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Trip Rating Details
Easy: All nights in hotels or lodges, with any challenging physical activities optional. Easy walks, and comfortable driving distances over paved or moderate dirt roads.
Packing List
This is a suggested packing list, which you should feel free to adjust to suit your needs. Please refer to our travel guide for more detailed information.
- backpack or soft bag
- sleeping bag (-5C)
- day pack
- head lamp/flashlight
- spare batteries/bulb
- personal medications
- towel
- hiking boots/shoes
- rain jacket with hood
- fleece jacket or wool jumper
- cotton t-shirts
- long sleeve shirts
- lightweight trousers
- shorts
- warm hat
- socks
- underwear
- sun hat
- sandals
- sun glasses
- sun cream
- spare glasses
- insect repellent
- resealing (ziploc) plastic bags
- binoculars/camera
- wet tissues
- watch/ alarm clock
- money belt/ pouch
- insurance confirmation copy
- emergency contact number
See our packing tips for detailed information.
Trip Information - The classic Trip, Mongolia's Lakes and Deserts
Arrival in Ulaanbaatar (D)
Arrival to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to hotel. Depending on time of arrival, we may have a short city sight-seeing tour. Evening welcome dinner. Overnight in a 4-star hotel.
Day 2. Ulaanbaatar / Yolin Am (B,L,D)
In the morning we fly to the southern part of the Gobi Desert, landing next to the Goviin Gurvan Saikhan (The Three Beauties of the Gobi) National Park. Located in the southernmost province of the Gobi Desert, Yolin Am (The Vulture’s Mouth) is part of the Great Gobi National Park. The area is an oasis, attracting wildlife from the area all around with water, good grazing, and sheltered canyons. The wonder of this beautiful valley is the river of ice stretching across the canyon floor, which survives the desert heat well into the month of August every year, better known as the Gobi Glacier. A hike down the valley offers us a great opportunity to observe wildlife, and enjoy the cool waters of the stream that emerges from under the glacier. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 3. Yolin Am/ Khongorin Els (B,L,D)
Approximately six hours of driving through the Gobi’s typical cold desert landscape, so called because the Gobi receives its moisture in the form of snow, brings us to the Khongorin Els (Singing Sands) sand dunes. After a late lunch at the ger camp where we will spend the night, we will go explore the towering dunes on foot. If the breeze is blowing just right, we may hear the dunes singing to us. The rugged desert plants of the Gobi at the edges of the sands are beautiful in their own sculptural way. Overnight in ger camp.
Day 4. Khongorin Els/ Bayanzag (B,L,D)
Known to westerners as The Flaming Cliffs, Bayan Zag (Rich with Saxaul) is famed for its’ red sandstone cliffs which take on beautiful red and orange hues during sunset. Sculptural Saxaul trees grow in the arid rocky soil. The area is also recognized as one of the world’s largest dinosaur graveyards. In 1921, the American Roy Chapman Andrews discovered here some of the most important Paleontological findings of the last century. Since then, hundreds of archeological expeditions have come to this remote desert location, and even today with the assistance of local people dinosaur fossils continue to be found in the area. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 5. Bayanzag/ Murun/ Lake Khuvsgul (B,L,D)
Note: Flight from the Gobi to Lake Khuvsgul available only on Thursdays and Saturdays.
One of the highlights of the trip is Lake Khuvsgul. We will take a flight to Murun, the provincial capital of Khuvsgul Province. One of the world's biggest fresh water sources, Lake Huvsgul and its amazing surroundings are home to several of Mongolia’s ethnic minorities as well as a refuge for a wide variety of wildlife. Khuvsgul is truly a highlight of any trip to Mongolia. After landing in Murun we drive to Khatgal, a small town on the edge of the lake, then north along the lake’s edge to the ger camp, arriving in time for an afternoon walk along the lakeshore. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 6. Lake Huvsgul (B,L,D)
Today we will take a hike around the forests and meadows near the lake. Lying at about 1650 meters above sea level, surrounded by mountains rising above 3100 meters, the waters of Khuvsgul are deep and spectacularly clear and pure. We will hike through thick pine forests carpeted with flowers and explore the setting of Mongolia’s ‘Blue Pearl’. One of the most interesting ethnic groups living near the lake is the Tsaatan or as they are better known – ‘The Reindeer People’. A small tribe of Tsaatan consisting of about 40 families lives with its herds of reindeer in the forests around the lake. These graceful animals provide the tribe with all its basic needs - milk, transportation, meat, skins and bones and antlers used as building materials and for tools. As there are very few Tsaatan left and this is a mobile population, we cannot guarantee that we meet them, but the scenery of the area is well worth the exploration time! Overnight in ger camp.
