View Gorgeous Takhi Horses
You will want to take pictures of these gorgeous Asian wild horses while you are here.
Central Mongolia Highlights Tour
Enjoy the majestic and pristine landscape of the Terelj National Park, where you will trek across awesome granite mountains
TAKE ONLY MEMORIES, LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS
Explore the hidden gems of central Mongolia.
Mongolia is the ultimate place to go for a vacation when you want to see a variety of natural settings and feel different history and culture. From breathtaking and awesome sheer mountain ranges with ice glaciers to relaxing hot springs and endless sand dunes. Just imagine – you can experience all of these natural wonders in a small part of our beautiful country.
First, we are going on an adventure to gorgeous Terelj National Park, where you will encounter many natural wonders. From gorgeous granite mountains to open fields and pristine waters, nature abounds. You will visit the world’s biggest equestrian statue, which is dedicated to Mongolia’s legendary supreme leader – Chinggis Khan.
Another natural wonder of our country is Takhi, the famous Przewalski wild horses, which you will encounter in the prosperous Hustai National Park.
The Kharkhorin city once served as the capital of the Great Mongolian Empire and was the heart of a political center and commercial, cultural hub. Even though it may seem like it’s run down, there are still many surprises it has to offer.
Erdene Zuu, the oldest and one of our most significant cultural and religious centers which now operates as a museum.
After the Kharkhorin, we will travel to Ugii Lake, exploring historical artifacts on the way. Ugii Lake is home to many species of wildlife and a wonderful place to fish. We then travel to Elsen Tasarkhai, which is a marvelous oasis with gorgeous sand dunes, a breathtaking lake, birds, and verdant vegetation, all just an hour’s drive from the Kharkhorin.
What we expect
Realistic travel conditions, comfort level, and daily experience explained clearly
Explore the Nomad Lifestyle
You’ll visit with a nomad family and learn about how they live and their customs.
Learn About Our History
You will learn about Genghis Khan and take a visit to our oldest monastery.
Take Many Photos
There will be plenty of places where you can take pictures and make memories.
Enjoy Our Wildlife
When we visit Ugii Lake, there is plenty of time to watch for birds.
Enjoy Beautiful Rock Formations
You will find many unique rock formations here that you will want to photograph.
Itinerary
Day-by-day travel plan with highlights, distances, and activities
Take a tour of the Chinggis Khaan Statue, the biggest equestrian statue in the world - 40 meters tall stainless steel statue symbolically pointed east towards his birthplace, on the bank of the Tuul River at Tsonjin Boldog.
Drive to Terelj national park to visit the Temple of Ariyapala and enjoy a stunning view. Explore the famous Turtle Rock and the extraordinary frock formations on horseback riding.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance approx 100 km, 2-3 hours drive on dirt/paved road)
Drive to the west side of UB. Hustai national park is rich with wildlife and historical monuments. Ungut monuments - famous for its large number of man-like figures, sepultures and rectangular tombs which dates back to the 6-8 th century AD.
But the most important highlight of the day is Takhi, The Przewalski horses. Takhi is the only true wild horse that once nearly went extinct in the wild. If you have a chance, you can see other wildlife such as wolves, marmots and deers. Enjoy short hiking over the mountains and photograph the charming landscape and wildlife.
Visit Hustai NP’s information center and souvenir shop.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance approx 280 km, 3-4 hours drive on dirt/paved road)
After breakfast, drive to Ugii Lake (altitude 1387 m; surface area—25 sq. km). When you visit the lake, you will have an opportunity to take a boat tour and do some bird watching.
On the way, you will see the Khusuu Tsaidam museum full of artifacts collected from nearby city ruins of the Turkic State (6th – 8th Centuries A.D).
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance approx 60 km, 3-4 hours drive on dirt/paved road)
Drive to the south, to the Orkhon valley, a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Kharkhorin was the capital of the Great Mongolian Empire, dates back to the 13th century. Now, the ruin lies low confronting against time and hiding Chinggis khaan’s secrets beneath its name – “black soil”. Visit Kharkhorin museum and see the artifacts collected from the ruins.
Next place Magnificent Erdene Zuu - the oldest monastery in Mongolia and the artwork of the Mongol architects – is located near the ruins.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance approx 280 km, 5 hours drive on dirt/paved road)
After breakfast, drive to Tarna Mountain and Petite Gobi.
Visit a local nomad family and ride 2 humped camels. Get involved in their daily life, take a class on milking livestocks and play ankle bone games. In the evening, cook a traditional Mongolian barbecue under the instruction of the hostess.
This is a real experience and will be an unforgettable highlight of this tour.
Overnight in tourist camp. (B+L+D)
(Distance approx 80 km, 2 hours drive on dirt/paved road)
Today is your chance to do some shopping for souvenirs and cashmere in Ulaanbaatar. (B)
(Distance approx 300 km, 5 hour drive on paved road)
Price & Date
Tour cost, departure dates, and price differences
Pax based price
Pax 1
2,250 USD
per person
Pax 2
1,370 USD
per person
Pax 3
1,151 USD
per person
Pax 4 or more
1,071 USD
per person
Tour schedule
What's included
Accommodation, transport, meals, guide, and entrance fees covered
Services included
Shared accommodation at Ger camp
Private transfers
English speaking guide
All meals as listed
All entrance fee
Horse, camel ride
Letter of Invitation
Services not included
Personal expenses
Optional activities
Camera fee for museum & monastery
Travel Insurance www.WorldNomads.com
Good to know
Important tips, weather, packing advice, and local travel notes
The best time to make this trip
May to September is the best season, with the peak season in July for the Naadam Festival. July and August are also the wettest months of the year but be assured, our climate is such that you will still have many sunny days at this time. The best time to visit the Gobi is June or September.
