Day 3 (Thu, Jun 19) South Gobi

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend the day exploring the city with your guide.

Today's Highlights:

• South Gobi
• Yolyn Am Canyon, Yol Valley
• Khavsgait Valley

South Gobi
The South Gobi is composed of vast steppe land in Mongolia’s southernmost province of semi-arid desert. The Gobi harbors sites of some of the most important paleontological discoveries of the 20th century. Explore the open landscapes dotted with hardy desert plants that serve as forage for wild
Bactrian camels, Argali mountain sheep and goitered gazelle. This part of the Gobi is also home to golden eagles, saker falcons, jerboas (similar to kangaroo rats), many endemic reptiles and some of the Northern Hemisphere’s rarest mammals, such as the dhole, snow leopard, and Gobi bear.

Yolyn Am Canyon, Yol Valley

Embark on a flat, 3 km (1.8 mile) hike into Yolyn Am Canyon, nestled in the rugged mountain ranges of Gurvansaikhan National Park. Yolyn Am, whose name translates to “Valley of the Vultures,” is today part of an important protected wilderness area established to help conserve the region’s diverse bird and animal life, most notably the bearded vulture (or lammergeier) for which the canyon was named. The hike starts at a wide, open valley with rolling hills and steppe, eventually narrowing as it leads into the dramatic, rocky cliffs of the canyon. Cool and heavily shaded, Yolyn Am sometimes shelters sheets of ice and snowbanks that can remain frozen long into the summer, creating a stunning setting for photo ops. Keep a look out for Argali sheep balanced on a crag, or a golden eagle, vulture, or saker falcon soaring overhead on your hike into the canyon. Horses and yak herds are often pastured nearby during the summer months, while springtime covers the valley in gorgeous wildflowers.

After the hike, make a brief stop at the park’s small, regional museum, which provides an overview of the flora and fauna of the area. Here, you can get an up-close look at endemic Gobi wildlife through stuffed models of foxes, birds, and snow leopards, and also view the museum’s collection of dinosaur
eggs, bones, and petrified wood specimens. Several souvenir shops with local handicrafts can be found just outside the museum.


Lunch at a local restaurant.

Khavsgait Valley

Located in the wild landscape of the Gobi, Khavsgait Valley is home to Bronze Age petroglyphs that were painted in the shadow of the large granite hills. Here there is running water – a precious commodity in the desert – and it is home to native wildlife like ibex. Please note that this site requires a steep hike over loose gravel covered ground.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Three Camel Lodge & Ger Camp

Day 4 (Fri, Jun 20) South Gobi

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend the day exploring the area with your guide.

Today's Highlights:

• Moltsog Els Sand Dunes
• Visit Nomadic Family
• Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag)

Moltsog Els Sand Dunes

The image that many have of the Gobi is of rolling sand dunes, but the vast majority of the terrain is actually sandy soil covered in very sparse scrub growth. Occasional stands of stunted trees indicate where water may be found, but with few exceptions dunes are absent. One of those notable exceptions is Moltsog Els, where the constantly shifting sands are piled by the wind and reach surprising heights.


Visit Nomadic Family
Enjoy an opportunity to visit with a nomadic family for a chance to learn about traditional Mongolian customs and history. Step inside the family ger to share conversation over cups of salted and buttered tea. Your guide will help you communicate with the family and hear about their daily lives in this natural environment, including how they tend their animals and produce dairy products from their milk.


Lunch at a local restaurant.

Flaming Cliffs (Bayanzag)

Named for its red-gold luminescence in the rays of the setting sun, the Flaming Cliffs area is one of the most renowned paleontological sites in the world. Roy Chapman Andrews, leader of an American Museum of Natural History expedition, found the world’s first nest of dinosaur eggs here in 1922. Andrews, who is widely believed to be the inspiration for the film character Indiana Jones, gave these cliffs their English nickname. The nomadic Mongolians call the area Bayanzag. The heat and low humidity of this part of the Gobi have protected and preserved the numerous fossils that have been found here.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Three Camel Lodge & Ger Camp

Day 5 (Sat, Jun 21) South Gobi • Ongiin

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After check-out, meet your guide, and attend the Local Naadam festival in the first part of the day. Later continue your journey towards Ongiin. The drive will take approximately 5-6 hours.


Today's Highlights:

• Mini Naadam Festival
• Steppe of Ongi

Mini Naadam Festival

A special Naadam Festival has been organized just for your group. The annual Naadam Festival is Mongolia's favorite festival, showcasing Mongolia's best in wrestling, horse racing and archery as well as uniquely Mongolian sports such as "ankle-bone shooting." It originated many centuries ago, but in the 20th century this celebration of courage, strength, dexterity and marksmanship acquired new content and became more national in character. The festival now commemorates July 11th, the anniversary of Mongolia's independence from China.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Steppe of Ongi

The Steppe of Ongi covers the vast grasslands surrounding Ongiin Hiid, extending towards the Gobi Desert. Historically, the Steppe of Ongii served as a significant area of nomadic herding and trade routes. Travelers can spot various bird species soaring over the steppe and have the chance to encounter Bactrian camels as they explore this picturesque landscape.

