Central Mongolia and the Gobi Desert for the Nadaam Festival

UK – Ulaanbaatar

Meet at the airport and board our flight to Mongolia.

Upon arrival at Ulaanbaatar airport, we  will be welcomed by our guide and transferred to our centrally located hotel within walking distance of various museums and shops. We will visit Gandan Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia where a gigantic Janraisag Statue, the god of eternity awaits.

This evening we will watch a traditional  Mongolian folk concert by the famous Tumen Ekh Ensemble followed by a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight at a centrally located hotel

Meals,  Lunch, Dinner.

Throughout the tour we will be staying in twin rooms and Ger tents ( traditional Nomadic camps)  but there is an option to have a room/Ger to yourself for the trip. If you wish to have a room to yourself for the 12 nights the supplement will be £320. The supplement will be payable at the same time as the balance. (please note that the ger tents are not En-suite).

Baga Gazarin Chuluu

Today we embark on an overland journey to the Gobi Desert through the rugged terrain, with stunning landscapes, picture perfect scenery and Bactrian camels.

Baga Gazarin Chuluu is an outstanding area where unusual rock formations and granite pinnacles stick out in the middle of the dusty plains. We will spend half a day exploring caves and the surrounding area before continuing our journey southwards to Tsagaan Suvarga.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Yoliin Am – Vulture Valley

Onwards to Yol Valley in Gobi Gurvan Saihan National Park, cradled between the foothills of the Altai Mountains.

The Yol valley is famous for its surprising ice fields that can last year-round, deep cliffs, and rich wildlife, including the Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture) it’s named after, Siberian ibex, and argali. It offers dramatic landscapes, a cool microclimate contrasting with the Gobi’s heat, and opportunities for hiking, photography, and observing unique flora and fauna, serving as a vital oasis in the desert.

(Optional) 2-3 hours of hiking is involved to reach the valley.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Khongoriin Els – sand dunes

Hongoriin Els (the singing sand dunes) is one of the largest sand dunes in Mongolia, it stretches for 180 kilometers across the desert. The Singing sand is named for the remarkable, low-pitched groan that it emits when the surface is disturbed. These dunes, reaching upwards of 1,400m, are the Gobi’s most magnificent sand dunes. Due to their isolation, the secret of this area’s beauty has been kept safe for thousands of years.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Bayanzag – The Flaming Cliffs

Our journey continues to the  world famous “Flaming Cliffs”, home to ancient dinosaurs where an American scientist Roy Chapman Andrews excavated the first known dinosaur eggs in paleontological history in 1923. It is still considered one of the richest and the most well preserved fossil nests because the Gobi Desert is the oldest known dry-land area.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Ongi Monastery

Today we drive  north with a stopover at the remains of historic Ongi Monastery, one of 750 worshipping places of Mongolia that were destroyed by communists in the 1930s.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Kharkhorin and Erdenezuu monastery

Today we take the long drive to Kharkhorin town. Once the ancient capital that served Chinggis Khan and his vast Mongolia Empire, Kharkhorin has now become a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike.

Join the monks for the morning ceremonies at the Erdene Zuu monastery. Erdenezuu Monastery was established on the ruins of Karakorum city by Avtai Sain Khaan in 1585 and some of the temples were built by the materials from the ancient city. The stunning monastery is surrounded by a wall made up of a chain of 108 stupas. There is a vivid difference of Mongolian and Tibetan architecture among monastery’ temples.

The area is also part of the UNESCO’s world heritage site of Orkhon Valley.

Discover the Buddhist treasures inside the monastery museum and walk to one of the last remaining stones of Ugudei Khan’s palace. The museum sections of the monastery display three gigantic statues of young, adult and mature Buddha along with numerous artefacts from different period including two different types of Tankas (Nagtan, Tagtan),

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Kharkhorin Local Naadam Festival

Enjoy a famous Mongolian Naadam Festival in Kharkhorin, Mongolia. Naadam’s very meaning is celebration of Mongolia’s independence with nomads’ sporting tournaments.

Watch fascinating Mongolian wrestlers in their traditional wrestling costumes while doing their falcon dance.

Enjoy a  Mongolia pastry-Huushuur at Naadam and spectate during  bone shooting and archery tournaments.

Witness Mongolia’s renowned endurance horse race. The horses are graded by age and gender and race over distances of up to 28 kilometres. The jockeys are aged between seven and 12 years old, many without stirrups or saddles.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Naadam Festival and Elsen Tasarkhai Sand Dunes

This morning we enjoy a second day of the Naadam festival.

After lunch, we continue our journey to Elsen Tasarhai and Khugnu Khaan mountains. The sand dunes lay 80 km long alongside green meadows. Expect some short walking to explore a temple and some ruins at the foothill of Khugnu Khaan mountain. Khugnu Tarna National Park is fascinating due to its ecosystem where the steppe and taiga meet.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Hustai National Park

Wild life exploration in Hustai National Park will be one of the highlights on this  journey where we will encounter the Wild Horse ‘Takhi’, the only species of wild horse in the world. Takhi have been reintroduced since the 1990’s. When we  arrive at  the national park, we will check into our traditional ger homes. There is a small museum in the ger camp where we  will learn all about the Takhi and the wild horse reintroduction programme in the national park.

Overnight in a traditional Ger Camp.

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Stay with Nomadic Mongols.

Continue our journey to reach Mongol Nomadic Ger Camp, located in the open steppe.

Today is an easy and relaxing day. Upon arrival, settle into our ger and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. In the afternoon  we will have the opportunity to watch the Mongol Nomadic Show, a cultural performance that demonstrates the traditional lifestyle of Mongolian herders. The show includes assembling and dismantling a ger, making felt from sheep’s wool, ox-cart and camel-cart loading, and impressive horsemanship skills such as lassoing and riding.

Local families wear colourful traditional clothing and explain each part of their nomadic way of life, offering you an authentic and insightful experience.

Optional activities today also include horse riding (at your own cost) around the camp to explore the beautiful steppe landscape in a traditional way.

Overnight at a traditional Nomadic camp

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Ulaanbaatar

After breakfast we  will head back to Ulaanbaatar  stopping for a visit to the Gandan Monastery, the largest Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, where you can marvel at the immense Janraisag Statue, a towering figure of the god of eternity.

Later in the day, we will explore the National Museum of Mongolia, which houses a fascinating collection of traditional costumes, archaeological artifacts, and historical items from the Mongol Empire.

Our day will end with a folk concert followed by a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight at a centrally located hotel

Meals; Breakfast,  Lunch, Dinner.

Day 14. Thursday 16th July. Ulaanbaatar- UK

After breakfast we will take our transfer to the airport for the flight home.