During this Mongolia family holiday, kids and adults enjoy 7 full days of activities and adventures, visiting the museum of dinosaur fossils and ancient monasteries, where you will see monks of all ages (including child monks) performing Buddhist rituals. You also enjoy visiting nomads where your children find playmates among local families, see daily nomadic life, ride horses and camels, sit on yaks, and relax and exercise in pristine nature. You will relish seeing your children play, run, jump and roam freely to their hearts’ content in wide-open open spaces, drive and walk by the countless animals of the nomads, as well as play in the outdoor hot spa pool, and much more. Except for the cultural experiences, the tour specializes in the top attractions and scenic places of central Mongolia, such as Elsentasarkhai (the northern edge of the Gobi Desert), ancient monastery Erdenezuu in the Orkhon River Valley, Tsenkher hot spa, Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan National Park, a tour of Tsetserleg town and Ugii lake.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, city tour
Your guide and driver will greet your family at the airport/railway station. After a short break at a hotel, your family attends a city tour, including visits to the Central Squire, Gandantegchlen Monastery hosts over 26 m gilded statue of a Buddha and the Mongolian Dinosaur Museum. In the afternoon, you will drive to Zaisan Hill to see the panoramic view of Ulaanbaatar.
Accommodation: 3* hotel
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Elsentasarkhai semi-desert, visit a nomad family and camel riding
Elsentasarhai is a unique place representing features of the Gobi desert, mountain steppes, and grasslands in a single area. Arrive in Elsentasarkhai by lunchtime and visit a nomad family. After the nomadic lunch, you will ride two-humped camels. Spend the rest of the day learning and experiencing first-hand the nomadic life. In the evening, try authentic Mongolian barbecue cooked with hot stones.
Accommodation: extra ger of nomads
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Ancient monastery Erdenezuu and Tsenkher Hot Spa
In the Orkhon River Valley, the beautiful monastery Erdenezuu coexists with Kharkhorin town. The monastery was built on the site of the ancient Mongolian capital Kharakhorum using old materials from the destroyed city. Erdenezuu is the first and largest monastery in Mongolia. See some valuable religious items in the temple museum and view its stunning architecture. You also visit the Kharakhorin Museum to learn more about the Great Mongol Empire's history. Continue the tour through the picturesque valleys of mountains heading Tsenher Hot spa. Spend the rest of the day exploring the beautiful surrounding of the Tsenkher area, playing, and relaxing in the hot spa pool.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Khorgo Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake National Park
The Khorgo volcano became extinct 6000-8000 years ago. It is considered the last of Mongolian over 300 volcanoes to become extinct. The Khorgo is not only the volcano in the area. There are several more, but Khorgo is the most easily accessible volcano. Lava flow from the volcanoes blocked the north and south Terkh Rivers forming the fresh-water lake Terkhiin Tsagaan. Except for the lake and volcano, the national park is extremely beautiful, rich in flora, and is a famous pastureland area where many nomads reside with their animals, mainly yaks. After lunch, we explore the national park seeing the Great White Lake and climbing the Khorgo volcano.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Visit yak-herding nomads, horse riding, and tour to Taikhar Rock
After breakfast, you will visit the yak herding nomad family to observe the northern Mongolian nomadic family life routine. 1- 2 hours of horse riding with the help of a local equestrian. Have lunch at the ger camp and move heading to legendary Taikhar Rock near the rapid current Tamir River. On the way, we will explore some deer stones that date back to the Bronze Age. See Taikhar Rock and discover the Tamir area.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Tour of Tsetserleg town and Ugii Lake
On our way, we will visit the exciting market of Tsetserleg town and visit the Zaya Bandid Ethnic Museum. Have lunch in Tsetserleg town, and continue our journey to sacred Ugii Lake. At the lake, you can watch birds, walk on the lake's spit, and relax at a ger camp located conveniently on its shore.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Return to Ulaanbaatar
Today is the last day you spend in the beautiful countryside of Mongolia. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to the hotel. Enjoy the afternoon discovering the city on your own and refresh from the adventures.
Accommodation: 3* hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 8: Departure
The driver transfers you to the airport and end of the tour.
