Mongolian Classic with Naadam Festival

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to the hotel. Today will be a day of guided sightseeing in Ulaanbaatar, including the Gandan Monastery, the Bogd Khan Palace, which is a series of beautiful traditional buildings in which the last religious King of Mongolia resided, and the Fine Arts Museum. Lunch will be at the Ulaanbaatar Hotel and dinner at the Ger Restaurant with traditional Mongolian food and entertainment.

Days 2-6: After breakfast at the hotel you will depart for the Khentii Mountains. The drive will take you into the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park and past the small township of Terelj. Cross the Terelj river, past nomadic family gers to meet the local horsemen. After a light lunch the journey will continue, either on horseback or yak cart, into the Baga Khentii Mountains which are the smaller sisters of the Khentii Mountains to the north. You will spend 4 nights in tents in the mountains. You will be accompanied by local horsemen, your guide and cooking staff. There will be a ger for dining and social time in the evening. During the day there will be hiking, horse riding, or yak cart riding in the mountains and valleys. A small river flows past one of the camps, which is deep enough for a dip in the cool waters or to do some fishing with the locals. The wildlife is varied and includes musk deer and moose, brown bear, roe deer and elk. It is also a paradise for bird lovers who may be lucky enough to spot whooper swans, spoonbills, great white egrets and numerous raptors. On your last day in the mountains you will visit your local horseman’s ger and sample some traditional Mongolian food. From here you will return to Ulaanbaatar in the vehicles for dinner at a local restaurant followed by overnight at the hotel.

Days 7-8: Spend two days at the Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar. In the morning we will see the Flag Ceremony on the main square, then we go to the stadium to see the opening ceremony, the wrestling and archery competitions. The evening program would be the performance of Mongolian folk song and dance. You will be accompanied by a guide and vehicle at all times. Breakfast and lunch will be at the hotel and dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel.

Today you’ll be driven to the Hui Doloon Khudag, which is in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar to watch the horse racing competition. The tradition is said to date back to the Bronze Age, and is considered one of the three traditional skills of the Mongolian young men, where good horses and skillful horse-riders race one another. Therefore, racing has been a favorite sport of the herdsmen in Mongolia. The horses are categorized according to age; the distance of the race is determined by the age of the horse and may range between 15-35 km.

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your morning flight to Dalanzadgad. The flight from Ulaanbaatar to the capital of the South Gobi Aimag takes one and half hours, and you will be accompanied by your guide. On arrival at the airstrip in the Gobi you will be met by a driver and jeep and taken to the ger camp. After lunch we will visit Yolyn Am, or Eagle Valley. This is about 40km from your ger camp and is about one hour’s drive. The valley is about 10km long and is completely shaded from the sun in some parts by the high cliff walls. It is possible to walk through the valley and out the other side. You may be lucky enough to spot wild sheep and goats grazing high on the cliff walls. The valley is also full of soaring eagles hunting for prey. At the opening of the valley is a local Natural History Museum displaying interesting information about the animals of the area. Return to your ger camp for dinner and overnight.

Today we drive west along the Altai Mountain range until we reach Khongoriin Els. Reaching heights of 800m, these are Mongolia’s largest sand dunes. Locally they are called the ‘singing dunes’ because of the tons of sand which shift in the wind, making a strange sound similar to that of distant aircraft. The drive is about 4 hours long. We will stay overnight in a ger camp close to the dunes.

This morning we will have the opportunity to use a different type of transport. We will be riding on camels today to explore these massive sand dunes. The two-humped camels are very comfortable to ride, as they walk slowly and gently and we will be well supported by the humps, sitting comfortably between them. Our camel man will take us to the sand dunes. After lunch at the ger camp we will drive back to a ger camp in the Bayanzag area for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast you will be driven to the desert airstrip with your guide for your return flight to Ulaanbaatar. At the airport in Ulaanbaatar you will be met by our vehicle and transferred to your hotel. After lunch at the hotel you can go sightseeing, including a visit to the Natural History Museum.

Transfer to the airport in time for your departure.