• Category: Cultural Tours Mongolia

• Places to visit: Ulaanbaatar – Amarbayasgalant monastery – Bulgan – Khognokhaan mountain – Kharakhorum – Tsetserleg town – Tsenkher Spa – Tuvkhun temple – Uurtiin Tokhoi – Ongi temple ruin – Baga Gazriin Chuluu – Manzushir monastery – Ulaanbaatar

• Activities: Visit to nomads, sightseeing, cultural sites

• Duration: 13nights / 14days

• Covering distance: 2000kms

• Number of participants: Min-3, max-12

• Season: June – September

The steppe will reveal its treasures to you in this tour. It is by visiting in depth monasteries and cultural sites that you will learn about Mongolia, its history and its people. Join this tour to discover ancient ruins and mystical places in a unique picturesque atmosphere.

Day 1 Welcoming day
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar the capital city of Mongolia. Transfer to your hotel. Evening enjoy traditional art performance and Welcome dinner. Stay overnight in the hotel. D
Day 2 Travel to Amarbayasgalant
Travel to Amarbaysgalant monastery, located 360kms to the north of Ulaanbaatar, is one of the famous cultural sites. We will have lunch at local restaurant in Darkhan city and continue on travel to Amarbayasgalant monastery. Visit and explore the monastery. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 3 Visit to Nomad family
Today we will travel to Bulgan town, the center of Bulgan province for 110kms. On the way we will visit a nomad family. You will be offered to taste locally made dairy products and milk tea. And talk with people to learn more about their life. Also on our way we will visit Erdenet, the second biggest city in Mongolia. This area is famous by its copper mining. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 4 Travel to Khognokhaan mountain
Drive for 210kms to Khognokhaan Natural Reserve, the area has been protected since 1997, covers 46900ha of beautiful granite mountain of Paleozoic age and its surroundings. Evening we will visit Erdenekhamba, local Buddhist temple and old remain of Uvgun Monastery which destroyed by the armies of Zuungar Galdan Boshigt. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 5 Visit Kharakhorum & Erdenezuu
Travel to Kharakhorum for 90kms. We will visit Erdene Zuu monastery, the largest and first Mongolian Buddhist temple complex built on the remains of Kharakhorum city. Here we also visit a local cooperative to attend a workshop for making small felt products. Evening we will have another lecture & open discussion about the history of Mongols. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 6 Travel to Zaya Gegeenii Khuree
Travel to Tsetserleg town, the center of Arkhangai province for 130kms. Visit Zaya Gegeenii Khuree, a large old Buddhist monastery, remarkably intact, preserved as a museum-but with an active community of monks. The first temple was opened in 1586, expanded to 5 temples in 1679. At its peak it may have had 200 to 1000 monks and today 70 monks are in residence. Much of the monastery now houses the Museum of Arkhangai province. The contents are magnificent, housing many treasures, clothes, games and ceremonial masks and memorabilia. Continue drive to Taikhar rock for 30kms. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 7 Travel to Tsenkher Spa
Drive 60kms to Tsenkher, a natural hot spring with hydrogen sulphide at +86.5 degree Celsius. Enjoy having hot spa bath and relax. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 8 Visit to Tuvkhun temple & Orkhon Valley
Continue travel for 70kms to Tuvkhun temple, is high in the mountain, marking the north side of the Orkhon valley. 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. Afternoon continue travel to Orkhon valley for 60kms, is known as the cradle of Mongolian civilization as many of Mongolia’s ancient monuments lie within its borders. After staying in Ger camp nearby Uurtiin Tokhoi we will visit to nomad families. We will see some processing of dairy products and distilling of traditional vodka from fermented milk. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 9 Travel to Ongi
Travel to old temple ruin of Ongi for 260kms. Today we will already be feeling Gobi desert – scarce vegetation, dry and hot air, horizon as stretched so far. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 10 Visit to Ongi temple ruins
This day we will be exploring around old temple ruins of Ongi. We will go around temple ruins and meet with monks to talk about Buddhism and history of the area. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 11 Travel to Baga Gazriin Chuluu
Travel to Baga Gazariin Chuluu for 240kms, huge granite rock formation in the middle of the dusty plains. On the way we will see and visit Dambadarjaalan temple in Erdenedalai soum. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 12 Visit to Manzushir Monastery
Continue travel to Manzushir Monastery for 210kms, is located in the luxuriant valley of the Bogd Khan Mountain National Park. It was established in 1733 with 20 temples and 300 monks. Destroyed in 1932, the only remaining temple has been restored and a museum at the site tells the story of the monastery. At the top, the views are even more beautiful, and you’ll find yourself in the midst of a lovely pine forest. Stay overnight in Ger camp. BLD

Day 13 Move to Ulaanbaatar
Travel back to Ulaanbaatar. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to your hotel. Shopping. Farewell dinner. Stay overnight in hotel. BLD

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

• Tour starting (start in Ulaanbaatar):
2015:
HS01 16 Jul
HS02 13 Aug

Included: All activities described in the itinerary, twin/double basis hotel accommodation (2 nights) in Ulaanbaatar, Ger camp stay (11 nights) in countryside, English speaking guide service, entrance fees to Protected Areas and sightseeing costs, all transfers by minibus in the city and by 4WD Russian minivan in the countryside. Meals of breakfast, lunch /picnic in countryside/ 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 countryside.

Overnight we stay tourist camp. It is very enjoyable for the guests to stay in tourist camps when they are in 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 want 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 environmentally 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 countryside. Mineral or bottled water usually exclude in our offers since we try to produce as less garbage as possible. But 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!