Explore Hentii, the birthplace of Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan was shaped by Hentii’s forests, steppe and mountains, ecosystems that have nurtured nomadic culture for millennia. Discover the relationships among nomads, animals and the natural world that gave rise to history’s largest land empire.
Meet your guide at Ulaanbaatar’s airport and check into the five-star Blue Sky Hotel in the heart of Mongolia’s cosmopolitan capital. (D)
Tuesday, June 3Ulaanbaatar
Prepare for your journey by walking through Mongolian history at the National Museum of Mongolia, visiting Sukhbaatar Square, and exploring the Bogd Khan Palace Museum, the home of Mongolia’s last king and queens. (B,L,D)
Wednesday, June 4Steppes of History
Head east from Ulaanbaatar to Hentii Province, the homeland of Genghis Khan. On the road, visit the 8th-century Tonyukuk memorial, currently one of the most significant sites in Mongolia for ongoing archaeological discovery, and see history come alive at the massive Genghis Khan Statue. In the afternoon, reach the town of Chinggis, the capital of Hentii. Explore the town and settle into your basic hotel for the night. (B,L,D)
Thursday, June 5Mongol Queens
Leave paved roads behind and head into the Hentii wilderness, crossing a mix of steppe and desert to reach the Mongol Queens Complex, a monument to the queens who have shaped Mongolian history, built at the birthplace of Mongolia’s last two queens. Settle into a ger (yurt) at the complex. (B,L,D)
Friday, June 6Dadal
Travel to Deluun Boldog, the birthplace of Genghis Khan, crossing the Onon River, eastern Mongolia’s main waterway, via a hand-pulled car ferry. Deluun Boldog is located on the outskirts of the town of Dadal in Khentii’s far north, where the Mongolian steppe meets Siberian forest. Most families in this tree-rich area, live in log cabins, rather than the gers found throughout most of Mongolia. Spend the night in a cabin at a small vacation camp. (B,L,D)
Saturday, June 7Ancient Voices
Travel west to Rashaan Khad, one of Mongolia’s most historically-rich, but seldom-visited, landmarks. For millennia, nomadic people have decorated this dramatic rock outcropping with petroglyphs of woolly mammoths, carvings of sacred symbols, and inscriptions in ancient languages. Make camp near this outcrop and enjoy your first of four nights in a tent. (B,L,D)
Sunday, June 8Vast Vistas
Set up camp in the Hurkhyn River Valley, a sea of green steppe stretching to the horizon. Spend the day hiking and relaxing in the area. (B,L,D)
Monday, June 9Sacred Mountains
Explore 17th-century Baldan Bereeven Monastery. Once eastern Mongolia’s most important monastery, but destroyed by Communists in the 1930s, Baldan Bereeven is today a remote pilgrimage site comprised of a collection of rebuilt temples and ruins ringed by rocky hills and mountains, a place linking spirituality and reverence for nature. Join one of the elder monks at the monastery as he guides us through the monastery and its mountainous surroundings. Camp overnight at nearby Hatgalyn Lake. (B,L,D)
Tuesday, June 10Lake of Genghis Khan
Traveling through the Hentii Mountains, visit small Black Heart Blue Lake, one of the most important sites in Genghis Khan’s rise to power. Here, in 1189, the future Genghis Khan was declared King of All the Mongols. This area, sacred to Genghis Khan, has been revered by Mongolians ever since. Enjoy a final night of camping. (B,L,D)
Wednesday, June 11Terelj National Park
Continue traveling west through the Hentii Mountains, entering Tuv Province. At the Thirteenth Century Park, a historical recreation of life at the time of Genghis Khan, see the history you have encountered brought to life. In the evening, reach Terelj National Park, an area famous for its dramatic rock formations, and settle into a comfortable ger at one the park’s leading ger camps. (B,L,D)
Thursday, June 12Horse Riding
Spend the day riding with across the steppe, fording the Terelj River on horseback. Visit the ger of a nomadic family and explore meadows carpeted with late summer wildflowers. Spend a second night at your ger camp. (B,L,D)
Friday, June 13Ulaanbaatar
Return to Ulaanbaatar. Visit Narantuul, Mongolia’s largest market. In the evening, attend a folk music and dance performance by the renowned Tumen Ekh Ensemble, followed by a farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
Saturday, June 14International Departure
Return to the Ulaanbaatar airport for your international departure. (B)
