Yurts, known in Mongolia as gers

Portable and warmed by wood stoves, Mongolian gers make convenient and comfortable homes for nomad families as they travel with their herds of camels and yaks. About 40 percent of Mongolians live as nomads.

Photo by Bill Abbott

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Discover the inspiring landscapes of Mongolia, from the legendary Gobi to the vast steppe from which Genghis Khan created the largest contiguous land empire in history. In this heart of Mongolia, visit thriving Buddhist monasteries, ride horses (and camels!), and experience the traditional hospitality of one of the world’s last nomadic cultures.

Highlights

  • Visit Mongolian families in their traditional gers
  • See a remote and still intact horse-based nomadic culture
  • Erdenezuu and Gandan monasteries
  • Optional mid-trip camel trek in the Gobi Desert

Details

  • 11-day trip begins and ends in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 4 nights hotels, 4 nights ger camps, 2 nights Three Camel Lodge
  • All meals included
  • Overland travel, light day hikes, altitudes between 5,000-7,000 feet

When to Go

May to October

For our Private Journey trips, you choose your own group and your preferred dates—there are no set departure dates. Private Journeys are available to groups as few as two people or as large as you like. Contact us for availability, questions, or to book your adventure!

Tour Costs

$4495 per person double occupancy
Single Supplement: $485
Internal Airfare: $385 (subject to change)
Gobi Desert Camel Trek extension from: $1145

Prices valid through 2010
Includes all land transportation and private guides throughout

Itinerary at a Glance
Mongolia Private Journey route-map

Days 1-4
Ulaanbaatar, Hogno Han Mountains, the Cultural Heart of Mongolia

In Ulaanbaatar, visit Gandan Monastery, the most important monastery-temple complex in the country, and the National History Museum, with its displays of Mongolian nomadic life. Head into the high steppe, an amazing vast landscape of open plains and rolling hills sprawled beneath the revered “Great Blue Sky” and dotted everywhere with horses and gers (nomadic dwellings). Below the Hogno Han Mountains, enter a world incredibly different from your own as you visit a nomadic horse-breeding family, experience their warm hospitality, taste airag (fermented mare’s milk), and ride horses with our Mongolian wranglers.

Days 5-6
Erdenezuu and Hustain Nuruu National Park

Head through the open grasslands of the Orkhon Valley, the cradle of Mongolian civilization, to Erdenezuu Monastery, the oldest in Mongolia, built in the 16th century when Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to Mongolia. Constructed from the stone ruins of Kharakhorum, the ancient capital of Genghis Khan, it is surrounded by a wall of 108 stupas and is a strong symbol of Buddhism’s resurgence in Mongolia. Head to Hustain Nuruu National Park, home to the only remaining species of wild horse, the takhi, known as Przewalski’s horse, and search for these beautiful horses in their natural habitat.

Days 7-11
Gobi Desert and Yol Valley

Visit Ulaanbaatar’s Natural History Museum, showcasing the spectacular fossil finds of the Gobi desert, then head to the Gobi itself. Explore the Flaming Cliffs, where in 1922, Roy Chapman Andrews discovered a nest of perfectly preserved dinosaur eggs, the first ever to be found. Visit local families, ride Bactrian camels, and walk in the Yol Valley, nestled in the mountains of Gurvan Saikhan National Park. (Our optional camel trek extension begins on Day 9.) Return to Ulaanbaatar and depart on Day 11.

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

Optional Extensions

  • Camel-supported trek in the sand dunes of the Gobi
  • Lake Hovsgol: Mongolia’s sacred lake
  • Extra hotel nights at the start or end of your trip

Please call us or Download Full Trip Brochure for more information

Hotel Ulaanbaatar

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

Days 8 to 9 (2 nights), 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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Note: Listed above are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.