Itinerary
Day-1: Arrive in Ulaanbaatar
Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the Capital City of Mongolia. You will meet our team at the airport and be transferred to your hotel. After lunch you will be taken to a city tour which includes visit to the Dinosaur Exhibitions Hall at the Natural History Museum and the Gandan monastery. Dinner will be served at the History Club restaurant, which is accompanied by a wonderful performance with pleasant melodies of horse headed violin and the traditional throat singing -’’khoomii”. Overnight stay in hotel.
Day-2: Start from Ulaanbaatar-Ulkhiin Bulan (Tuul river)
Our first stop is a area where wild horses (Przewalski horse) are being reintroduced back to the native land of their ancestors. Further on a way you will visit a monument ensemble which was constructed by the Tureg (Turkish) tribes during the 6th to 8th centuries . Just before nightfall we will take a quick look at the Neolithic petroglyphs of the “Ikh Alag“ mountain. For dinner, ’Boodog “, one of the national delicacies will be served. Overnight stay in a tent.
Day-3: Ulkhiin Bulan –remain Ongi monastery
Today, we will head to the remains of the Ongi monastery. On the way we will visit a rock inscription which was made under the decree of Tsogt Taij, the last descendant of the Mongolian Royal dynasty. Then we will arrive to the Ongi River and the Ongi monastery - our main destination. Overnight stay in a tourist “Ger” camp beside the remains of the Ongi monastery.
Day-4: Remain Ongi monastery –Yoliin Am National Park
We will leave the Ongi monastery and head towards the “Yolin Am” National Park, one of the most beautiful places in the Gobi Desert.. We will have plenty of chances to stop and take photos of this extraordinary landscape of this area which was formed by a Volcanic activity. A short distance from here you will reach the “Flaming Cliffs”, a place where the American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews found over 100 dinosaur bones and eggs (fossils) in 1922.
Overnight stay in a tourist “Ger” camp.
Day-5: Yoliin Am National Park –Khongor sand dune
We will visit a a local Natural History Museum with dinosaur bones and eggs at the entrance of the “Yolin Am” National Park Then we will enter the “Yolin Am” which is a breathtaking gorge filled with ice, unique flora and wild animals such as wild sheep and ibex. Further we will cross a very narrow gorge which is named “Dungeree Am”. From the “Yolin Am” National Park we will set off to the “Khongoriin Els” (Sand dunes) that stretches for a vast 100 km. Overnight stay in a tourist camp
Day-6: Khongor sand dune
Whole day of relaxing, riding camels, walking and sliding down the sand dunes at the Khongoryn Els.
Day-7: Khongoriin Sand –Naran Daats artesian water
We will set off to the oasis “Naran Daats” driving through the sand dunes testing our endurance. On the way the “Nemegt” canyon will be seen, which is the second largest canyon in Mongolia, where many kinds of dinosaurs such as Ouiraptosauria and Ornithomimosauria were found by American paleontologists in 1994. The “Naran Daats” is a spring which pours from the top of a hill. Here most of the tourists usually wash and clean off desert dust and everyone is happy to have a stopover for the night.
Day-8: Naran daats Artesion Water-Khermen Tsav
This day we will drive offroad for a certain distance to enjoy fascinating unique landscape of Mongolian largest canyon - “Khermen Tsav” which has emerged due to millions of years of erosion of red cliffs. The “Khermen Tsav” canyon creates an impression as if the dinosaurs still roam somewhere around. A small river oasis named “Zulganai” is the last oasis in Mongolia, untouched by human beings.
Day-9: Khermen Tsav – Hundred tree oasis
We will drive further to the “Hundred Tree” oasis. Then drive through Camel Valley for most of a day. We will also pass the “Nogoon Tsav” canyon which is a unique with its rich green colours.
Day 10: Hundred tree oasis- Zaramiin Gobi Desert
We will leave Hundred Tree oasis and head to the Zaramyn Gobi. Today’s surprise will be uniquely formed by “Shine Jinst” mountain rising from the mirages. We will set up our tents in “Zarmiin Gobi” beautiful with its emptiness, where Gobi-Altai mountain range starts.
Day 11: Zaramiin Gobi Desert- Sacred Eej Khairkhan mountain
Today, we will see wild camels ‘havtgai’ which are ancestors of two-humped Bactrian camels which are rare in the world. We will then visit “Eej” (mother) mountain sacred by indigenous people of Gobi. Here tourists are attracted by a unique natural formation of ‘Yesun Togoo’ and ascetic Buddhist monk’s cave used for meditation.
Day 12: Sacred Eej Khairkhan mountain-Bodonch canyon
We will be impressed by the ‘Wild Horse Yellow Steppe’ an endless empty Gobi desert located in a zone- B of Ikh Gobi(western great Gobi Desert) protected area where wild horses are being reintroduced. On our way, we can see nothing except for wild asses and gazelles which can be seen occasionally.
