Many people picture the Mongolian Gobi as a sandy flat area with sand dunes and vast barren areas of dried mud soil. However, after they have traveled within Mongolia, visitors completely redefine their understanding of the area. The Mongolian Gobi desert supports rich variety of life and is an amazingly diverse geographical area. Some parts of the Mongolian Gobi are daunting rocky mountains covered with plants. The mountainous areas have plenty of streams, springs and wild animals, while other parts offer spectacular views of marvelous blue mountains combined with the high and seemingly endless sand dunes. Other areas feature lush green-shored streams, oases, and endless steppes stretching to the edge of the horizon. Thousands of sheep and goat herds, horses, cattle and rare Bactrian camels are seen on the prairies or among mirages in the middle of nowhere. This is yet another unexpected, delightful offering of the Mongolian Gobi desert. During this Gobi desert tour, you will stay at ger camps allowing you to enjoy 360° views of the steppes. The Gobi at nights is amazingly quiet and beautiful with countless bright stars. Spectacular sunrises and sunsets are a daily occurrence in the Gobi. Aside from the stunning natural beauty, the Mongolian countryside offers a great variety of activities such as hiking in the Eagle Valley/Yol Valley in the Gurban Saikhan National Park, climbing Khongor sand dunes, wandering through the Flaming Cliffs, riding two-humped camels, visiting nomads, ancient monasteries and the Genghis Khan equestrian statue. Those are just a sample of the wonders waiting to be discovered. Breath-taking natural scenery, unforgettable activities and experiences are waiting for you. Travel the Mongolian Gobi desert with us and discover its untouched secret places and top attractions.
Itinerary
Day 1: Tour to Genghis Khan Statue and Baga Gazariin Chuluu
Meet at your accommodation between 7:50 and 8:30 AM and start the tour to Genghis Khan Statue. This 40 m tall statue was built in a historical place and is the tallest equestrian statue in the world. See the Tuul River Valley and Genghis Khan’s birthland Khan Khentii Mountains on the observation deck. Continue the journey to Baga Gazariin Chuluu, a zone of granite stone mountains; the highest peak is 1700 m above sea level. It has been keeping some historical remains, such as the ruins of a monastery, ancient tombs, and rock inscriptions. Challenge your imagination by seeing the unique features of the granite formations in Baga Gazariin Chuluu, discover the old monastery ruins, and enjoy the emptiness and calmness of the Gobi Desert.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: Tsagaan Suvarga colorful mud cliffs
Tsagaan Suvarga means "White Stupa.” It is one of the most famous highlights in the Gobi. Tsagaan Suvarga is a strange natural formation of colorful, massive mud cliffs that look like stupas, mound-like structures containing relics. Hiking through the cliffs offers the chance to take amazing photographs.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Drive to Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain National Park, visit Eagle Valley
The Gobi Gurban Saikhan means "Three beautiful mountains in the Gobi.” The Gobi Gurban Saikhan Mountain is a beautiful national park itself rich in wildlife and scenic places. Among them, Yoliin Am/Eagle Valley is the one accessible by car. After our vehicle brings us to a designated parking area, we will walk through the resplendent valley into the depths of a sheer rock canyon, which accepts no sunlight. Therefore, it has ice until the end of June. The hiking continues 2.5 to 3 hours for travel into the valley and back to the vehicle. Golden eagles, elusive wild sheep and ibexes are indigenous to the valley.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Khongor Sand Dunes, camel riding
Our journey will continue to Khongor, the largest sand dunes. After reaching the sand dunes, we’ll go hiking along the green river shore, climb sand dunes, visit a nomad family and have an hour of camel riding. If you can climb one of the tallest sand dunes, don't forget to spread the sand northwards against the wind to find the reason hy locals call the sand dunes "Singing Sand.” The views are fantastic from the top of the sand dunes.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Flaming Cliffs
Our adventure will continue to the Flaming Cliffs, where American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews found the remains of dinosaurs including the first dinosaur eggs ever discovered in the world. We will enjoy exploring the cliffs in search of dinosaur fossils we may find and visit the Gobi tree grove named “Bayanzag.” Which means “rich in saxaul trees.” This tree only grows in the Central Asian Gobi.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Drive to Ongi Monastery on the open steppes
Drive first through slate mountains and next on 80 km Ongi steppes leading to Ongi Monastery, one of the biggest seven monasteries in Mongolia. There were two separate monasteries consisting of more than 30 temples on the shores of the Ongi River surrounded by the Gobi mountains; however, the temples were destroyed during the socialist purge of the 1930s. Now the ruins of the monasteries cover a huge area. Visit a new active temple, a ger museum, explore the monastery ruins and climb a nearby mountain to have panoramic views of the surrounding areas.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Kharkhorin, ancient Monastery Erdenezuu
This day’s tour takes place in the transition zone from the Gobi desert to the mountain steppes. Kharkhorin, formerly known as Kharakhorum, was once a capital of Chinggis Khaan's Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century. After the move of the Mongolian capital to Beijing, and the fall of the Empire, Karakorum was abandoned and then destroyed by Manchurian soldiers in 1388. Today, in the vast valley of the Orkhon River, the awe-inspiring ancient monastery Erdenezuu coexists with Kharkhorin town. See some valuable religious artifacts in the monastery museum, view its stunning architecture and the Kharakhorum Museum display remnants of the ancient city.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Visit nomads, horse riding and return to Ulaanbaatar
Today is the last day to spend in the beautiful countryside of Mongolia. On our way to Ulaanbaatar, we will visit a horse herding nomad family and have some horse riding. We also join the nomads for lunch. Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and check in a hotel.
