Gobi, Khangai multi-activity tour biking, trekking adventure - 13 days

Itinerary

• Arrival in Ulaanbaatar, city sightseeing tour

  Arrive in Ulaanbaatar and transfer to a 4-star hotel in the city center. Time permitting, you can opt for a guided tour to some of the city’s highlights, including the central square and the giant golden statue of Lord Buddha at Mongolia’s main religious center. Also, worth seeing is the museum of traditional puzzles and a folklore show where you can admire contortion and throat singing. At a welcome dinner this evening you will be given an informal trip orientation.

  • Dinner
  • Hotel

• Travel to Tsagaan Suvraga clay formation

  Most of the way is on a sealed road running across rugged mountains and dry plains which gradually give way to typical semi-desert with scarce vegetation and loose soil. Despite the seeming emptiness, an occasional nomadic station and large flocks of sheep and goats will come into view, more seldom horses and camels. Our destination is Tsagaan Suvraga, a series of massive formations of sedimentary rock, a former seabed. Its vividly visible layers of geological eras are spectacular. Equally spectacular is the view that opens from its top: boundless desert expanses, dancing mirages, and time that is standing still. We again relax in a comfortable yurt camp and hike to watch the Tsagaan Suvraga at blazing dusk. The yurt camp is a seasonal accommodation for travelers where traditional felt-covered tents function as hotel rooms. Sanitary facilities are located separately. A few times on this journey you will stay in the kind of "yurt camps".

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp

• Drive to Flaming Red Cliffs

  We travel further into the depth of the Gobi desert to Flaming Red Cliffs. Here, an unprecedented treasure trove of paleontological findings was unearthed in the 1920ies during a series of expeditions conducted by American adventurers. The yield included the first nests of dinosaur eggs, skeletons of several new species of prehistoric reptiles as well as mammals. It was news that made Mongolia known to the west after its centuries-long isolation in the heart of East Asia. We explore the cliffs and continue to a cozy yurt camp amid the infinite arid plain.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp

• Mountain biking day in the Gobi desert

  We assemble bikes and ride to Gurvan Saikhan national park comprised of majestic rugged mountains that stretch along half of Mongolia’s length. The cycling journey route runs across an elevated and therefore well-ventilated plateau between two parallel ridges. Short and at times steep ascents are followed by breathtaking descents. The riding surface is predominantly smooth although short sandy stretches are to be negotiated. The plateau serves summer pastureland for thousands of goats and sheep owned by local herders. Occasionally you will pedal past large flocks of goats, sheep, and even horses. Nomads living in the Gobi are particularly hospitable and often they will come out of their lone yurts to wave a greeting. Tonight, we set up a tent camp by some spectacular rock formations and enjoy the true tranquility of virgin nature and myriads of stars that eliminate the vault of heaven.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Tent
  • 69km, +980m

• Cycling to famed Khongoriin Els dunes

  We start the day by struggling along a 3km dry riverbed filled with loose gravel. Once clear through the challenge we cycle across several undulating hills on smooth packed surfaces enjoying dramatic landscapes of rift valleys, rugged ridges, and colorful geological formations. This is when Khongoriin Els dunes come into our view. They stretch for almost 100km and measure anything from 3 to 15km in width. From the foothill to the crest of the highest dunes is a good 200 meters. Local people refer to them as the “Singing Dunes” due to aeolian sounds heard on windy days. Here we load bikes and drive to a yurt resort by the dunes and later when the heat subsides, we take an excursion to the dunes. Climbing the highest dune is a “ritual” that will allow you to feel the immensity of the desert and see bird-eye views of the dunes and rugged ridges. Desert landscapes are especially beautiful in the evening light. We stay the night in comfortable yurts with a magnificent view of the dunes as the backdrop.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp
  • 89km, +410m

• Ride to arid steppes of central Mongolia

  Take a 2-hour car transfer across sandy soils before riding to the Arts Bogd mountain range that separates the Gobi desert from the arid grasslands of central Mongolia, a change easily noticeable immediately after crossing the day’s high point at just above 2000m. Today we establish our second tent camp by an extinct volcano of which rugged slopes are strewn with prehistoric petroglyphs and burial mounds.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Tent
  • 50km, +660m

