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 Novotel Ulaanbaatar in the heart of Mongolia’s cosmopolitan capital. (D)
Sunday, June 7Ulaanbaatar
Join your tour leader on a walking tour of Mongolia’s capital city. Visit Sukhbaatar Square, explore the country's history at the spectacular Chinggis Khaan National Museum, newly opened in 2022, and marvel at the splendid art and architecture of the Choijin Lama Temple Museum. (B,L,D)
Monday, June 8Dalanzadgad 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 the first of two nights in a cabin at a ger camp near the dunes. (B,L,D)
Tuesday, June 9The 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, June 10Flaming 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 Gobi Mirage Lodge for your final two nights in the desert. The lodge is a community-based oasis of excellent food and service in the stillness of the Gobi. (B,L,D)
Thursday, June 11Yolyn 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, June 12Genghis Khan
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar. See how contemporary Mongolia is shaping its future with an eye toward the past. On a day trip to the steppe east of Ulaanbaatar, visit the towering 131-foot tall Genghis Khan Statue, built in 2006 for the 800th anniversary of the Mongol Empire. (B,L,D)
Saturday, June 13The Steppe
Travel west onto the vast Mongolian steppe, reaching the beautifully decorated Mongol Nomadic Cultural Heritage Center. The family that runs the resort delights in sharing nomadic traditions, such as games, food and music, with guests. Join them in a demonstration of steppe nomadic traditions, and settle into your ger for the night. (B,L,D)
Sunday, June 14Wild Horses 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 in Hugnu-Tarna National Park. Spend the evening cooking and enjoying a meal and sharing traditions. Spend the night at a ger camp in the shadow of the Elsen Tasarhai Sand Dunes. (B,L,D)
Monday, June 15Khans and Lamas
Venture further into the steppe to the remote UNESCO World Heritage Orkhon Valley, the cradle of nomadic civilization. Reach Harhorin, the site of Karakorum, the 13th century capital of the Mongol Empire, and visit Mongolia’s oldest monastery, 16th century Erdene Zuu. Spend the first of two nights at a ger-inspired resort on the banks of the Orkhon River just outside of town. (B,L,D)
Tuesday, June 16Valley of History
Continue to explore the Orkhon Valley. Travel even further back in history with a day trip to the to Har Balgas, the ruins of Ordu Baliq, capital of the Uighur Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries AD. (B,L,D)
Wednesday, June 17Ulaanbaatar
Return to Ulaanbaatar and enjoy a performance of throat singing, contortionism and folk dancing by the renowned Tumen Ekh Ensemble. (B,L,D)
Thursday, June 18Uushgiin 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, June 19Lake 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, June 20Ulaanbaatar
Fly back to Ulaanbaatar. In the city, explore an exhibit of dinosaur fossils from the Gobi Desert and visit Gandantegchenlin Monastery, the center of Mongolian Buddhism. Enjoy a final city evening and farewell dinner with your fellow travelers. (B,L,D)