Meals: Breakfast
Background
Is this tour suitable for your family?
We suggest this tour for families over three years old kids. Families with small children are always welcome, and we happily customize the itinerary or tailor one for your family. To let you experience and discover much of our beautiful and unique culture country in a relatively short period, we developed the itinerary to be jam-packed with outdoor activities and attractions. Luckily, central Mongolian better-developed infrastructure helps you reach picturesque places in a shorter time, driving on paved roads compared to the other parts of Mongolia. More than two-thirds of the travel driving will take place on paved roads. Thus, you will have more activities, spend more time at the attractions, and have some free time to play and relax. You will drive approximately 2-5 hours a day. During the tour, you will stay in ger camps in the countryside and a hotel in Ulaanbaatar. Local equestrians will help with camel, horse, and yak riding. Your family members can do optional short hiking and a climb to the Khorgo volcano. When traveling to Mongolia, people are usually concerned about meals. Most of our clients evaluated Mongolian meals better than their expectations, while few said the meaty meals, dairy products, and common vegetables are not satisfying. Therefore, informing us about your and your kid's meal preferences is critical. The ger camps where you stay overnights serve European and Mongolian meals. Fruits are not abundant in rural areas. Therefore, you can take some provisions such as fruits, snacks, chocolates, or sweets from Ulaanbaatar. Road bumps or rough roads driving may cause motion sickness.
Meals
Breakfast -7, Lunch-7, Dinner -6 included. In the countryside, ger camps serve European and Mongolian meals. Meat is the main ingredient for meals and is served for lunch and dinner with vegetables, salads, and soups. There will be more meat in traditional Mongolian meals. A typical breakfast is tea or coffee, bread, jam, butter, eggs, and sausage. There are some cookies, cheese, cereals, pancakes, and more at some of the ger camps for breakfast. Ger camps serve salads, Mongolian soups, the main course (pasta, rice, vegetables, beef/mutton/chicken/fish near lakes/rivers), dessert and tea for lunch. Salads, the main course, a dessert, and tea will be served for dinner. You will try authentic Mongolian meals while staying with the nomads. Different types of meals offered simultaneously are not customary in Mongolian tradition. If you are a vegetarian or have other dietary restrictions, please inform us in advance, and we will make arrangements accordingly. We will supply two 0.5L bottles of water a day. Providing one large bottle (1.5 liters) of water instead of 2 small bottles is available upon request. More information on Mongolia meals
Accommodation
For an authentic experience, the tour includes a day nomad family stay. You also stay at a ger camp for 4 days. The ger camp experience is more western friendly than the nomad family stay. In Ulaanbaatar, you will stay in a centrally located 3* hotel. Please ger more information about ger camp and nomad family stay.
Guides
The majority of our company's guides are English speaking. We also have German, French, Spanish, and Japanese. They are all friendly and helpful. The majority of them were born and raised in the Mongolian countryside. Therefore, they have good knowledge about every aspect of Mongolia. Local guides will help you when riding horses, camels, and yaks.
Transportation
Depending on your group size, Japanese and Korean vans serve your family. Experienced, friendly, and good mechanic drivers drive the vehicles.
When is the best time to travel to Mongolia on a family holiday?
The most suitable time to travel along this itinerary is between 15 May and 15 September. During this period, the weather will be warm and enjoyable. Mongolia is elevated at least 700 m above the surrounding Siberian plateau and Chinese territory. Therefore, the weather is extreme, and Mongolian temperature fluctuates a lot in a day, regionally, monthly, and depending on the elevation. Receiving snowfalls is occasional in May, at the end of August, and in September. Rainfalls turn into snowfalls in high-elevated areas in the warmest months of June, July, and August. Average monthly temperatures are +20°C, highest +28°C the daytime in May, in the first half of June, last half of August, and in September. On average, +25°C, highest +35 to +39°C daytime in June, July, and August. The temperature drops 10-20°C in the evening and at night. The tour is available during the off-tourist season if you do not mind the cold weather. For your pre-departure preparation and an idea to prepare for this changeable weather condition, the discovery tour packing list will help you.
To plan your dream holiday or customize the tour exclusively for you, please check the attractions and destinations of Mongolia.
