Trip Overview

In this heart of Mongolia, visit families in their gers, ride horses, and experience the traditional hospitality of one of the world's last nomadic cultures. Extend your journey with extensions to Mongolia's sacred Lake Hovsgol and western Mongolia's mystical Altai Mountains, home to pastoral-nomadic Kazakhs.

Trip Highlights

• Visit Mongolian families in their traditional gers
• Explore Erdene Zuu and Gandan monasteries
• Hike in the vast Hogno Han Mountains
• Experience the Gobi and the legendary Flaming Cliffs

Itinerary

Days 1-2: Ulaanbaatar

Explore the sites of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, including the thriving Gandan Monastery, home to several hundred monks, and the National History Museum, which offers fascinating insights into Mongolian history with its displays of traditional implements of daily nomadic life.

Days 3-4: Hogno Han Mountains

Head out to the foothills of the Hogno Han Mountains, set at the confluence of steppe, desert, and forest. While here, immerse yourself into the heart of Mongolian culture with an optional half-day of horseback riding with Mongolian horse wranglers, perhaps take a taste of airag (fermented mare's milk), visit with a nomadic horse-breeding family, and participate in a cheese-making class.

Days 5-7: Orkhon Valley / Erdene Zuu / Khustain Nuruu National Park

Drive across the vast grasslands to the Orkhon Valley, the cradle of Mongolian civilization, and explore Erdene Zuu, site of the 13th century capital of Mongolia. The following day, visit Khustain Nuruu National Park, home to the last remaining species of wild horse, the takhi, known as Przewalski's horse. Extinct in the wild in the 1970s, this sturdy native is making a comeback here through international conservation efforts. Return to Ulaanbaatar on Day 7.

Days 8-11: Gobi / Yol Valley / Khavtsgait Valley / Flaming Cliffs

In the vast Gobi Desert, walk the trails of Yol Valley National Park and visit the renowned site of the “Fighting Dinosaurs,” where fossils of a Protoceratops and Velociraptor locked in combat were discovered. In the Khavtsgait Valley, you'll see amazing pictographs, ancient rock drawings of ancient life left by early Gobi settlers. A short hike up a steep mountain trail brings you to some of the most precious petroglyphs in the Gobi—ancient and beautiful stone carvings from the Bronze Age, left as they were found, in the open air surrounded by a remarkable wilderness setting. You'll also explore the legendary fossil site of the Flaming Cliffs—stunning when illuminated by the oranges and golds of sunset. Your home base for exploring the Gobi is a family-run ger camp offering great hospitality and comfort. Return to Ulaanbaatar on Day 10 and depart on Day 11.