Accommodation: Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9: Transfer to the airport/railway station
We will transfer you to the airport/railway station.
Meals: Breakfast
Background
Is this Mongolian Gobi tour suitable for you?
This is a regular tour includes overnight stays in ger camps in the countryside and a hotel in Ulaanbaatar. The tour does not include any demanding physical activities. Traveling in Mongolia always requires long driving through changing landscapes and steppes with scenic views. Even though, we tried to plan the trip to have as little driving as possible. Approximate day driving will be 3-6.5 hours (6.5 hours long driving day will be only one day). The itinerary includes some light activities such as 1-3 hours soft hiking, horse and camel riding with the help of local wranglers. The most challenging experience of the tour is climbing the high sand dunes in the Gobi, which is not mandatory and you can enjoy the sand dunes and yourself while climbing one of the foothills of the sand dunes.
Meals
Tour meals are included according to the itinerary. In the countryside, ger camps serve occasional European but mainly Mongolian meals. Meat is the main ingredient for meals and is served for lunch and dinner along 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. For lunch, meals include salads, Mongolian soups and a main course (pasta, rice, vegetables, beef/mutton/chicken/fish near lakes/rivers), and dessert and tea. Salads, a main course, a dessert, and tea will be served for dinner. With nomads, you will try authentic Mongolian meals. 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. Supplying one larger bottle (1.5 liters) of water instead of 2 small bottles of water is available upon request. More informarion on Mongolia meals
Accommodation
Mongolian tourism depends highly on the season, and seasonal accommodation ger camps are fully open between 15 May and 20 September. During other months, the ger camps are partially open and closed in winter. For more detailed information about accommodations, please visit our recommended hotels in Mongolia and Mongolia Ger camps
Guides
The majority of our company's guides are English speaking. We also have guides who speak German, French, Spanish and Japanese. They are all friendly, helpful and most of them were born and raised in the Mongolian countryside. Therefore, they have good knowledge about every aspect of Mongolia and have at least three years or more years of guiding experience. During the camel riding, a local guide will support you.
Transportation
Regarding land transport, most of our tours were designed for four-wheel drive Japanese off-road vehicles driven by experienced, friendly and knowledgeable mechanic-drivers. You may check the travel vehicle details at Mongolia transportation.
When is the best time to travel to Mongolian Gobi?
The most suitable time to travel the Gobi is between 10 May and 5 October. During this period, the weather will be warm and enjoyable. The Gobi or southern Mongolia is the most temperate region in Mongolia. The annual temperature is usually 2-10 degrees higher than other parts of Mongolia. However, you should not expect warm weather during the trip or in some periods as Mongolia is elevated at least 700 m high above surrounding Siberian plateau and Chinese territory. Therefore, the weather fluctuates a lot; hourly, daytime and at nights. The temperature drops 10-20 degrees in the evening and at nights. There will be occasional chill wind in May, September, and October while wind storm is frequent in March, April and the first half of May. Average monthly temperatures are +20 degrees, highest 30 degrees daytime and the night temperature may drop to +8 degrees at the end of May, June, late August and in September. July could be the hottest or be the wettest. Average day temperature is +28 degrees, the hottest +40 degrees and night temperature could drop to +12 degrees although some nights could be sultriness, particularly in July. The temperature could dramatically fall if it rains. For your pre-departure preparation, you may check discovery tour detailed packing list of the discovery tours.
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 the Mongolian Gobi, Central Mongolia, and Northern Mongolia.