Dinner at your ger camp.

Accommodation: Ger Camp

Day 6 (Sun, Jun 22) Ongiin • Kara Korum

Breakfast at the ger camp. After check-out, meet your guide and explore the city a bit before departing for Karakorum. The drive will take around 4-5 hours.

Today's Highlights:

• Ongiin Khiid

Ongiin Khiid
Visit the ruins of the Ongiin Khiid Monastery. This monastery, tucked away in the dry hills, was once among the largest monasteries in Mongolia with over a thousand monks before the Communists razed it to the ground during Stalin's oppressions. Today it is being rebuilt by some of its original monks who survived the purges.


Lunch at a local restaurant.

Dinner at your ger camp.

Secret of the Silk Road Ger Camp is located 3km from Erdene Zuu Monastery and was constructed in the style of the 13th century palace of Ogedei Khan, third son of Genghis Khan. The complex consists of over 50 gers, a sauna and spa facility, a coffee shop, performance hall, a bar and restaurant, and much more. Deluxe gers are comfortably furnished with hotel-style beds and linens, hard wood floors, and private bathrooms with a toilet, shower, and sink.

Accommodation: Secret of the Silk Road Ger Camp

Day 7 (Mon, Jun 23) Kara Korum

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend the day exploring the city with your guide.

Today's Highlights:

• Discover Kara Korum
• Kara Korum Museum
• Erdene Zuu Monastery
• Orkhon Valley

Discover Kara Korum

Better known as Genghis Khan’s capital, the UNESCO-listed 13th-century city of Kara Korum served as the seat of power for an empire that stretched across two continents. At its zenith Kara Korum was visited by delegations from all over the world. Legend says that in the central square there once stood a beautiful fountain in the shape of a tree. Built by a French master, the tree was entwined with snakes made of gold and silver, and from their mouths poured all manner of intoxicating beverages. An image of this fountain can be found on the backs of some Mongolian bank notes. Kara Korum had served as capital city for only 40 years when Kublai Khan moved the capital to Beijing. The city was later destroyed by invading Manchurians. All that visibly remains today is the enigmatic Turtle Rock, made of stone and weighing several tons. It is thought the turtle sculpture stood at the corner of this once vast city and served to protect the city against evil forces.


Kara Korum Museum
This new museum, established by a joint Mongolian and German  archaeological expedition, showcases the research findings into the art, politics, religions, and trading history of this ancient capital. Enjoy the permanent exhibits of this museum as well as its temporary exhibits of recent or ongoing scientific explorations in the area.

Erdene Zuu Monastery

The nearby Erdene Zuu (Thousand Treasures) Monastery has remained intact since its construction in 1586, and is the first Buddhist center in Mongolia. Built from the stones of the ruined capital, it stretches nearly a quarter of a mile in either direction, and is surrounded by a brick wall with 108 stupas, or shrines. At one time there were a thousand monks in residence. During the purges of the 1930s, many of the temples were destroyed and monks were imprisoned or killed. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the monastery has returned to life as Mongolians rediscover their Buddhist heritage. The monastery is included in the UNESCO Site of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.


Lunch at a local restaurant.

Orkhon Valley
The Orkhon Valley UNESCO Cultural Landscape Site is an area covering more than 300,000 acres of pastureland along both sides of Mongolia’s Orkhon River. The grasslands and the ruins found here represent the evolution of nomadic pastoral traditions that span more than two thousand years.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Secret of the Silk Road Ger Camp

Day 8 (Tue, Jun 24) Kara Korum • Hustaiin Nuruu • Ulaanbaatar

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After check-out, meet your guide and continue your journey towards Ulaanbaatar, with a stop in Hustaiin Nuruu. The drive will take approximately six hours.

Today's Highlights:

• Hustaiin Nuruu National Park

Hustaiin Nuruu National Park

Hustaiin Nuruu National Park is the home of the Przewalski horse, the last  remaining breed of truly wild horse in the world. They were reintroduced into the wild in 1994 by the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse in the Netherlands, which flew 16 horses to Mongolia, their historic homeland, 25 years after they had become extinct in the wild. Though the horses are better known by the name of the Polish scientist who first classified them, local Mongolians call them takhi (pronounced "ta-hee"). Please note horse sightings are not guaranteed.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel

Day 9 (Wed, Jun 25) Ulaanbaatar • Muron • Hovsgol Lake

Breakfast aloft, as your flight is early in the morning. Then check out and head to the airport for your flight to Muron. Upon arrival, continue your journey to Lake Hovsgol, with a drive taking approximately two hours.