Day 7. Lake Khuvsgul/ Murun/ Ulaanbaatar (B,L,D)
After an early breakfast in our ger camp by lake shores, we drive back to Murun. En route we stop at Erkhil Lake. This small lake is a nesting place for many species of waterfowl. We will visit a nearby burial site featuring Mongolia’s mysterious deerstones, memorial stones representing important leaders and warriors, carved with deer motifs. We arrive to Murun, and fly back to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival, we will meet our driver and guide, and go to explore the Mongolian capital. We visit the National History Museum, which holds a permanent exhibition on the different civilizations that have inhabited the territory of Mongolia from prehistoric times to the present, including a significant display of objects from the era of the Great Mongol Empire. We then precede to the central square, named after Sukhbaatar, one of the heroes of the communist revolution of 1920’s. In the evening we will enjoy dinner in one of the city’s finest restaurants. Overnight in a 4-star hotel.
Day 8. Ulaanbaatar/ Mongol Nomads/ Kharkhorin (B,L,D)
Today we drive back in time, to a place that recreates the lives of Mongolian nomads at the beginning of the 20th century. This was when Mongolia gained its independence from the Qing Dynasty and established itself as a reemerging nation under a living god-king. We shall attend a demonstration of how the nomads lived their lives during this era, and we shall see a stunning performance of Mongolian horsemanship. After lunch we continue our journey westwards. Built by Chinggis Khan about 800 years ago, Kharkhorin – better known as Karakorum – was famed throughout Asia as the capital of the Mongol Empire. Within the walls of this spectacular city, kings were chosen, laws were made and the fate of the next city to be conquered was determined. We will visit the ruins of the old city, the Erdene Zuu monastery, and other historical monuments in the area. Overnight in a ger camp by the Orkhon River.
Day 9. Kharkhorin/ Hustaiin Nuruu (B,L,D)
This morning we complete our visit at Kharkhorin and its sites. After lunch we head back eastwards. In the late afternoon we arrive at Hustaiin Nuruu Strictly Protected Area (SPA). The SPA was established as part of a unique project to reintroduce the world’s last surviving wild horses to their natural environment. On the brink of extinction during the 20th century, the very few takhi, or Przewalski’s horse, that remained were kept in European zoos. This graceful steppe horse was returned to Mongolia, and today, thanks to this special project, two herds again roam the Mongolian steppes. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 10. Hustaiin Nuruu/ Terelj National Park (B,L,D)
We leave Hustaiin Nuruu and head towards Terelj National Park. The park features unique rock formations, scenic valleys, a winding river, and restful groves of trees. Many nomads live in the park itself, where they find good grazing for their animals. On arriving at the park, we take a drive to the famous Turtle Rock, a symbol of wisdom and longevity for the Mongolian people. We then continue to Ariabal Temple. The temple has been recently reconstructed because the original one was destroyed during the communist purges of the 1930s. A site of great tranquility, it functions today as a meditation center for Buddhist monks. Overnight in a ger camp.
Day 11. Terelj National Park/ Chinggis Khan Monument/ Ulaanbaatar (B,L,D)
We drive out of the national park, and drive to the newly constructed Chinggis Khan Monument. Rising 40 meters in height over the surrounding steppes, this mighty structure plays a major symbol to the renewing Mongolian nation, after more than 300 years of foreign sovereignty over its people and territory. We then drive back to Ulaanbaatar. We visit the Bogd Khan Palace museum, the palace of the last Mongolian king, who was considered a living god. From here we drive to Gandan Monastery, Mongolian biggest religious institute, and home to the 26 meters high Janaraysag Statue.In the evening we enjoy a farewell dinner. Overnight in a 4-star hotel.
Day 12. Departure from Ulaanbaatar (B)
After breakfast in our hotel, we drive to Chinggis Khan Airport for our international flight back home.
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