ANCESTRAL MONGOLIA

We leave UlaanBaatar after breakfast and make our way to the Terelj National Park. We will stop on the way for lunch at a Buddhist Monastery. During the afternoon we will visit the Genghiis Khaan Equestrian Statue and the Aryapala Meditation Temple. Afterwards we will cross the river to visit our first nomadic family.

Accommodation: family ger on the Terelj National Park
Meals: breakfast

We will spend part of our day with the nomadic family, learning their traditions and enjoying a nice horse trek with the family across their lands, from the mountain to the river. After lunch, we will drive to the Ikh Gazriin Chuluu National Park, where we will find our perfect wild camping spot.

This national park has some granite rock formations, some named with peculiar names according to the formation they resemble, such as fish-mouth, mother’s belly or penis. In 2012 it became a protected Nature Reserve, due to the geological uniqueness of the region. It will be our first night of wild camping, to absorb to the maximum the power of nature around us.

Accommodation: wild camping on Ikh Gazriin Chuluu National Park
Meals: breakfast and lunch

The limestone formations of Tsagaan Suvraga are also known as “White Stupa”. Formed by wind erosion, in the distance they resemble the ruins of a city. With the right light we see horizontal lists, in pink and cream tones, of small crystals that reflect the light, further enhancing the spectacularity of this place.
After exploring this area we will drive to the Tsagaan Suvraga area, where we will again wild camp.

Accommodation: wild camping near Tsagaan Suvraga
Meals: –

In the morning we will explore these interesting cave systems. Afterwards we will continue into the Gobi, stoping in the capital city of Dalanzadgad for shopping, showers and laundry.

Accommodation: family ger in the Yolin Am
Meals: –

I could have invented this title, but that’s still what it’s called. Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park is the largest in Mongolia with about 27,000 kms of protected area. The name “Gurvan Saikhan” translates to “three beauties”, referring to the mountains of the western part of the Park. It is here that we find the Yoliin Am, a gorge that despite being in the Gobi region, the largest sand desert, has a year-round river of ice, protected by the high and narrow structure of the cannon and favoured by the almost non-existent precipitation of the area. Once again we do wild camping, to make the most of this incredible phenomenon of nature.

Accommodation: family ger in the Yolin Am
Meals: –

Khongoryn Els – Gobi Singing Dunes – is the part of the Gobi Desert where the great dunes rise to almost 300 meters. The winds cause mini-avalanches in the dunes, which in turn produce a sound that the Mongols say is the singing of the dunes. The ascent to a dune to contemplate the sound of the desert is a unique experience.

Accommodation: ger camp on the Gobi Desert
Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

We continue north, our destination is the Flaming Cliffs (Bayang Zag).
Bayan Zag gets its nickname “Flaming Cliffs” from its reddish color that contrasts with the rest of the landscape. This is also one of the places in the world where several dinosaur fossils have been found, from the first nest of eggs – thus proving Darwin’s theory – to the first discovery of swimming dinosaurs, which is curious because now, 80 million years later, this is one of the areas furthest from water and with the lowest moisture content in the atmosphere. Undoubtedly a place that allows us to travel in time and in the imaginary.

Accommodation: ger camp near the Flaming Cliffs
Meals: –

Our path today leads us to the Ongi Monastery, one of the many monasteries decimated in the purges of 1939. Afterwards we will continue to the capital of the Övörkhangai Aimag, where we will check in to our hotel and have a well deserved good night of sleep and showers.

Accommodation: hotel in Arvaikheer
Meals: –

We leave for the Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO heritage site due to the exceptional contribution of its natural landscapes and cultural legacy in the History of Humanity. This entire area has been the scene of important chapters of history, and it keeps immaculate one of the most incredible landscapes in Mongolia. We visit the Orkhon waterfall, the largest in Mongolia, and we still have time for a horseback ride.

Accommodation: family ger on the Orkhon Valley
Meals: breakfast

Early departure for the Tövkhön Monastery, founded by Zanabazar, one of the most important spiritual leaders of Mongolia, in 1648. Zanabazar is widely recognized as one of the greatest Tibetan sculptors and painters, and it was also he who created the Soyombo symbol, which is still today, the symbol representing Mongolia, included in the national flag. The Monastery was partially destroyed in the invasions of the Mongol Oirats in 1688 and again in the 30s in the Stalinist purges, except partially perhaps due to its location at 2600m. After the Monastery we continue to the thermal baths of Tsagaan Sumiin where we can recover from the ills of the ascent in a relaxing thermal bath in the endless Mongolian steppes.

Accommodation: family ger on the Tsagaan Sumiin Hot Springs
Meals: –

After an early breakfast, we head to Kharkhorin, capital of the ancient Mongol Empire. Here we will visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery, the oldest active monastery in Mongolia, followed by a visit to the Kharkhorin Museum where we will learn a little more about Mongolia’s Past and Present. We had lunch at a local restaurant and then visited the monument of the Mongol Empire, with its spectacular view over the Orkhon Valley.

Accommodation: guesthouse in Kharkhorin
Meals: –

Today we will make our last visit in Mongolia, to the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National Park, an interesting area where we find desert, taiga and mountains all in one place. We will visit a small monastery (or what is left of it), who is kept by the niece of one of the surviving monks from the 1930’s purge.

Accommodation: hotel in UlaanBaatar
Meals: breakfast and dinner

The day has come for us to pack up and return home. A transfer will take you to the airport for your flight.
See you on the next adventure!

Accommodation: –
Meals: breakfast