Today's Highlights:

• Hovsgol Lake
• Hike to the Khoridol Saridag Mountains
• Visit a nomadic family of yak herders

Full day private English-speaking guide service.
Transfer by private vehicle & driver, hotel - airport.
Plane Ulaanbaatar - Muron, economy class
Full day private vehicle & driver service.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Hovsgol Lake

Alpine Lake Hovsgol in northern Mongolia is the country’s second-largest – and its oldest – lake. The southernmost lake in the 25-million-year-old Baikal Rift Zone, Hovsgol is probably more than two million years old. Set amidst some of Mongolia’s most beautiful scenery, where the steppe meets the
taiga forest of Siberia, the lake is surrounded by a national park. The cold, pristine waters remain clear up to 50-75 feet. The lush meadows of the park support moose, elk, deer and the reindeer herds of the Tsaatan nomads, and shelter thousands of migratory birds on their way north to Siberia.


Hike to the Khoridol Saridag Mountains
Enjoy a hike into the forested peaks of the Khoridol Saridag Mountains. Bordering the western shore of Lake Hovsgol, the mountains offer spectacular views of the lake and surrounding forests.

Visit a nomadic family of yak herders

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Double Lake Ger Camp

Day 10 (Thu, Jun 26) Hovsgol Lake

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend the day exploring the city with your guide.

Today's Highlights:

• Visit with Reindeer Herding Family
• Horseback Ride

Visit with Reindeer Herding Family
Experience the Tsaatan (or Dukha) way of life by visiting with a family of reindeer herders. The Tsaatan have lived in this region for thousands of years, migrating as necessary to care for their animals up to every five weeks. Their entire way of life revolves around the animals. They do not live in the traditional Mongolia gers, but in structures more like Native American tipis covered in reindeer hides. They drink reindeer milk, which contains four times as much fat as cow's milk and helps sustain the Tsaatan through the long winters in the taiga forest of northwestern Mongolia.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Horseback Ride
Take an optional horseback ride on a sturdy little Mongolian horse along the lake shore.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Double Lake Ger Camp

Day 11 (Fri, Jun 27) Hovsgol Lake • Muron • Ulaanbaatar

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Then check out, meet your guide, and head to Muron for your flight to Ulaanbaatar at 10:40 AM. Upon arrival, if time permits, you can explore more of the city.

Today's Highlights:

• Chinggis Khan Statue

Plane Muron - Ulaanbaatar, economy class

Chinggis Khan Statue
Dominating the horizon about an hour's drive from the capital, the giant 131-foot stainless-steel-clad equestrian statue of Genghis Khan is an unforgettable sight. Sightseers can enter the interior of the horse on an elevator and admire the view from a platform perched on the horse's head. A recreation area, souvenir shops and lodgings are taking shape around the massive statue.

Accommodation: Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel

Day 12 (Sat, Jun 28) Ulaanbaatar

Breakfast at the hotel. Spend the day exploring the city with your guide.

Today's Highlights:

• Gandantegchinlen (Gandan) Monastery
• Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art
• Khoomei Throat-Singing

Gandantegchinlen (Gandan) Monastery
Gandantegchinlen Monastery on Dalkha Hill in Ulaanbaatar was originally founded in 1838. Until then most of Mongolia’s monasteries had been small, mobile organizations that moved with the nomads.
Meaning “Great Place of Complete Joy,” the monastery was badly damaged during the 1930 Stalinist repressions, but the main temple was allowed to remain as a showcase for foreigners. Today this temple houses a 20-ton gilded statue of “the Lord Who Looks in Every Direction,” created in the
1990s to replace the one destroyed in 1937. Feel free to light a candle here, or repeat the mantra "Om mane padme hum," the most widely used of all Buddhist mantras.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art
17th-century Buddhist leader Zanabazar was a painter, sculptor, linguist and architect, and the museum includes some of his works. Featuring art from the Paleolithic Age to the early 20th century, the Zanabazar Museum contains a large collection of Buddhist art, including gorgeous fabric thangkas.
The famous painting by B. Sharav, "One Day in Mongolia," can be viewed here as well.

Khoomei Throat-Singing

Throat-singing is practiced in both Tuva (Siberia) and Mongolia. This unique musical technique is more than an exotic novelty; it is part of a rich tradition. It is believed throat-singing evolved from human efforts to duplicate natural sounds such as a breeze blowing across the steppe or a rushing river.
In throat-singing, a single vocalist produces two, and sometimes three, distinct tones, or overtones, simultaneously. There are several styles of throat-singing, including sygyt, the brightest style, in which the highest register of the voice is used; khoomei, which is a softer style with the tones slightly muffled; and the kargyraa style, which produces a very low, growling sound. In many cases, the singer is accompanied on a horse-head fiddle.
 In everyday life, throat-singers are herders taking a rest and amusing themselves. The singing can be
heard from afar, and the singer may be sending greetings to his people who are living in a yurt far from the pasture.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

Accommodation: Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel

Day 13 (Sun, Jun 29) Departure

Breakfast at the hotel, or aloft depending on your flight's departure time. Then check out and head to the airport in time for your flight.
Per transfer private English-speaking guide service. Transfer by private vehicle & driver, hotel - airport.