3-Day Budget Karakorum by Public Bus
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ulaanbaatar → Karakorum by Bus
We pick you up from your accommodation and transfer you to the bus station for the ride west to Kharkhorin, about 370 km and 6 hours on a paved road. The route crosses the rolling grasslands of Central Mongolia, dotted with gers and herds of horses, sheep, and goats. On arrival in Kharkhorin, our local driver meets you at the bus station and takes you to your local ger guesthouse. Settle into your ger, enjoy a home-cooked dinner with your hosts, and spend the night in the valley of the Orkhon River, where the Mongol Empire once had its capital.
Karakorum: Explore the Ancient Capital
After breakfast, set out to explore Karakorum, the capital of the Great Mongol Empire, where a small township stands today. Chinggis Khaan chose the site in 1220, and under his son Ögedei it grew into a cosmopolitan city visited by merchants, missionaries, and envoys from Europe and Asia. Some two centuries 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. Visit Erdene Zuu, where English-speaking guides are available on site, then the Karakorum Museum, whose finds from the ancient city come with English descriptions, along with the other historical sights around the town. Return to your local ger guesthouse for the night.
Karakorum → Ulaanbaatar by Bus
After breakfast, you are transferred directly to the local bus station to catch the bus back to Ulaanbaatar, about 370 km and 6 hours on a paved road, a good chance to watch the steppe roll by and look back through your photos. On arrival in the city at around 17:00, we pick you up and take you to your accommodation.