7 Days Classic Mongolian Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Yol Valley

Stop At: Yolyn Am, Located in the Gurvan Saikhan National Park near Dalanzadgad, Mongolia, Dalanzadgad Mongolia
Yol valley origininally established to conserve birdlife in the region. But it’s now more famous for its dramatic and very unusual scenery- its valley in the middle of the Gobi Desert with meters thick ice almost all year around. It’s one of the natural secret of Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park and beautiful deep canyon with many rocky cliffs, has been created by many years of water erosion. Yoliin Am is located in the mountains of Züün Saikhan. The bearded vulture, Yol in Mongolian, gave its name to the Yoliin Am Valley, the Gorge of Bearded Vultures. Located at a height of 2500 metres (8202,10 feet), Yol Canyon forms a gorge that is so deep and so narrow, that only two persons can pass in some places. The water forms four small waterfalls. Although the sun shines a lot in this region, the canyon remains dark, so that in the bottom, a part of the river remains nearly all year long covered by a thick layer of ice.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Nomad Homestay

Day 2: Khongor Sand Dune

Stop At: Khongoryn Els, Gobi Desert, Dalanzadgad 212503 Mongolia
Khongor dunes, ”Khongoriin Els”, are the most important sand mass of Gobi Gurvan Saïkhan National Park.

Its area is more than 900 square kilometres (347,49 square miles). It’s one of the largest sandy areas of Mongolia. Suddenly standing out from the plains, they are undoubtedly among the most spectacular of the country. The wind continuously blows from North towards West and the dunes can reach breathtaking heights, between 100 and 300 metres (328,08 – 984,25 feet) at their highest points. Khongor dunes are more than 180 km long and can reach 27 kilometres (16,28 miles) wide. The inhabitants name their imposing dunes ”singing dunes” due to the noise made by the wind when it moves the sand. Beyond the dunes, the steppe extends as far as the eye can see.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Tourist Camp

Day 3: Bayanzag

Stop At: Bayanzag Saxual Forest, Mongolia
Bayanzag red sand cliffs, today better known as “flaming cliffs” due to their colours ochre and red, are located about 100 km (62,14 miles) at the northwest of Dalanzadgad. Bayanzag means “rich in saxaul”. This thorny shrub measuring approximately two meters high proliferates in the surroundings and is a good source of food for camels.

This plain has many sedimentary sand cliffs where many dinosaurs’ fossils have been found. In 1922, the palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews was the first to discover dinosaurs’ bones and eggs. They belonged to a horned, herbivorous, two-meters long dinosaur that was not identified yet. After this discovery, this dinosaur was called protoceratops Andrews.

The excavations lasted two years, during which many hundreds of bones were dug up. During this period, Andrews and his team discovered a dinosaur’s nest with an eggs’ clutch. This discovery drew the whole world’s attention.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Nomad Homestay

Day 4: Ongi Monastery

Stop At: Ongi Monastery, Saikhan-Ovoo Mongolia
Ongi Monastary is the ruin of a big monastery on the bank of the Ongiin River. Ongi monastery has 28 temples and other buildings on the south slope of the Rocky Mountain like Balsa country and stupas which are not broken. Ongi monastery had about 1000 lamas and it was destroyed during the Stalinist purges in 1930s.The ruins of Ongi Temple are found in Saikhan Ovoo soum of Dundgobi (Middle Gobi) province. It used to be a big Buddhist monastery compound built by Bari Yonzon Khamba Lamaist bishop at the Ongi river, a river that takes source from the Khangai Mountain range in Ovorkhangai Aimag (Province) and flows into the Ulaan Nuur Lake of Gobi.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Nomad Family

Day 5: Orkhon Valley

Stop At: Orkhon Waterfall, Orkhon River Valley, Bat Ulzii Mongolia
Orkhon Valley is located North of the province of Ovorkhangai, in the central part of Mongolia, about 360 kilometres (224 miles) Southeast of Ulan Bator.

Located at the foot of the Khangai range, this site protected by UNESCO since 1992 covers 121.967 hectares along the Orkhon River. A buffer zone of 61.044 hectares is protected too.

The basin of the Orkhon River has many historical vestiges, because many successive nomads had been living in the valley since the prehistoric period. This area is often considered as the cradle of the nomadic civilization of the steppes and was a real forum of civilizations during the last millennium because it bound East to West in the middle of the large Eurasian continent.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Nomad Family

Day 6: Kharkhorin

Stop At: Kharakhorum Museum, Khushuu Tsaidam Rd, Kharkhorin 62090 Mongolia
Kharkhorin (Karakorum in English) was at the same time a political, economic, administrative and religious centre, and one of the largest forum of civilizations. The surrounding wall of the city surrounded a 400 metres square area. The city had four stone turtles, whose some are still visible.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Tourist Camp

Day 7: Elsen Tasarhai

Stop At: Elsen Tasarkhai, Rashaant, Mongolia
The Elsen Tasarkhai is a part of the Mongol Els Sand Dunes, that continues 80 km long 5 km wide. The nature in this area is really spectacular and great for relaxing and located in Burd soum in Uvurkhangai Aimag (Province) 280 km west of Ulaanbaatar. The area is surrounded by sand dunes, hills covered with rare bushes and a small forest near a river.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.