Discover Mongolia Tour (14 days)
What to expect
Discover Mongolia tour
Discover the best that Mongolia has to offer, including a visit to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
Ride on a two-humped camel
Enjoy a ride on the good-natured and sure footed Bactrian camels as you traverse across the amazingly beautiful Gobi Desert.
Embrace Mongolia’s History
The tour will take you through some of Mongolia’s history, with visits to historic spots as the Erdenezuu monastery and Karakorum.
Travel ways to Nomadic style
Visit a tourist , leave as a friend
- "Sake your thirst for adventure, while traveling in comfort”
- We represent your interests best!
- Travel in comfort yet feels the country's pulse.
- Available with a local Naadam Festival - UNESCO World Cultural Heritage
- See the real Mongolia- the largest nomadic country in the world, the side that other tourists don't get to see. The itinerary includes two domestic flights so that you can save time and get more done.
- Go on a four wheel drive adventure spanning the vast steppe, cross the Gobi desert, a trail through deep coniferous taiga forests, high mountains, and crystal clear lakes. Dig into luscious barbeques cooked on red-hot stones, the traditional way.
- Enjoy a ride on the sure-footed and good-natured Bactrian camel.
- Spend your nights in comfortable tourist camps and eat delicious, hygienic meals.
- Visit majestic temple ruins, sombre tombs, imposing cliffs.
- Peep into extinct volcanoes and rest your body in hot sulfur springs.
- All this and much more, only with Discover Mongolia!
- Standart twin room at 4* hotel
- Shared accommodation at Ger camp
- Private transfers English speaking guide
- All meals as listed
- All entrance fee
- Horse, camel ride, boat cruise
- Internal air tickets - free luggage allowance is 15 kg
- Mongolian barbecue
- Letter of Invitation
- Personal expenses
- Optional activities
- Camera fee for museum & monastery
- Travel Insurance www.WorldNomads.com
- Single supplement
Overview
Do you want to experience all Mongolia has to offer but don't know where to start? To see not only the boundless steppe and Gobi deserts but to also explore the historical sites and meet the people? Then this tour is for you. Amazing scenery, history, wildlife and adventure await on this fabulous trip - we promise you won't forget it!
Southern Mongolia (4 days) A chance for you to try riding the 2 humped Bactrian camels amongst the huge sand dunes of Southern Mongolia. Meet the camel herdsman and his family and then go on to see the land of the Dinosaurs, with relics from 60 million years ago.
Central Mongolia (4 days) Visit to a huge Buddhist Erdene Zuu monastery, the symbolic ruins of the ancient capital Karakorum, and a great extinct volcano area with White Lake. Visit nomadic horseman family and sample their home made dairy products.
Northern Mongolia (4 days) Khuvsgul Lake is the second biggest freshwater lake in Asia after Baikal and is a great place for fishing and boating and hiking through the beautiful scenery on land to explore the flora and fauna. Plus here you will meet Tsaatan reindeer nomads and explore their lifestyle.
Ulaanbaatar (2 days) The capital of Mongolia is a city of contrast where modern life comfortably blends with Mongolian traditional lifestyle you will visit the best of the city including Gandan Monastery, National Museum of History, Zaisan Hill War Memorial and live performance of Mongolian National folklore.
Thinking of adding the beautiful Naadam Festival to your trip? Learn more about special departures
- Discover Mongolia Tour and Local Naadam Festival (July 02 - 17) (Local Naadam in Kharkhorin)
The price per person will depend on the size of the group as shown below.
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Me and my friends did 2 week trip around Mongolia. In short, was great experience and we were very happy with the organisation etc. The guide and the driver assigned to our group were great, very knowledgeable and super friendly. Overall it had been a fantastic experience!
Me and my friends spent 2 weeks in Mongolia with Discover Mongolia Travel travelling from Gobi dessert to Khovsgol lake. We enjoyed the entire trip a lot. Everything was perfectly organised as from arrival until our departure. Special thanks to our guide Oyuna: she was very well prepared, introducing us to the Mongolian traditions and culture. We had a lot of fun together. Last but not least: our driver Sako:) Overall: Great experience
I did the12 day Discover Mongolia tour with fantastic tour guide Monkhbold and our very capable and friendly driver Battulga, Everything was very well organised and the ger camps were beautiful in their simplicity. The landscape was vast and spectacular, very restful without fences or intersecting roads. I walked a lot by myself and felt very safe. I'd highly recommend trip to anyone wanting to go on a wonderful adventure, it was everything I'd imagined and I was lucky to share it with two awesome women who I didn't know beforehand (as well as with our guide and driver who we got to know and trust over 12 days).
Itinerary
Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, you'll be greeted at the airport and escorted to 4* hotel.
Take a city tour to Gandan Monastery where you will see a huge gold plated Buddha, the symbol of Mongolian national pride and cultural revival.
And there are other highlights - Sukhbaatar Square and National Museum of Mongolia - where you will see artifacts from Mongolia and Central Asia from the Stone Age to present time.
Excursion to Zaisan Hill Memorial to get your bearings with a panoramic view of the whole city.
Overnight in the hotel. (L+D)
Meet our driver in the hotel lobby and be transferred to the airport for your flight to Dalanzadgad. Drive to Yolyn Am, or Lammergeier Valley, beautiful and high elevated gorges forming incredible canyons. Gorges are so high thus sunlight never reaches the floor and winter’s snow can be kept good even in summer time.
These areas are situated in the Gobi Gurvan Saikhan /Three Beauties of the Gobi/ National park, the most easterly points of the Altai Mountains.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 60 km, an hour drive on paved/dirt road)
Drive to the “Khongoryn els” - the biggest sand dune in Mongolia, reaching a height of 200 meters in some areas.
Explore the dune area on the camelback. The two-humped Bactrian camels are very comfortable to ride as they walk slowly and gently. You will be well supported by their soft, fluffy humps when you ride them. Our camel guide will lead you safely through the sand dunes to explore the Uujim valley on the camelback.
Plus, you will have an opportunity to visit a camel herdsman family to experience their lifestyle, culture and traditions.
Similar to other deserts, the chance of rain/cloud is slim. So that there is a chance to gaze at the billions of stars in the evening. Discuss with your guide about timing when you climb over dunes.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 200 km, 5-6 hours drive on dirt road)
Drive to the Bayanzag, also known as the Flaming Cliffs, where the first dinosaur eggs were discovered in 1922 by Roy Chapman Andrews. In this huge paleontological site, you will have a chance to walk on the ground where the Dinosaurs once roamed 60 million years ago.
On this day, you will discover not only dinosaur’s but ancient human’s remains too. Khavtsgait petroglyphs and saxual forest are good additions to this trip.
Photo shooting of the flaming cliffs and watching a documentary about this wonderful place is suggested in the evening.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 160 km, 4-5 hours drive on dirt road)
Drive to Ongi Temple ruins which had about a thousand lamas before the communists destruction in 1937. The temple was founded by a lama named Bari Yonzon and located on a small but panoramic cliff on a bank of Ongi river. On the way, experience how big and vast the Mongolian steppe is.
Secret of Ongi, a high end tourist camp will provide you perfect service after a long drive through the Gobi desert. Relax and enjoy your last day in the Gobi.
Overnight in the tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 180 km, 4-5 hours drive on dirt road)
Continue driving to the north, to the Orkhon valley. Landscape changes dramatically from semi desert into forest steppe.
Karakorum was the capital of the Great Mongolian Empire, dates back to the 13th century. Now, the ruin lies low confronting against time and hiding Chinggis khan’s secrets beneath its name – “black soil”. Visit Kharkhorin museum and see the artifacts collected from the ruins.
Next place Magnificent Erdene Zuu - the oldest monastery in Mongolia and the artwork of the Mongol architects – is located near the ruins.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 220 km, 5-6 hours drive on dirt road)
Drive deep into the heart of Khangai Mountain Range to explore Khorgo volcanic crater and The White Lake. There are dozens of extinct volcanoes here in a comparatively small area.
Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake /White Lake/ was created by the lava river when the Khorgo volcano erupted 9 thousand years ago. The lake area is now home to many endangered species of flora & fauna. White lake is a good spot for bird watching and photographing.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 200 km, 4-5 hours drive on dirt/paved road)
Take a scenic drive to Jargalant hot springs through the land of the yaks. Mineral water rich with sulfur emerges from the ground (300m) at 70 degrees Celsius. Relax in the outdoor bath.
