3-Day Train to China via Khamar Monastery
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Ulaanbaatar β Trans-Mongolian Train to Sainshand
We pick you up from your accommodation at 15:00 and take you to Ulaanbaatar railway station to board the train south, which departs at 16:50. Settle into your sleeper-class berth and watch the scenery change from steppe to semi-desert as the train crosses the Gobi along the route of the Trans-Mongolian Railway, the line that links Russia and China through the heart of Mongolia. Spectacular sunsets give way to silent darkness and a sky full of stars. The train reaches Sainshand, the capital of Dornogobi Province, at about 01:50. Our local driver meets you at the station and takes you about 15 km on a paved road to the tourist ger camp, where dinner is served before you settle in for the night.
Khamar Monastery, Khusliin Khar Mountain & Danzanravjaa Museum
After breakfast, drive about 35 km on a paved road to the Khamar Monastery complex. It was founded in 1820 by Danzanravjaa, the educator, poet, and noble monk of the Red Hat sect, who chose the site believing the surrounding Gobi radiated spiritual energy. The monastery was completely destroyed in the communist purges of 1937, but rebuilding has continued since 1992 with great success. Here you see the 108 meditation caves, where monks once retreated for 108 days, dinosaur bones lying on the ground, and petrified trees from the Jurassic Period, then hike among the small sand dunes nearby. Next, drive about 25 km on a dirt road to Khusliin Khar Mountain, which local people believe makes dreams come true; climb it for a spectacular view from the top. Finally, drive about 35 km on a paved road back to Sainshand to visit the Danzanravjaa Museum, whose collection includes treasures of Mongolia's most revered and multitalented monk that were hidden and buried for decades to protect them from the purges.
Sainshand β Zamyn-Uud β Border Crossing to Erlian
After breakfast, drive about 230 km (3 hours on a paved road) southeast across the flat, open Gobi to Zamyn-Uud, Mongolia's main border town on the railway to China. After lunch on your own, we take you to the border, where you cross into Erlian (Erenhot) in Inner Mongolia, China, to continue your journey. Erlian is itself famous for its dinosaur finds, a fitting gateway after your days in the Gobi.