Erdene Zuu Monastic
Day 11: Hustai National Park
Day 12: Bogd Khan Reserve, Manzushir Monastery Ruins, Mt. Bogd Khan

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Travel To The Rock Formations Of Baga Gazriin Chuluu

Board the car and begin the trip south into the Gobi after gathering at your hotel or another place of your choosing in Ulaanbaatar at 08:30. Your first trip is the Baga Gazriin Chuluu’s rock formations, which are 300 miles distant. After a five-hour trip, arrive at your ger camp where you will spend the night, have lunch, and then set out to explore the caverns, rivers, and shrines that are scattered across this holy place. Come back to the camp at night, have dinner, and then rest in your ger amid the tranquil Gobi desert.

Visit the Erdene Ukhaa Ger Camp and spend the night in a typical ger. Dinner and lunch are also included.

Day 2: Explore The Cliffs Of Tsagaan Suvarga

You will travel further south in the morning to the massive Tsagaan Suvarga cliffs. After a 4-hour (210 km) drive, stop for lunch and then head to the rock formations for some fantastic photo possibilities. You could get the chance to meet a nomadic family that spends the summers in the area and tries their handmade curds and milk tea.

Stay the night in a regular ger in the Tsagaan Suvarga ger camp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 3: Dalanzadgad & Ice Walk In Yol Valley

After a peaceful breakfast, continue driving for another two hours (100 km), stopping first at Dalanzadgad, a significant mining camp. Visit the local market and the Aimag museum as part of a quick city tour. After lunch, travel another 50 kilometers to the Yol Valley. The car will be parked near the gorge’s entrance, from which point you must walk. Return to the car, then drive to tonight’s ger camp to eat dinner and take in the starry Mongolian skies.

You’ll spend the night at the Gobi Mirage ger camp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 4: Off-Road Journey To Khongor Els Sand Dunes

You depart the paved road today to go to Khongor Els, the biggest sand dunes in Mongolia, which are further into the Gobi desert. As you go, keep an eye out for gazelles and raptors because the area is home to a wide variety of animals and stunning landscapes. It will take around 4-5 hours to drive the 130 miles, but you will stop for a picnic lunch and pictures along the way. After a little break when you get to the campsite, head out to the top of the sand dunes for a breathtaking experience.

You’ll spend the night at the Gobi Erdene ger camp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 5: Visit Nomadic Family And Ride A Bactrian Camel To The Desert Sand Dunes

If you missed the sunset last night, drive a small distance to the dunes before breakfast for the mesmerizing dawn. Alternatively, eat a hearty breakfast in the camp’s restaurant and then travel nearby to a nomadic family of camel herders. Visit a ger, have some camel milk, and see how people used to live in those tough desert locations. Later, after being prepped outdoors, your camels will be mounted for a 2-hour trip beside the sands. The timetable is flexible in the afternoon. You can take a culinary class in a real ger environment and learn how to make Huushuur (fried beef pastry) or Buuz (steamed dumplings). Talk to your guide about your choices if you’d rather take a long stroll around the region, along the river, or to the dunes and snap breathtaking pictures, or simply relax and take in the view.

Spend the night at the Gobi Erdene ger camp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included. 

Day 6: Explore Ancient Petroglyphs And Dine Alfresco In Bayanzag

Travel to Bayanzag for 5 hours (150 km) off-road after breakfast. You could witness wild gazelles running along throughout the lovely trip. You will make a pit break at the ancient sacred site of Khavtsgait along the journey. There, you will see hundreds of old stone carvings on the summit of a steep hill. Additionally, the location provides stunning views of the deserts.

Eat lunch in the Bulgan town before traveling quickly to the Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs. The first dinosaur eggs were found here, and the location is still one of the most well-known paleontological excavation sites on the whole globe. Enjoy a supper outside with wine in the evening, weather permitting, at the base of the Flaming Cliffs, with a stunning sunset scene pulling out the red colors of the cliffs.

