Khustai, Terelj multi-activity biking, hiking tour - 8 days

Itinerary

• Arrival to Ulaanbaatar

  Upon arrival in Ulaanbaatar (UB) you will be met by your guide and transferred to a hotel in the city center. Time permitting you will be taken on a guided tour to some of the city’s highlights, including a giant Buddha statue at Mongolia’s main Buddhist center, the National museum and the central square. A traditional throat singing and contortion performance will be presented at the end of the day. At a welcome dinner you will be given an informal introduction to the tour ahead of you.

  • Dinner
  • Hotel

• Wildlife watching hike in Khustai national park

  Meet with your guide and travel to Khustai National Park where in 1993, a small number of last remaining wild horses known as “Przewalski horses" were brought from several European zoos to be re-introduced to their historic homeland after they had been extinct here for 5 decades. Today, this is the most successful wildlife preservation project that has ever been seen in Mongolia with over 300 wild horses roaming in the wilderness withstanding predators and harsh climate. Impressively, the park is also home to 220 species of birds, 1500 Red deer, and 20,000 marmots. On arrival, you will get a short introduction to the park’s activities before setting out on a wildlife-watching hike through lush grassy valleys alternated by rocky ridges that shelter patches of birch forests. Wildlife species you can expect to see include Przewalski’s horse, Red deer, marmot, and birds such as Golden Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, Upland Buzzard, Saker Falcon, and various smaller falcons. The park restaurant serves delicious meals. You will today sleep in traditional Mongolian tents known as yurts.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp

• Cycling in the grasslands

  After breakfast, we transfer to the starting point of the cycling adventure. We start riding across hilly steppes and vast open grassland. On our route lie a couple of interesting sites to see. First is a group of horse statues erected on an elevation and dedicated to renowned racehorses of the area. The cult of horses and their place in the Mongolian culture is very big. Another site is a place of shamanistic ritual where shamans periodically gather to enhance their supernatural skills. We spend the night in a yurt camp on the edge of a vast plain.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp
  • 50km

• Cycle to XIII century Mongolia complex

  First 10km this morning is easy pedaling across grasslands most commonly associated with Mongolia. Further and until the end of the day gentle climbs alternate with rolling descents to open grasslands with mountain slopes dotted with scenic rock formations in the background. Our destination is the historic complex called "XIII century Mongolia". As the names suggests it is a stylized demonstration of Mongolia’s medieval life. Today, we settle down at “Khan’s court” and have your photo taken dressed as a medieval Mongol nobleman or try your hand on traditional archery. The decorated interiors, wild environment and absence of electric power make the atmosphere feel quite medieval. Tonight, you will have a dinner in the “Khans” yurt.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp
  • 40km

• Cycle to Khenty wilderness area

  This morning we cycle across a wide open valley dotted with white mushroom-like homes of nomadic Mongols and catch a glimpse of a way of life which hasn’t seemingly changed in centuries. Large flocks of and goats as well as horses and cattle graze alongside. We take a chance to visit a nomadic family. After lunch we climb to a wooded pass at 1887m, the gateway to Khenty wilderness area that marks the southern edge of the Siberian mountain forest eco-system. A long descent on rocky surface brings us to a cozy yurt camp located at picturesque riverside with high willow growth and wooded mountains as the backdrop.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp
  • 40km

• Ride to Terelj national park

  Bear, wolf, lynx and boar inhabit the depths of the wilderness area but as well herbivores such as elk, a few kinds of deer and the many fur animals typical to boreal forest. But of course, it’s not realistic to encounter the wild animals in warm seasons and especially on trails trodden by human beings but yet you acutely feel the immensity of the wilderness. This morning we cycle along the lush riverside, crossing a couple of knee-deep streams. We enjoy our last lunch in the wilderness, load bikes and transfer to Terelj national park and settle in a yurt camp with some fantastic rock formations in the background.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp
  • 25km

• Day in Terelj national park, return to Ulaanbaatar

  Meaning rhododendron, the park is a wide mountain bowl dotted with rock formations of interesting shapes, quite often named after things they resemble. It’s a popular venue for hiking and horseback riding excursions. After lunch we take a return trip to the city. Enroute, visit a giant mounted statue of Genghis Khan. The creator of the Great Mongol Empire is depicted looking the direction of his birth place and resting his right hand on a golden whip he found here as legend suggests. An observation deck on the horse’s head allows panoramic views of vast steppe and rolling hills.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Hotel

• Departure from Mongolia

  You will be transferred to the airport for your return flight back home.

  • Breakfast