Naadam-Epic Mongolian Overland Grand Tour
tour overview
Mongolia's landscape, scenery and nomadic culture - vibrant and beautiful. This trip takes you to the heart of southern, central and northern Mongolia. With Naadam Festival, this trip is a wonderful introduction.
Epic Mongolian overland grand tour is a phenomenal journey to some of Mongolia's the most popular travel regions for magnificent scenes and private tour of the both Middle and South Gobi deserts primary ancient home land of Dinosaurs, many shaped specific granite rocky slop and mountain by created the wind over millions years, UNESCO World Heritage Sites; ancient capital city Karakorum, Terkh white lake, Khorgo extinct volcano and the clearest & beautiful Khuvsgul Lake. It takes 17 days and covers vast steppes, amazing Gobi deserts and magnificent mountains with its nomadic tradition, culture and people's lifestyle.
Stunning natural landscapes and friendly nomadic people - this really is the essence of Mongolia
tour itinerary
DAY 1. ULAANBAATAR
This tour begins with your arrival in the capital. You will be met by your guide at the international airport of UB and transferred to UB Hotel. In the afternoon, after a lunch, you will enjoy a leisurely time of sightseeing around UB and visit to the Gandan Monastery and the National History Museum where presents our history and culture from prehistoric to the present day. Early evening after sightseeing program, we invite you a welcome dinner at a restaurant. You stay overnight at hotel.
Accommadtion: hotel
Meals:
D
DAY 2. BAGA GAZRIIN CHULUU, MIDDLE GOBI
It's time to start your journey, with a 3 hour drive to Baga Gazriin Chuluu National Park, Middle Gobi and this is a semi-desert with rocky small hills and beautiful landscape which is consist with many shaped specific granite rocks. There you can enjoy hiking and horse riding. Stay overnight at tourist Ger camp.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 3. TSAGAAN SUVRAG (WHITE STUPA)
Following breakfast you'll be back on the road, heading towards the Tsagaan Suvarga. The drive should take around 5 hours, and you'll have some lovely desert views towards the end of the journey. You can enjoy nature surroundings including the sheer slope, facing east, which from cliff are 30 meters high and 100 meters wide which may be created by over million years the wind. Stay overnight at tourist Ger camp.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 4. YOLIIN AM (EAGLE'S VALLEY)
Having had breakfast you'll be driven to the Eagle's Valley in South Gobi. The National Park has been designated a Special Protected Area due to its unique landscape, very rich the rare plants, wild sheep and goat and snow leopard. These have been formed over many centuries by the action of wind and water and some of the peaks are several hundred metres high. You'll observe how plants have adapted to thrive in this environment and should see several of the endangered species of desert. If you are lucky enough, you may see wild sheep and goat, grazing high on the cliff walls.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 5. KHONGOR SAND DUNES, SOUTH GOBI
After a breakfast, we will drive to the Khongor sand dunes. The sand dunes are vast desert landscape where rise to a staggering 200 metres above the valley floor with razor sharp edges and extend over an area between 2-20 km in width and 180 km in length. Before sun sets, we'll climb up to the highest dunes and see surrounding desert landscape. Back at a ger camp, we'll have a dinner and enjoy listening sound of singing dunes which is generated by Gobi wind before you're sleeping.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 6. BAYANZAG (FLAMING CLIFFS)
Today after a breakfast our drive will take you to the Bayanzag province which is named as a birthplace of dinosaurs. It takes over 4 hours driving. Bayanzag is known as a Flaming Cliffs where the first nest of dinosaur eggs found in 1922 by an American expedition of Roy Chapman Andrews. The place is named as Flaming Cliffs red coloured cliffs themselves are very imposing from a distance, and are particularly fiery in the light of the setting sun. Today you have great chance to explore through one of the world’s most famous paleontological sites.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 7. ONGI RIVER (DESERT RIVER & RUINED TEMPLE)
Breakfast at the Ger camp is followed by the drive to Ongi River and Ongi temple. Ongi area is a prime example of the dry desert that used to cover much of this part of South Gobi. The Ongi Temple lies on the banks of the Ongi River and this route is main road to reach the ancient capital city Karakorum. The temple was destroyed by the communist purges of the 1930s and is being restored by a number of monks and after 1990's it is renovated.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 8. ANCIENT CAPITAL CITY KHARKHORUM
You'll leave for Kharkhorum early this morning. The journey takes between 5-6 hours and you should arrive about after lunchtime. On the way, we'll have picnic lunch. We will visit museum of Karakorum and the symbolic ruins of ancient city, which was the capital city of the Great Mongol Empire founded in the 13th century. Also visit to the magnificent and oldest Buddhist Monastery complex of Erdene Zuu, built in the 16th century, with 108 stupas.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 9. TAIKHAR ROCK
You will be driven from Kharkhorum to Taikhar Rock which is located in Arkhangai province. It is about a 4-5 hour drive, so you should arrive in time for lunch. The rock is a massive granite rock located on the banks of the Tamir River. The rock has some ancient inscriptions and considered as a sacred object for worship.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 10. KHORGO EXTINCT VOLCANO & TERKH WHITE LAKE
Today you'll drive from the rock to the Khorgo volcano which was which active 8000 years ago and Terkh White Lake (4-6 hours) passing through the beautiful Chuluut River with amazing canyon. After seeing extinct Khorgo volcano crater we will have dinner in shore of Terkh white lake’s tourist Ger camp. Terkh White Lake surrounded by spectacular scenery of plants, forests, mountains, and fauna. We visit to herder’s family and experience the lifestyle of local herdsmen.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 11. JARGALANT HOT SPRING
After breakfast you'll continue the journey north, heading to Jargalant Hot Spring, we'll pass over high mountain passes, vast grasslands, and arrive in Jargalant Hot Springs, which is an ideal point on the overland trail from the heartland to Lake Khovsgol in the North. The spring generate natural underground water that is good for health reasons. The ger camp offers outdoor baths for tourists. The composition of spring water is curative and the surrounding natures get this hot spring an excellent place for relaxing.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 12-13. KHUVSGUL LAKE/ VISIT REIDEER PEOPLE FAMILY
Following breakfast you set off northwards, heading to Khuvsgul Lake which is known as the second clearest lake in Asia. Water of the lake is crystal clear so that you can see bottom of lake and it is surrounded by mountains and deep forest. This will be free time for offering you the opportunity to discover the surroundings and enjoy wilderness and the lovely lake views. In the second day you'll visit the village of Reindeer people to find out about the lives of local people.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 14. FLY BACK TO UB
you to hotel and in the evening you'll enjoy traditional folk music and dance performance.
Accommadtion: hotel
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 15. (11 JULY) OPENING CEREMONY OF NAADAM FESTIVAL, UB
Today is the real highlight for us - the day you witness for our national holiday. After a breakfast, we will be attending the opening ceremony of the Naadam Festival in Ulaanbaatar. Undoubtedly, Naadam is the most colourful and most important annual cultural event. It begins with an elaborate introduction ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. After the opening ceremony, the competitions begin. As usual, it runs for three days in all parts of the country and consists of horse racing, archery, and wrestling. Before leaving the stadium, we will attend archery competition.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 16. (12 JULY) HORSE RACING FIELD, HUI DOLOON KHUDAG, UB
We will drive to horse racing field of Naadam festival with Mongolian racers from all over Mongolia. You'll be busy on the horse racing field watching horse racing competitions. Today's horse racing is important because 5-year-old horse as we call them Soyolon which are most powerful and fastest horses. After enjoying horse racing, we'll drive to Mongol Nomadic Camp to experience of nomadic traditional way of living. The camp will show us livestock and cattle breeding and invite the guests to the Mongolian ger with artefacts, offer tea and dairy products, host and hostess explain furniture and feature of the Mongolian ger to the guests answer their questions and intercommunicate with each other.
Accommadtion: Ger Camp
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 17. DEELTEI MONGOLIS FESTIVAL,UB
After enjoying a breakfast, depart a Ger Camp in Terej NP for Deeltei Mongols Traditional Costume Festival, Chingis Khaan Square in Ulaanbaatar and on the way we'll visit the biggest statue of Chingis Khaan. "Deeltei Mongols" the annual Mongolian costume festival, as part of the Naadam Festival, is organized annually to promote Mongolian culture and tradition. Also it introduces national costume exquisite design to foreigners.
Accommadtion: hotel
Meals:
B
L
D
DAY 11. DEPARTURE
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight and our service ends.
holiday information
What's included
Full services of guide and driver
- Full services of both guide and driver
- 17 breakfasts, 17 lunches, 17 dinners
- Drinking water throughout tour
- All transport ( domestic flight, minibus or 4WD)
- National park/reserves entrance fees
- All nights' accommodation including hotel in UB
- All others indicated in program
What's not included
- Visa
- Hotel refreshments
- Travel insurance
- Airplane ticket and taxes
- Excess baggage charges
- Daily personal expenses
- Book now
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tour details
- Duration: 18 days
- Price from: $3200
- Accommodation: 3 nights 5 Star hotel, 14 nights Ger Camp
- Meal plan: All our tours include full board, but other meals are often not included especially in UB. This allows you to try the cuisine in local restaurants and also to choose what and where to eat and how much to spend. Please ask us before booking if you have any specific requirements.