Spend the night in a ger camp in the Mongolian Gobi. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 7: Travel North To Ongii Ruins

Take the car in the morning for a lengthy trip north toward central Mongolia. You’ll make a pit break at the Ongii temple remains, which are around halfway to Kharakhorum. Enjoy a picnic lunch along the way and make a photo stop. After rehydrating in the ger camp, take a stroll through the ruins to visit the restored temples when you reach the Ongii temples in the late afternoon. You may meet the village monks and visit the stupa with the names of the victims displayed on it.

Go to Ongiin Nuuts Ger Camp for the night. Included are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Day 8: Horse Riding And Nomadic Family Stay In Orkhon Valley

Your journey today will take you out of the Gobi and into the Orkhon Valley’s undulating steppes and pastureland. Have lunch while traveling, halting at the Temeen Chuluu gravestones. You will reach Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO-listed historical site and the traditional nomadic center of Mongolia, in the late afternoon.

Arrive at the yak herder family’s home where you will spend the night in a real guest ger. Learn to make Buuz (steamed dumplings) or Huushuur (fried meat-filled pastry) and enjoy the generosity of the nomads while mingling with your hosts over a mare’s milk and milk tea in the sunset.

Spend the night close to a nomadic family in a guest ger. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 9: Horse Riding And Nomadic Family Stay In Orkhon Valley

Have breakfast prepared at home, then mount a horse and ride to the neighboring Orkhon Waterfall. It’s acceptable if you’d like to stroll. Since Mongolian horses are tiny, a skilled wrangler will lead your horse if you don’t have any prior riding expertise. Come back to the family tent for lunch after exploring the neighborhood. Get part in the events in the afternoon by helping to milk yaks and seeing the nomads make curds and yogurt. There will also be time for games and even a cookery class; talk to your guide about your interests.

Spend the night close to a nomadic family in a guest ger. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 10: Explore Kharakhorum And Visit Erdene Zuu Monastery

After an early breakfast, say goodbye to your hosts and exchange presents before driving three hours off-road to the former Mongol city of Kharakhorum. Once there, enter the Erdene Zuu Monastic, the nation’s most significant monastery complex. Visit the temples with a guide and listen to the monks singing. After that, have lunch at the ger camp where you will spend the night (in the summer) or at a nearby restaurant (in the winter), and then visit a fascinating nearby museum that explores Mongolia’s past. Discover the neighborhood market or go for a stroll along the Orkhon river in the afternoon. There is also time to explore the three kings’ memorial, which is perched on a hill.

Stay the night in a distinctive Munkh Tenger ger camp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 11: Wildlife Tracking And Takhi Horses In Hustai National Park

Embark in the car after breakfast to travel back to Hustai in the east. After a three-hour trip, start by visiting the park’s visitor center to learn more about the wide variety of animals that roams the national park. The ger camp where you will spend the night is just at the park’s entrance, so have lunch there before stepping into the park to admire the beautiful Takhi horses. If you’d like, you may walk further into the park to look for additional species like wild deer or foxes. Hustai offers fantastic wilderness trekking options. Return to the camp by car in the late afternoon, have a warm shower, and eat a filling meal before retiring to your ger for the night.

Stay the night in a typical ger at the Hustai ger camp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included.

Day 12: Hike In The Bogd Khan Reserve, Among The Manzushir Ruins And Climb Mt. Bogd Khan

Take a lovely off-road trek to the Bogd Khan reserve after breakfast. You will get an opportunity to stop for photos during the approximately two-hour trip. Explore the Manzushir Monastery ruins at the park’s entry, go to the little temple museum (if it’s open), and then take the paths to Mt. Bogd Khan, which lies behind the monastery. A picnic lunch will be provided after. Return to the car after lunch and drive back to Ulaanbaatar. You will be dropped off there at a place of your choosing.
Lunch and breakfast are provided.

Thank you for making your Mongolia trip with Go Mongolia Tours!