Day
1
Arrival – sightseeing & shopping in Ulaanbaatar
Arrive and transfer to the Chinggis Khaan Hotel. Today you will
have a full day of sightseeing including visits to Gandan Monastery
and the Bogd Khaan Palace, which is a series of beautiful traditional
buildings in which the last religious King of Mongolia resided.
It is now a museum displaying fascinating artefacts and costumes
associated with the King as well as his collection of European
furniture and stuffed animals. Visit the Natural History Museum
and the Fine Arts Museum. Lunch will be at the Chinggis Khaan
Hotel and dinner at the Ger Restaurant with traditional music,
food and entertainment. Overnight at the Chinggis Khaan Hotel.
Day
2 Lake Ugii
After breakfast at the hotel we will head west of Ulaanbaatar.
The scenery is wide-open steppe with rolling hills in the
background. We will stop for lunch along the way. We will
stay overnight in tents next to Lake Ugii.
Day
3 Riding, swimming, fishing – Khoshoo Tsaidam –
Turkish Empire ruins
Today you will get acquainted with your horse and tack and
set out for the first ride. You may also wish to spend some
time resting, swimming and fishing. Later, we will continue
driving, stopping at Khoshoo Tsaidam, and exploring some ruins
from the time of the Turkish Empire. We will stay overnight
in the previous night’s camp.
Day
4 Riding – Five Trees
We will ride towards Karakorum, setting up camp at a place
called Five Trees close to Karakorum.
Day
5 Karakorum – Orkhon River – 40km
Today we will ride to Karakorum, the ancient capital of Mongolia
from where Chinggis Khaan launched his cavalry. There is a
small town here now. On arrival the first and most obvious
landmark is the vast wall of Erdenezuu Monastery. The monastery
was built in 1586 and is surrounded by a massive 400m x 400m
wall. Not a single nail was used in the construction of the
ornate temples, only a few of which remain standing after
the communist purges. In previous times the grounds held over
60 temples with 10,000 monks using them for their daily worship.
We will visit the monastery and then ride along the Orkhon
River, where we will camp for the night.
Day
6 Nariin Valley
We
will continue riding until we reach Nariin, which is on the
way to Tovkhon Monastery. We will camp in the valley tonight.
Day
7 Tovkhon Monastery
Today we will visit Tovkhon Monastery, which is situated at the
top of Tuvshin Mountain, and where the first religious King
of Mongolia the Ondor Gegeen Zanabazar worked and lived. We
will continue riding along the river until we find a suitable camping
spot on the shores for the night.
Day
8 Orkhon Waterfall – Orkhon Valley
Today we will continue to ride to Orkhon Waterfall. The waterfall
is situated in the Orkhon Valley and this valley is known
as the cradle of the Mongolian civilization as many of Mongolia’s
ancient monuments lie within its borders. We will camp overnight
by the waterfall.
Day
9 Orkhon Waterfall
After many days in the saddle you might want to spend a day
of leisure by the waterfall. If not, you can ride around this
picturesque area. The area surrounding the waterfall is green
and forested and you can spend the day walking in the area.
This area of Mongolia is well known for producing the best
‘airag,’ or fermented mare's milk in the
country. Many locals love to challenge you to singing games
and the loser has to consume a whole bowl of ‘airag,’
so beware when visiting local families!
Day
10 ‘Piece of Sand’ – Mount Khogno Khan
Today we will drive until we reach a place called ‘Piece
of Sand.’ It is about a 5 hour drive from the waterfall.
This stretch of sand is a long strip that originates in the
Gobi and stretches all the way into the central aimags of
Mongolia. On arrival we will set up camp in the foothills
of the Khogno Khan Mountain. This mountain is perfect for
some afternoon hiking and there are some remains of an ancient
monastery that should be explored.
Day
11 Return to Ulaanbaatar
After breakfast we will drive for about six hours on mainly paved roads until we reach Ulaanbaatar. On arrival in
the capital you will be taken to the Chinggis Khaan Hotel.
There will be a dinner at the Ger Restaurant with traditional
Mongolian food and entertainment.
Day
12-13 2 days at Naadam in Ulaanbaatar
Today we will spend a full day at the Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar.
In the morning we will see the flag ceremony on the main square,
then go to the stadium to see the opening ceremony, and the
wrestling and archery competitions. In the afternoon we will
see the horse racing in the surrounding countryside. The evening
program will be a performance of Mongolian folk song and dance.
A guide and vehicle will accompany you at all times. Breakfast
and lunch will be at the hotel and dinner will be at a local
restaurant. Overnight at the Chinggis Khaan Hotel. The following
day can be spent relaxing and exploring the city, or you can
return to the stadium to watch more wrestling and archery,
or watch more horse racing just outside the city. There will
be a dinner and cultural program, followed by another overnight
stay in the hotel.
Day
14 Departure
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for
your international departure.
Prices
include the following:
Transportation within Mongolia, twin accommodation in a 3
star hotel. Single accommodation can be arranged at an additional
cost. Tented accommodation while on trek, three meals a day,
English-speaking guide, all sightseeing costs, transfers,
camel or horse hire where specified, support staff including
drivers, horse/camel men and camp assistants.
Prices
do not include:
International transportation, travel insurance, visas, departure
tax, alcoholic drinks, gratuities, items of a personal nature.
It
is the responsibility of the client to be fully covered with
travel and medical insurance while traveling in Mongolia.
Please
note:
Additional ‘single supplement’ prices are given
with all our prices. Single supplement refers to ger camps
and tented camps and the other one refers to hotels only.
In case single accommodation in ger camps was not provided
the amount would be calculated based on missing nights and
reimbursed.
Should
circumstances beyond our control, such as the imposition of
quarantine restrictions, require a change of itinerary, we
will inform your agent and propose an equivalent itinerary.
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