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Sept 7, 2026 (Day 1) - Arrive in Ulaanbaatar / Welcome to Mongolia
Arrive in Mongolia’s capital, where modern life meets centuries-old tradition, and make your way to our hotel. Take a stroll through the city or relax the jet lag away, before joining your chaperones, Angie & Rachelle, for an evening welcome meeting. Afterwards, join us for dinner at a nearby restaurant or catch some zzz’s before the big adventure begins!
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: No meals are included, but join us at a local restaurant to try your first taste of Mongolian cuisine and meet fellow travellers!
Sept 8, 2026 (Day 2) – Into The Gobi Desert - Tsagaan Suvarga
We’ll meet our English-speaking Tour Leader and our Driver(s) bright and early and hit the road! Leave the city behind and head south into the Gobi Desert, where paved roads give way to open space and endless sky. Enjoy the stunning vistas and constantly changing landscapes that we pass along the way. We have a big driving day, reaching our first Gobi destination of Tsagaan Suvarga (“White Stupa”), a dramatic escarpment resembling the American Badlands, and named for its Buddhist shrine-like “stupa” shape. Walk the rims, explore the canyons below, and watch colors shift as sunlight dances across the rock and your first taste of Mongolia’s wild scale and remote natural beauty.
Quick Fact: Many Mongolians practice Tibetan Buddhism, blended with ancient shamanistic traditions.
Accommodation: Tsagaan Suvarga Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving time: ~ 7-8 hours
Sept 9, 2026 (Day 3) – Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park & A Hike Through Yolyn Am (“Eagle Valley”)
Another long driving day is ahead, as we travel to Mongolia’s largest national park at over 10,000 square miles, Gobi Gurvansaikhan Mountains National Park. “Gurvansaikhan” means “Three Beauties” in Mongolian, a nod to its three mountain subranges. The park is rich in wildlife, including the Gobi Bear, a range of local gazelle, ibex, sheep and wolf species, and even the elusive snow leopard.
We’ll make a stop at Yolyn Am (“Eagle Valley”). The valley is a narrow gorge often filled with ice well into summer. In September, the valley is surprisingly green, a striking contrast to the surrounding desert. Our Tour Leader will lead us on a group hike for 2-3 hours through the valley, before returning to the vehicle and heading to our evening camp.
Quick Fact: “Yol” is the Mongolian name for the Lammergeier, a massive vulture with a wingspan up to 9 feet and native to the valley.
Accommodation: Khan Bogd Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving time: ~ 6 hours
Sept 10, 2026 (Day 4) - Khongor Sand Dunes & The Singing Sands
We cross Gobi Gurvansaikhan Mountains National Park to the legendary Khongor Sand Dunes, the tallest dunes in Mongolia. We’ll visit with a nomad family, ride two-humped Bactrian Camels, and you will be offered the opportunity to climb one of the dunes. At the summit, feel the sand vibrate beneath your feet to understand the source of their nickname, the “Singing Sands.” Take in the broad views of the Gobi Desert, the best you can get from this sky-high vantage point.
Quick Fact: When dry sand grains slide together in strong winds, they vibrate and produce a deep humming sound, making Khongor one of the world’s famous “singing” dune systems.
Accommodation: Gobi-Erdene Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving time: ~ 4.5-5 hours
Sept 11, 2026 (Day 5) – Ancient Art & Dinosaur History w/ Khavtsgait Valley & Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs)
Today, we voyage further and further into the past. We start with a brief hike that takes us back in time, to the Bronze and Iron Ages, to view petroglyphs etched into the black rock of the Khavtsgait Valley. We’ll continue further back in time to the iconic Flaming Cliffs, where the world’s first dinosaur eggs were discovered, forever changing palaeontology. We’ll take an afternoon break at our ger camp, then end the day watching the red-orange Flaming Cliffs glow fiery red at sunset.
Quick Fact: The Flaming Cliffs were the first place in the world where fossilized dinosaur eggs were discovered, proving dinosaurs laid eggs (over birthing live young).
Accommodation: Gobi Tour Ger Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving time: ~ 4.5 hours
Sept 12, 2026 (Day 6) - Open Steppes & Ongi Monastery
Today, we travel through the desert steppe, dotted with rare saxaul trees. This shrub-like tree grows only in the Central Asian desert. Afterwards, we’ll drive through rugged slate mountains, onward to Ongiin Khiid, once among Mongolia’s greatest monasteries. There were two separate monasteries consisting of more than 30 temples on the shores of the Ongi River, surrounded by the Gobi Desert mountains. Walk through the ruins, visit a revived temple, and climb nearby hills for sweeping views across the Ongi Valley, a quiet, powerful place that tells the story of Mongolia’s spiritual resilience.
Quick Fact: Before its destruction in the socialist purge of the 1930s, Ongi Monastery housed more than 1,000 monks and was one of Mongolia’s most influential religious centers.
Accommodation: Ongi Energy Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving time: ~ 4.5 hours
Sept 13, 2026 (Day 7) - Genghis Khan’s Kharkhorin & Erdenezuu Monastery
Today, we leave the desert behind and enter the fertile Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll visit Kharkhorin (now “Kharakhorum”), the former capital of Genghis Khaan's Great Mongol Empire in the 13th century. Erdenezuu Monastery, Mongolia’s oldest surviving monastery, which was built with stones from the ruins, coexists with present-day Kharakhorum town. Entry to the monastery museum is included, where you can view valuable religious articles and take in the stunning architecture, before heading to our ger camp for the evening.
Quick Fact: After the Mongolian capital moved to Beijing and the fall of the Empire, Min soldiers destroyed the abandoned Kharakhorum in 1388.
