Round Trip to the Gobi

Day 1
You are picked up by our tour guide. On this day we visit the famous Gandan Monastery, the religious centre of modern-day Mongolia. You spend the night in the yurt camp on the edge of the capital.

Day 2
We are picked up by our driver at the hotel and set out southwards. En route to the Gobi we drive to the rocks of Baga Gazriin Chuluu, located in the Middle Gobi Aimag (an Aimag is similar to a German state, but is usually significantly bigger). (B,L,D)

Day 3
After breakfast we head in the direction of the capital of the Middle Gobi Aimag, Mandalgovi. Today we reach the Gobi Desert. South of Mandalgovi, in the vicinity of the Tsagaan Suvarga Canyon region, we spend the night and enjoy the silence of the desert. You can observe the beautiful play of colours as the sun is setting. (B,L,D)

Day 4
Via the desert capital, Dalanzadgad, we drive to Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, where we’ll be spending two nights. We enter the Gobi Gurvansaikhan Mountains, whose highest peak is the eastern Saikhan mountain. It rises to 2,800 metres above the seal level. (B,L,D)

Day 5
We stay here today. Today we’re going hiking and visiting the Vulture Gorge (Yolin Am). This is a green mountain aosis in the rocky Gobi. The hike takes around 2 hours, depending on your wishes. In the evening we enjoy the sunset. (B,L,D)

Day 6
After breakfast we set out for the Khongor sand dune (Khongoriin Els), a single enormous sand dune around 160 km long and 3 to 10 km wide. In the afternoon we explore the sand dune on foot and enjoy wide views of the Gobi. If you like, you can try camel riding. (B,L,D)

Day 7
Today we’re taking a trip to Bayanzag, where dinosaurs have been found. During an expedition in the 1920s, researcher and adventurer Roy Chapman Andrews discovered dinosaur skeletons and eggs here. Today we can marvel at the rock formations of red sandstone here and a saxaul wood of the typical small trees of the Gobi Desert.

Our next destination is the ruins of the hidden Ongi Monastery (Ongiin Khiid), situated on the Ongi River. At one time, over 500 Buddhist monks lived in the monastery, which was largely destroyed during the religious persecution of the 1930s. Many of the monks who lived here lost their lives. (B,L,D)

Day 8
Our next stop is the town of Arvaikheer, the centre of Uvurkhangai Aimag, where we observe the business transactions at the market. We drive on through the Uyanga Sum to the vicinity of Naiman Lake at an altitude of 2,200 metres. (B,L,D)

Day 9
Today we stay in this region and go hiking. Depending on your energy levels we hike for around three to five hours to Naiman Lake and back. (B,L,D)

Day 10
After breakfast we drive through Bat-Ulzii Sum to the Orkhon River, the longest river in Mongolia at 1,124 kilometres. The Orkhon Valley is one of the most beautiful places in Mongolia. Here the water of the Orkhon is drinkable and cold. (B,L,D)

Day 11
We stay in the Orkhon Valley today. We visit the Ulaan waterfall, where the Ulaan Gol (Red River) flows into the Orkhon. The waterfall is around 20 metres high and 10 metres wide. Today we are the guests of a horse-breeding family. You have the option to hike or go riding. (B,L,D)

Day 12
After speeding two nights at the Orkhon River, we take a hike through the lovely Orkhon Valley. (B,L,D)

Day 13
Today we’re off to the former capital of Genghis Khan’s Mongolian Empire: Karakorum (Kharkhorin). In the 14th century almost the entire city was destroyed by the Ming Dynasty. In Karakorum we visit the Karakorum Museum which contains the findings of the German-Mongolian excavations and representations of the different epochs og Mongolian history, from the Stone Age up to the Mongolian Empire. We also visit the famous Erdene Zuu Monastery, which was foundad in 1586 on the initiative of Abtei Sain Khan and is the oldest centre of yellow Buddhism in Mongolia. You have the option to join the Buddhist monks in prayer.

We travel throught the hilly steppe country to the Elsen Tasarkhai sand dune. Here, in the middle of central Mongolia, we find another small part of the Gobi Desert. (B,L,D)

Day 14
Today we stay at the sand dune. We go for a hike and enjoy our last day in the steppe. (B,L,D)

Day 15
Today we drive to Ulaanbaatar. An evening concert introduces us to the delights of traditional Mongolian music. You hear the sound of the Mongolian horsehead fiddle and throat singing. (B)

Day 16
Our time in the steppe has come to an end, and this is our last chance to explore the capital. This day is open for you to spend as you please. (B)

Day 17
Return journey, organised individually. (B)