12-Day Gobi to Khuvsgul with Two Flights
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Fly to Dalanzadgad β Yol Gorge
We pick you up from your accommodation (the time is confirmed once your domestic flight is booked) and transfer you to the airport for the one-hour flight to Dalanzadgad, the provincial center of the South Gobi. Your local guide and driver meet you on landing and drive you 50 km (1 hour on a paved road) 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, a rare sight in the middle of a desert. Enjoy an hour's hike through the gorge, keep watch for ibex and vultures on the cliffs, and visit the small natural history museum at the park entrance before settling in for the night nearby.
Yol Gorge β Khongor Sand Dunes: Camel Ride
After breakfast, drive about 190 km (5 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, a striking contrast to the golden sand beyond. Today you ride Bactrian camels to explore these massive dunes, and the energetic can climb one of the crests for an unforgettable view across a sea of golden sand, especially beautiful as the light softens toward evening.
Khongor β Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
After breakfast, drive about 150 km (4 hours on dirt roads) to Bayanzag. American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews reached this place in the 1920s and named it the 'Flaming Cliffs,' and many important dinosaur finds, including Protoceratops skeletons and the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered, were made here. The cliffs are made of soft red sandstone laid down some 70 to 80 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous, when this land was a semi-arid basin of shifting dunes. They are imposing from a distance and glow especially fiery in the light of the setting sun. Walk around the site and along the eroded cliff edge, then spend the night nearby.
Bayanzag β Ongi Monastery Ruins
After breakfast, drive about 155 km (4 hours on dirt roads) north 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, with temples on both sides of the river and hundreds of resident lamas, until it was destroyed in the communist purges of 1937. The raw violence of that destruction is still visible across the site today, in broken walls and scattered foundations. 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 before spending the night nearby.
Ongi β Nomadic Family β Karakorum (Kharkhorin)
After breakfast, drive about 200 km (5 hours on dirt roads) to a nomadic herding family. Enjoy their warm, joyful hospitality and learn the clever ways of nomadic life by joining in with whatever daily tasks are under way, just like a nomad. Then continue 40 km (1 hour, mostly on a paved road) to Karakorum, the capital of the Great Mongol Empire, where a small township stands today. After the city 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. Its temples are being lovingly restored and once again ring with the chanting of monks. Visit Erdene Zuu, the Karakorum Museum, and the other historical sights around the town before spending the night here.
Tuvkhun Temple β Orkhon Waterfall
After breakfast, drive about 110 km (2 hours, mostly on a paved road) to Tuvkhun Temple, perched at about 2,000 m on the peak of densely forested Shiveet Mountain. Followers of Zanabazar, the first Bogd (head of Mongolian Buddhism) and a celebrated sculptor, built it in 1653 as a retreat for meditation and art. Hike about 2 hours from the foot of the mountain to the temple to see the meditation caves, Zanabazar's footprint in the rock, and the spot where he is said to have first drawn the Soyombo, today Mongolia's national symbol of independence. After lunch, drive 60 km (2 hours on dirt roads) to Orkhon Waterfall. More than 25 m high and 10 m wide, it is the biggest waterfall in the country and a highlight of the Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The land around it was shaped by volcanic eruptions about 20,000 years ago and lies under a lava layer more than 10 m thick. After dinner, take a refreshing walk to the falls. You'll hear it before you see it.
Orkhon Waterfall β Tsenkher Hot Springs
After breakfast, drive about 115 km (3 hours on dirt roads) to Tsenkher Hot Springs, the most famous hot spring in Mongolia and one of Central Mongolia's most popular attractions. Its mineral-rich water rises from the ground at around 86Β°C at the source and is cooled to a perfect 36β40Β°C in the bathing pools, set in a forested valley of the Khangai Mountains. Tsenkher has become so popular that it can be busy in high season, but tonight you stay at a tourist ger camp with its own open-air hot spring pool, so you can soak your muscles after a week on the road and relax in the warm water through the evening under millions of stars.
Tsenkher β Khorgo-Terkh National Park
After breakfast, drive about 215 km (4 hours on a paved road) to Khorgo-Terkh National Park. Khorgo Volcano erupted in the Quaternary Period, and its lava dammed the Terkh River, creating a truly remarkable landscape: the extinct volcano itself and Terkhiin Tsagaan (White) Lake, a large, placid lake ringed by sandy beaches. The surrounding lava field holds some 13 fully or partly formed volcanic cones, rock formations, fast-flowing rivers, and cascades, along with small and large lava caves and gorges such as Shar Nokhoin Tam and the Solo Person's Cave. Climb to the crater rim of Khorgo for a superb panoramic view over the lava field and the lake, and learn about the volcanic forces that shaped the area as you explore the caves and gorges on foot. Spend the night nearby.
Khorgo-Terkh β Shine-Ider
After breakfast, drive about 170 km (6 hours on dirt roads) north to the small district of Shine-Ider in Khuvsgul Province. It is a slow but scenic day on the road, as the open steppe of the Khangai gives way to forested hills and wide river valleys. On the way, you cross the high, picturesque Orookh Mountain Pass, a good place to stretch your legs and take in the views over the surrounding ranges. Tonight you stay in a tourist ger camp near Shine-Ider, breaking up the long journey to Khuvsgul Lake.
Uushig Deer Stones β Khuvsgul Lake
After breakfast, drive about 110 km (3 hours on dirt roads) to the Uushig deer stones. This complex of 30 carved granite monoliths and burial mounds in the Uushig Valley is more than 3,000 years old, dating to the Bronze Age. The stones bring together the funeral customs, sacrificial rituals, beliefs, and 'animal style' art of the ancient nomads, with stylized flying deer spiraling up their sides. Then continue about 145 km (3 hours, mostly on a paved road) to Khuvsgul Lake. Lying about midway along the border between Mongolia and Russian Siberia, in a gigantic stone bowl nearly 110 km long and almost 40 km wide, it holds about 3% of all the fresh water on Earth. Spend the night on its shore.
Khuvsgul Lake: Horse Ride & Reindeer People
After breakfast, set off on horseback for a 2-hour ride along the lakeshore and up the mountainside to a viewpoint over the water, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the taiga forest. No riding experience is needed, and Mongolian horses are small, sure-footed, and calm. Later, visit the reindeer people. They are Tuvan people, known in Mongolia as the Tsaatan, who moved from the Tuvan Republic to the northernmost corner of Mongolia around the 1920s. Some families now bring their reindeer down to the lake area in summer to sell handmade souvenirs to visitors, giving you a rare chance to meet them, see their reindeer up close, and learn about their way of life. Spend a final night beside the 'Blue Pearl of Asia.'
Khuvsgul Lake β Murun β Fly to Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast, drive about 130 km (3 hours, mostly on a paved road) to the airfield at Murun, the provincial center of Khuvsgul, and take the one-hour flight back to Ulaanbaatar. On landing, our driver meets you at the airport and transfers you to your accommodation. The tour usually ends in the afternoon, depending on the flight schedule.