Steppe and Taiga

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 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 through the mining town of Erdenet to Bulgan Province. We have the opportunity to climb Uran Uul, a dormant volcano, then travel on 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 Mongolia 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 spend this day at Khuvsgul Lake. We take trips to the surrounding national park. Here we can choose between horse riding, 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 unsoilt nature of the wild steppe landscape. Today we go to the deer stones, which are decorated with drawings 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 the same yurt camp and take a tour to the Khorgo volcano crater. We climb the volcano and enjoy the wonderful view from its peak. 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
Our route takes us through the town of Tsetserleg, the centre of Arkhangai Province. We stop en route to take a look at the mighty Chuluut Gorde, through which the Chuluut River flows. Then we drive 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
Today we travel through 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. You can ride camels and/or take a walk on the sand dune. (B,L,D)

Day 15
We travel onwards to Hustai National Park, in whose surroundings a project for releasing Przewalski’s horses (takhi) into the wild has been running for several years. If we’re lucky we’ll get to see the wild horses. We spend our last evening in the steppe here. (B,L,D)

Day 16
After breakfast we drive to Ulaanbaatar. You’re free to spend 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 17
Return journey, organised individually. (B)