The Central Mongolia and The Gobi desert

Day 1.

Day 1: Transfer to the hotel. After hotel transfer ,we will start the city tour. The sighseeings are Gandan monastery, Sukhbaatar square, National museum, Zaisan memorial. During the tour, we’ll have buffet lunch at a restaurant. Welcome dinner will be had at a restaurant. Overnight at the hotel. The city tour takes 8 hours.

Day 2.

After breakfast at the hotel we’ll be heading to Elsen tasarkhai. This attraction is simply considerable as a mix of desert and grassland. That’s what makes a beautiful landscape throughout that area. After exploring the place we will pay a visit to a nomadic family in their ger /yurt/ and will have lunch there and then heading to Kharkhorum, the ancient capital city. Dinner and overnight at a tourist camp.

Day 3.

Today’s main attraction  is “Erdenezuu monastery “. The Monastery is constructed by the style of Tibetian buddist monastery 434 years ago. There is also a very modern museum ” kharkhorum ” shows history and culture of every periods of the empires of Mongolia. We will be there for 2 hours and then lunch waiting for us. After lunch, our horses are complete set up for the ride of Orkhon valley. Green grassland, the sound of river and the Mongolian eternal blue sky. Dinner and overnight in a tourist camp.

Day 4.

New day, new adventure! Today we have only one stop by car. Do not be “oh come on!” too early. Because there are a mountain and a monastery at the top of it ahead of us. That’s Tuvkhun monastery which is one of the most beautiful constructions you’ll ever see. We’ll be hiking up to the mountain and exploring the monastery and having packed lunch over there. Dinner and overnight in a ger camp.

Day 5.

Today is a road trip day. But don’t take it too serious please. We’ll stop at every great, breathtaking scenery along the way. Picnic lunch in steppe, dinner and overnight in a tourist camp around the Khongor sand dunes.

Day 6.

There is an oasis called Duut bulag in front of the dunes and it has its own unique legend. Our guide will tell you that legend while we’d be enjoying the place. And also it’s possible to ride a camel over there if you want to. When the sun goes down, we will start climbing the Duut mankhan /The whispering dune/ and seeing the one of the most memorable sunset in Mongolian desert.. Before dusk, we’ll slide down from the dunes with a skateboard. It will be fun. Dinner and overnight in a tourist camp.

Day 7.

Yolyn am valley is a sacred place. Because of wild sheep. Hopefully we’d see one when we’re there, but can’t promise. Another precious thing this valley has is ice. Can you believe that? 30 celsius out of the valley and somehow there is ice inside. That’s the beauty of it. We’ll have lunch right before entering the valley and once we come out the valley, we’ll be heading to the north.

There is our next stop “Flaming cliffs” which important fossil finds have been made. It was given this name by American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, who visited in the 1920s. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur eggs.

Dinner and overnight in a tourist camp.

Day 8.

The rainbow cliffs is an arduous scarp in Olziit soum of Dundgovi province. Once a floor of the ocean, this scarp looks like a white stupa, hence the name Tsagaan Suvarga (white stupa). This scarp is 400 meters long and 60 meters tall with a 90 degree brink. After a rain, the water pouring down the scarp makes it look like a huge waterfall. Lunch, dinner and overnight in a ger camp.

Day 9.

Now our trip is getting closer to its end. But the upcoming 2 days are going to be exceptional as it has always been. The first stop is The Granite canyons. A zone of flat layers of granite stone mountains towers up to 200 m on the plains, covering an area of 300 sq.km. 1768 m high Takhilgat peaks is the highest summit. Many streams flow through the mountain valleys; some of them have aspen groves between the gorges. After lunch there we’ll come back on the road to Terelj national park. Dinner and overnight in a tourist camp in the national park.

Day 10.

First in the morning our first sightseeing is Melkhii khad /Turtle rock/. there is a peculiar, tall rock formation that is shaped like a turtle. Standing about 24 meters tall, the formation used to be called Mungut Khad (Money Rock).

The reason behind its former name is due to the legend that the Oirad Khan Galdanboshigt hid away his treasures at the location. According to the legend, after suffering heavy losses in the unbalanced battle against Manchu soldiers in Zuunmod, Galdanboshigt Khan escaped the siege and made a brief stop near Turtle Rock with his remaining soldiers.

The next one is Aryabal Temple. One of the most beautiful spots in Gorkhi Terelj National Park apart from its nature is Aryabal Temple. This hidden in the mountains temple is located nearby Turtle Rock, 56 km away from Ulaanbaatar city. Surrounding areas attraction full of granite formation set among scenic valleys and hills with a winding river and groves of trees.

Aryabal is a Buddhist God who listens to all the prayers of humankind and releases humankind from suffering. It was built in the shape of an elephant’s head. The number 108 is an auspicious number in Buddhism. Therefore the stairs leading to the temple consist of 108 steps and symbolizes the elephant’s elongated trunk. Moreover, signs with 144 Buddhist teachings, written in English and Mongolian, lined the sides of the path to the temple.

And the last one before we arrive in Ulaanbaatar is Chinggis Khaan statue complex. Chinggis Khaan Statue complex is located 60 kms from Ulaanbaatar, on the bank of the Tuul River, in a place called Tsonjin Boldog, where Genghis Khan had found a golden whip according to legend. 40 meter high statue on horseback was erected on a 10 meter high base, covered by stainless steel and surrounded by 36 columns. Those 36 columns are meant for the memorial of 36 kings intermarry from Genghis until Ligden Khaan. A recreation area, restaurants, souvenir shop and conference hall occupy the base structure. From here, visitors will ascend to the exhibition hall using an elevator at the back of the horse. Farewell dinner and Overnight in Ulaanbaatar.

Day 11.

Departure day. Airport farewell.