Bactrian camels with nomad family, Mongolia

The two-humped Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is vital to Mongolia’s nomads, providing wool, milk, and a source of transportation. We encounter many nomads on our cultural journey across central Mongolia.

Photo by Alison Wright

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Heart of Mongolia

Nomadic Cultures, the Gobi Desert, and a Camel Safari in the Land of Genghis Khan

Taking in the full sweep of Mongolian landscapes, from the legendary Gobi to high altitude grasslands dotted with horses and gers (nomadic dwellings), we discover a beautiful, welcoming land where the rest of the world seems a million miles away. We enter a world incredibly different from our own, experiencing the traditional hospitality of one of the world’s last nomadic cultures, exploring the Orkhon Valley, with its ancient shamanistic shrines and thriving monasteries, and embarking on an extraordinary camel safari across a remote and beautiful section of the Gobi that includes the Hongoryn Els, the Gobi’s largest sand dunes. Our epic journey under Mongolia’s revered “Great Blue Sky” is as inspiring and magnificent as the landscape itself.

Highlights

  • Meet nomadic horse-breeding families and experience their friendly hospitality
  • Explore Kharakhorum, site of Genghis Khan’s legendary 13th century capital
  • Hike or ride a camel across the sand dunes of the Gobi Desert
  • Traditional-style gers (yurts) furnished with beds and wood stoves

Details

  • 14-day trip begins and ends in Ulaanbaatar
  • All meals included except 2 lunches and 1 dinner
  • Rugged road travel, 3-day camel safari, light day hikes, altitudes between 5,000-7,000 feet
  • 4 nights in hotels, 7 nights in ger camps, 2 nights camping

Tour Costs

$5195 (10-14 members)
$5595 (6-9 members)

Single supplement: $575
Lake Hovsgol extension from: $1495

Prices are for 2010 dates

Departures & Leaders

Jul 13-26, 2010
Aug 17-30, 2010

Suggested Reading

Reading list, click here.

Itinerary at a Glance
Heart of Mongolia route-map

Days 1-4
Ulaanbaatar / Hogno Han Mountains

From Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, we head to the foothills of the Hogno Han Mountains at the confluence of steppe, desert, and forest. Here in one of the last horse-based cultures in the world, we visit a nomadic horse-breeding family for a glimpse into their lives. Overnights are in special gers similar to those that Mongolian nomads have used for centuries.

Days 5-7
Kharakhorum / Erdenezuu / Hustain Nuruu National Park

Heading to the Orkhon Valley, we visit the legendary ancient capital of Kharakhorum, site of the 13th century capital of Genghis Khan. Destroyed a century later, its stones were used in 1586 to build Erdenezuu Monastery within the old city walls. At Hustain Nuruu National Park, home to the only remaining species of wild horse, the takhi, known as Przewalski’s horse, we search for these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. On Day 7 we return to Ulaanbaatar and visit the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum, with its noted collection of Buddhist art.

Days 8-12
Gobi Desert / Camel Safari / Flaming Cliffs

Flying south to the mountain-spiked Gobi Desert, we explore the Yol Valley, cradled in the foothills of the Altai Mountains and home to lammergeiers, Altai snowcocks, ibex, and Argali mountain sheep. We then set off with our Mongolian camel wranglers on an incredible camel safari across the remote Hongoryn Els sand dunes lying alongside the Altai Mountains. As we ride (or walk, if preferred) we explore the Gobi’s unique flora and fauna, and at Tsonjin Hotrog, an ancient sea floor, we find fossilized prints of plants and insects. On Day 12 we head to the famous Flaming Cliffs, one of the world’s richest troves of dinosaur remains, named for their surreal orange color.

Days 13-14
Ulaanbaatar

We return to Ulaanbaatar on Day 13, enjoy a performance of traditional hoomi throat singing, and depart on Day 14.

This is the Itinerary-at-a-Glance. For the complete trip description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Lake Hovsgol Pre-Trip Extension

From a ger camp at spectacular Lake Hovsgol, we hike in pristine taiga forests and (in July), witness the spectacle of the Naadam Festival.

Please call us or Download Full Trip Brochure for more information

Hotel Ulaanbaatar

Days 1 to 2 (2 nights),
Day 7 (1 night),

Day 13 (1 night),
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

The Ulaanbaatar Hotel has an ideal location, right in the heart of the capital and within walking distance of the city’s great museums, ...
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Mongolian Ger Camps

Days 3 to 4 (2 nights), Hogno Han Mountains,
Day 5 (1 night), Kharakhorum,

Day 6 (1 night), Hustain Nuruu National Park,

Day 11 (1 night), Hongoryn Els,
Mongolia

Gers are the traditional yurt-like tents used by Mongolian nomads for centuries, and these simple fixed camps are specially built and ...
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Three Camel Lodge

Day 8 (1 night),
Day 12 (1 night),
The Gobi Desert, Mongolia

This premier expedition camp of 20 gers, set in a peaceful hillside spot in the Gobi Desert, offers great comfort and is strategically close to ...
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Gobi Desert Camel Trek Camps

Days 9 to 10 (2 nights), Mongolia

We make hiking and camping in Mongolia as comfortable as possible. On our Gobi Desert camel trek, we provide high quality mountain style tents, ...
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Note: Listed above are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.