• Category: Community based tours Mongolia

• Travel places: Ulaanbaatar – Khar Bukhiin Balgas – Nomad community at Gurvanbulag valley – Khognokhaan Natural Reserve – Kharakhorum – Khustai National Park – Ulaanbaatar

• Activities: Learning nomadic life, sharing experience with herders, trekking, horse riding and camel riding

• Duration: 13nights / 14days

• Number of participants: Min-2, max-12 

• Season: June – September

Day 1 Welcoming day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar the capital city of Mongolia. Transfer to your hotel. In the evening enjoy a traditional art performance and Welcome dinner. Stay overnight in the hotel. D

Day 2 Travel to a nomad community
Travel to Gurvanbulag soum (a local administration unit) in Bulgan province around 280km for 4-5 hours. On the way we will visit to Khar Bukhiin Balgas, an interesting remain of ancient town of nomad tribes dated back to 10th century. Afternoon, we will reach to the nomads. Visit the nomad family, will welcome you with their unique traditional hospitality. They offer unconventional home-made special dairy products, such as “aaruul”- dried curds, Mongolian salty milk tea – Suutei tsai and so on. You can interact with nomad people and get more intimate with their nature hugging lifestyle. Stay overnight in community based Ger camp. BLD

Day 3 Horse based nomad culture
Today we will watch how Mongolian skillful cowboys catch horses by “uurga” – traditional wooden lasso and training an untamed horse that has never been ridden before. You will learn more in deep about traditional technology how to make halter and hobble by leather. Enjoy horseback riding for an hour. For dinner you will enjoy “Khorkhog”, is real Mongolian barbeque, grilled with hot stones. Stay overnight in community based Ger camp. BLD

Day 4-5 Trekking
In the next 2 days, enjoy your walk through the steppe, sand dunes and mountains and reach the Khognokhaan Natural Reserve. Day trekking for about 18-20kms. Stay overnight in tent. BLD

Day 6 Exploring around the sacred Mountain Khognokhaan
Our trek takes you along on the holy mountain Khognokhaan. Visit to local Buddhist temple Erdenekhamba and ruin of ancient Uvgun monastery. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 7 Enjoy camel riding
Today you will enjoy camel riding. We will visit to a camel herder’s family. Followed by brief instruction for riding Mongolian Bactrian camel you will get acquainted with the camels and tacks. Camel ride will take about 4-5 hours for a day. Camel riding across the sand dunes of Ikh Mongol Els. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 8 Travel to Kharakhorum
Travel to Kharakhorum for 90kms. Kharakhorum is the ancient capital of Mongolia where Chinggis Khaan established his headquarters in 1220. In 1235, his son and successor, Ogodei built a Palace enclosed by walls. You will visit to Erdenezuu Monastery, the largest and first Mongolian Buddhist temple complex built on the remains of 16^th century Kharakhorum city and newly built Kharakhorum Museum. Late afternoon we will visit a local cooperative to attend a workshop for making small felt items. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 9 Travel to Tsenkher hot spring
Travel to Tsenkher hot spring for 100kms. The hot spring with water at +86.5 degree Celsius is very popular in the area. After having a rest you can hike along the surrounding forested mountain and in the evening enjoy taking a hot spring bath. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 10 Exploring Orkhon valley – the UNESCO World Heritage Site
Travel along the famous Orkhon valley for 120kms. The area is known as the cradle of Mongolian nomadic civilization, where  many  of  Mongolia’s  ancient monuments lie within its borders. On the way we will explore Tuvkhun temple, is high in the mountain, marking the north side of the Orkhon valley. Hiking up to mountain for 3kms about 1-1.5hours. Visit the site that Mongolian first religious leader saint Zanabazar founded in 1653 and lived, worked and meditated for over 30 years. Several pilgrimage sites have grown up around the temple and hermit’s caves, including one that is said to be Zanabazar’s boot imprint. Continue drive to Orkhon valley. Stay overnight in tent. BLD

Day 11 Trekking along the Orkhon valley
Today you will enjoy full day trekking for 18-20kms about 6-7 hours. On the way you will visit nomad families who breed yaks and horses. Enjoy a beautiful scenery over the valley and Orkhon river. Stay overnight in tent. BLD

