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Home Mongolia Tours Special Interest Tours Mongolia Discovery Tour - Gobi & Steppe Combined 12 Day Holiday Package

Overview Highlights Itinerary Inclusions Map

Overview

Join us on this 12 day tour to explore the wonders of Gobi-Desert and Central Mongolia. The trip is designed to give you an extraordinary experience combining the best highlights of both region. From rugged landscapes of Mongolian desert to ancient Buddhist monastic complex, the journey offers an adventurous horseback ride through the Orkhon Valley and a ride on the Bactrain camel in dramatic sand dunes.

Highlights

Explore the most visited national park of Mongolia
Take a walk in the serene atmosphere of Ikh Gazaryn Chuluu
Climb to the Singing Sands to watch a remarkable sunset
Meet local nomadic communities
Observe Takhi wild horse
Visit Kharkhorin town, once a thriving center of Mongolian Empire

Itinerary

DAY 1. TO GORKHI TERELJ NATIONAL PARK VIA CHINGGIS KHAAN'S STATUE

Welcome to meet with our team and head to one of the most popular national parks of Mongolia, Terelj National Park, located in Tuv province. Upon arrival at the park, will visit a turtle rock which is naturally formed granite stone and explore Aryapala Buddhist meditation temple. On the way to the Terelj NP, we'll visit Tsonjin Boldog, a historical place related to Chingges Khaan, 13th century of Great Mongolian Empire. Once we reach the place, you will visit a giant horseback statue of Chinggis Khaan, 40m high and made with 250tons of stainless steel.

DAY 2. TO IKH GAZARYN CHULUU

Drive to Ikh Gazryn Chuluu, one of the interesting attractions in Mongolia, hills of granite in the Gobi desert with an altitude of 1706m. 30 different species of rare birds, wild goat, lynx and corsak fox are the main habitants of the hills. Once we reach the place we’ll erect our tent on a scenic campsite and hike through the stunning granite hills to explore a little amphitheater and stele that is dedicated to a popular “traditional long-song” singer who was born and bred in the place.

DAY 3. TO TSAGAAN SUVARGA / WHITE CANYON /

Head to Tsagaan Suvarga, located in the Southwest of Dundgovi province. It is a big limestone escarpment facing east, which looks like Mars planet from its top and it provides excellent scenery of the amazing limestone formations created by the wind. The place is an ancient seabed aged over 70 million years and offers naturally formed sedimentary fissures with multiple colors of ochre.

DAY 4. TO YOLYN AM / YOL GORGE /

Drive to Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park to visit Yolyn am, a deep and narrow gorge with steep rock walls situated at the southern end of the Altai Mountain Range. The gorge is named after vulture, which is called Yol in Mongolian as well as known as ice canyon. The ice field reaches over 3m deep in some years, and stretches several kilometers. The ice field remained whole year round in the past years, but lately the ice tends to disappear in mid-July due to global warming.

DAY 5. TO KHONGORYN ELS / KHONGOR SAND DUNES /

Head to Khongor sand dunes, the second largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia that offers the iconic images of the Gobi Desert which we strive for. The dunes stretched in an extraordinary 120km, 3-28km wide and about 300m high from its base to top. Here we’ll enjoy camel riding in the endless steppe and climb up to the peak of a singing dune to see gorgeous sunset and amazing panoramic views of the surrounding oasis.

DAY 6. TO FLAMING CLIFFS / BAYANZAG /

Drive to "The Flaming Cliffs or Bayan Zag – saxaul forest lies around 90 km from the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. The place became famous with its first scientifically recognized dinosaur fossilized eggs in the world and different species of dinosaur skeletons was discovered by Roy Andrew Chapman, American explorer in 1923.

DAY 7. TO ONGI MONASTERY

Travel to Ongi Monastery Ruins, constructed in 1660. The Monastery was one the four biggest Buddhist school and housed over 1000 sharmans and harmfully destroyed during communist purges in 1937. Once we reach the sight, we’ll visit a small museum in a yurt and reconstructed temple.

DAY 8/9. TO ORKHON VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Heading the north to visit the Orkhon Valley National Park, which provide scenic views of green meadows, pine forest, streams and waterfall. The area is ideal for fishing, horseback riding, hiking and photography. Today, we’ll take an opportunity to visit yak herding nomads and ride a horse nearby Orkhon waterfall which was formed uniquely by volcanic lava streams and tumbles over the vertical drop into a deep canyon.

DAY 10. TO KHARKHORIN & ERDENE ZUU MONASTERY

Head to Kharkhorin village, an ancient capital of the Great Mongolian Empire, one of the most popular tourist destinations. Upon arrival in the village, we'll visit the earliest surviving monastery “Erdene Dzuu”, constructed with stones nearby ruins of the ancient Mongolian capital of Kharakhorum in 1586 by Abtai Sain King. The Monastic complex was also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in 2004 as a part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape. Before heading our accommodation, we’ll enjoy some exhibits and artifacts in Kharkhorum museum.

DAY 11. TO HUSTAI NATIONAL PARK VIA KHUGNU TARNA NATURE RESERVE

Travel to Hustai National Park, where takhi wild horses were reintroduced from Netherland since 1992. On the way to Hustai, we'll visit Khugnu Tarna Nature Reserve, which protects some endangered species of birds of prey and wolves. Three different nature zones are combined together in the same place and covers 49600hectars. Continue our drive to the Hutsai NP and upon arrival there, have a brief introduction of the takhi horse and biodiversity of the park.

DAY 12. BACK TO ULAANBAATAR CITY

After hearty breakfast, we'll journey to the habitat of the last surviving subspecies of wild horse “Takhi” to explore. From there, head back to Ulaanbaatar city and transferred to accommodation.