Route
Ulaanbaatar – Baga Gazaryn Chuluu – Tsagaan Suvraga – Yol valley – Khongoryn Els – Ongi temple ruin – Orkhon waterfall – Tsenkher hot spring – Great White Lake – Murun – Lake Khovsgol – Uran togoo - Ulaanbaatar
Activities
- Day 1 Baga Gazaryn Chuluu
- We'll start our trip with a half day driving to the Baga Gazriin Chuluu Ruins (1768 m high granite Stone Mountain in the territory of Adaatsag county, Dundgovi province. Is there another place with unique scenery that many tourists compare with lunar scenes? The mountain contains remains of old temples. They are not only rich in minerals and crystals, but also eye spring, old stone temple ruins related to the 17th century.
- Day 2 White stupa (Tsagaan suvraga)
- We’ll drive to the scarps of Tsagaan Suvarga/White Stupa/ which is located in Ulziit county, Dundgovi province. It is interesting to see the sheer slope, facing east, which is 30 meters high and 100 meters wide. Over thousands of years the wind has created this amazing structure. Spend the night in a nomadic family Ger.
- Day 3 Yoliin am canyon
- We'll drive to Yoliin Am in the middle of the Gobi Desert National Park which is a strictly protected area, covering 70sq.kms. The mountains here are the highest in the Gobi Desert and the rocky scenery is quite interesting, especially the ice in a gorge remains until mid-July. We'll walk and back for about 6kms in a narrow valley.
- Day 4 Khongoryn Els Sand Dune
- We’ll drive to the Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes (195kms) after lunch. The Khongoryn Els is some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. We'll see beautiful views, huge sand dunes and a cold water spring with a river that leads to two small ponds. We'll then spend the night in a Ger.
- Day 5 Khongoryn Els Sand dune
- We'll climb and hike to the top of the biggest sand dunes. There is an oasis near Khongor creek at the northern edge of the sand dune. The dunes make a sound like a plane engine on a windy day so it’s named as “Singing Dunes”. Also, if you wish, you may walk alongside the creek for about 10kms. We arranged a camel riding trip to the sand dunes for a couple of hours.
- Day 6 Bayan zag flaming cliffs
- We'll drive to Bayan-Zag(150kms). Bayan-Zag means "rich in Saxaul Shrubs", is more commonly known as the "Flaming Cliffs" of Bayan-Zag, famous for its discovery of dinosaur fossils.
- Day 7 Ongiin Khiid & Ongi monastery
- After lunch we'll drive to Ongiin khiid, where you can see the ruins of a big monastery on the bank of the Ongiin River. This monastery had 28 temples, stupas and other buildings on the south slope of the Rocky Mountain like Balsa country. This monastery had about 1000 lamas and it was destroyed during the Stalinist purges in the 1930s. The Ongiin khiid was one of the biggest temples in Gobi’s area of Mongolia.
- Day 8 Orkhon waterfall & Orkhon valley
- We’ll drive to Orkhon Waterfall, The Orkhon valley in the history of central Asia. The grassland is still grazed by Mongolian nomadic pastoralists. Orkhon waterfall is one of the biggest waterfalls in Mongolia. This is a great place for taking photos, go hiking through the gorge. We’ll arrange a couple of hours horseback riding in the area.
- Day 9 Horse riding in the Orkhon valley
- We’ll go horse riding for a day in the area. Spend the night in the same family.
- Day 10 Tsenkher Hot spring
- We’ll drive to Tsenkher hot spring. We’ll have a relaxed evening taking a hot bath in the natural hot spring water. Stay overnight in the Ger camp there.
- Day 11 Great white lake, Terkhiin tsagaan Nuur
- We’ll drive to Great White Lake and Khorgo Volcano. Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National park was established to protect the spectacular mountain scenery and endangered species of fauna and flora. The area has extinct volcanoes, many beautiful lakes, a great number of animals and birds, and is definitely one of the best natural tourist attractions. Khorgo is a unique natural complex (2240 m), National Park surrounded by the Khangai Mountains, which reach 3000 meters above the sea level. In the craters some of them are very tiny crystal- cleared lakes. The Khorgo crater is situated at an altitude of 2.210 meters with a diameter of 20 and depth of 70 to 80 meters.
- Day 12 Hiking to the Khorgo volcano
- We’ll go hiking for a full day from the lake to the volcano. Spend the night in a family Ger.
- Day 13 Murun province center of northern Mongolia
- We’ll drive to Murun the center of Khovsgol province. Murun is one of the biggest province in Mongolia
- Day 14 Khuvsgul lake
- We’ll drive to Lake Khovsgol which is one of the country's largest and most spectacular protected areas. Lake Khovsgol's 380 cubic km of water makes it the fourteenth largest freshwater lake in the world and second largest in Central Asia by volume, with over 1% of the world's fresh water. At its deepest, the lake dives 262 meters. Ninety-six rivers and brooks stream into the lake, but only the Egiin River exits the lake. The Egiin flows southeast until it joins the Selenge River, which flows through one of Mongolia's most densely populated areas on its way to Lake Baikal. The Lake is 1645 meters above sea level and is generally frozen from January until April or May.
- day 15 Hiking in the Khuvsgul lake area
- We’ll go hiking around the lake for a day.
- Day 16 Amarbaysgalant Monastery
- We’ll drive to the Amarbayasgalant monastery. This is one of the most well known and largest monasteries of Mongolia, located in the beautiful Iven Gol River valley on the foot of Burkhan Mountain in Baruunburen sum of Selenge province. Visitors especially enjoy the magnificent art and architectural construction. Spend the night in a family ger.
- Day 17 Ulaanbaatar
- We’ll drive back to UB and arrive between 5-6pm.