Day 12 Travel to Khustai National park
Travel to Khustai National Park for 280kms. Khustai National Park encompassing an area of 50.620hectare is the habitat of resurrected wild Mongolian horses, popularly known as Takhi (Przewalski’s Horse). Visit the Information Center for having an introductory presentation of the National Park. Explore the park to see the Takhi horses in the wilderness. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 13 Travel back to urban civilization
Today you will travel for 90kms to Ulaanbaatar. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to your hotel. Guided city sightseeing tour including visits to Gandantegchinlen Monastery, Chinggis Khaan square and National Museum. Shopping for cashmere and souvenirs. Farewell dinner. Stay overnight in hotel. BLD

Day 14 Departure
After breakfast transfer to airport for departure. B

• Tour starting (start in Ulaanbaatar):

2015:
EN01 07 Jun
EN02 21 Jun
EN03 05 Jul
EN04 26 Jul
EN05 02 Aug
EN06 16 Aug
EN07 06 Sep

Price from:
USD 2690per person

Included: All activities described in the itinerary, twin/double basis hotel accommodation (2 nights) in Ulaanbaatar, Ger camp stay (5 nights) and stay in community based Ger camp (2 nights), stay in tent (4 nights) in the countryside. English speaking guide service, entrance fees to Protected Areas and sightseeing costs, all transfers by bus/minibus in the city and by 4WD Russian minivan in the countryside. Meals of breakfast, lunch /picnic/ and dinner as mentioned per day itinerary.

Excluded: International transportation to and from Mongolia, travel insurance, mineral (bottled) water and alcoholic drinks, tips and gratuities, laundry and items of a personal nature.

An advantage of this trip you can travel through different zones and enjoy vast open spaces with natural contrasts within several days. During the trip, approximately it takes 4-7 hours driving from one to next destination. Each 1-1.5 hours, we have short stop frequently for photographs, toilets, stretch and meet with local nomads. In the countryside, we use 4WD vehicles, specially, Russian minivans and Japanese jeeps. Normally, 2-3 people are in one jeep with luggage. The minivan has capacity of 7 people with luggage. All vehicles used in our tours are insured and carefully prepared before departures. Our drivers are also good mechanics, have many years of experience for driving through unmarked, unpaved bumpy roads in the countryside.

Overnight we stay tourist camp. It is very enjoyable for the guests to stay in tourist camps when they are in the countryside. Most of the tourist camps supply the Mongolian traditional dwelling “Ger” as guest’s accommodation. Ger is a very convenient dwelling as moveable, dome-shaped and constructed of wooden framework and felt cover. Tourist Ger is heated by a wood stove and furnished with traditionally painted wood-framed beds (with full sized mattresses 137x190cm) or hotel standard size beds with clean sheets, comforters, pillows and blankets. Normally, three or two beds are in one Ger. If client wants to stay alone in a Ger there will be an additional charge. The camp provides restaurant/bar, western-style toilet, washing facilities and showers. The numbers of low-impact eco Ger camps are increased and many business people started in practicing for eco-friendly concepts in last year’s. We prefer and cooperate with Ger camps that follow this core responsibility and able to provide best services for our clients.

When you stay in Ger camps, the camp provides meals of mostly western cuisine and also we can enjoy Mongolian traditional cuisine. Sometimes there are not many choices for meals in tourist Ger camps due to their remote location. Mostly we have picnic lunch from ger camps. It is also available to have and taste traditional dairy products such as yogurt /Mongolian name is tarag/, dried milk curds /aaruul/, milk tea /suutei tsai/, fermented mare’s milk wine /airag/, sour cream /tsotsgii/ and cheese /byaslag/ when you visit to nomad herder families.

Generally, in Mongolia water quality is good. But you are advised to buy mineral water. Bottles of Mineral water are available from shops, food markets and kiosks in capital and many of the provinces centers and tourist Ger camps in the countryside. Mineral or bottled water usually exclude in our offers since we try to produce as less garbage as possible. But in other hand we provide well plenty of drinks like tea and coffee during our tours.

We highly appreciate your decision for traveling to Mongolia with our company. Thus, we are pleased to assure the quality of your tour.
Please kindly check our Terms & Conditions and fill out the online booking form as below. With your given information we would get back to you immediately for further confirmation.
Thank you very much and look forward to see you soon!