Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia and city tour

We will greet you at the airport/railway station. Depends on your arrival time, participate in a short city sightseeing tour includes visits to Mongolian Buddhism center Gandantegchilen Monastery, the National Museum of Mongolia, central square, and Mongolian traditional cultural performance. The cultural show is one of the most interesting and must-see things in Ulaanbaatar with its colorful dances, the play of horse-headed fiddle, contortion, and throat singing.

Accommodation: 3* Hotel
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Flight to Murun and off the beaten roads adventure starts

Today we will fly to Murun, a central town of Khuvsgul province. The flight takes 1.30 hours. Meet with a vehicle. In Murun, go to the interesting local market and prepare for the trip if required. Drive northwards heading Darkhad Depression. Have an overnight among the marvelous mountains while enjoying pristine nature and calmness.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Drive through Darkhad Depression to Tsagaan Nuur

Continue the journey to remote Tsagaan Nuur village in Darkad Depression. This beautiful depression/valley is rich in rivers, streams, lakes, and surrounded by impressive alpine mountains and taiga forests. Arrive at the Tsagaan Nuur village and discover the village. The depression’s size is the same as Khuvsgul Lake. More than 130 km long and has a width of 40 km.

Accommodation: Guest house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Start riding to Baruun Taiga

Meet our horse equestrian who will be following us during the entire horseback riding trip. We will start our horseback adventure heading to Baruun Taiga. There are two places in the depths of the Taiga where the reindeer herding people live in communities; Zuun Taiga (East Taiga) and Baruun Taiga (West Taiga) those are named after their location measured from the Tsagaan Nuur village. Entire riding to and from the Baruun Taiga is along wooded terrains with occasional open parts and some swampy areas. We will ride at walking speed most of the time. The West Taiga is home to 20 reindeer herding households live in 1-10 family groups between 2 and 10 km distance. Have an overnight in the tent on the way to Baruun Taiga.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: The riding continues, visit reindeer families

The riding will continue through rugged mountains and boggy valleys. Arrive at Baruun Taiga by late afternoon. Visit the reindeer families and learn about their distinctive way of life. Stay in the tepee.

Accommodation: Tepee
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Stay another day in Baruun Taiga observing the reindeer people

Today, we will remain in the same area, and our discovery about the Tsaatan/Reindeer people will continue. We also have some hiking through the Taiga and along a mountain groove observing and familiarizing the area, its flora, and fauna. The area is rich in medicinal plants. Reindeer people use plants for food and medicinal purposes.

Accommodation: Tepee
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Riding back to the Tsagaan Nuur village and have an overnight in the tent

It is time to say goodbye to the Reindeer people. We pack our luggage and mount on the horses. Ride back on the same trails and have an overnight in the tent.

Accommodation: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Last day of the riding

The landscapes transform into open and grassy valleys than forests. Today, we will have a half-day riding. Now it is a time to say “goodbye” to our charming horses and the friendly equestrians. Arrive at a ger camp and be refreshed after the long adventure.

Accommodation: Guest house
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Drive to Khuvsgul Lake

Our off roads driving journey bring us to beautiful Lake Khuvsgul. It will be a little long driving day of approximately 8-9 hours. The scenery will be eye capturing with Taiga forests, open grasslands, majestic mountains and occasionally seen nomadic dwelling Ger, flocks of sheep, goats, horses, and cattle including yaks of the nomads. In the evening, we arrive at a ger camp conveniently located on the lake’s shore. Modern amenities, coziness and dedicated service of the ger camp along with the beautiful settings will perfectly refresh you from the adventures of the previous days.

Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Relax at the lake and do some hiking

It is a day to relax and enjoy yourself while staying in the same Ger camp. In the afternoon, we will have a short hiking to a mountain to see the lake and its surroundings from an elevated area.

Accommodation: Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Drive to Murun, fly back Ulaanbaatar

Today is our last day you spend in the charming countryside of Mongolia. The driving to Murun will take us 2-3 hours. We will land in Ulaanbaatar after one and a half hours of flight. Transfer to a hotel. Free time.

Accommodation: 3* Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12: Transfer to the airport/railway station.

We will transfer you to the airport/railway station.

Meals: Breakfast

Tour Price

Background

This is an 11-day tour to visit the reindeer people in the Taiga and is dedicated to everyone who loves pristine nature and wish to discover the tribal life of the reindeer people and nomadic life of Mongolian herders. The tour is suitable for people have some horse riding experience and advanced riders. On tour, we will have 4 days horseback riding through the Taiga. We will ride at a walking pace most of the time as the trails lead us through wooded areas and some boggy lowlands. We planned the tour to have maximum 25 to 30 km riding a day. We will spend one whole day observing the reindeer people, and you can turn it into a horse riding day if you have much passion for riding a horse. Local riding techniques, the best ways to treat Mongol horses and their character, etc. will be taught at the beginning of the tour. To save time, we planned the trip with return internal flights to/from Murun, a central town of Khuvsgul province. The way to approach the Taiga requires long bumpy 4xWD rides. The driving will continue approximately 5-9 hours a day. The summer rains could lengthen the driving times a little longer.

The tour includes 2 overnight stays in ger camps, 2 nights in a guest house, 2 nights in tepee, and 3 camping days. If you travel early in spring or late in autumn, the gers camps close due to the season, and we might change the ger camp stays into guest houses or nomad family homestays. We will provide good quality camping gear. Bringing your sleeping bags suitable for as low as -15°C is recommendable. We can provide sleeping bags, but regular and synthetic ones indicated -5°C. The hotel category will not be limited to the 3* hotel. We can book your preferred category of hotel. However, there will be a price difference. For more detailed information about the main accommodation ger camp, please visit Mongolia Ger camps and Mongolia hotels

The majority of our company's guides are English speaking. They are all friendly, helpful and most of them were born and grown in the countryside. Therefore, they have good knowledge about every aspect of Mongolia, good at horse riding and have at least three years or more years of guiding experience. Except for your interpreter-guide, one or more nomad men will be your equestrian depends on the riders’ number.

The tour includes returning internal flights to/from Murun at the beginning and the end of the tour. Each flight lasts 1.5 hours. During 5 days of vehicle transfers, four wheels driving Japanese van Mitsubishi Delica, four-wheel-drive jeep or Russian van UAS 452 will serve. The drivers are all experienced, friendly; they know the paths well and good mechanics. For bigger groups, the Russian van will be used due to its capacity and load availability or used solely for luggage and kitchen. Mitsubishi Delica or a four-wheel-drive jeep will serve small groups of 2-3 people.

The most suitable time to travel Mongolian Taiga is between 20 May and 15 September. During this period, the weather will be warmer. However, the Taiga forest accepts snow earlier in autumn, and the winter snow remains until the beginning of June in some areas. Due to high altitudes, it snows on some summer days. The average altitude is 1500 to 1900 m above sea level. The average day temperature is +15°C to +28°C daytime and night temperature is +8°C to +18°C at the end of June, July, and the beginning of August. May, September, and the beginning of June is colder. Average day temperature is +8°C to +18°C and night temperature is -5°C to +7°C. Mongolian weather fluctuates a lot seasonally, daytime, and at night. Therefore, be ready for sudden weather changes such as hot, warm, cool, rain, and wind. It sometimes happens on the same day. For your pre-departure preparation and an idea to prepare for this inflexible weather condition, you may check our detailed packing list of the horse riding tours and best time to travel Mongolia

To plan your dream holiday or customize the tour exclusively for you, what to do and see in Mongolia page may help you.

As well as, please check attractions in Central Mongolia, and Northern Mongolia.

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