This tour takes you all the way to the Altai mountains, the great Khuvsgul lake and the far west of Mongolia. Meet the Kazak people and marvel at their eagle hunting skills, explore the great Siberian forrests and hike the magnifiicent Altai mountain ranges. During our homestay with the Darkhad family you will feel the welcoming hospitality and learn more about their nomadic culture and customs. In the end of the tour you will also get a glimpse of the Gobi desert.
A true adventure that is not for the faint hearted. And for sure a memory for life!
This is our longest and most extensive tour and takes in total 25 days. It is possible to shorten the trip by six days by flying home from Ulgii city. See more about it in the description below.
Day 1. Amarbayasgalant Monastery
We depart early from Ulaanbaatar and start driving west, towards the province of Khuvsgul. On the way we make a stop at Amarbayasgalant Monastery. Build between 1727 and 1736 and dedicated to Saint Zanabazar, Mongolias first Buddhist saint. This was, between the 17th and 19th centuries, one of the greatest places of Buddhists pilgrims. Under it´s heyday more than a thousand lamas lived here. During the communist era many buildings were destroyed and monks were banished. With the help from UNESCO the monastery has been restored. Today about 50 monks reside here. Amarbayasgalant was designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site 1996. We stay overnight in ger/yurt.
Day 2. Uran togoo Volcano
The journey continues west and we make a stop at one of Mongolia's largest extinct volcanoes, Uran Togoo. 1,696 meters high and a protected natural monument since 1965. The entire area, the volcano itself with surroundings, is 58 square kilometers large. The protected area is the home to numerous kinds of rare animals such as red deer, wild Argali sheep, Siberian ibex and wild boar. We spend the night camping.
Day 3. Khuvsgul lake
In the afternoon we arrive to lake Khuvsgul. Located in the most northern part of Mongolia, bordering to the great Siberian forrest and at the foot of the Sayan Mountains. We spend the night in ger/yurt.
Day 4. Hiking the mountains
We explore the surroundings and do a day hike up one of the nearby mountains. In the evening we come back to our ger/yurt and enjoy a warm and hearty dinner.
Day 5. Darkhad family
After a couple of hours of driving, we meet the Darkhad family. Here we begin our preparations for the upcoming three-day horse trek. The family will provide us with horses and guides. We spend the night in a ger/yurt.
Day 6. Start of horse trek
Early in the morning we saddle the horses and start riding towards the reindeer people. This is a full day riding. In the afternoon we find a nice spot and pitch our tents.
This is a true adventure and is on the bucket-list for many travelers,You don't have to be an experienced rider or extreme sportsman. All that is required is curiosity, a happy mood and that you feel comfortable with physical activity.
Day 7. Reindeer people (Tsaatan)
After half a day of riding, we arrive to a family belonging to the reindeer people (Tsaatan). We enjoy their warm hospitality and learn more about their culture and customs. We spend the night in one of the families tepees.
"Tsaatan" actually means "those who have reindeer in the Mongolian language. It´s an ethnic group, indigenous to Siberia and live in Mongolia, Russia and China. They speak "Tuvan", a Siberian Turkic language, and have historically been livestock-herding nomads for thousands of years. The traditional religion of the Tsaatan is animistic shamanism. Some have converted to Buddhism but the shamanistic elements continue to be very present in the day-to-day practice. In Mongolia Tsaatan live primarily in the Khuvsgul region.
Day 8. Horse trek
After thanking the family for their hopitality, we saddle our horses and set off. This is a full day riding. In the evening we set up camp, cook ourselves a hot meal and sleep soundly in our sleeping bags.
Day 9. Back to the Darkhad family
After about a half day of riding we arrive back to the Darkhad family. The afternoon is spent relaxing, playing games and having some well deserved leisure time. We spend the night in ger/yurt.
Day 10. Murun city
We hop in the jeep/van and drive towards Murun city. We stay in a hostel and can enjoy hot showers, internet access and sleeping indoors.
Day 11-12. Khyargas Lake National Park
For two days we explore the great salt lakes of western Mongolia, Telmen and Khyargas. The latter being the largests of the two, covering 1480 square km. We overnight by the lakes, enjoying the wild nature. The surroundings of the lakes are also known to be an excellent place for bird watching
Day 13. Lake Achit
We continue our drive west. We stay overnight in tents by the lake.