We will take you away from the tourist area to a real nomadic grassland.Visit a local horse breeder family and live like a Mongolian Nomad for a day! Get involved in their daily life and take a class on milking livestocks and play ankle bone games.
In the evening, cook a traditional Mongolian barbecue under the instruction of the hostess.
This is a real experience and will be an unforgettable highlight of this tour.
Overnight in the nomadic family. (B+L+D)
(Distance 120 km, 3-4 hours drive on dirt road)
Drive to Murun town, the capital of Khuvsgul province. Take a city tour of Murun town and visit a local market and town museum. Chance to observe the locals part of everyday life at the market.
Visit the richest bronze age burial site called Uushgi uvur to see famous deer stones.
Relax in a local hotel. (B+L+D)
(Distance 200 km, 5-6 hours drive on dirt road)
The Blue Pearl - Khuvsgul Lake, the deepest and purest lake in Mongolia. The lake is one of the few glacial lakes left from the last ice age. Some people call it “Switzerland of Mongolia”. You have an opportunity to trek to the lakeside & mountain for a better view and photo shooting.
Explore the flora & fauna of Khuvsgul lake area. Optional kayaking activity is available.
In the evening, have fun with a bonfire party and share your feedback of the tour with your group members.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 140 km, 3-4 hours drive on dirt road)
Our last day in the countryside we have something special for you. Today we will take a boat trip to see reindeers herders. Reindeer are herded for their antlers, a lucrative medicinal material as well as for their milk and meat. You have a chance to take your memorable pictures with reindeers and herders.
In the evening, farewell bonfire party and share your feedback of the tour with your group members.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance 15 km, 30 minutes on boat)
You will be escorted to the Murun city for your return flight to Ulaanbaatar. Upon arrival in UB, take a tour of the Chinggis Khaan Statue, the biggest equestrian statue in the world - 40 meters tall stainless steel statue symbolically pointed east towards his birthplace, on the bank of the Tuul River at Tsonjin Boldog.
Drive to Terelj national park to visit the Temple of Ariyapala and enjoy a stunning view. Explore the famous Turtle Rock and the extraordinary frock formations.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
Today is your chance to do some shopping for souvenirs and cashmere in Ulaanbaatar. Later in the evening, you will attend a live Mongolian traditional music and dance performance. A perfect ending for a perfect journey.
Overnight in the hotel. (B+L+D)
After breakfast, you will be transferred from your hotel to the airport. (B)
B – Breakfast L - Lunch D - Dinner
Good to know
- Guide:
An English speaking Mongolian guide will accompany the group at all times. The guide will be a native Mongolian person with great local knowledge who can deal with any requests and ensure that your holiday to become one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life.
- The best time to make this trip
May to September is the best season, with the peak season in July for the Naadam Festival. July and August are also the wettest months of the year but be assured, our climate is such that you will still have many sunny days at this time. The best time to visit the Gobi is June or September.
- Accommodation:
We believe that comfortable, welcoming accommodation is vital to the enjoyment of your trip. You will be staying in a standard 3-4 star hotel in Ulaanbaatar and a tourist ger camp (traditional dwelling) with currency (220V), shower and other useful services (2 to 4 people per ger) in the countryside. All accommodation offered by Discover Mongolia is personally checked by our staff to ensure high standards.
- Meals:
In Ulaanbaatar, you will be dining at fine European and Asian cuisine restaurants. Mutton, beef, rice, and noodles form the basis of the Mongolian diet, so your meals will be based around this. However, the trail rations may include vegetables, eggs, peanut butter, cheese and sometimes yak! On some days there will be lunchboxes from tourist camps. It is good food and our experience has been that guests are happy with this arrangement. Please let us know in advance if you are a vegetarian. Alcohol is not provided on the trip but tourists are free to bring their own.
- Transport:
Discover Mongolia use the highest level, latest model, air-conditioned private vans or 4WD vehicles for the maximum comfort on your touring days. A day's drive in the countryside will be approx 200-250km.
- Personal things to bring with you:
Warm thin layers of clothing are the best such as bring a waterproof jacket, and a hat and headscarf to protect you from the sun and winds. Don't forget insect repellent, sun cream, lip-gloss, water purifying tablets and first aid kit (medicine for headache, cold, diarrhea, runny nose; bandages; any medicine prescribed for you ). All your camera equipment.
