Extensive Tour of Mongolia

Day 1
You are picked up by our tour guide. On this day we visit the famous Gandan Monastery, the religious centre of modern-da 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 northwards to Amarbayasgalant Monastery, which was built at the start of the 18th century to honour the first Buddhist spiritual leader, Zanabazar. (B,L,D)

Day 3
After breakfast we drive to Bulgan Province. We have the opportunity to climb Uran Uul, a dormant volcano. Then we drive to our yurt camp. (B,L,D)

Day 4
We drive to Khuvsgul Province, which is close to the Russian border. The northern part of the province, in the Mongolian taiga, is home to the Tuvans, the reindeer nomads. From Murun we travel to Khuvsgul Lake, which lies at an altitude of 1,645 metres. Khuvsgul Lake is 134 kilometres long and up to 262 metres deep. The ,,Pearl of Mongolia’, it is the second-biggest freshwater lake in Asia and its water is clean enough to drink. We spend three nights at the lake. (B,L,D)

Day 5
We stay at Khuvsgul Lake today and take trips to the surrounding national park. Here we can choose between hiking or simply enjoying nature. (B,L,D)

Day 6
We spend another day in the beautiful Khuvsgul Lake National Park. Today is a day of recuperation, and you are free to spend it however you choose. (B,L,D)

Day 7
We now venture into the unspoilt nature of the wild steppe landscape. Today we go to the deer stones, which are decorated with drawing from the Bronze Age. (B,L,D)

Day 8
On our way southwards we drive through larch woods and arrive at the province of Arkhangai. (B,L,D)

Day 9
Today we go to Khorgo National Park, comprising the dormant Khorgo volcano and Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake (Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur). (B,L,D)

Day 10
We stay another night in Khorgo National Park today. We climb Khorgo volcano and enjoy the wonderful view from its peak. If you wish you can hike from the volcano to our yurt camp, a distance of 12 km. You can optionally go hiking or horse riding and/or recuperate. In the afternoon you can rest at Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake. (B,L,D)

Day 11
Via the town of Tsetserleg we travel to the Tsenkher hot springs. You have the option to bathe in the hot spring waters. (B,L,D)

Day 12
We linger another day at the Tsenkher hot springs and relax. (B,L,D)

Day 13
Today’s destination is 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.

Day 14
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. On a hike of around two hours we visit the monastery ruins and their surroundings. (B,L,D)

Day 15
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 rock formations of red sandstone. A hike of around two hours takes us to a saxaul wood of the typical small trees of the Gobi Desert. (B,L,D)

Day 16
After breakfast we set out for the Khongor sand dune (Khongoriin Els), which is 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 17
We enter the Gobi Gurvansaikhan mountains, whose highest peak is the eastern Saikhan mountain. It rises to 2,800 metres above the sea level. This is a green mountain oasis in the rocky Gobi. (B,L,D)

Day 18
We stay another night in the same yurt camp. We take a hike through the Vulture Gorge (Jolin Am), which takes around 2 hours, depending on your wishes. In the evening we enjoy the sunset. (B,L,D)

Day 19
Today we take a domestic flight from the province capital Dalanzadgad to Ulaanbaatar. You’re free to spend the rest of the day as you please. 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 20
Our time in the steppe has come to an end, and this is our last chance to explore the capital. (B)

Day 21
Return journey, organised individually. (F)