Day 14. Ulgii city (permission)
Before going further west and into protected areas we need to organize special permission in Ulgii city. We take the opportunity to visit a local museum and to explore the city. We stay the night in a guesthouse.
Day 15. Tsagaan Gol (White river)
After resupplying food in Ulgii city and receiving our permissions we drive to Tsagaan Gol. This is the starting point for the upcoming horse trekking. In Tsagaan Gol we enjoy a homestay with a local family.
Day 16-18. Altai Tavan Bogd National Park
The National Park includes the Mongolian side of the Tavan Bogd massif, which is divided by the triple border with Russia and China in the Altai Mountains. Just north of the National Park lies the highest peak of the massif (and of Mongolia), at 4356 meters.
We spend three days in the National Park. Beginning the first day with a whole day horse trekking towards the majestic Five Peaks (Tavan Bogd) and staying in tents at night. The second day we hike by foot in the massif, coming back to our campsite at night. On the third day we pack up our tents, saddle the horses and ride back to Tsagaan Gol. After a day on horse back we eat a hearty meal and spend the evening and night enjoying the hospitality of a local family.
Day 19. Ulgii city
After our adventure in the Altai Tavan Bogd we hop in the jeep/van and drive back to Ulgii city. We stay in a guesthouse and enjoy hot showers, internet access and sleeping indoors.
From Ulgii city it is possible to fly back to Ulaanbaatar. A great way to experience the western part even if you don´t have enough time to do the whole trip. Please note that plane tickets are not included in the price of the tour and that you still will have to pay for the driver and guide to get back to Ulaanbaatar by car.
Day 20. Tsambagarav National Park
The journey continue to the second highest mountain in Mongolia, Tsambagarav. The name translated to english literally means "snow-covered peak". A good description since the mountain contains glaciers and snow all year round. It is also a regionally sacred mountain. We camp in the surroundings.
Day 21. Khoit Tsenkher Cave
We visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tsenkher caves. The rock carvings and funerary monuments illustrate the development of culture in Mongolia over a period of 12.000 years and also contribute to our understanding of pre-historic communities in whole northern Asia. The oldest images reflect a time (11.000-6.000 BC) when the area was partly forested and the valley provided a habitat for hunters of large game. Later images show the transition to herding and the most recent images show the transition to a horse-dependent nomadic lifestyle during the early 1st millennium BC, the Scythian period and the later Turkic period (7th and 8th centuries AD).
On the way we pass Hovd city. Lunch will be near Har Us lake. For the night we stay in tent.
Day 22-23 Going back east
Now we start our drive back towards Ulaanbaatar. On the way we pass the Gobi Altai regin and Bayankhongor city. To stretch our legs during our two days on the road we stay at hotels for the nights. Enjoying good dinners, sleeping in soft beds and having some leisure time in the evenings.
Day 24. Khogno Khan Nature Reserve and Semi Desert
We arrive to Khogno Khan Natural Reserve. The reserve covers 46,990 hectares and here you´ll find taiga forrest, magnificent mountains, steppes, Gobi-type desert and rich mineral water sources. All in one location. The animal life is very rich. It is not uncommon to spot foxes, many different types of deer as well as wolves. The snow leopard is by nature very shy. But if you are very careful and lucky, you may catch a glimpse of them. We will also visit the sand dunes of Elsen Tasarhai. They are part of the great Mongolian sand dunes, and extends about 80 kilometer. The curious get the chance to try camel riding. We spend the night in a geer/yurt.
Day 25. Back to Ulaanbaatar
At late evening we reach Ulaanbaatar. We drop you off at your guesthouse/hotell.
Summary
Duration: 25 days 24 nights
Tour grade: Moderate/tough
Available: May to October
Transportation: Russian van or minivan
Price
Tour with 2 people / 3250 $ per person
Tour with 4 people / 2475 $ per person
We are happy to arrange tours with more participants and bigger groups. Just contact us and we will give you a price adjusted to the size of your group.
Included in the tour:
Not included:
