Elsen Tasarkhai
Elsen Tasarkhai, marvellous oasis with sand dunes, vegetations, lake and birds, is located close to Karakorum.
Kharkhorin and Elsen Tasarkhai Tour
Kharkhorin City is an essential part of the famous Silk Road and once served as the capital city of Mongolia
Once served as the capital of the Mongolian Empire and an essential station of the Silk Road, Karakorum city has much more to share than its current physical appearance.
Mongolian largest and the historically most significant religious and cultural center – Erdene Zuu monastery – is operating as a museum there. Different stone relics and other ancient artifacts are standing around the city to reveal the history and stories dated back to hundreds of years ago.
What we expect
Realistic travel conditions, comfort level, and daily experience explained clearly
Karakorum Exploration
Full of history and wonder, Karakorum is one of the highlights of our tour and a favorite of many of our clients
Karakorum Exploration
Full of history and wonder, Karakorum is one of the highlights of our tour and a favorite of many of our clients
Itinerary
Day-by-day travel plan with highlights, distances, and activities
After meeting in Ulaanbaatar, drive to Kharkhorin, the symbolic ruins of the 13th century capital of the Mongol Empire. Visit Erdene Zuu, the oldest monastery, with 108 stupas, built in 1586.
Then visit the Kharkhorin museum and see the Great Mongol state period, Stone Age, Bronze Age, Ancient state period halls.
Overnight in tourist camp by Orkhon River. (B+L+D)
In the morning, drive to Elsen Tasarkhai - Gobi type area with huge sand dunes.
After lunch in a tourist camp, there is an opportunity for a camel ride trial through the sand dunes.
In the evening, we will play traditional games and stay overnight in a tourist camp. (B+L+D)
After breakfast, drive back to Ulaanbaatar and finish the trip. (B)
Price & Date
Tour cost, departure dates, and price differences
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
Camel ride
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
Great travel agency
From the initial point of contact to the completion of my tour, I had no complaints with Discover Mongolia. I had the pleasure of interacting with Shinee in the office. She was very professional and responsive to my many emails. We created a private tour, spending some days in Ulaanbaatar and an overnight in Kharkhorum in order to see Erdene Zuu. The guide, Odka, was great as well as the driver. I would highly recommend this travel company.
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...
Memorable trip
We had a very good time traveling in this beautiful and peaceful country. The route showcased the various picturesque landscapes in central Mongolia. Accommodations were in general well-selected and tourist-friendly. The close encounter with nomadic families was a highlight which provided us first-hand insight to the culture and customs that are truly Mongolian. Special thanks to our guide Oyuna and driver Zulaa for making this memorable trip possible.
Happy trip in Mongolia
We, a family of five (with children aged 14, 12, and 8), participated in a trip to Central Mongolia, where we stayed in different types of ger, allowing us to experience various accommodations. The food arrangements were diverse, and we had the opportunity to visit nomadic families and enjoy their freshly prepared BBQ lamb, which was delicious.
The kids loved hiking around the campsite and playing on the grass. They had the opportunity to encounter thousands of cows, sheep, and horses on the steppe. Visiting Mongolia in the summer is delightful; the weather is pleasant, though we might need to gather firewood at night, which is a challenging yet memorable experience...
from 560 USD