Accommodation
We believe that comfortable, welcoming accommodation is vital to the enjoyment of your trip. You will be staying in a standard 3-4 star hotel in Ulaanbaatar and a tourist ger camp (traditional dwelling) with currency (220V), shower and other useful services (2 to 4 people per ger) in the countryside. All accommodation offered by Discover Mongolia is personally checked by our staff to ensure high standards.
Meals
In Ulaanbaatar, you will be dining at fine European and Asian cuisine restaurants. Mutton, beef, rice, and noodles form the basis of the Mongolian diet, so your meals will be based around this. However, the trail rations may include vegetables, eggs, peanut butter, cheese and sometimes yak! On some days there will be lunchboxes from tourist camps. It is good food and our experience has been that guests are happy with this arrangement. Please let us know in advance if you are a vegetarian. Alcohol is not provided on the trip but tourists are free to bring their own.
Transport
Discover Mongolia use the highest level, latest model, air-conditioned private vans or 4WD vehicles for the maximum comfort on your touring days. A day's drive in the countryside will be approx 200-250km.
Personal things to bring with you
Warm thin layers of clothing are the best such as bring a waterproof jacket, and a hat and headscarf to protect you from the sun and winds. Don't forget insect repellent, sun cream, lip-gloss, water purifying tablets and first aid kit (medicine for headache, cold, diarrhea, runny nose; bandages; any medicine prescribed for you ). All your camera equipment.
Reviews
Genuine traveler feedback from real experiences in Mongolia
Incredible Experience Riding through Orkhon Valley
I went on a customised 9-day tour with a group of friends, horseback riding through Orkhon Valley. We had an absolutely incredible experience riding through jaw-dropping landscapes, bonding with our guide and our horsemen, and eating delicious and fresh meals every day. Horse trekking in Mongolia has been on my bucket list for a long time and this trip exceeded all my expectations. It was a truly unforgettable experience.
The tour was comfortable, fun, well-paced, and perfectly safe from start to finish with a wide range of sights and activities every day. The company was very easy to work with, responsive and flexible as we coordinated the dates and the number of participants.Massive thanks to Ebo for putting up with such a loud group of girls for so long.
Great tour in the city and then to the semigobi.
Jack is an amazing guy that will tell everything about Mongolia and its history. The city has many gems to discover and the long trip by car to the desert is worth it.
The best first tour of Mongolia!
Discover Mongolia's "Discover Mongolia" tour was absolutely amazing! Very well-organised tour, with each day organised very well (driving in the first part of the day, and activities in the second part of the day). They tailored the itinerary a little to accommodate my husband and I with our two boys (12 and 5). There is a lot of driving around the country (unpaved roads) but this was the best way to see the beauty of the country and the children handled the long driving hours very well.
The tour guide (Uka) was amazing - well-informed and able to give us the background about everything we saw and did. She was so lovely and friendly, and our boys loved her. She was always very upbeat and happy and this was infectious...
Nice place to visit and very professional tour guide
It was great experience. The tour company Discover Mongolia is good, because our hotel wasn't in Ulaanbaatar, but in remote country side which was 30 min away from the Genghis khan statue complex cause we stayed one night in ger before the tour. They picked us up at the resort with a spacious van. They tour guide, Sara, spoke very good Chinese and she explained every detail of the itinerary professionally.
The Genghis Khan statue is magnificent , the Nomadic family we visited was an authentic one. The teenage girl was still nursing her crying baby brother when we visited. We could see that their ger was not for exhibition purpose but they really live in it. Terelj national park was great also. The mongolian lunch served was good.
Great first experience in Mongolia
We had a great 7 day experience with Discover Mongolia. The itinerary was well thought out and included a variety of activities, from riding camels/ horses, visiting a nomadic family to seeing the amazing scenery at the Flaming Cliffs and Eagle Valley.
Shoutout to our guide Tugu who took the time to connect with us and made sure everything was taken care of. His in-depth explanations allowed us to better appreciate the country’s culture and history. Our driver Tsend was equally helpful in ensuring a safe and comfortable journey. Also huge thanks to the tour manager, Shinee, who was very responsive to our queries and made us feel assured...
An unforgettable trip with beautiful Mongolian nature
A three-night and four-day trip to Mongolia with Discover Mongolia was a really special memory. Discover Mongolia was chosen by many travel agents for its fast, honest response, reasonable rates, and convenient online payment system.
During the journey, the rich experience and expertise of the driver Bodia became a great force. He drove safely when passing the non-powered road or mountain range, especially the crossroads he indicated on the way from the Orcano Falls to Hanher were a memorable highlight. The heavenly...
from 1,071 USD