• Travel to Khangai mountain range, visit nomadic families

  We load the bikes and cross vast arid plains to reach the foothills of the Khangai mountain range. This part of Mongolia receives plentiful rainfall and therefore enjoys an abundance of rivers large and small and as well as forests that are full of wildlife such as wolves, deer, boar, and a multitude of fur animals. Significantly, waters running off its southern side form several desert lakes whereas its northern slopes give birth to a multitude of rivers that all eventually empty into Baikal lake in Russia. From time to time while moving towards the Khangai, we stop to absorb the immensity of landscapes. We stop by some nomadic farms to have a chat with local herders. Towards the end of the day, we come across undulating scenery of green hills, rocky outcrops, and crystal-clear streams. Here is the “threshold” of the famed Valley of the Eight Lakes. We erect a tent camp and prepare for further adventures.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Tent

• Trek to Eight Lakes valley

  We start the day by climbing the "threshold" of the "Eight Lakes valley". Our food and camping gear will be transported by pack horses managed by local herdsmen who happily share about their life and traditions. From the top of the pass, you will see a breathtaking view of magnificent dome-shaped mountains covered in mixed forests. Looking down there opens a view of a spectacular lake with dense woods on its shore. After a picnic lunch, we descend on a steep slope to the lakeshore and pitch our tents. Known as the Shireet, the lake is the largest of and most picturesque of all eight lakes. We behold the magnificent view of pine forests reflecting on the lake surface and enjoy the idyllic campsite.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Tent

• Trek to Orkhon valley

  Today we traverse the length of the Eight Lakes valley by walking amid lush meadows and past clear lakes. Having left the spectacular mountain bowl behind we cross a high ridge on a winding trail and descend to the valley of the Orkhon river. Having originated in the Khangai, the massive river flows all across the north of the country and empties into lake Baikal in Russia. The whole length of the river valley is designated as the UNESCO heritage site owing to hundreds of historic sites that lie within its boundaries. As previously, we will be supported by pack horses. On reaching the Orkhon valley we reunite with support vehicles and camp.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Tent

• Visit the Orkhon waterfall, drive to medieval capital of Chinggis Khaan

  This morning we visit the famed waterfall of Ulaan Tsutgalan and drive to the Karakorum, where Chinggis Khaan established the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. However, its glory was short-lived as it soon fell into obscurity and was eventually destroyed by invading Chinese armies in the late 14th century. Today the main attraction here is the monastery museum of Erdene Zuu established in the 16th century by a Mongol khan as part of the introduction of Buddhism as the main religion. The monastery then suffered almost complete destruction during the anti-religion campaign of the 1930ies with just a dozen temples surviving till the present. We visit the monastery and the local museum to take a glance at a few surviving artifacts of the old capital before heading to a yurt camp which you will certainly enjoy after days of camping.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt

• Travel to the Khustai national park, wild animals and wild horses

  We drive on sealed roads across vast steppes with rugged mountains and rolling hills in the background. Our destination is the Khustai national park wherein in 1993 a small number of the last remaining wild horses was brought here from several European zoos and re-introduced to their historic homeland. Also known as “Przewalski horses" they were extinct in Mongolia by the 1950ies. Today over 350 wild horses, all native to Mongolia, roam grassy mountains having to withstand predators and harsh climate. A sizable population of red deer, Mongolian gazelles, and wild mountain sheep has also found a refuge in the park and can be spotted with a little bit of luck. We take a wildlife-watching excursion before dinner and overnight in cozy yurts.

  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Yurt camp

• Return to Ulaanbaatar

  We take a 2-hour return transfer back to Ulaanbaatar. The remainder of the day is at your disposal for further explorations of Ulaanbaatar, possible shopping, and visits. This evening we celebrate our Mongolian multi-activity adventure tour at a farewell dinner.

  • Breakfast, dinner
  • Hotel

• Departure from Mongolia

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