Mongolia
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Day One: Welcome to Mongolia
Touch down in Ulaanbaatar, the spiritual and economic heart of Mongolia. The capital (whose name translates as ‘Red Hero’) changed its location 28 times before arriving here in 1778 and is now home to almost half the country’s population: Nowhere is Mongolia’s evolution more apparent than the suburbs you’ll drive through en route to your hotel, where nomadic tents jostle beside Western houses. Check in, before enjoying a welcome dinner.
We offer a variety of hotel classes to suit different budgets. You can choose the style that’s right for you. Select from Classic, Premium or Deluxe when booking, and click hotel name below for more details.
Overnight in Ulaanbaatar
Classic - Continental Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Premium - Blue Sky Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Deluxe - Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar
Meals included: Dinner
Day Two: Desert life
The great Gobi Desert is your destination today. Take a flight to Dalanzadgad, before journeying overland to your ger desert camp, an echo of the traditional nomadic villages at the heart of Mongolian culture. Set in an incredible landscape of hill-backed dunes, it borders the 16,800 square miles of Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park – and you’ll explore the landscape by travelling into the oasis-like Eagle Valley on foot. Look out for eagles and large bearded vultures in the skies, as well as the wild sheep and goats grazing on the high cliffs all around. Continue on to the Natural History Museum to find out more about the diverse array of wildlife in the park – from the snow leopard to the world’s only desert-dwelling bear, the Gobi bear. Then, along with your private guide, you’ll get the chance to indulge in traditional games of Shangai or ‘ankle bones’: played with polished sheep or goat bones, this fascinating national pastime is intrinsic to the country’s culture.
Overnight at the ger desert camp
Classic - Gobi Mirage Standard Ger
Premium - Gobi Nomad Lodge
Deluxe - Three Camel Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day Three: Khongor Sand Dune
Like Mongolia’s nomads of days gone past you will travel through the Altai Mountain range, to the home of the ‘singing’ sand dunes: Khongoryn Els. These sand dunes rise 2,600 ft from the desert floor creating a distinctive sound when the wine flies through. This afternoon we spend time with the dunes: hiking and camel riding alongside learning local customs with a nomadic family that live in these wilds.
Overnight at ger desert camp
Classic - Gobi Discovery camp
Premium - Buren Camp
Deluxe - Buren Cap Deluxe Ger
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Four: Towards the Flaming Cliffs
After a relaxed breakfast drive, you’ll arrive at The Flaming Cliffs, a spectacular area filled with red cliffs formed by the erosion of sand and rock. Archaeologists have found numerous dinosaur fossils here, with many expeditions led by Roy Chapman Andrews – the inspiration for Indiana Jones. It was in this area that Chapman first proved that dinosaurs came from eggs and found the skeleton of the largest land mammal known to man, the hornless rhinoceros. You’ll have time to search for fossils yourself, before heading off through the desert by Bactrian camel to take in the stunning landscape and views.
Overnight at the ger desert camp
Classic - Gobi Mirage Standard Ger
Premium - Gobi Nomad Lodge
Deluxe - Three Camel Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Five: Return to Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, you’ll return to Ulaanbaatar by plane, ready for your private car transfer to Terelj National Park. En route, you’ll stop off at the Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex, home to a gigantic, 131-foot, stainless steel statue of Genghis Khan which pays tribute to legendary 13th-century warrior. Walk up to the statue’s head for far-reaching views of the empty landscape. Onwards you’ll drive to Terelj National Park, known for its rock formations - brilliant to admire and even more impressive to climb for those who want to.
Overnight at the Terejl Star Resort
Classic - Terelj Star Resort
Premium - Anungoo
Deluxe - Terelj hotel
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Six: Nomadic Life
Enjoy breakfast, afterwards your heading up the Bayanzurkh Mountain to enjoy a view which demonstrates the combination of modern civilisation and nomadic lifestyle. Before driving onwards to serene Tuul Riverside Lodge, a sustainable ger camp set in a rolling meadow above the banks of the gentle Tuul River (the final part of your transfer is by boat along this sleepy waterway). Settle in, before trying your hand at one of the most famous Mongol skills – archery.
Overnight at the Tuul Riverside Lodge
Classic, Premium, Deluxe - Tuul Riverside Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Seven: At the lodge
Today we learn how to make the traditional Mongolian Dish, buuz. Afterwards, try your hand at putting up a traditional yurt before one of the trip’s undoubted highlights, a ‘khorkhog’ or Mongolian barbecue consisting of chunks of sheep meat cooked in a container that’s also filled with hot river rocks. Savour the peace of the evening around the bonfire, beneath unpolluted starry skies.
Overnight at Tuul Riverside Lodge
Classic, Premium, Deluxe - Tuul Riverside Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Eight: Capital pursuits
It’s back to Ulaanbaatar by plane this morning, ready to tour the exquisite Bogd Khan Winter Palace Museum, once home to Mongolia’s eighth living Buddha and last king. Fortunately saved from Soviet destruction during the Stalinist repressions, the palace is now a fascinating museum, dotted with intricate temples, exotic stuffed animals and evocative paintings. Later, you’ll also visit the 976 Art Gallery, renowned for its excellent collections and exhibitions of contemporary Mongolian art. After we will combine these in the Deeltei Mongol Festival developed to promote traditional Mongolian Culture, through enthnic clothing possession and folk arts.
Overnight in Ulaanbaatar
Classic - Continental Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Premium - Blue Sky Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Deluxe - Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Nine: The State Naadam Festival
It’s a national holiday in Mongolia today, as the country gears up for the Naadam Festival – a celebration of the Mongolian independence of 1921 that now has UNESCO-listed status. The biggest and most widely watched festival in Mongolia, it comprises of wrestling, horse racing and archery, the three traditional skills of young Mongolian men (though women have recently being allowed to take part in the archery and wrestling too). After lunch, you’ll be driven to Hui Doloon Khudag on the outskirts of the city so that you can watch the festival’s unique traditional horse-racing, where riders race over the planes complete with ornate costumes, watched by cheering crowds. Thought to date back to the Bronze Age, this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle will provide an incredible ending to your adventure.
Overnight in Ulaanbaatar
Classic - Continental Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Premium - Blue Sky Hotel Ulaanbaatar
Deluxe - Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Ten: Home time
After an action-packed trip to Mongolia, your driver will take you back to the airport, ready for your flight home.
Meals included: Breakfast
Whats included:
- Domestic flights within Mongolia
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- Private air-conditioned transport throughout tour
- Return domestic flights between Istanbul and Cappadocia
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience:
call 0208 432 0885 for AX specially negotiated flight rates - Optional extras listed
- Tips for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the tour
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
SUITABILITY FOR FAMILIES : Suitable for families with adult kids over the age of 18 years.
If you intend to travel solo, contact us on 0208 432 0885
GETTING THERE
Return flights from London to Ulaanbaatar via Moscow take around 15 hours, and cost from £450.
Experience start point: Ulaanbaatar (UBN)
End point: Ulaanbaatar (UBN)
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