Central Mongolia is a place with rich history that has served as heartland of the Mongol people throughout the past two millennia. Our tour takes you to the best of the destinations where you can experience the best of the country’s history, culture, natural wonders and nomadic people’s hospitality.
Meet with the local guide and driver at the airport. Transfer to hotel after a welcome dinner
In the morning, we depart towards the town of Kharkhorin. Along the way, after 200km of driving, we have short stop at the Elsen Tasarkhai area – also reffered to as ‘Mini Gobi’ due to the long sand dunes that lie in the midst of steppes. Here we can experience sand dunes and camel riding.
Upon reaching Kharkhorin where the capital of the Mongol Empire was located, we visit the Kharkhorin Museum and Erdene Zuu monastery.
Kharkhorin museum is home to many artifacts that have been found in the vast Orkhon Valley cultural landscape. They can be traced back to empires that existed here thousands of years ago. Erdene Zuu is the oldest Buddhist Monastery in Mongolia that traces its origins to the late 16th century. For hundreds of years, thousands of monks have lived in this monastery and contributed greatly to culture of Mongolia. Sadly, the monastery was affected by political purges in the 1930s and much of the wealth has been lost to us. However, the monastic grounds were preserved and there are a number of both old temples and currently functioning temples that can be visited.
Overnight – Standard ger camp (upgrade available) . (B+L+D)
The park was formed in 1992 in an effort to re-introduce the wild horse population of ‘Takhi’ back to their natural habitat. Takhi are also known as ‘Przewalsky horses’ and are the only wild horse species that have never been domesticated before. These horses, native to Mongolia, had gone extinct in the wilds by mid-1950s.
Thanks to the efforts led by the Dutch, these horses were re-introduced to Mongolia in the 1990s and their numbers have been growing steadily since.
Depending on arrival time at the camp, we drive deeper into the National Park to witness these horses roaming freely in the nature and further learn about their history and life.
Overnight – Standard ger camp (upgrade available) . (B+L+D)
In the morning, we drive towards Terelj National Park which lies at a distance of 55km from Ulaanbaatar. After lunch upon arrival at our ger camp, we visit the symbol of the National Park – The Turtle Rock. It is a natural rock formation that resembles a giant turtle. Later, we visit the Ariyapala meditation center that offers a pleasant trekking route amidst beautiful natural landscape. We finish the day with visitation to a local nomadic family to witness their lifestyle and ride horses in the National Park.
Overnight – Standard ger camp (upgrade available) . (B+L+D)
After breakfast, we drive to visit the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue complex. It is home to the tallest equestrian statue in the world. We visit the museum at the basement of the complex and walk to the top of the statue to get a view of the surrounding landscape.
Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar, we have lunch at the Southern part of the city. Later, we can visit a cashmere factory store and state department store. In the evening, we attend a traditional folk arts performance.
Transfer to hotel after dinner.
Overnight – Hotel. (B+L+D)
Pick up from the hotel by the local guide and driver. Visit Gandan monastery which nowadays serves as heart of Buddhism in Mongolia. Tour the monastic grounds and learn about its history which underwent turbulent times in the XX century. Later on, head to the city center area and visit Sukhbaatar square which was the main active ground of the revolution of 1990 which saw Mongolia adopting democracy. Across the Sukhbaatar square, we visit the National History Museum, which has many artifacts on display that show the history of Mongolia all the way from Bronze age, up to the times of Democratic Mongolia.
After lunch, head to the Southern part of the city to visit Bogd Khan’s Winter Palace Museum. This used to be the winter residence of the last aristocratic ruler of Mongolia, the BogdJabzandamba VIII. Later, we visit Zaisan Memorial Hill which overlooks most of the city. It was built in memory of the fallen soldiers of World War II. Learn about its history and enjoy the panoramic view of Ulaanbaatar.
Transfer to hotel after a farewell dinner.
Overnight – Hotel. (B+L+D)
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