Experience the breathtaking variety of Mongolia’s landscapes. Spend time with a herding family on the steppe. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Orkhon Valley. Relax on the shores of pristine Lake Huvsgul. Take in the dunes and canyons of the Gobi Desert.
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)
Sunday, August 25Ulaanbaatar
Join your tour leader on a walking tour of Mongolia’s capital city. Visit Sukhbaatar Square, walk through the country’s history at the National Museum of Mongolia, and marvel at the splendid art and architecture of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. (B,L,D)
Monday, August 26Dalanzadgad in the Gobi Desert
Fly from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad, the capital of South Gobi Province in the heart of the Gobi Desert. Head west through the Three Beauties Mountains, past herds of Bactrian camels and vast desert plains to the legendary Hongoryn Els Sand Dunes, towering six hundred feet over the Gobi. Spend two nights in a remote ger camp outpost near the dunes (B,L,D)
Tuesday, August 27The Bactrian
Spend the day exploring Hongoryn Els and its most famous resident: the two-humped Bactrian camel. Ride camels with a family of camel herders and hike on the shifting mountains of sand. Explore Seruun Bulag, a spring-fed oasis at the base of the dunes. (B,L,D)
Wednesday, August 28Flaming Cliffs
Search for fossils at the red sandstone Flaming Cliffs, where the 1920s Central Asiatic Expeditions, led by American Roy Chapman Andrews, made the world’s first discovery of dinosaur eggs. Settle into a ger at Dream Gobi Lodge for your final two nights in the desert. The lodge is the desert’s premier resort, a community-based oasis of excellent food and service in the stillness of the Gobi. (B,L,D)
Thursday, August 29Yolyn Am Canyon
On your last full day in the Gobi Desert, hike through Yolyn Am Canyon. The high rock walls and stream at the canyon's base provide a sanctuary for bearded vultures, Siberian ibex and myriad wildflowers in the midst of the forbidding desert landscape. (B,L,D)
Friday, August 30Genghis Khan
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar and explore an exhibit of dinosaur fossils from the Gobi Desert. Then, head out to the steppe east of Ulaanbaatar to visit the towering 130-foot tall Genghis Khan Statue, built in 2006 for the 800th anniversary of the Mongol Empire. Return to the city for dinner. (B,L,D)
Saturday, August 31Steppe Traditions
Head west onto the vast Mongolian steppe and settle into your ger at the beautifully decorated Mongol Nomadic Ger Camp. The family that runs the resort delights in sharing steppe nomadic traditions, such as games, food and music, to guests, making this the perfect introduction to your days on central Mongolia’s vast grasslands. (B,L,D)
Sunday, September 1Horses and Nomadic Life
Embark on an early morning expedition to Hustai National Park in search of Przewalski’s horses, the world’s only truly wild horses. Then, delve deeper into nomadic life with a visit to a nomadic family who summer near Mt. Hugnu Khan, a site of profound cosmic energy. Spend the evening cooking and enjoying a meal, sharing traditions and, if interested, riding horses. Spend the night at a picturesque ecolodge in the shadow of the Elsen Tasarhai Sand Dunes. (B,L,D)
Monday, September 2Khans and Lamas
Venture further into the steppe to explore the remote UNESCO World Heritage Orkhon Valley, the cradle of nomadic civilization. Reach Harhorin, the site of Karakorum, the 13th century capital of the Mongolian Empire, and visit Mongolia’s oldest monastery, 16th century Erdene Zuu. Then, travel down the valley to the Ursa Major Ecolodge, located in a stunning setting overlooking the Orkhon River and spend the first of two nights at this elegant retreat. (B,L,D)
Tuesday, September 3Valley of History
Explore the Orkhon Valley. Join your tour leader on a search for ancient graves and monuments marking millennia of nomadic life or enjoy a hike along the river, past herders’ pastures. In the evening, gaze at the blanket of stars through the ecolodge’s telescope. (B,L,D)
Wednesday, September 4Ulaanbaatar: Cultural Center
Return to Ulaanbaatar and enjoy a performance of throat singing, contortionism and folk dancing by the renowned Tumen Ekh Ensemble. (B,L,D)
Thursday, September 5Uushgiin Uvur
Fly to Murun, the capital of Huvsgul Province. Visit Uushgiin Uvur, Mongolia’s largest collection of Bronze Age stone monuments, and a part of the Deer Stone Monuments UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, drive north to the mountainous, forested shores of Lake Huvsgul, Mongolia’s only navigable body of water. Settle into your lakeside ger and enjoy a forest hike to a dramatic lookout point. (B,L,D)
Friday, September 6Lake Huvsgul
Enjoy the beauty and culture of Lake Huvsgul. Huvsgul is a deep and ancient volcanic lake, famous for its clear, turquoise water. Take a boat ride to explore the lake and enjoy optional horse riding. (B,L,D)
Saturday, September 7Ulaanbaatar
Return to Murun, fly back to Ulaanbaatar and enjoy a final city evening and farewell dinner with your fellow travelers. (B,L,D)
