Gobi desert and Central Mongolia

We’ll start our trip with a half day driving to the Baga Gazriin Chuluu Ruins (1768 m high granite Stone Mountain in the territory of Adaatsag soum, Dundgovi province. It’s a place with unique scenery that many tourists compare with lunar scenes. The mountain contains remains of old temples. They are not only rich in minerals and crystals, but also eye spring, old stone temple ruins related to the 17th century. We’ll spend the night in a nomadic family’s ger.

We’ll drive to the scarp of Tsagaan Suvarga which is located in Ulziit soum, Dundgovi province. It is interesting to see the sheer slope, facing east, which is 30 meters high and 100 meters wide. Over thousands of years the wind has created this amazing structure.

We’ll drive to Yoliin Am in the middle of the Gobi desert National Park which is a strictly protected area, covering 70sq.kms. The mountains here are the highest in the Gobi Desert and the rocky scenery is quite interesting, especially the ice in a gorge that remains till mid July. We’ll walk 3kms through a narrow valley, then 3 kms back to the jeep.

After lunch we’ll drive to the Khongoryn Els Sand Dunes (195kms). The Khongoryn Els is some of the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia. We’ll see beautiful views, huge sand dunes and a cold water spring with a creek that leads to two small ponds. We’ll then spend the night in a family ger.

We’ll climb and hike to the top of the biggest sand dunes. There is an oasis near Khongor creek at the northern edge of the sand dune. The dunes make a sound like a plane engine on a windy day so it’s named as “Singing Dunes”. Also, if you wish, you may walk alongside the creek for about 10 kms. We arrange a camel riding trip to the sand dunes for a couple of hours.

We’ll drive to Bayan-Zag(150kms). When we arrive at Bayan-Zag, spend the night in Ger. Bayan-Zag means “rich in Saxaul Shrubs” and is more commonly known as the “Flaming Cliffs” of Bayan-Zag, famous for its discovery of dinosaur fossils.

We’ll drive to Ongiin khiid, where you can see the ruins of a big monastery on the bank of the Ongiin River. This monastery has 28 temples and other buildings on the south slope of the Rocky Mountain like Balsa country and stupas which are not broken. This monastery had about 1000 lamas and it was destroyed during the Stalinist purges in the 1930s. The Ongiin khiid was one of the biggest temples in Gobi’s area of Mongolia.

We will drive to Orkhon valley and Orkhon waterfall. The 121,967-ha Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape encompasses an extensive area of pastureland on both banks of the Orkhon River and includes numerous archaeological remains dating back to the 6th century. Orkhon Waterfall, which is great place for taking photos and go hiking through the gorge.

We’ll go hiking by the canyon and enjoy the day. We’ll arrange a couple of hours horseback riding in the area.

We’ll drive to the Tsenkher hot spring. We’ll have a relaxed evening taking a hot bath in the hot spring water. We’ll spend the night in the Ger camp at Tsenkher hot spring.

We’ll drive to Great White Lake and Khorgo Volcano. Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur National park was established to protect the spectacular mountain scenery and endangered species of fauna and flora. The area has extinct volcanoes, many beautiful lakes, a great number of animals and birds, and is definitely one of the best natural tourist attractions. Khorgo is a unique natural complex (2240 m)National Park surrounded by the Khangai Mountains, which reach 3000 meters above sea level. In the craters some of them are very tiny crystal- cleared lakes. The Khorgo crater is situated at an altitude of 2.210 meters with a diameter of 20 and depth of 70 to 80 meters.

We’ll go hiking around the area. Also, we’ll be able to go hiking from the lake to the volcano.

We’ll drive to Mongolian ancient capital, Kharkhorin, Chinggis Khaan’s fabled city, founded in 1220 in the Orkhon Valley, at the crossroads of the Silk Road. It was from there that the Mongol Empire was governed until Kubilai Khan moved it to Beijing. It served as the capital for 40 years. Following the move, and the subsequent collapse of the Mongolian empire, Karakorum was abandoned. Whatever was left was used to help build the glorious Erdene Zuu monastery in the 16th century. Nearby, Turkish monuments and rock inscriptions erected in the 8-9th centuries in memory of outstanding fighters for independence.

We’ll drive to Mount Khogno Khan Nature Reserve. The mountain is home to hundreds of birds, deer, and gazelle. You’ll be able to go hiking in the small sand dunes nearby called ” Elsen tasarkhai”

We will drive back to Ulaanbaatar