14 days Highlight of Mongolia tour

Day 1-Arrival in Ulaanbaatar

Upon your arrival your guide and driver will pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, have half a day of Ulaanbaatar city tour. Cosmopolitan, modern, chaotic, ancient all are apt terms to describe the Mongolian Capital. A bustling metropolis full of hidden temples, family run tailors, eateries serving traditional food and exciting, independent museums. (Hotel, D)

Day 2- Ugii lake

On this day you will start you journey by driving west to the crystal clear Ugii Lake in Arkhangai province. This lake is the setting for the annual Mongolian triathlon and is an excellent location for swimming. It is also situated directly in the path of a major migratory flight path for wild birds so is a bird watcher’s paradise. You will spend the day here before retiring for the night to a ger camp right on the shore of the lake. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 3&4- Kharkhorin & Erdenezuu

After breakfast you will set off to Kharkhorin, the ancient city of Мongolian empire. The city was once very much the centre of the world. Now there is an excellent UNESCO museum that houses many of the old city’s archaeological remains and the various treasures that have been uncovered over the years. The Erdenezuu Monastery contains many smaller temples and shrines that you can spend a full day exploring.

In the afternoon visit a local nomadic family in a ger and see their traditional way of living. You are welcome to participate in cooking, herding and milking livestocks. If anything it is encouraged. Enjoy horse riding by the Orkhon river. Overnight in a ger camp. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 5- Ongi monastery

Early in the morning drive south down to Gobi desert and your first stop is Ongi monastery. It was one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia but got destroyed during communist revolution of 1920s. Stay at Secret of Ongi ger camp. Enjoy ger building lesson and MONGOLIAN traditional food experience, “khorkhog”. There will be a traditional costume show in the evening. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 6- Khongor sand dunes & nomadic family stay

Today you will go deeper down the Gobi desert and visit Khongor sand dunes. It is known as the singing sand dunes and the highlight of Gobi desert. Marco Polo travelled across the Southern Gobi desert in the 13^th Century and was struck by the eerie sounds that the dunes produced when the wind passed over them. Nowadays the dunes still sing in the wind and are a hugely popular spot for climbing. The climb to the top of the highest dunes takes several hours and is very hard going but is hugely rewarding at the top with truly astonishing views.

Stay with camel camel herding family and enjoy camel riding by the sand dunes. (Nomadic family stay, B, L, D)

Day 7- Yol valley

Today you will head to the east to Yol valley. It literally means the Vulture’s mouth and it is easy to see why when you get there as the entrance resembles a gigantic vulture. The interior is some of the best hiking in all of Mongolia, stunning high valley walls, ice fields and short scrambles up and down slick rock faces. Stay overnight in a ger camp. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 8- Tsagaan Suvarga

After breakfast, visit Tsagaan Suvarga which means White Stupa (a stupa is a small shrine containing the remains of an important or especially revered Buddhist Lama) and the cliffs here live up to their name. Towering above a lunar landscape of pastel blues, yellows and reds the views are immense and the whole area is perfect for gentle hiking. Stay overnight in a ger camp. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 9– Baga gazryn chuluu
Today you will visit literally the Little Rocky Place Baga Gazriin Chuluu that is located in the northern Gobi desert. The main attraction here is the crater high above the desert steppe with fantastic views from the top of the semi-desert landscape below. Inside the crater there is a sacred spring, the waters of which are said to cure blindness, a cave where devout Buddhists come to meditate and a ruined temple in the heart of the valley. Stay overnight in a ger camp. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 10- Ulaanbaatar

Drive early in the morning to Ulaanbaatar. After lunch have a half day city tour including Choijin temple and Sukhbaatar square. Enjoy a traditional music and dance concert in the evening. Stay overnight in a hotel. (Hotel, B, L, D)

Day 11- Fly to Moron

It is time to explore the northern Mongolia, which is completely different from the Gobi desert with its lush forests and pristine lakes. Early in the morning fly to Moron the capital of Khuvsgul province. Your local guide and driver will meet you at the airport and take you on 2 hours drive to Khuvsgul lake. Once you checked into the camp, enjoy gentle hiking around the lake and the forest surrounding it. Overnight in a ger camp. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 12 &13- Khuvsgul lake

You will be staying right by the lake. Enjoy the largest lake in Mongolia, Khuvsgul Lake. It is an impressively beautiful site. Visitors can expect to see a lot of shamanic activity, to take boat trips on charming old tugs and even to see some Tsaatan Reindeer herders at certain times of the year. (Ger camp, B, L, D)

Day 14 – Fly back to Ulaanbaatar
In the morning your guide and driver will take you to the airport. Overnight in a hotel. (Hotel, B, L, D)