Accommodation: Kharkhorin Urguu Ger camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving time: ~ 5.5 - 6 hours
Sept 14, 2026 (Day 8) – Nomads & Horseback Riding, Return to Ulaanbaatar
Spend your final countryside day with a horse-herding nomadic family. Ride across the open steppe and share a traditional nomadic lunch, gaining insight into a lifestyle that has endured for centuries. In the afternoon, return to Ulaanbaatar for a well-earned city night.
Quick Fact: Mongolia has more horses than people, and children often learn to ride almost as soon as they can walk.
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, No dinner is included, but join your fellow travelers at a local restaurant or take an evening for yourself!
Driving time: ~ 6 – 6.5 hours
Sept 15, 2026 (Day 9) - Fly West to the Altai & Intro to Ölgii Town
We will catch an internal domestic flight to Ölgii, Mongolia’s westernmost town and gateway to the Altai Mountains and the heart of Mongolia’s Kazakh culture. Settle into your lodge and enjoy dinner at a local Kazakh restaurant, a preview of the traditions to come.
Quick Fact: The Kazakhs of western Mongolia speak a Turkic language and maintain customs distinct from the rest of the country, including music, dress, and food.
Accommodation: Altai Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sept 16, 2026 (Day 10) - Eagle Hunters of the Altai
Meet a Kazakh eagle hunting family and learn how golden eagles are trained for hunting, a local tradition passed down for generations. See the birds up close and witness the deep bond between hunter and eagle, forged through patience, respect, and skill. Return to Olgii for free time.
Quick Fact: Golden eagles used for hunting can weigh up to 15 pounds and have eyesight estimated to be eight times sharper than a human.
Accommodation: Altai Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sept 17-18, 2026 (Day 11 and 12) – The Golden Eagle Festival
We spent two full days immersed in one of the world’s most extraordinary cultural events. The impressive Golden Eagle Festival starts with a parade of up to 60 eagle hunters dressed in traditional hunting clothes, riding horses with their eagles perched on their arm, followed by a series of competitive events: eagle hunters on horseback compete in events showcasing speed, accuracy, and technique. Parades, competitions, and celebrations fill these unforgettable days, a powerful display of a heritage that is still very much alive.
Quick Fact: Eagle hunters traditionally capture young eagles, hunt with them for about 8–10 years, and then release them back into the wild to breed, a practice rooted in conservation as much as tradition.
Accommodation: Altai Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sept 19, 2026 (Day 13) - Ölgii town tour and fly back Ulaanbaatar
Explore Ölgii’s local market and museum, then climb a nearby hill for sweeping views of the town and surrounding mountains. After lunch, before we our group flies back to Ulaanbaatar for a final evening in Mongolia.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, No dinner is included, but join your fellow travelers at a local restaurant or take an evening for yourself!
Accommodation: Hotel
Sept 20, 2026 (Day 14) – Farewell, Mongolia
Our tour ends after breakfast. We say “Bayartai, shine naizuudaa!” (Goodbye to our new friends), and our Driver will make a single airport transfer for anyone flying out.
Meals: Breakfast
So what exactly are these "ger camps"???
A Ger Camp, is quite simply, the most accessible and authentic way to experience Mongolia, especially in remote areas of the Gobi Desert / Gurvansaikhan Mountains National Park. You may know a "ger" by it's more familiar name: a Mongolian yurt.
At each ger camp, we will be hosted by locals. Within the camps, expect to find multiple sleeping gers, a separate ger setup as a restroom/shower facility, and a communal dining ger, where we will enjoy our meals together.
Mongolian gers are an important part of their national history and heritage. They were engineered so cleverly that an entire home could be packed onto a few animals, transported, and rebuilt in under an hour, without using a single nail, which made them perfect for a nomadic life on the steppe. Embracing the nomadic spirit (whether Mongolian or modern) is integral to this adventure!
General Tips for Ger Camp Travelers in Mongolia
Expect basic, yet comfortable, stays. Our Mongolian partners have provided us the "best" gers available by destination, though it is important to remember that it's not quite glamping. Our camps offer 2-3 single/twin size beds per ger with clean linens, shared western showers/toilets, and a central dining ger, where we will gather for meals.
Electricity & connectivity are limited and vary, by location. Solar power and generators are common, and outlets may only be available in communal spaces. 3G/4G coverage is often intermittent.
Meals will be prepared for our group, by our local hosts, in the dining gers: to ensure an authentic experience, we requested Mongolian foods, and they may also offer simple international or vegetarian dishes; portions can be generous but vary in quality. Vegans can be accommodated, with less choice.
Many of our Ger Camps offer a continued opportunity to engage in the Mongolian experience, from mingling with locals, to accessing nearby trails, views or wildlife experiences.
Inclusions
3 nights in a 3-star (western standard) hotel in Ulaanbaatar
10 nights at Mongolian Ger camps
English-speaking/Western Chaperones (Angie from Let's Go Globetrotting & Rachelle from Soul Sisters Global Network)
English-speaking Local Guide
Professional Tour Driver and Private Passenger Van
Internal Domestic Flights between Ulaanbaatar & Olgii
Entry fees to national parks and museums
Eagle Festival ticket
Daily bottled water
Meals as indicated by itinerary
Exclusions
Items for personal use, beverages, alcoholic drinks
Travel Insurance - MANDATORY (Trip coverage & medical)
International Flights & other pre- and post-tour transportation
Excess baggage charges on included domestic flight (5 kg handbag, 15 kg check in luggage free)
Visa fee
Gratuities for the Tour Staff