Day 13: Bodonch canyon –Munk Khairkan Mountain
Today, we will pass through “Bodonch” canyon and stay in a beautiful place on the northern flank of Munkhkhairkhan mountain, roughly second highest mountain in Mongolia. This site will be a unique opportunity for photographers. If we have a chance, we will attempt to reach the glacier.
Day 14: Munk-Khairkan mountain –to Tsenkher cave
We will head to “Tsenkher” cave leaving impressive snow-capped Munkh-Khairkhan mountain behind us. Tsenkher cave is a 20 meter deep site which is a historical heritage of Mongolia where humans used to live in Paleolithic Era .
Day 15: Tsenkher cave –Durgon lake
We will continue our journey through Durgun steppe and stop by a Durgun lake unique with its unusual and fascinating formation adjacent to sand dunes. This will be a unique opportunity for us to dive in the lake and walk in the sand dunes. From this point biggest sand dunes “Great Mongolian Sands” start to spread for about 200 km east
Day 16: Durgon lake –Zavkhan river
This day we can walk for about 500 metres to the the Ereen lake which is one of the most interesting places in Mongolia. This lake peculiarly located within sand dunes and has fresh water and is inhabited by fish. This route goes by Hasagt Hairhan mountain range, a national park, which runs parallel to the Great Mongolian Sands, the biggest sands in Mongolia. We will also pass by a complex of human stone monuments of the Turkish Era. The height of these monuments is about 1,2 m, width is 0,42 m, and thickness is 0,2 m.. We will reach Zavkhan river and stay there over night. If we will have time we can go trout fishing locally.
Day 17: Zavkhan river –Khuk Lake
We will head to the Khukh Nuur. On the way we will see eight stone monuments with deer carvings in Shiluustei Soum (sub-province). The height of these monuments is about 2,05 m, width is 0,4 m, and the thickness is 0,15 m. The monuments are interesting from the archaeological point of view. They are dated back to the Bronze Age or to the 7-9th century BC. Deer figures are carved on the stones with great accuracy and mastery. At the end of the day we will reach Khukh Nuur which is located on a south flank of the Khangai Mountain range. Khangai mountain range is inhabited by yaks which are natural habitats of this mountain range. Khuh lake is rarely visited by people, therefore it is rich in fish. Overnight stay is in a tent at the lake shore.
Day 18: Khuk lake –Terkhiin Tsagaan lake(N.P)
We will head to the Terkhiin Tsagaan lake crossing Khangai mountain range which is 2600 m above the sea level. Terkhiin Tsagaan lake is one of the primary tourist attractions in Mongolia. It is one of the beautiful lakes in the country and is rich in fish. The lake is surrounded by forest and extinct volcanoes. There are also two stone monuments of the Turkish Era. We will stay overnight in a Ger camp.
Day 19: Terkhiin Tsagaan lake(N.P)– Tsenkher hot spa
We will continue our trip to the Khorgo extinct volcano. A unique formation of Khorgo mountain and Terkhiin Tsagaan lake was created as a result of volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. Khorgo has a beautiful scenery of mountains, cliffs, rapid streams, extinct volcanoes and pastures where long-haired yaks and horses graze. We will cross the Chuluut river canyon which is about 50-70 m deep. We will stay overnight in a Ger tourist camp at the Tsenkher hot spa. This is an ideal place to have a hot bath in natural hot spa water and relax after a long days’ journey.
Day 20:Tsenkher hot spa---Ugii Lake
We will leave Tsenher hot spa and head to the Ugiin Nuur. On the way we will see the world heritage ruins of Kharkhorum, an ancient capital of the Mongolian Empire in the 13th century. There are still couple of stone turtle rocks left intact within those ruins. We will also visit Erdenezuu monastery of the 16th century, an ancient center of Buddhism in Mongolia. Further on we will pass by Khushoo Tsaidam - two important monoliths, which are located next to each other. These monuments are dedicated to the Turkish Khaan Kultegin (685-731) and his brother Bilge Khaan. These monuments serve as a proof that ancestors of Turkish people used to live on the territory of today’s Mongolia. Overnight stay is in a Ger camp near Ugiin Nuur. You can go swimming or fishing here if you wish.
Day 21: Ugii Lake –Ulaanbaatar (capital)
We will head back to Ulaanbaatar today. We will see Khar Buhiin Balgas, ruins of an ancient fortress on the way. The history of the place goes back to 917-1120 AD, the period of Kidan Empire. Just before our lunch break we will visit a small museum next to the remains of this fortress. Once we reach the capital we will have time for a quick shopping and a farewell party where we can reflect on the entire journey.
Day 22: Depart Ulaanbaatar
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