Taste of Mongolia – Culture and Nature

Upon your arrival at the airport or railway station, our crew picks you up and transfer to the reserved hotel (centrally located 4˟ hotel). If your arrival is before lunch we’ll have lunch at one of the best Mongolian restaurants. And we’ll take you to some of the principal attractions in the city. First you’ll visit the Gandantegchinlen Monastery, a Tibetan-style monastery that has been restored and revitalized since 1990. The Tibetan name translates to the "Great Place of Complete Joy". It features a 26.5-meter-high statue of Buddhist bodhisattva. It came under state protection in 1994. We’ll then visit Chinggis khan’s (formerly Sukhbaatar Square) square which is located in the center of the city facing to the Government Palace which is fronted by large colonnade monuments of Chinggis Khan, Ögedei Khan, and Kubilai Khan, completed in 2006 in time for the 800th anniversary of Chinggis Khan's coronation. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

After breakfast, drive to Chonjin Boldog or Chinggis Khaan Complex Venue to see Chinggis Khan’s Statue which is 40-meter-high; with his golden whip in his right hand. The Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is situated in the southern tip of the Siberian Taiga Forest where you can explore naturally interestingly shaped rocks and sublime scenery of the taiga. Some of the rocks look like turtles and praying monks etc. Overnight in a traditional ger camp. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Road: Total coverage 80 km paved road (1-2 hours’ drive).

Located in the forest steppe natural zone, Khustai NP or Khustain Nuruu NP is a well-known place for the successful reintroduction of the Takhi or Przewalski’s Wild Horse back 1990. While enjoying fascinating scenery, we’ll see and take photos of reintroduced Przewalski’s Wild Horses or Takhi, Red Deer and magnificent birds of prey. Take a look at exhibitions in the park’s information center. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Road: Total coverage 160 km paved road (2-3 hours’ drive).

Today we’ll first visit The Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan which is the one and only left from original four residences of the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, who was later proclaimed Bogd Khan, or emperor of Mongolia. Visit Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery. The gallery’s unique collection consists of Mongolian modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, prints, crafts and other new forms of art and artifacts which possess originality and a superior Mongolian thematic identity. And we’ll visit one of the best national museums, National History Museum of Mongolia. Overnight in a hotel. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Road: Total coverage 90 km on paved road (1-2 hours’ drive).

Fly to the Dalanzadgad which is located in the Gobi region. Upon arrival, we will drive straight to the high mountain and check in a tourist ger camp. While trekking or horse riding, we will enjoy stunning scenery of the high mountain including the famous mountain gorge along with its wildlife and birds: Lammergeier, Mongolian or Kozlov’s Accentor, Brown Accentor, Mongolian Finch, Himalayan Vulture and Beautiful Rosefinch and possibly Siberian Ibex. Overnight in a tourist ger camp. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Road: Total coverage 50 km paved road (1 hour’ flight and 1 hour’ drive).

After breakfast, we will drive to the west of the ger camp to get Khongoryn Els which is a huge sand dune located between a high mountain and vast desert steppe. Visit a local family which owns camels. Enjoy riding camels through the sand dunes, which will remind you the long history of caravans through Mongolian desert. Interesting birds will be Saxaul Sparrow, Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Mongolian Ground Jay, Desert Wheatear, Asian Desert Warbler, Great Grey Shrike, Isabelline Shrike and Long-legged Buzzard. Overnight in a tourist ger camp. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Road: Total coverage 160 km on dust road (4-5 hours’ drive).

After breakfast, we will start driving to the Flaming Cliffs, which is a famous place for the first discovery of dinosaur eggs by Roy Chapman Andrews in the 20th century. In your tourist ger camp, enjoy videos about his adventure in the heart of the Gobi Desert and visit the Flaming cliffs and huge expanse of saxaul forest. En route, we might see the magnificent mammal Goitered Gazelle. Overnight in a tourist ger camp. Food: Breakfast, Dinner. Packed Lunch. Road: Total coverage 160 km dust road (5-6 hours’ drive).

Today we’ll return in the city. Enjoy Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum. After that, we are going to enjoy Mongolian national folklore performance in one of the theatres in the city. Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Road: Total coverage 50 km paved road (1 hour’ flight).

Transfer to the airport will be the end of our services in Mongolia.