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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 - Culture Up Close
Day 1. Arrival (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. Kharkhorin (B,L,D)
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 made and the fate of the next city to be conquered were determined. You will visit the ruins of the old city, the Erden Zuu monastery and other historical monuments in the area. Overnight in a ger camp by the Orhon River.
Days 3-4. Stay With Nomadic Family (B, L, D)
Driving along the Orkhon River, you will reach the family which you will be living with for the next two days. During an introductory lunch you will be introduced to the family members as well as to their lifestyle and traditions. After a short tour in the area you will take an active part in the daily life of the family, joining them as they graze their herds, milk the animals, produce dairy products and carry out any number of other day to day chores. You may arrive as the family is making felt for their ger covering, or gathering fuel for winter, or engaged in some other special project, in which case extra hands are always very welcome. You will spend the next two nights with the family members in their gers.
Day 5. Kharkhorin/Ulaanbaatar (B,L,D)
Today we say goodbye to the family, and head back to Ulaanbaatar, arriving in the late afternoon. You will have free time to rest or explore the city in the evening.
Day 6. Ulaanbaatar/Baga Gazariin Chuluu (B, L, D)
Leaving the city, we drive south towards the Gobi Desert. About 5 hours out of the city we will reach a small monastery, reconstructed by one of the most highly ranked lams in Mongolia. The monastery is located at the heart of Baga Gazarin Chuluu (The Small Place of Stones), in the Central Gobi. The place is a marvelous geological oddity, characterized by impressive rock formations rising from the desert steppe. During the last three years, lams have been at work reconstructing a monastery upon the ruins of what was formerly one of Mongolia’s most important religious centers. Dating from the15th century, the monastery was destroyed in the 1930’s during the communist purges. Upon arrival, you will be provided with a ger, and we will take a tour of the monastery and its surroundings. Overnight in the monastery.
Day 7-8. Stay at the Monastery (B,L,D)
During these two days you will join the monks in their daily duties, beginning with the morning ceremony where the monks chant Tibetan prayers. Later in the day you might join into their studies, or participate in various chores that have to be done to keep the monastery runnning. During the visit you will have personal meetings with some of the lams, a rare opportunity to have a glimpse into the secluded lives of the Buddhist monks. Overnight in the monastery.
Day 9. Baga Gazariin Chuluu/ Ulaanbaatar (B, L, D)
Today we drive back to Ulaanbaatar, arriving in time for a late lunch. Afterwards, we will 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.
In the evening we will have a farewell dinner together then go to the "Zaisan" Observatory to take a look at the city from the observatory. Overnight in hotel.
Day 10. Departure (B, L, D)
Transfer to the airport for your departing flight.
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