3-Day Terelj & Khustai Join Tour
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ulaanbaatar β Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue β Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
We pick you up from your accommodation at 09:00 and drive about 55 km (1 hour on a paved road) to the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue at Tsonjin Boldog. At 40 m high, it is believed to be the largest equestrian statue in the world, and it stands on the spot where, according to legend, the young Temujin found a golden whip. An elevator takes you up to an observation deck on the horse's head for photos over the open steppe. Then drive about 40 km (1 hour on a paved road) to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about 70 km northeast of Ulaanbaatar, famous for its striking granite rock formations and pristine alpine scenery and loved by visitors from the capital and Mongolians on weekend trips alike. First, see the giant Turtle Rock, then take a short hike to the picturesque Aryabal Meditation Temple, a modern temple set halfway up a rocky mountainside. To reach it, cross a suspension bridge and climb 108 steps, the number of beads on a Buddhist rosary. In the afternoon, enjoy free time to relax in the natural surroundings, with a chance to ride sturdy Mongolian horses through the valley. Spend the night in a tourist ger camp.
Gorkhi-Terelj β Khustai National Park: Wild Horses
After breakfast, drive about 125 km (3 hours, mostly on a paved road) to Khustai National Park, where takhi wild horses have been reintroduced since 1992. Known in the West as Przewalski's horse, the takhi is the last wild horse subspecies to survive into the 21st century. Russian explorer N. M. Przhevalsky first described it in western Mongolia in the late 1870s, but it later died out in the wild and survived only in zoos, until breeding programs brought it back to the Mongolian steppe, where several hundred now roam Khustai's grassy hills. Spend time hiking in the surrounding mountains with your guide to look for the wild horses, and with luck you may also spot maral (red) deer and other wildlife. Tonight you stay with a nomadic family, sleeping in their traditional ger and getting a close look at everyday herding life.
Khustai β Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast with your host family, drive about 105 km (2 hours on a paved road) back to Ulaanbaatar. We drop you at your accommodation at around 13:00, leaving the afternoon free for exploring the city or shopping.