6-Day Karakorum to the Gobi, Fly Back
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ulaanbaatar β Karakorum (Kharkhorin)
We pick you up from your accommodation at 08:00 and drive about 360 km (6 hours on a paved road) west across the steppe to Kharkhorin. This is the site of Karakorum, capital of the Great Mongol Empire, where a small township stands today. In the 13th century it was a cosmopolitan city of merchants, craftsmen, and envoys from across Eurasia. About 200 years after it was sacked, builders reused materials from its ruins to found Erdene Zuu Monastery in 1586, the first Buddhist monastery in Mongolia, ringed by a wall topped with 108 white stupas. Visit Erdene Zuu, the Karakorum Museum with its finds and models of the old imperial city, and the other historical sights around the town.
Karakorum β Nomadic Family β Ongi Monastery Ruins
After breakfast, drive about 40 km (1 hour, mostly on a paved road) to a nomadic family. Enjoy the warm atmosphere of their ger and learn the clever ways of nomadic life by joining in whatever daily tasks are under way, from tending the animals to preparing dairy products, just like a nomad. Then drive about 200 km (5 hours on dirt roads) south to the ruins of Ongi Monastery on the banks of the Ongi River. Founded in 1760, it was once one of the largest monasteries in the Gobi, until it was destroyed in the communist purges of 1937, and the raw violence of that destruction is still visible across the site today. Hike among the ruins, visit the small local ger museum displaying objects saved from the monastery, and step inside the small, active Buddhist temple that has been rebuilt here.
Ongi β Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
After breakfast, drive about 155 km (4 hours on dirt roads) to Bayanzag. American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews named this place the 'Flaming Cliffs' in the 1920s, and many important dinosaur finds, including Protoceratops skeletons and the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered, were made here. The red sandstone cliffs are imposing from a distance and glow especially fiery in the light of the setting sun. Walk around the site and along the cliff edge.
Khongor Sand Dunes: Camel Ride & Dune Climb
After breakfast, drive about 150 km (4 hours on dirt roads) to Khongor, the largest sand dune field in the Gobi Desert. The dunes stretch nearly 100 km long and 5 to 10 km wide, with crests rising 80 to 300 m above the surrounding land. On windy days, the moving sand produces a deep booming sound that carries a long way, which is why locals call them the 'Singing Sands.' A green oasis fed by the Khongor River lines their northern edge. Today you ride Bactrian camels to explore the dunes, and the energetic can climb to the top of one of the crests for an unforgettable view across a sea of golden sand.
Khongor β Yol Gorge
After breakfast, drive about 190 km (5 hours on dirt roads) to Yol Gorge in the Gurvan Saikhan mountain range. 'Yol' means bearded vulture in Mongolian, and the gorge stretches for more than 10 km. At its narrowest point only three or four people can walk side by side, and the high rock walls shade the valley floor from direct sun, so ice formed by its small stream in winter often survives until mid-July. Enjoy an hour's hike through the gorge, watch for ibex and vultures on the cliffs, and visit the small natural history museum at the park entrance. An optional horse ride is possible here.
Yol Gorge β Gurvan Saikhan Airfield β Fly to Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, drive about 40 km (1 hour on a paved road) to the Gurvan Saikhan airfield near Dalanzadgad and take the 1-hour flight back to Ulaanbaatar, looking down on the desert and steppe you crossed by road. After you land, our driver meets you at the airport and transfers you to your accommodation. Flights usually leave in the morning, so the tour ends depending on the flight schedule.