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Trip Rating Details
Moderate: Hotels, lodges, or full service tent camping. Hikes of two to four hours on some days. Easy physical activities. May include one to three longer driving days.
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 - Hovd Eclipse Expedition
Day 1. (25 Jul) Arrival Day (D)
Arrival to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to hotel. Depending on time of arrival, you may have a short city sight-seeing tour. Evening welcome dinner. Overnight in hotel.
Day 2. (26 Jul) Ulaanbaatar/Hovd (B,L,D)
After breakfast we fly to the province of Hovd, home to sixteen distinct ethnic groups, each with their own distinctive literary, cultural, artistic, and musical traditions. The Khalkh, Zakhchin, Torgood, Oeld, Durved, Myangad, Uriankhai, Monchog, and Kazakh ethnic groups are the largest.
We will land at Hovd, the provincial capital, where we will visit the local museum, which provides an insight into the diverse ethnic groups, the history, and the flora and fauna of the region. Time permitting, we may visit the local market. Overnight in a local hotel.
Day 3. (27 Jul) Hovd/Mankhan Caves (B,L,D)
Today we drive to the Mankhan caves where you can see prehistoric rock paintings and petroglyphs. In the early evening we will have a khoomi performance - khoomi is throat singing, an amazing vocal feat which few people outside of Mongolia and Siberia can perform. Camping overnight.
Day 4. (28 Jul) Mankhan Caves/Munkh Khairkhan (B,L,D)
After breakfast we drive to Munkh Khairkhan mountain, where we will go for a short hike to look at some bronze age (turkic) balbals, stone grave markers that are sometimes shaped like people. Camping overnight.
Day 5. (29 Jul) Munkh Khairkhan/Southern Altai Range (B,L,D)
Today we head over the mountains into southern Hovd, crossing some high passes. We will camp overnight in the Altai mountains.
Day 6. (30 Jul) Southern Altai Range/Bulgan (B,L,D)
Leaving our campsite, we continue south until we arrive in Bulgan soum. Famous for watermelons and other local produce, Bulgan has a busy market, which we will visit in order to re-supply. We will take a walk through the town and see some of its gardens. Overnight in local hotel or camping.
Day 7. (31 Jul) Bulgan/Eclipse Camp (B,L,D)
In the morning we drive out of Bulgan along the Hovd river, to our eclipse camp. In the area there is a lot of wildlife, including elk, Argali sheep, and many small mammals. Along the road, we pass small households where you will likely see local people making hay for the winter and harvesting the summer's crops. We will arrive at our eclipse camp in the afternoon, making several stops along the way to enjoy the scenery of the emerald green Hovd River. Camping overnight.
Day 8. (1 Aug) Eclipse Day (B,L,D)
Today you will have free time to explore the surrounding area and make preparations for viewing the eclipse. We will watch for cloud cover in case we need to make last minute adjustments to the viewing location. Eclipse watching, followed by a celebration dinner. Camping overnight.
Day 9. (2 Aug) Eclipse Camp/Bulgan/Ulaanbaatar (B,L,D)
Today we have a very early start, driving into Bulgan to catch the morning flight to Ulaanbaatar. We arrive in Ulaanbaatar, check into our hotel, and you have free time to enjoy a hot shower
Day 10. (3 Aug) Ulaanbaatar (B,L,D)
In the morning we will visit Gandan Monastery, the center of Buddhism in Mongolia. After lunch we will spend a few hours exploring the Black Market. This huge market contains every single item a Mongolian might need, whether they are nomads or urban apartment dwellers. Goods brought from all corners of Mongolia are here for sale. A visit to the market is a colorful experience which gives the visitor an insight to the everyday life of the people of Mongolia. Free shopping time in the afternoon. Mongolia is world renowned for its fine cashmere and you will find this and many other souvenir items in the city. Farewell dinner. Overnight in hotel.
Day 11. (4 Aug) Departure (B)
Transfer to the airport for your departing flight.
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